Qi Leng stared coldly at Huo Jingsha. Their gazes met in mid-air, each revealing their sharp edges, neither willing to give in.

Finally, after a suffocating silence, Qi broke the deadlock.

"Understood, I will go back and report to the leader immediately."

"Thank you for your help!"

Their words were both simple and concise, without uttering a single unnecessary word, yet they were perfectly aware of each other's thoughts.

Qi, carrying ten chests of gold ingots, led the assassins away from the villa and swaggered back to the organization.

Huo Jingsha also put his arm around You Shuyao and got into the carriage, returning to the Huo residence.

It wasn't until they were alone that You Shuyao voiced her shock and confusion.

Why do this?

Although it was only a short sentence, Huo Jingsha seemed to see into the depths of her heart, understanding her confusion and uncertainty.

"No reason why! You are my woman, and it's only a matter of time before you marry me. No one can change that." His tone was absolutely firm in his reply.

“But…” she shook her head, muttering doubtfully in a low voice. “The leader… he might not agree…”

"Don't worry, he'll agree!" Huo Jingsha answered decisively. He cupped her face in one hand and kissed the little mouth he had been thinking about since they left home. "Using 100,000 taels of gold to exchange for an assassin, such a good deal, he'd be an idiot not to agree. Besides, I think he understands one thing very well: bandits don't fight with officials. I've wiped out most of his branch headquarters, he won't be so foolish as to let his own stronghold be destroyed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

After moistening her dry lips from nervousness, he pried them open and began to savor them.