Chapter 154: He killed himself

Xie Yan never intended to let Shen Shuangning go; he brought Pei Zhi over to have both of them firmly in his grasp!

One is a court official, the other is Xiao Jingyuan's beloved; holding these two bargaining chips lets one blackmail the court and restrain Xiao Jingyuan—no matter how you count it, it's a gain.

Unexpectedly, Pei Zhi had long seen through his thoughts; Xie Yan's move played right into his hands!

Pei Zhi appeared to walk calmly toward Xie Lin, unarmed, as if he had come only to serve as a hostage.

But just as the assassins on both sides were about to strike, Pei Zhi's eyes flashed, he flipped both wrists— in a sleeve flick, the hidden dart shot out like a meteor!

The dart precisely slit the assassin's throat, with a "pfft" sound, spewing a fine mist of blood.

The assassins around Shen Shuangning collapsed instantly.

She didn't look back, instantly mustering all her strength, she turned and ran.

Pei Zhi also didn't look back, charging straight at Xie Yan!

Qingyun also rushed out from the bushes brandishing a knife, his long blade slashing straight at the assassin nearest to Shen Shuangning, clearing the last obstacle for her!

Everything happened in a flash, too fast to react.

The troops who had just retreated surged back like a tide from the flanks, and under Yan Zhen's command they encircled and annihilated the remaining assassins.

Seeing Shen Shuangning retreat to safety, Qingyun hurriedly said, "Fourth Miss, let me take you away first!"

Shen Shuangning, however, lightly shook her head, her fingertips gripping the tree trunk beside her, her gaze fixed firmly on the distance— in the direction of Xie Yan and Pei Zhi.

"I'm fine..." Shen Shuangning tightened her grip on the nearby tree, slowly drew a breath, then said in a cold voice, "This time I will definitely watch him be caught!"

She wanted to see with her own eyes this blood‑handed villain brought to justice, to comfort the souls of those wrongfully slain.

Qingyun, seeing this, said nothing more and silently stood guard beside her.

Unexpectedly, at that moment a sturdy figure burst from the deep woods— it was Shitou.

He wasn't carrying Chen Jia's corpse; he must have already found a place to lay it to rest. Now his face showed none of his usual simple honesty, only a blazing killing intent, his eyes red and frightening.

He didn't even glance at Shen Shuangning or Qingyun, head down, charging straight toward the melee at the cliff's edge, apparently intent on avenging Chen Jia.

Shen Shuangning remembered him— he was Chen Jia's disciple, whom Chen Jia had entrusted to her before his death, named Shitou.

Chen Jia is gone; Shitou must not suffer any mishap!

She was about to tell Qingyun to stop him, lest he rush to his death, but the scene before her made her swallow the words she had been about to say—

Only to see Shitou, like a furious black bear, lunging behind an assassin, he directly stretched out a palm‑sized hand like a cattail fan, seized the knife‑wielding assassin around the waist and lifted him overhead!

That assassin weighed over a hundred catties, yet in his hands he felt as light as a leaf. Shitou roared, aimed, and hurled the man forward with all his might!

A muffled "thud" rang out.

The assassin used as a weapon smashed heavily into several of Xie Yan's nearby assassins, instantly blasting a gap in that human wall; the troops behind surged through, their long blades thrusting upward!

Shen Shuangning froze.

Qingyun was stunned too— he hadn't expected Shitou to be not only brave but possessed of such immense strength; saying he was as strong as an ox is no exaggeration!

Shitou had never trained in martial arts, his moves utterly lacking form, relying purely on brute force to charge ahead; yet the power that could shatter stone with a single palm strike is truly terrifying.

Just moments before, an assassin swung his blade at him, but Shitou blocked it with his arm, the blade bending from the shock; he merely grunted, then backhanded a punch that split the assassin's skull, spraying blood and brain matter everywhere.

Such a ferocious fighting style chills the bone; Yan Zhen kicked aside an enemy, stared in shock, and cursed: "Damn it, where did this guy come from? He's practically a born warrior!"

Yan Zhen looked at Shitou, eyes gleaming, already thinking of recruiting him.

Seeing Shitou's ability, Shen Shuangning felt relieved.

……

The scent of blood in the wind grew stronger, the clamor of battle gradually dying down.

Xie Yan was no match for Pei Zhi to begin with— his tactics, his weaknesses, Pei Zhi knew them too well.

After barely ten moves, Xie Yan was already struggling to parry, completely suppressed by Pei Zhi.

Seeing the tide turn, the assassins either dropped their swords and surrendered or were cut down on the spot; in the end, Xie Yan was pinned by several spears, unable to move.

Behind him lay a bottomless abyss.

Xie Yan half‑kneeled on the ground in a sorry state, looking at no one, only lifting his head to stare into Pei Zhi's calm eyes, as if trying to see the soul hidden within and pry out something!

He felt an absurdly familiar sensation in Pei Zhi's presence.

Finally, Xie Yan slowly spoke: "You are very much like me."

Yan Zhen and the surrounding troops froze, staring at each other, unable to make sense of this nonsensical remark— a Junior Tutor of the court and a rebel minister, how could there be any likeness?

Pei Zhi gazed at him silently, his white robes fluttering slightly in the wind, his eyes devoid of any ripple, only a profound, bottomless coldness.

"I am not you," Pei Zhi said.

Xie Yan laughed, a low, eerie sound: "Indeed, how could such an absurd thing happen in the world? It's impossible, and if you were me, you wouldn't be standing on the court's side......"

Yan Zhen's brows knit tight as he stepped forward and shouted sternly: "Even at death's door you still spout nonsense! Junior Tutor, no need to waste words on this madman—I'll have him taken away right now!"

Yan Zhen merely thought he was at his wit's end and had begun to rave.

Or so it seemed?

At that moment Xie Yan's hair was disheveled, his clothes stained with blood, half his face like a demon's, his eyes obsessive and mad— truly no different from a lunatic!

Pei Zhi raised his hand, signaling the troops to withdraw.

Yan Zhen's chest tightened; though he didn't understand why Pei Zhi wanted to face alone a defenseless prisoner, he still waved his hand: "All right, fall back!"

Shitou stared fixedly at Xie Yan, unmoving, his clenched fists bulging with veins.

Seeing this, Yan Zhen feared the fellow might, in his impetus, kill Xie Yan, so he rushed forward to drag him away, not forgetting to say: "He is a condemned criminal of the court; the law will deal with him— come over here, old man!"

Shitou stubbornly asked: "Will he pay with his life?"

Yan Zhen replied: "Of course! But not now!"

Xie Yan lay sprawled on the ground, the places where his tendons had been severed still oozing blood.

The spears pinning Xie Yan vanished; Pei Zhi stepped forward, grabbed his collar, and hauled him half‑upright like a marionette.

Pei Zhi's voice dropped to an icy whisper, like the chill at the bottom of a cliff, each word drilling into his ears: "You shouldn't have treated her that way."

Xie Yan looked at the other person, puzzled.

In those eyes that always schemed power struggles and slaughter, genuine confusion surfaced for the first time.

He had always believed in the law of the jungle, never understanding "should or shouldn't," only "can or cannot," but faced with the anguish welling up in Pei Zhi's eyes, he actually spoke, uncommonly:

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Because you promised her you would never hurt her."

Xie Yan froze: "What, what?"

Pei Zhi looked at his bewildered face and said calmly: "You no longer have any reason to exist."

Xie Yan's pupils contracted.

Before he could comprehend, a cold flash arrived, and his heart suddenly exploded with pain!

Xie Yan lowered his gaze to see a sharp blade plunged into his chest!

Pei Zhi actually killed him just like that?

He hadn't yet figured it out, nor found the answer in those eyes, when Pei Zhi released his grip on his collar and shoved him hard off the cliff!

Xie Yan's body, like a kite with its string cut, plummeted toward the ten-thousand-zhang abyss behind him, his eyes fixed on the shrinking silhouette at the cliff's edge.

He would never understand, even in death, why Pei Zhi killed him—because of a woman, because of Shen Shuangning...