Chapter 6, Chapter 6, is it to kill her?

The night was sparsely lit.

Moonlight spilled into the dark alley, casting Zhan Xiao's long, thin shadow. He leaped and silently tumbled into a small courtyard.

The garden was silent, save for a few intermittent chirps of insects coming from a corner.

Zhan Xiao walked to the well, silently drew a bucket of water, and decisively poured it on himself. The scarlet bloodstains disappeared into the ground with the water, spreading a dark patch.

His soaked clothes clung to his well-defined back and waist. He removed his mask, revealing a sharply defined yet utterly indifferent face in the moonlight, water droplets rolling down his Adam's apple.

With the mask on, he is Hanren.

When he takes off his mask, he is Zhan Xiao.

As he walked, he took off his wet clothes and went into the inner room, where he found a clean black outfit and put it on.

Then, using a piece of absorbent soft chamois leather, he carefully, inch by inch, wiped the jade sword in his hand. A piece of emerald green jade was inlaid in the center of the hilt.

This was originally a jade pendant, the largest fragment he had retrieved from beneath his adoptive mother's corpse. He commissioned a swordsmith to forcibly embed it into his sword, thus etching his hatred into it, and named the sword "Folding Jade."

It is both breaking with the enemy and breaking with the past.

Zhan Xiao lay down fully clothed, and even after closing his eyes, he kept reviewing every detail of the night: the angle of his sword strike, the number of opponents, the princess's reaction, whether there were any witnesses...

After confirming several times that there were no oversights, he finally allowed his consciousness to sink into a brief period of dormancy.

But not long after, a chilling aura suddenly surged from his dantian, and Zhan Xiao instantly curled up in pain, his forehead covered with blue veins.

He sat up, clutching his chest, his face pale and his breathing erratic. Each breath felt like swallowing a thousand ice needles, and he couldn't help but let out a muffled groan of suppressed pain.

The pain was so intense that his mind was scattered and his vision was blurred. Zhan Xiao felt as if his soul had left his body, as if he had returned to the age of twelve, when he had just mastered martial arts and had performed the move "Qionghua Wuying" on the street, using a tree branch as a sword.

Unexpectedly, such an insignificant matter led to the three foster mothers being tortured to death. When he returned home, he found the house in a mess and the cold, mutilated bodies of his three mothers.

With her legs brutally severed, Su Sanniang, the foster mother, clung to her last breath and cried out to him, "Quick, run! Xiao'er... They... are after the sword manual..."

If he hadn't revealed himself back then, he wouldn't have met such a terrible end, and his foster mothers wouldn't have died tragically.

All of this stems from him.

The pain raged wildly through his body, gnawing at his meridians and will, making him feel like he was about to die.

No, no!

He cannot die now; he has not yet taken his revenge. He must live, live on, and personally tear all those involved in this matter to pieces.

Zhan Xiao suddenly bit his tongue, and a metallic sweetness instantly filled his mouth.

I don't know how much time passed.

The bone-chilling cold slowly receded like the tide.

Zhan Xiao lay on his back on the bed, his clothes completely soaked with cold sweat.

Sunlight streamed in through the window.

It was already daytime.

He stared at the blinding light, his eyes empty and weary.

The onset of cold marrow erosion is becoming more and more frequent. At first, it was once a year, then every six months, then every three months, and now it is once every two weeks.

Perhaps he is nearing the end of his life.

But it's okay.

His sinful body had no reason to exist. Once his adoptive mother's revenge was avenged, even if he died at the end of his life, it would be a worthy death.

Suddenly, there was an untimely knock on the door.

Zhan Xiao's eyes suddenly sharpened, all vulnerability instantly suppressed, leaving only utter vigilance. He silently tightened his grip on the Jade Folding Sword.

A moment later, a familiar voice rang out through the door: "Ah Xiao? Are you back from your escort mission? I heard some noise over here."

It's Lei, the carpenter next door.

Zhan Xiao was exhausted from dealing with the situation and decided not to respond, pretending that no one was in the house.

Unexpectedly, Lei didn't leave. Instead, he knocked on the door twice more urgently. "Xiao, answer me! Has your old injury flared up again?"

This is Anpingfang, located in the southern suburbs of the capital. It is far from the imperial city, government offices, and markets. The surrounding area is mostly inhabited by ordinary craftsmen, peddlers, and some out-of-towners who make a living in the capital but have low incomes.

The environment is noisy but full of life, making it perfect for hiding one's identity and living a life of seclusion in the city.

Zhan Xiao bought the house four years ago, precisely because it was a place where all sorts of people came and went, yet no one delved into its history.

During a chance encounter, he casually mentioned that he was a bodyguard, and A-Lei believed him to this day.

Two years ago, he returned here after a mission and suffered another attack of the Cold Marrow Corrosion. Although he tried his best to keep quiet, the sound of him knocking over the water basin startled A Lei next door, who then mistakenly thought it was an old injury he had sustained while escorting goods.

When he opened the door, Lei looked worried. But when he saw that Zhan Xiao was pale but seemed to be alright, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“I heard some noise in your room last night. At first I thought it was a mouse, but then I thought I was still worried, so I came to check. I didn’t expect it to be you.”

Zhan Xiao hummed in agreement.

A Lei didn't mind his coldness. Instead, he took out a somewhat worn money pouch from his pocket and said, "This is the 375 coins I owe you. Please accept it first. I'll try my best to pay you back the rest as soon as possible."

Zhan Xiao glanced at the shrunken purse. "You don't need to pay me back."

"How can this be!" Lei insisted on stuffing the money bag into his hand, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Six months ago, if it weren't for your help, my whole family would have starved to death on the streets."

As he spoke, A-Lei's voice lowered, and his eyes reddened.

Six months ago, Young Master Zhao of the Crescent Moon Sect took a fancy to Xiu Niang, A Lei's younger sister, and wanted to forcibly take her as a concubine. When A Lei went to confront him, he was brutally beaten and crippled by Young Master Zhao and his men, who broke his right hand. They then raped and murdered Xiu Niang in front of him.

Lei was devastated and felt like he was dying. He sold all his belongings to pay for medical treatment and was left destitute on the streets. Just then, he ran into Zhan Xiao, who was returning from a delivery mission.

Zhan Xiao silently gave him all the money he had on him, so that he could settle his family and make a living by treating his injuries.

That's how they barely survived those most desperate days.

As if remembering something, A Lei wiped his face, and said with a mixture of pleasure and confusion, "By the way, the Crescent Moon Sect that humiliated my sister was wiped out. I don't know who did it, but everyone in the martial arts world is saying it was the number one assassin in the world, Han Ren."

"But then I realized something's not right. That person is an assassin, he only does killing, why would he do something like destroying a sect and offending the martial arts world?"

Zhan Xiao listened silently without saying a word.

Ah Lei continued, "It doesn't matter who did it. Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish. The Crescent Moon Cult has harmed the local people and committed numerous evils. They deserved this retribution long ago!"

"Um."

Seeing Zhan Xiao's lukewarm reaction and slightly tired face, A Lei assumed he was exhausted from the escort mission, so he said, "This escort mission must have been tough, right? Look how tired you are. Go back to your room and rest. I still have half a pot of old wine. I'll warm it up for you tonight and bring it over to help you relax."

After saying that, he didn't disturb him any longer. He gently placed the money bag on the low cabinet by the door, gave Zhan Xiao a simple and honest smile, and turned to leave.

Zhan Xiao remained silent for a while, then picked up the money bag and accurately tossed it into the half-open window of A Lei's house.

When Jiang Fushi woke up, it was already late afternoon.

She slowly sat up, rubbing her forehead, and found herself lying on her bed in the palace. The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window lattice, casting long, slanted shadows on the floor.

Zisu was leaning against the bedpost, her head nodding off.

"Perilla?" she asked, her voice hoarse from just waking up.

Zisu jolted awake and, seeing the princess awake, her face instantly lit up with a mixture of surprise and joy. She rushed forward to check on her carefully: "Your Highness! You're finally awake! How are you feeling? Is anything bothering you?"

Jiang Fushi rubbed her temples, trying to dispel the lingering drowsiness in her mind. Her memory remained stuck on the moment the man approached her.

Oh, right!

It seems that he was acupunctured and then passed out.

"Last night, men in black broke into the manor. What is the current state of the residence? Where is Liu Zi? What are the casualties among the guards?"

Recalling what happened last night, Zisu was still shaken and quickly replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, everything is fine in the manor now. Commander Liu and the injured guards have been properly taken care of, and the bodies of those men in black have been inspected and taken away by government officials."

"The West Palace was turned upside down. The coroner and constables from the Jingzhao Prefecture came to investigate the scene and said that the thieves fought over the loot and died together."

After saying this, Zisu let out a long sigh of relief: "Fortunately, Your Highness is alright. The imperial physician said that Your Highness was too frightened and fainted. He said that you should rest for a few days and you will be fine."

"Last night was truly terrifying. When Qingdai found you, you seemed to be asleep by the bathtub. We thought you had slipped and bumped into something."

Jiang Fushi felt dizzy as she processed this series of messages.

theft?

"Are all the assassins dead?" Jiang Fushi asked. "Is the masked man dead too?"

"What masked man? I glanced at him when the body was being carried away, and he wasn't wearing a mask," Zisu said, puzzled.

Jiang Fushi frowned.

Not wearing a mask?

This person isn't dead?

What is his relationship with those men in black? Last night she clearly saw him fighting with them, and then they went silent. It looks like he killed them.

Who exactly is he? Is he in cahoots with the dead? If so, why the infighting? If not, what is his purpose here? Why, after subduing her, did he only acupuncture her acupoints to put her to sleep instead of taking her life?

They've come to kill her?