With her target so close, how could she, a trained assassin since childhood, miss such a golden opportunity? She immediately drew the soft sword from her sleeve and stabbed Jiang Yan in the chest.

Jiang Yan, who was known as one of the Four Gentlemen of Chaotic Times, stood silently in place for some unknown reason. The cool blade of his soft sword glided across his jade-like face, and a rare look of bewilderment appeared in his usually deep black eyes.

"Master, be careful!"

Ke Min, who had been guarding Jiang Yan's side for many years, took a step forward, put his hand on his master's shoulder, and pulled the dazed man behind him.

At the same time, the hidden guards who had been watching from the shadows jumped down and engaged the assassin in a fierce battle.

The sword tip was deflected and only penetrated a small part of Jiang Yan's abdomen. Even so, bright red blood seeped out of his robe, turning the pale blue into ochre.

The guards entered the fray one after another. The female assassin in the blue Taoist robe was no match for the crowd and her hat was knocked off, revealing her face.

Jiang Yan had regained his composure. Looking at the female assassin's appearance, which was completely different from Shu Yun's, he slowly closed his eyes, his long eyelashes drooping down and casting a shadow under his eyes.

The assassin's physique was exactly the same as Shu Yun's, which made him lose his senses.

He was still too attached to that person, and for a moment all his composure and self-control were thrown to the back of his mind.

When he opened his eyes again, his pale face due to blood loss was the most common sight among his subordinates. Beneath his indifferent and quiet exterior lay the deepest ruthlessness.

Ke Min slightly loosened his hand from Jiang Yan's wound and sprinkled on the wound medicine brought by his subordinate. "Quickly go and invite Doctor Feng over."

Jiang Yan stared coldly at the captured female assassin, his words chilling and bloodthirsty: "Kill her directly, no need for torture."

He knew who it was.

To go to such lengths to select young girls and raise them from childhood, only to achieve a resemblance to that person, who else in the world could be so familiar with Shu Yun besides Feng Ziyi?

After all, he was a disciple taught by Guan Qin. On the surface, he was just a county magistrate of a small prefecture, but in reality, he must have had quite a few connections.

The appearance of this assassin was undoubtedly telling Jiang Yan that Feng Ziyi had already seen through his disguise; his ignorance of court affairs and his independence were all illusions.

The female assassin's neck was neatly and swiftly twisted by the guards. On the eve of her death, for some reason, she recalled Jiang Yan's expression when she drew her sword and stabbed him.

Feeling lost and helpless.

She began to doubt everyone's private opinions of this person. She thought he was ambitious, bloodthirsty, and ruthless. In her mind, he was a smiling tiger with a gentle and beautiful exterior, whose heart was already black and whose mind and eyes were full of power struggles and scheming.

Can someone like that also feel helpless...?

She really wanted to see what kind of person Shu Yun was who could elicit such an expression from Jiang Yan. She imagined that he must be a great Confucian scholar, a man of integrity and upright character, to be able to teach someone like Young Master Feng and Jiang Yan.

Unfortunately, her fate was already sealed from the beginning.

Feng Li was practically dragged into the master bedroom in the courtyard by the crowd, and hurriedly began to treat Jiang Yan's wounds.

The handsome young man lowered his eyelashes, leaned back on the bed and let him do as he pleased. His expression remained unchanged throughout, extremely indifferent, as if he were not the one who was injured.

After he finished treating his wounds, Jiang Yan pulled his inner garments together and straightened his clothes. "Pack your things and return to Yingdu immediately."

The net of heaven and earth has already been laid, and the pieces are all in their places, operating methodically underground. He has long been trapped in this murky water of the chaotic world.

Letting Feng Ziyi run around freely was only out of respect for his master. After all, once the person leaves, the tea cools. In this world, Feng Ziyi is the only one who remembers Shu Yun as firmly as he does.

Now that he's made the first move, we can't blame him.

As night fell, darkness enveloped the earth, dark clouds loomed over the city, and thunder rumbled in the sky. A few large raindrops fell onto the street, as if giving a glimpse of the impending doom, before the downpour began.

After the curfew in the imperial city, the streets were deserted. Occasionally, a night watchman wearing a straw hat and a raincoat would walk with difficulty in the torrential rain, dutifully carrying out his work.

Raindrops fell on the bluestone slabs, quickly piling up into a shallow layer of water. All you could hear was the pattering sound of rain hitting the blue tiles and the tarpaulins that hadn't been put away yet, rising and falling in an endless stream.

The wind whistled past the night watchman's ears. When the time came, he shouted at the top of his lungs, even though he knew that in this weather, probably no one could hear him unless he went door to door and got close to people.

But he would never do that.

A torrential downpour, a dark and windy night—the sound of rain provides the perfect opportunity for a murder, as the rain will wash away any remaining traces, making it impossible to investigate.

The assassins lurked on the rooftops, quietly approaching the main house in the garden. Their footsteps were so light that they would be difficult to spot even without rain, let alone in such extreme weather.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

They used the rain to cover their tracks, and so did everyone else.

The crossbow bolts pierced through the air, splitting rocks, and instantly killed half of the assassins.

The assassins, realizing something was wrong, were already doomed the moment they realized what was happening. They were surrounded by well-trained bodyguards and captured from the rooftop.

Kemin stood about half a step behind his master, holding an umbrella for him. Raindrops hit the umbrella surface, which was coated with tung oil, and then slid down the cascading surface, gathering at the tip of the umbrella ribs and pouring down.

The assassin was severely injured, and thick, dark red blood spread from beneath him, only to be dispersed and diluted by the fierce wind and rain.

He was hunched over, his head hanging limply down.

Suddenly, a black boot appeared in the low-hanging view, with a piece of white jade embedded in the toe, splashing dirty water as it moved.

The assassin rolled his eyes and looked at the newcomer.

A black cloak embroidered with gold patterns enveloped his figure, and a pair of dark eyes looked down at him, as calm and still as a deep pool.

The assassin glanced at the legendary Young Master Yan, then lowered his head and said weakly, "Don't waste your time, I won't betray my master."

Jiang Yan shifted his gaze from the people at his feet. The guards beside him understood their master's meaning, and with a swift movement, the assassins' corpses littered the ground.

His companions died one after another behind him, but the person kneeling in front of Jiang Yan kept his head down, as if he hadn't heard his companions' screams.

“Chi Li, the Wang family, Zhang Jiang…”

Jiang Yan read out names while keeping an eye on the reactions of the people beneath his feet.

Translated by Feng Zi.

The kneeling assassin's body moved almost imperceptibly.

Jiang Yan suddenly curled the corners of his mouth, revealing faint dimples that made his handsome face appear even more innocent and naive.

He whispered, "Feng Ziyi..."

Jiang Yan changed the subject, "Do you think I would think that way? After all, who could have predicted that the Qing Kingdom Guild would attack me?"