slowly sank to the lake bottom. Only then did Jun Moxie open his eyes. Before him was a world of deep, azure water. After briefly orienting himself, he propelled himself lightly toward the painted barge. In moments, he sensed the light dim as he arrived beneath the hull. Jun Moxie floated up silently, one hand gripping the bottom tightly, while he held a length of reed in his mouth. He exhaled Zhenqi, causing the segments of the long reed tube to fully open, and cautiously extended it near the edge of the boat. A rush of incredibly fresh air instantly flooded into his almost suffocated lungs, bringing immediate relief.

If any single step in this sequence of maneuvers had failed, the entire effort would have been wasted, moreover, it would have alerted the enemy, potentially even inviting immediate death!

Jun Moxie made no further move, simply waiting patiently. Not the slightest hint of impatience showed. All his previous speculations and doubts had vanished. Whether those assassins would board this very boat was no longer his primary concern. Having chosen his target, he would never retreat!

His intuition had locked onto this boat!

Therefore, he possessed infinite patience. As long as he could breathe, he could wait. Just as in his past life, when he relied on instinct to track, kill, or lie in wait—quietly anticipating. In this moment, he was once again that King of Assassins! The Evil Lord!

After a long silence, sounds finally drifted down: a few delicate female laughs mingled with a rough male voice. They were talking and laughing their way onto the deck. The hull trembled slightly, and the thump-thump of several sets of footsteps sounded directly above him as people boarded.

One, two... Six people!

Jun Moxie counted silently. Hmm, three more than expected.

If those three assassins from before had indeed all arrived.

As soon as the group stepped onto the deck, the unique, chilling aura they carried instantly triggered a reaction in Jun Moxie’s senses. Immersed in the cold water, feeling that icy killing intent, Jun Moxie was suddenly struck by a subtle, almost comforting sense of familiarity and nostalgia.

This was his true world!

The silks, fine food, glory, and wealth of the noble houses were certainly comfortable and secure, but Jun Moxie, the King of Assassins, yearned more for absolute freedom—like the King of Wolves on the open steppes, howling his dominance across the land. Though fraught with peril, it was a position of absolute rule!

That thrill embedded within the pain, the enjoyment found in profound solitude, wandering the world alone with a sword drawn, challenging the heavens with cold eyes! Ten steps to kill one man, a thousand miles leaving no trace!

This, this was the greatest dream in Jun Moxie’s heart.

But alas, his current status in this world rendered the possibility of realizing such opportunities infinitesimally small.

After the six entered the cabin, he heard the gentle clink of teapots touching teacups, followed by several slurping sounds of tea being drunk. No one spoke at length; only the occasional soft, gentle laughter of the women broke the silence, accompanied by sweet, tender murmurs.

After another long pause, a hoarse voice spoke: “Miss Yue'er, may I ask when Lord Liu plans to arrive? My brothers have been waiting, and this waiting is becoming problematic. That assassination attempt on the Princess the other day—what a serious charge! The entire city is still searching under the banner of the alarm, which has not eased in the slightest. Now we are carrying this priceless Black Beast sinew; it is just as provocative an item. What if this…”

A woman’s voice interjected with a light, careless laugh: “Hall Master Zhao, you worry too much, don't you? This is the Nishang Pavilion, after all. You must know what kind of place Nishang Pavilion is, right?”

“Nishang Pavilion is certainly secure, but one must always be prepared for the unexpected! The previous assassination attempt caused such a commotion that we have had no easy route of retreat; too much time has been wasted. Now, carrying this Black Beast sinew, lingering too long in Tianxiang is certainly not advisable!” The man named Zhao sounded somewhat embarrassed as he muttered this. “Hall Master Zhao thinking of leaving early—I suspect it’s not entirely due to the government search, is it? What about the failure of the last mission? Does the Hall Master intend to simply let that slide?!”… This sentence from the woman carried an unmistakable hint of mockery. But Hall Master Zhao merely grunted softly, offering no immediate rebuttal.

Instead, another voice retorted fiercely: “Miss Yue'er, what you say is unfair! It’s quite deceptive. How is the responsibility for the failure of the previous mission on our side? If your intelligence hadn't been inaccurate, how could we have returned in defeat? If we had known that the Princess had a Heaven Profound Realm expert guarding her, how could our organization possibly have made such meager arrangements? Why would the mission level have been a mere Tier Three task! Given the strength of our initial setup, trying to kill the Princess while protected by a Heaven Profound Realm expert was undoubtedly a fool’s dream. After this setback and loss of manpower, even Second Master will demand an explanation from our Hall Master.” The woman fell silent for a moment before slowly replying: “But you all accepted the silver, didn't you? It is a fact that we asked you to kill a mere Silver Profound level Princess, is it not? Furthermore, we expended considerable effort to divert the majority of the forces protecting the Princess, creating the most convenient conditions for you. If you still failed to succeed under such circumstances, it seems to be an issue on your end. As for mentioning a Heaven Profound expert… Heh heh, let’s first discuss whether such a person even exists; even if he does, that is your problem now. We have paid the agreed silver; what we wish to see is the result we require, not excuses.” She paused, and the sound of her rising and slowly pacing could be clearly heard, her voice low but crisp: “I am but a humble woman. Speaking to me about this matter is of little use. Keep calm, wait for Lord Liu to arrive, and discuss it with him then.” She sat back down, picked up her teacup, and didn't even lift her eyelids. The atmosphere in the cabin became intensely awkward.

How many times had these killers suffered such contempt? Seeing the woman behave so unreasonably, someone immediately let out an angry snort, about to flare up—just then, the bow of the painted barge shifted slightly, and two more people walked in.

Jun Moxie, lying beneath the hull, felt the tension in the cabin immediately solidify when these two entered. Clearly, a person of significant status had arrived, and undoubtedly, a first-rate master.

Jun Moxie felt the light before him gradually fade as night fell. The various lights from the shores of Spirit Mist Lake reflected on the water, kaleidoscopic and dreamlike. “What is going on here?” The newcomer, seeing the bizarre atmosphere in the cabin, asked in a deep, commanding voice, one that carried the unmistakable air of long-held authority. “Lord Liu, regarding the assassination attempt the day before yesterday, our Blood Sword Hall requires an explanation from you.” The hoarse voice of the killer leader stated, neither subservient nor aggressive: “Why was it never mentioned that Princess Lingmeng had another Heaven Profound Realm expert guarding her? This oversight caused the complete annihilation of the manpower our organization deployed—the losses are immense! This is a rare occurrence for the Blood Sword Hall in recent years!”

“Oh? So, Hall Master Zhao means that because the assassination failed, we should be blamed?” That “Lord Liu” spoke without haste, his tone carrying a hint of amusement. “Then, the renown of the Blood Sword Hall might suffer a slight blow.” The killer leader said hoarsely and gloomily: “Lord Liu, you are also a first-rate master. What does this have to do with the prestige of the Blood Sword Hall? Our Blood Sword Hall has always operated