Chapter 215: Assassinating the Mastiff

In the first half of the night, the clamor of the day settled like dust, gradually giving way to tranquility.

The occasional barking of dogs from the streets and alleys only served to make the night feel colder and more desolate.

At the Iron Tiger Martial Arts Hall, many of the walls were newly built, their colors appearing fresher and standing out in stark contrast to the rest of the place.

A few Apprentices carried lanterns on patrol, yawning as they checked the front courtyard and back kitchen for sparks, guarding against fire and the like.

Their duty was to guard against rats, thieves, and fire or water damage during the night.

Even though the world was in chaos and thieves were breaking into homes to rob people everywhere, no one had yet dared to break into the martial arts hall at night.

Therefore, the night shift was just a formality; they could walk a few laps and then return to their rooms to rest.

"Senior Brother, why is Senior Brother Bao Er from our Inner Courtyard going on a business trip as far away as Dijing?"

"Yeah, that's right. From Gongliang City to Dijing, it takes at least ten years for a round trip."

The Apprentices, recalling the news of a certain Senior Brother's urgent departure, all felt very curious.

They hadn't dared to ask while their master was present, but now that there was no one else around, they seized the chance to pester the slightly more mature Senior Brother for answers.

The lead Apprentice kept a straight face. "Stop asking, lest you bring trouble upon yourselves."

He muttered to himself, *I don't even know the inside story myself, how am I supposed to tell you lot? *

This team of Apprentices passed through corridors and courtyard gates, carefully checking that the doors and windows were locked, ensuring nothing was overlooked.

It was about time to return to their rooms to rest.

Suddenly, a slightly sweet fragrance drifted through the cold night air.

Before they knew it, the few Apprentices fell one after another, thumping to the ground, and then there was no more movement.

Zhou You, his palms glowing with poisonous aura, leaped lightly off the wall, his toes touching the soft soil without making a sound as he landed.

He had snuck in under the cover of night with the goal of assassinating Bao Tiefeng, so naturally, his strikes were ruthless and merciless.

He decisively killed the few patrolling Apprentices he happened to run into with his Poison Palm, without a single sound being made.

The structure of most martial arts halls was similar: two courtyards separated the Inner Courtyard from the Outer Courtyard; the Outer Courtyard opened its doors to accept Disciples for instruction, while the Inner Courtyard closed its doors to pass on secret techniques.

It was easy for him to break into the Outer Courtyard, but once he entered the Inner Courtyard, it would be much more troublesome.

A normal martial arts hall's Inner Courtyard would have at least 2-4 Qi and Blood martial artists stationed there to attend to the master personally.

These people varied in strength, but the key was that once they raised an alarm, a stealthy infiltration would turn into an overt assault, and the difficulty of the assassination would increase significantly after a forced attack.

This time, Zhou You was banking on the element of surprise, intending to sneak a strike of highly toxic Viper Venom onto Bao Tiefeng before anyone noticed.

He arrived outside the Inner Courtyard wall and employed his Basic Lightness Skill lv5, adjusting his weight and force; as his power surged, he floated upward like a withered leaf...

Once Zhou You vaulted over the wall, he immediately saw someone practicing fist techniques in the moonlight.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

With Qi and Blood churning and power surging, the person was clearly an Inner Court Disciple at the Qi and Blood level.

Practicing fist techniques at night—this person was truly diligent, but unfortunately, they had ruined Zhou You's good work.

Without a word, Zhou You brought his palms together, and his poisonous palm wind transformed into a giant python, opening its maw to bite down.

Seeing this, the Mastiff Fist Disciple closed his mouth and nose, turned to dodge with a muffled grunt, but after rushing only a few steps, he was overtaken by Zhou You, who had followed up with a swift arrow-step and struck him on the shoulder.

The palm force was extremely heavy, causing the Mastiff Fist Disciple to stagger, and the poisonous aura pierced through the gaps in his clothing, pouring directly into his body.

Within a breath or two, before the opponent even hit the ground, he had already been killed by the potent poison.

Zhou You hooked his foot forward to cushion the corpse and laid it gently to the side.

In just a few short exchanges, under Zhou You's precise control, there hadn't been a single abnormal sound.

He had first used the poisonous palm wind to force the opponent to close his mouth and nose, preventing him from calling out an alarm, then used his Lightness Skill to execute a high-mobility strike, killing him with a single blow of his Poison Palm; the entire process was clean and efficient.

Only after killing this Qi and Blood Disciple did Zhou You truly feel that tonight's business had gotten off to a good start. "Name: Zhou You.

Qi and Blood: 738.

Experience Points: 2775.

Profession: Martial Arts Disciple.

Level: Qi and Blood 5th Stage (Seven Step Poison Sand Palm, Tiger-Subduing Fist), Qi and Blood 3rd Stage (Yanxing Quan), Qi and Blood 7th Stage (Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record). Skills: Seven Step Poison Sand Palm lv4 (Attributes: Corrosion, Viper Venom), Double Body Tiger Form Fist lv53 (Tiger-Subduing Fist, Yanxing Quan), Basic Lightness Skill lv5/lv10, Pipa lv3, Seal Script lv9, Medicine Refining lv19.

Techniques: Jade Tiger Technique 5 (Iron Tiger), Boneless Heart Method 5, Exchange Technique v5, Outer Profound Heart Secret Technique v1, Heaven-Nurturing Origin Technique lv1, Five Blessings Palm and Fist Record lv7.

Ultimate Moves: Three Techniques lv1, Tiger 5, Poison lv1, Feather Qi lv2, General Unloading Armor Great Cloak 5. Talent: Hunger.

Armory: Void Face (Flesh Magic Treasure) — False Identities: First, Lu Zhigang; Second, Yan Ping; Wuxiang Tongkui (calculating).

Trial Project One (Four-Star Level): Avenge the grudge, assassinate Martial Master Bao Tiefeng.

Trial Project Two (Three-Star Level): Break through to the Martial Master realm, discover the secret of the Heaven-Nurturing Origin Technique.

Trial Project Three (Two-Star Level): Accumulate 10 kills of Living Charms, currently 0/10 completed.

Trial Project Four..."

The panel was densely packed with trials, but the one at the top had just appeared tonight: assassinate Bao Tiefeng.

The rating given was Four-Star Level, equivalent to perfecting the Basic Lightness Skill.

The panel did not rate Bao Tiefeng lowly; it seemed this guy definitely had a trump card.

He had a trump card, but Zhou You was no slouch either; he had specifically brought the Martial Master Skull with him on this trip as a killer's ace.

Bao Tiefeng had the makings of an ambitious warlord, and since he had provoked Zhou You several times, he had to be eliminated.

Previously, when Zhou You was posing as Lu Zhigang, Bao Tiefeng had led men to ambush him, beating him until he fled in a sorry state, escaping only by the skin of his teeth.

This time, he had come forward to stir up trouble again, and the reason for the rift between Zhou You and Wang Jianxiong also had his secret instigation behind it.

With enemies both overt and covert, who else would he kill if not him! Zhou You's persona, Lu Zhigang, was by nature someone who would seek revenge for the slightest grievance; having endured for so long, it was finally time to strike.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Zhou You's breathing and the rhythm of his footwork merged into one; his lv5 Lightness Skill already exceeded the speed of his own realm.

The night became his best cover, and his figure merged into it as he moved at high speed.

If one did not look carefully, anyone encountering Zhou You would only mistake him for a flicker of distorted light and shadow.

His ears suddenly twitched, and hearing the voice of Bao Tiefeng, he immediately stopped his footsteps to locate the source of the sound.

"Handle Bao Chang's funeral arrangements as soon as possible; draw money from the accounts and pick a good spot for him."

"Do not go looking for trouble with Zhou You recently; this fellow is an Evil Weapon, and Evil Weapons devour their masters—it is better to let him deal with Wang Laohu instead."

An Evil Weapon, that is quite a high evaluation of me! Zhou You could tell that Bao Tiefeng was discussing matters with Disciples, with at least 2-3 trusted aides by his side.

He still had to wait, wait until the discussion was finished and the Disciples had dispersed.

He lay prone in the flower bushes, patiently watching the light leaking from the window as time passed minute by minute.

Finally, it was nearly midnight; the martial arts hall's affairs had all been arranged, and the Disciples received their instructions and took their leave one after another.

Bao Tiefeng let out a sigh of relief and sat down, raising his teacup, only to discover that the tea had already gone cold.

He was just about to call for a concubine to bring hot water when he suddenly heard someone knocking at the door.

Which Disciple had returned after leaving? Bao Tiefeng did not think much of it, assuming it was some Disciple who had a private matter to discuss, so he stood up and went to open the door.

The door opened a crack...

(End of this chapter)