Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Timewise, this was totally possible. After Lin Zhe left the Imperial Capital, he no longer received news about the Imperial Capital and was not aware that Yan Liqiang was going to have a blindfolded contest. And with how Lin Zhe bore a grudge toward him, the former secretly sent people back to seek revenge…
As Yan Liqiang thought of this, he tried to pretend as if everything was normal. After sitting in the courtyard for a while, he got up and used 30% of his prowess to practice the Tiger Roaring Consecutive Fist technique to loosen up his muscles and bones. He then returned to his room, got onto his bed after washing up, and put out the light.
After the lights went off, Yan Liqiang got up from the bed and drew out two flying needles that had been tempered with anesthetic from under the bed. He then stationed himself next to the window on the east side of the room, pushing it slightly open before he slid out like a slippery fish. He arrived at the back of the room with his elusive actions.
Yan Liqiang was extremely familiar with the surroundings of the room. He concealed himself amongst the flowers and trees planted in the courtyard, moving about rapidly in the dark night. In the blink of an eye, he took a turn from a blind spot in the west and arrived in the forest of camphor trees that were a hundred meters west of his courtyard.
The wind at night had a fragrance that was unique to the camphor trees and it was extremely quiet in the forest; not even the insects were chirping.
It didn’t take Yan Liqiang much effort to discover that the black figure was hiding behind the branches of a tall camphor tree. It only took him one glance to be certain that this figure was the person he had seen standing next to Lin Zhe in the past. Yan Liqiang had great memory, and till now, he was still able to recall that person’s appearance — ordinary-looking, sharp eyes, long and slender hands, and broad shoulders. He was an archery expert. From the first glance back then, Yan Liqiang felt that this was the person who had shot an arrow from the dark when Liang Yijie and Xu Lang had their battle.
That person wore black clothes for moving about in the dark and did not carry a bow or any arrows. After all, bows and arrows could create a lot of noise when the target was too big. It wasn’t beneficial for concealing himself. However, the person was carrying a crossbow that was relatively compact. It had probably been specially-handled before. The entire crossbow had been painted black and did not reflect light at all. At night, within a range of fifty steps, the prowess of a strong crossbow wouldn’t be inferior to that of an ordinary bow. Moreover, its shooting speed would be faster and it would be more concealed. It was an ideal tool for an assassination. Even experts could fall prey to it if they were not careful.
Lin Zhe and this person probably didn’t think that Yan Liqiang was that strong. Therefore, if it was an assassination from a hidden spot, a crossbow might be sufficient.
Yan Liqiang hid under the tree, not moving at all. He did not head up; rather, he was waiting for that person to come down.
That person was very patient and kept hiding in the tree, observing Yan Liqiang’s residence. Roughly two hours after the lights in Yan Liqiang’s room went off and the sky had turned completely dark, the person noticed that there were no more motions in Yan Liqiang’s room. He thought that Yan Liqiang had probably fallen asleep. Only then did the person make his way down the crown of the tree silently, jumping when he was about two meters away from the ground.
Yan Liqiang, who had been laying in wait under the tree for a while, pounced over from the flower bushes with movements that were as elusive as a ghost’s, just as that person’s feet were about to land on the ground. Yan Liqiang punched out his two fists fiercely at the speed of lightning.
That person was definitely shocked when Yan Liqiang jumped out. He hadn’t expected that he would be ambushed. Moreover, Yan Liqiang had decided to ambush him when he was still in midair, right before he was going to land. The person was unable to make any adjustments and could only twist in the air with a soft snort before he kicked out toward the two fists that Yan Liqiang were sending toward him.
Of course, Yan Liqiang’s killer moves weren’t his fists, but the two flying needles he had between his two fists. This was not a fair fight and what was important was that the method used had to be effective. Therefore, there wasn’t a need to be hesitant about the method. When Yan Liqiang saw that person kicking toward him, he smirked and revealed a section of the flying needles from between his fingers, opened up both his fists, and then hid the hidden weapons with the back of his hands. Then, his two hands and the two flying needles that had been tempered with poison were on the back of that person’s legs.
“Mmm…” That person let out a stifled grunt and was sent flying by Yan Liqiang’s huge strength, smashing heavily into that camphor tree. Before that person could make another move, his body stiffened up and he spoke in a soft voice, “There’s poison…”
“That’s right…” Yan Liqiang smiled and moved elusively, appearing before the person whose body had stiffened up. He struck out his palm toward that person’s head, and the latter was knocked out without even making a sound.
It was very dark and they were in the forest. Thus, one’s vision would already be affected in the first place. One party had planned out his moves and the other party was caught unaware. In addition to the fact that Yan Liqiang’s opponent was caught off-guard by the hidden poison needles, the victor was decided the moment the two of them came into contact with each other.
The entire process did not even take two seconds from the point Yan Liqiang made his move to the resolution of the battle.
Yan Liqiang took a look at the surroundings and noticed that there was still no one around. The little bit of activity from earlier was not as big as a cat catching a mouse in the dark night. Everything was silent and did not alarm anyone. Thereafter, he lifted the man who was dressed in black by the neck and with a few flashes, he once again returned to his bedroom on the second floor from the window he had opened earlier.
Yan Liqiang first tossed the person he had knocked out on the floor, then searched him. It took him only a short moment to bring out all the things the man had on him.
Crossbow, dagger, medicine sack, flying darts…
The crossbow did not seem normal, so Yan Liqiang took a closer look at it. He saw that the very front of the crossbow’s push lever which was intended for the arrows, had over a hundred flying needles that were as thin as a cow hair, gathered into a bunch. The tips of the flying needles were blue. Clearly, they had been tampered with highly toxic poison.
Damn it… Yan Liqiang was struck by a strong sense of repercussive fear…
He then tugged off that person’s mask, revealing the face underneath. Who could it be other than the person who was with Lin Zhe?
Yan Liqiang dislocated the man’s two arms and backed off a few steps. He then sat on a chair in the room, stroking his chin as he looked at the immobilized man. All sorts of thoughts ran through his mind…
He definitely couldn’t release this person to let him head back. However, he still needed to think it through on how he could maximize the value of this matter…
Ten minutes later, a gleam flashed in Yan Liqiang’s eyes and he made up a decision in his mind…
With a soft and stifled grunt, the man dressed in black opened his eyes and slowly woke up. Yan Liqiang walked over and stood before the man, looking down on him.
“What do you want? I’m from the Lin Clan. If you wish to lay a hand on me, you better be careful that the Lin Clan will make sure that you’ll end up with no hope of reprieve…” When that person woke up and saw that Yan Liqiang was looking at him, a thought quickly came to his mind and he started to put up a strong front.
“Are those your last words?” Yan Liqiang shook his head.
“What did you say?” That person’s countenance changed.
“Did Lin Zhe send you to come and kill me?” Yan Liqiang asked.
That person continued to threaten Yan Liqiang, “Why I’ve come to Deer Villa is none of your business. I’d advise you to let me go. Although Young Master Lin isn’t in the Imperial Capital at the moment, the Grand Chancellor is still around. If you lay a hand on me, you’ll find yourself in serious trouble…”
Yan Liqiang could not hold back his laughter. “Aren’t you too naive to still wish to keep your life? I’ve been troubled over the past two days on how I can resolve a great problem. To think that you’ve come knocking. Since you’re here to kill, then you must be prepared to be killed. This is an axiom. Therefore, don’t come and blame me after you’ve become a ghost…”
