"Why aren't you sleeping?" Zhuiming asked in a low voice.

The girl stretched, rolled over, and jumped off the bed. Her movements were so light that she made almost no sound.

"I can't rest easy leaving you alone to keep watch at night," Chuanliu said, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

She slowly walked to the window, chose to sit on the other side of the window opposite Zhui Ming, and then said seriously, "Do you think that among those new guests who just arrived, there might be a hidden assassin among them?"

Zhuiming was surprised that Chuanliu had also noticed the new guest at the inn. He shook his head slightly and replied, "I don't know. It's too dark and the rain is too heavy. I really can't tell."

He paused, looked out the window, and continued, "However, one thing is certain: if the rain continues like this, we probably won't be able to set off tomorrow."

After exchanging a few more words, Chuanliu closed his eyes again.

Whether she actually fell asleep is unknown.

The rain continued incessantly, like countless fine threads weaving the night deeper and deeper. All the lights in the inn had long been turned off, with only the occasional flash of lightning outside the window bringing a brief but blinding glimmer of light.

Just then, a faint rustling sound came from outside the door, as if someone was carefully groping around at the doorway.

The person outside the door moved with extreme caution, afraid of waking the sleeping person inside. The sound grew closer and closer until the key was inserted into the lock precisely, making a soft "click" sound.

After successfully unlocking the door, the man tiptoed into the room. He hunched over, trying to keep his center of gravity low to minimize the noise of his footsteps.

The entire process was carried out almost silently, and the rainy night made his actions even easier.

The man's eyes appeared even more sinister in the darkness. Upon entering, he immediately locked onto the two vaguely visible figures on the bed. His gaze was like that of a cheetah eyeing its prey, cold and cruel.

He slowly approached the bed without making a sound, gripping a dagger tightly in his hand, the tip of which gleamed coldly in the dim moonlight.

He took a deep breath, held it, and then suddenly swung his arm, raising the dagger high.

A sharp, cold light pierced the darkness and headed straight for the slightly thin figure on the bed.

The dagger traced a graceful arc in the air, whistling as it pierced the blankets.

However, just as he thought he was about to succeed and a sense of triumph welled up in his heart, the touch of the blade made his heart tremble.

The man quickly withdrew the dagger, and the tip of the blade was clean as before, without a trace of blood.

He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, utterly astonished by the sudden turn of events.

The assassin yanked back the covers, only to find that what lay beneath them was not his intended target, but several pillows deliberately arranged in the shape of human figures, lying there quietly.

The unexpected turn of events stunned him for a moment, but he quickly realized that he had fallen into a trap!

The assassin broke out in a cold sweat, and his expression changed from smug to panic.

Retreat immediately!

This was the assassin's only thought at that moment.

But just as he was about to turn and run away, a cold touch suddenly pressed against the back of his neck, like the breath of death, making him freeze instantly.

He slowly tried to turn his head, but saw that the sharp dagger was pressed against his carotid artery. If the person behind him exerted even the slightest force on his wrist, he would die instantly. So he obediently turned his head back.

The assassin swallowed hard, trying his best to remain calm, and slowly raised his hands above his head to show his surrender.

He tried to ease the tension with a lighthearted tone, chuckling dryly, "Hero, this is all a misunderstanding. Put down your knife, and let's talk this out."

A woman's cold voice came from behind, "A peaceful talk? You sneaked into my room in the middle of the night, is that what you want to talk to me about?"

Upon hearing a woman's voice, the assassin instantly made a decision. This woman came from the City of Cubes; in a one-on-one fight, she was no match for him.

He secretly calculated that as long as he found the right opportunity to dodge the knife at his neck, he would have a chance to turn the tide and subdue the attacker.

The assassin outwardly continued his conversation with her, but in reality, he was subtly shifting his body, searching for the perfect opportunity to strike. "That's why I said it was all a misunderstanding. It's all the shopkeeper's fault; he gave me the wrong key, and I went to the wrong room, thinking a thief had broken in. Don't believe me? Look..."

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly turned around, gripped the dagger in his hand tightly, and swiftly stabbed at the person behind him.

However, when he turned around, he was shocked to find a man's face in front of him, and his target—the woman—was standing calmly behind the man.

The man clearly sensed the assassin's intentions and reacted before the assassin could. The dagger that was originally pressed against the assassin's neck changed direction the moment the assassin turned around, and slid up along the assassin's weapon.

He skillfully deflected the assassin's attack and immediately changed his offensive, pressing the dagger against the assassin's neck from the front once again.

A flicker of fear flashed in the assassin's eyes. He hadn't expected that his meticulously planned counterattack would be neutralized in an instant, leaving him in an even more dangerous situation.

At this moment, the woman standing behind the man spoke again, asking, "You're from the 'Dark Gate,' aren't you?"

The assassin remained silent, appearing ready to "heroically sacrifice himself" at any moment.

Chuanliu chuckled lightly and said indifferently, "It's fine if you don't want to admit it. Anyway, you've already left your number today. As long as I don't let anyone find out that you're dead, I still have one more day to hide from you guys."

Upon hearing this, the assassin's pupils contracted sharply. He hadn't expected Chuanliu to know the "Secret Gate's" communication method, and blurted out, "How did you know...?"

However, as soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately realized he had let something slip, and his regret was palpable. He bit his lip and chose to remain silent again, trying to cover up his slip of the tongue.

Chuanliu took a step closer, pulled back the black cloth the assassin had used to cover his face, revealing the latter's dark face.

The girl's eyes were deep and unfathomable, like the unexplored depths of the ocean, sending chills down one's spine.

An indescribable sense of oppression instantly descended upon them.

Even the assassin himself didn't understand why he would be afraid of a little girl for no reason.

"After you, who will be the next assassin?"

The girl's icy voice pierced the assassin's very bones, sending a chill down his spine.

The latter felt the dagger getting closer and closer to him as the girl spoke, and a double pain, both physical and psychological, swept over him.

"I... I don't know either... but I do know this deal is quite expensive, so a lot of people are eyeing it!"