NOVEL WEB chapter 131
131. Hiring an Assassin
Recently, Lin Nuo had two major tasks: dual cultivation with Su Kexin and with Shi Li.
Note, this dual cultivation refers to ordinary paired practice.
The situation was favorable; both had made progress, and their practices didn’t interfere with each other. He could even call himself a master of time management.
Lin Nuo returned to his room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and fell into deep thought.
Reflecting on the previous results from the Celestial Stone test, he had ascended to the third spiritual realm. He hadn’t shared this outcome with anyone else; after all, being third realm wasn’t particularly glorious. But for him, it was an immense stroke of fortune.
It seemed he had a real chance at advancing, and his greatest hope lay in the two remaining Fierce Burst Pills.
His potential ascension had to be due to these pills; there was no other explanation.
He was the quintessential villain, destined to grow stronger through the illicit surge of forbidden drugs.
He’d even considered writing “The Villain’s Guide to Power” – if bookstores lacked this title, they deserved to be smashed.
With his condition optimal, he fished out a Fierce Burst Pill from his pocket. A daring thought crossed his mind: consume another, trigger an explosive reaction, and awaken his dormant potential. Perhaps he could even reach the fourth realm, or at the very least, come close.
Yes, by continuously medicating and rising, as long as he grew stronger, killing Su Kexin would become much easier.
Now was the time to grow stronger!
Lin Nuo tossed a Fierce Burst Pill into his mouth, washed it down with a gulp of water, and soon felt a surge of potent energy. He even had the sensation that he could blow up the entire Tianling Mountain.
Using Fierce Burst Pills was hardly honorable. If the elders of Xuan Yun Sect discovered this, trouble would ensue. He had no choice but to stay in his room, waiting for the debilitating aftermath of his ‘true man’ state.
As power flooded him, he felt an itch for action, yearning to unleash his newfound strength on the battlefield, where each move would take down an enemy, sweeping through armies with ease.
Maybe he should spar with Xiao Qiang?
But this room, meticulously cleaned by Li Ruoruo two to three times daily, was spotless. Where would one even find a Xiao Qiang? And even if there were one, would her white fox let it be?
Soon enough, the ‘true man’ state passed.
And then he lay in bed, lifeless, for three days.
The most tragic part was that after three days of recovery, not only had he not ascended, but his qi and spiritual power felt diminished!
During this time, his devoted maid Li Ruoruo had taken care of him, feeding him meals by hand.
“This defies science.”
Lin Nuo sat up cross-legged, muttering to himself.
“Young Master, what are you talking about?”
Hearing Lin Nuo’s strange words, Li Ruoruo was quite worried. After all, her young master had been perfectly fine, diligently practicing from dawn till dusk. Then one day, he told her he felt utterly exhausted and needed her care, which concerned her greatly, fearing something serious had occurred.
She had wanted to summon a physician, but Lin Nuo had instructed her not to call for one, not to speak of it to others, and that only her care could ease his mind.
Of course, she was quite pleased; she could rest in the room without having to practice or deal with Su Kexin and Qin Shili.
Now, the young master could only interact with her.
Privately, she hoped her young master would stay bedridden a few more days.
“It’s nothing.”
Lin Nuo, propping his chin, pondered where things had gone wrong. Had he misjudged? Surely it wasn’t the Fierce Burst Pill’s fault?
It defied logic – it had to be the pill that facilitated his ascension.
But the truth was, nearly recovered, he hadn’t ascended and felt weaker instead.
Fakes, these pills were definitely counterfeit.
“Master, have some porridge.”
Li Ruoruo scooped up some hot porridge with a spoon, blew on it gently, and brought it to Lin Nuo, who cooperatively opened his mouth to eat.
“Li Ruoruo.”
“Ruoruo is here, Master.”
“I’m going out for a bit.”
“Oh, is Master going out on a commissioned task?”
“Yes.” Lin Nuo nodded.
“How long will Master be away?”
“About half a month.”
“Then take care on your journey, Master. May the winds be in your favor~”
Li Ruoruo squinted with a smile, feeling that ever since the Master stopped scolding her, he started to venture out more, and as a result, they spent less time together.
However, she still hoped that the Master would become stronger. She was content to silently serve as his little maid.
Lin Nuo thought about the last time he went out to the black market and encountered a hiccup—his laboratory was discovered by the Dark Alliance, and he had to trigger an explosion out of necessity. He was determined, needing to rebuild his lab to create various destructive weapons.
After establishing two major achievements, one with the alchemy room and the other with the campaign against Hu City, the once poor him started to become wealthy again, fully capable of going out to build his own laboratory.
Suddenly, he felt that being a righteous hero sometimes had its perks.
Fengyuan Town was his destination, where he would trade and acquire forbidden materials.
Lin Nuo remembered something; after returning, he seemed not to have seen that underworld girl named Mu Yiting.
Having seen so many righteous people at Tianling Mountain, he suddenly missed her somber face.
…
Lin Nuo’s deeds in Hu City quickly spread, whether it was in the Dark Alliance, the Demon Refining Sect, or the Black Dragon Hall, his exploits were well-known.
“My lord, this Lin Nuo is truly powerful and ingenious. We saw our allied forces with the foreign tribes about to break through Hu City and invade, but that young man seized the stronghold. By the time our main forces arrived, he used a meteorite from beyond the heavens to annihilate everyone.”
“Yes, I’ve heard about this as well.”
The speaker was a middle-aged man, Mu Gao, the second-in-command of the Black Dragon Hall. He was now secretly preparing his own power within the hall and covertly eliminating the influence of other leaders.
And Mu Yiting was the daughter of the fourth leader, who had always acted as a spy infiltrating the Xuan Yun Sect, gathering various intelligence and resources.
“Lin Nuo is ultimately a threat to us, but his existence can also restrain other powers. Our main goal now is to unify the Black Dragon Hall.”
Mu Gao continued, “How is Mu Yiting now?”
“Reporting to my lord, Mu Yiting has become aware of our misdeeds and has successfully rallied the fourth leader’s forces to her side. However, I’ve learned that they will soon go to Fengyuan Town to meet with the Demon Refining Sect, and Mu Yiting will appear there. I believe this is a good opportunity to eliminate her, and for this, I have already made arrangements.”
“Hm? What arrangements?”
“Please wait a moment, my lord.”
The man clapped his hands lightly, and immediately his trusted followers brought in two men, their eyes sharp and piercing, their faces as cold as ice.
“Sir, these two are assassins I’ve hired from the Dark Alliance for a hefty sum, tasked with the assassination of Mu Yiting and those receiving her. They have extensive experience in assassination and are fully capable of killing them.”