A Professional Avenger

Not only was the easy assassination process going beyond Lin Yuetian’s expectations, but another surprise also came when Lushui Xianjun forced his head to turn around. His current posture was awkward and discomfiting, be that as it may, he still forced himself to look back and see—the murder weapon held in Lin Yuetian’s hand.

‘Ah…this,’ Lin Yuetian felt somewhat astonished. 

He had deliberately chosen an angle to stab that was not easy to see even if the person were to try looking at their back. Naturally, even if the target actually able to see it, it wouldn’t make any difference after the deed was done. That didn’t stop Lin Yuetian from being amazed by the flexibility of these Cultivators, however.

Lin Yuetian suddenly had an absurd whim to try bending his waist as well, though that idea was quickly extinguished by himself. Hunching one’s back and waist while standing was quite silly. Let’s just do the normal stretch, bending forward when sitting on the ground.

Just when Lin Yuetian’s musing was about to go out of hand, his target’s unexpected remark shook him back to his sense.

Lushui Xianjun who succeeded in catching sight of the murder weapon, the sword currently piercing his body from his lower back, inevitably had an incredulous look on his face. He recognized it, the Zhanfeng Sword, and couldn’t help but blurt out,

“Lin Yuetian! It’s you! It must be you! You’re not dead yet?!”

Lin Yuetian denied it without even blinking an eye, “Lin Yuetian, huh…Hehe, that idiot is already dead. Even if he doesn’t die, do you think he’ll have the courage to kill you? I’m afraid what he’ll do is run to see his dear Shidi at the first moment.”

He spoke in a completely different tone. It sounded full of malicious ridicule and innate cold-blooded, anyone who heard it would have their hairs stand on end. 

Lushui struggled to endure the unbearable pain, and only then did he sense the Qi restriction spell on the wedding dress. His expression turned hideous.

“Are you the one who killed Shan An, took Lin Yuetian’s corpse as well as Zhanfeng Sword?”

“Well…what do you think?” Lin Yuetian smirked. “There are few people in this world who know the relationship between Lin Yuetian and Shaofeng Xianjun, right? Lushui Xianjun, I am a magnanimous person you see. Before you die, I’ll give you this opportunity to ponder. Who is related to this sword? Who is not afraid of your identity as the son of Qingfeng Sect’s Supreme Elder? That person who wants you to die so badly…who is it?” 

Lin Yuetian lowered his voice and said in a bewitching tone, “Let’s take a good guess shall we, Lushui Xianjun?”

The continuous blood loss had affected even a Cultivator’s brain to work properly. The words from the assassin behind him sipped into his mind, wreaking havoc on his already chaotic thought. ‘Who? Who was it! Who was it?!’

In a flash of inspiration, an idea popped out in his mind like thunder, illuminating and clearing the fog in front of his eyes. Lushui’s lip quivered, as if he couldn’t bear to say it out loud.

“…Is it Shaofeng? Is it him…?”

Lin Yuetian, “…?”

No, wait a sec! He swore to God he just said the previous words casually!

He just wanted to see whoever Lushui could make up as a scapegoat in his mind. This kind of routine to mislead the Targets had been done by him as a practice to protect his real Client from being found out. What was unexpected was that, Lushui Xianjun who seemed to be deeply infatuated, actually assumed his soon-to-be Cultivation Partner as the first suspect. Truly the depiction of; until a misfortune strikes you won’t know what others actually regarded you as.

“Precisely.” Lin Yuetian’s expression didn’t change on the surface as he affirmed his guess accompanied by a burst of hoarse laughter.

“This sword is exactly what Shaofeng Xianjun asked me to retrieve from Lin Yuetian’s corpse. As for Shan An, well, what happened to him was his own fault.  If he could just stay silent and pretend to know nothing, it would have been fine. But who told him to try holding me back, even saying he had seen me beside Shaofeng Xianjun? Naturally, I couldn’t let such a person stay alive. He sought his own death, that is.”

Lin Yuetian began to smooth out and complete the fabrication of the truth. Since Lushui Xianjun seemed to be very helpful to make up the scenario of this Play, he decided to give the stage to him once again;

“Lushui Xianjun is as sharp as his reputation said. Then, would you like to find out the reason yourself? Shaofeng Xianjun should have been sincere to you, but why would he decide to kill you instead?” 

“Why… Why…”

Suddenly Lushui stopped his incoherent murmurs, as his body began to tremble. He was twitching uncontrollably and was even laughing like a mad man, so much so that Lin Yuetian was afraid that the sword would slip off with the movements. He had no choice but to quickly clenched the hilt and twisted the blade inside Lushui’s flesh and muscle.  

The current Lushui however, couldn’t feel or sense anything aside from the Zhanfeng Sword in his eyes.

“Haha…Hahahahaha! Shaofeng, oh Shixiong…I knew it, you’ve always liked him! Yes, I framed him, but it was you who killed him with your own hands! Ah…Shaofeng Xianjun, you refused to acknowledge your guilt but blame and hate me instead…Shixiong, oh Shixiong, you, you are terribly cruel…”

Lin Yuetian let him be and didn’t interrupt his despair moment on the verge of death. 

Speaking of despair, an idea suddenly occurred to him. 

“Lushui Xianjun, how pitiful, in the end, you’re just another lamentable infatuated man. Though I may say, surprisingly Shaofeng Xianjun is such a cold-hearted person. Both you and Lin Yuetian hold such a deep love for him. Then, what about him? Does he actually care about anyone? It’s really unkind and unfeeling. Even I can’t help but disapprove of such-,” He stopped his words. 

After the short pause, he deliberately used a hesitant tone to continue, “If I don’t kill you, it’ll be a breach of my contract. How about…since you’re going to die here anyway, why don’t you hire me and entrust me to send Shaofeng Xianjun to the underworld with you? You two can be a pair of Ghost Lovers thereby. It sounds good, isn’t it?”

Lin Yuetian wholeheartedly believed this was a good idea. He should get enough payment and achieve financial freedom this way!

Lushui’s face was as pale as paper. He was held in place by the incantation on the wedding dress, while his lower back continued to bleed, dyeing both the dress and the Zhanfeng Sword. He knew he was dying. His voice was trembling as he responded to Lin Yuetian’s offer,

“…You? Just you…? Shaofeng is the Number One Cultivator in the world, can you even kill him…?”

Lin Yuetian grinned. “Money can make even Ghost run the mills. There is more than one way to defeat him. For example, gathering twenty or so Cultivators with a high realm to disturb him during his near future tribulation^[1]Shaofeng is in the Void Refining-Great Perfection, he’s one step away to enter Lin Yuetian’s realm, which meant he will face a thunder tribulation while doing so? As long as you give enough money, there is no such problem that can not be solved.”

Lushui Xianjun went quiet. The excessive blood loss had finally taken effect and made him dizzy. The ban of his Qi turned him into a vulnerable state like a mere mortal. The sudden grievance from love turning to hatred toward his fiance had greatly confused his judgment. Of course, even on weekdays, he’s not a wise person originally. At any rate, under the influence of various aspects, Lushui finally replied hoarsely,

“…Alright. The pearl on my waist is the token of Wanbao Pavilion. You can take it to Wanbao Pavilion…I have all my life savings there. You, you must kill that heartless man. I…I have loved him for hundreds of years…Haha…Even if I die, I want to…I want him to be buried with me!”

“I understand.” Lin Yuetian’s voice became extremely gentle. He looked at his second Client in this world with a remarkably tender gaze. “You can rest assured.”

Lushui felt his consciousness begin to fade as his body grew colder. His forehead leaned on the water mirror in front of him and he can vaguely see his reflection. The red wedding dress evoked his memories of those hundreds of years, in his pursuit of Shaofeng.

His current pained expression somehow felt inexplicably familiar. He tried to recall it, and eventually what appeared in his mind was Lin Yuetian who was framed by him—he, his expression back then when Shaofeng Xianjun stabbed his lower abdomen was exactly the same. A look of extreme despair… 

What did he think at the time? It seemed to be…complacent, right? 

Just how did he become such a person? 

In the beginning, didn’t he just, just want to catch up with that Shaofeng Shixiong? Didn’t he just want to stand beside him and let Shaofeng Shixiong see him in his eyes? He just wanted to become better, that’s all he wanted to do at the beginning. 

Then, since when did he start to feel annoyed looking at Lin Yuetian standing beside his Shixiong? Since when did he unable to tolerate Shaofeng giving that person any attention? Why on earth did he become what he is right now…?

Lushui had no strength left. He could no longer turn his head to look at the assassin behind him. His voice was intermittent as he tried to say his last hope, “…Can…you…don’t kill…me…?”

Lin Yuetian shook his head apologetically. “What a pity, esteemed customer—I’m someone who never breaks my words.”

Lin Yuetian slowly stood up straight from his lowered posture earlier. His hand holding the sword was also straightened up. Zhanfeng, a sharp sword that was said to cut iron like it were mud was moved, piercing from the lower back, and was pulled upward. The tip of the blade soon appeared from the front chest. 

Lushui Xianjun struggled for a while, but soon his movement ceased and finally stopped.

***

As it was agreed in his deal with Chen Wenying, after his target died, Lin Yuetian separated Lushui’s head from his body and preserved it in a Qiankun pouch.

He cast a cleansing spell on the blood-stained wedding dress, and wiped the restraining incantation prior. Putting the already spotless wedding dress, he pinched out another spell, turning his appearance into a living Lushui Xianjun, and stored the Zhanfeng Sword away.

He could have assassinated Lushui Xianjun in the street, swiftly, and easily. 

However, in that way, his death would be discovered quickly as well. It would be difficult for him to loiter around Qingfeng Sect afterward. 

But now, he could enter the Mountain Formation of Qingfeng Sect safely and effortlessly contact the World’s Greatest scumbag, Shaofeng Xianjun. 

After all, he still had a mission from the System to complete. 

Oh!

Speaking about the System, why didn’t the System chat with him? 

Didn’t they say in stories that a System usually talks a lot or even sells meng^[2]selling cuteness, on how to pretend to be cute to get attention from others?

Why did his System seem to be very quiet instead?

***