Shen Zhiyi returned to the pharmacy in a daze, her mind in turmoil.

"Miss?" Xiangru called to her.

Shen Zhiyi didn't reply, waved her hand, and went into the house on her own.

Duan Xingzhi returned to the pharmacy and sat on a stone bench in the courtyard for a while, his gaze frequently drifting towards Shen Zhiyi's door.

Before long, he also went back to his room, looking distracted.

She said she would give him time to think about it and would give him an answer tonight.

The sun slowly sets, and night falls.

The door creaked open.

Duan Xingzhi suddenly stood up and looked towards the door.

The person who came was not Shen Zhiyi.

"It's you." Duan Xingzhi's eyes sharpened, and he looked at Ling Yuan, who was slowly approaching, with a wary expression.

His body suddenly tensed up.

"Yan, Nu?" Ling Yuan, dressed in a moon-white robe, smiled gently and harmlessly in the moonlight, then suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Or should I call you Duan Xingzhi?"

He stopped in front of him.

A slight upturn at the corners of his lips, a smile as venomous as a snake, slowly creeps up his cheeks.

"Or perhaps... a night owl?"

Night owl.

Duan Xingzhi's dark eyes narrowed sharply, and his mind went blank with a deafening buzz!

He was not wearing a mask at the moment.

The code name of this assassin gang is known to no one except its core members and mission targets!

"Clang—!"

The longsword was drawn instantly and held horizontally against Ling Yuan's neck!

The cold blade reflected the moonlight, radiating a chilling killing intent.

One more point and he could sever her throat.

"Who are you?!" Duan Xingzhi's voice was icy, and a murderous intent surged in his eyes.

Ling Yuan showed no fear, raised an eyebrow, gently pushed the blade away with her fingertips, and said with her gentle smile, "Who I am is not important."

"The important thing is that you don't get too comfortable in this Poria Valley and forget your mission."

His eyes suddenly turned cold.

His smile vanished, and he leaned forward, saying, "His Highness the Third Prince asked me to tell you that his patience is running out."

"If you don't kill Shen Zhiyi soon, you won't get what you want."

Shen Zhiyi?

Shen Zhiyi!

A thunderbolt suddenly struck Duan Xingzhi's mind.

A shattered image suddenly flashed before my eyes—

Deep within the palace, shrouded in darkness, he stood before the Third Prince, dressed in royal robes, his face blurred yet exuding an air of dignified composure, wearing a black eagle mask. He replied in a deep voice, "This last mission, I, the Assassin's Hall, will take it."

"I hope Your Highness will keep your promise."

"After this is done, disband the Assassin's Guild and give us our freedom."

Assassin's Guild.

It was a cage he built with countless drops of blood and nightmares, and also a sharp weapon used by the Third Prince to eliminate dissidents.

He recalled those inhumane training methods.

Thinking of his lifelong wish, which was to lead his fellow members in the hall, who were caught in the crossfire, to break free from this endless darkness.

The third prince smiled broadly, determined to win.

"nature."

"If this succeeds, I will be the rightful heir. When that happens, I will ascend the throne smoothly and rule the world. Why would I need your assassin's gang?"

"Let them disband then." He waved his hand dismissively.

Duan Xingzhi thought about the current situation.

The Crown Prince is now seriously ill and in a coma, and the Third Prince is overseeing the country.

If the Crown Prince never wakes up again, the throne will rightfully fall into the hands of the Third Prince.

However, the senior officials, led by the prime minister, firmly believed that the crown prince was not seriously ill.

Instead, he was harmed by a villain and poisoned with a strange poison!

Only by finding Shen Zhiyi, the direct disciple of the world's greatest physician, can his life be saved.

Therefore, the prime minister sent a large group of people to seek medical help.

To eliminate any future trouble, the Third Prince activated the Assassin's Guild and dispatched Night Owl to assassinate Shen Zhiyi!

Duan Xingzhi never expected that the person he had been thinking about day and night and wished to marry immediately would be the ultimate goal of his trip!

He suddenly felt a sense of absurdity, as if he were being played by fate.

"What are you still hesitating for?" Ling Yuan's voice, like a viper's hiss, interrupted his thoughts. "Finish her off as soon as possible, and you'll regain your freedom!"

Duan Xingzhi's hand holding the sword trembled almost imperceptibly.

"You wouldn't be... hesitant, would you?" Ling Yuan observed his expression, a sinister glint flashing in her eyes. "If you can't bring yourself to do it, then I will."

He feigned regret.

"It's just a pity that such a beautiful and angelic woman like Miss Shen was killed; it would indeed be a shame..."

The sword's edge suddenly drew closer!

A bloody mark was pressed into Ling Yuan's neck!

"You dare!"

Duan Xingzhi's eyes surged with a bloodthirsty crimson, filled with overwhelming killing intent. His voice, as if emanating from hell, warned through gritted teeth.

"If you dare touch her, I'll make sure you die a horrible death!"

His voice was as cold as ice.

Ling Yuan's smile froze instantly.

The fear flashed across his face, but he quickly composed himself and said with a forced smile, "Okay."

"Then I'll wait for your good news."

He pushed the sword away with lingering fear, clutching his neck. He left with a wary expression.

Duan Xingzhi stood there, his face pale.

I don't know how much time passed.

He suddenly lowered his hand, and the long sword slipped and fell to the ground with a "whoosh".

He slowly sat down in the chair.

He raised his hand and looked at the red marks on his palm from the sword hilt pressing down on it. They intertwined with the lines on his palm, like a sudden mockery of fate.

He twitched his lips.

He let out a short, mournful laugh.

...

The Milky Way hangs low.

Duan Xingzhi sat on the grassy slope of Fuling Valley, with several empty wine jars lying at his feet.

He tilted his head back and gulped down the last mouthful of strong liquor. As his Adam's apple bobbed, the liquor slid down his chin and soaked into his clothes.

"Duan Xingzhi".

A clear, crisp voice rang out behind me.

He paused, didn't turn around, and stared blankly at the boundless starry sky.

Shen Zhiyi lifted her skirt and sat down beside him.

"I've made up my mind."

She took a deep breath and said resolutely, "Let's get married."

The night breeze rustled through the grass.

She was met with only silence.

Shen Zhiyi found it strange and couldn't help but turn to look at him, only to meet his resolute and cold jawline.

"What's wrong?" She leaned closer to him, looking at him intently, and asked thoughtfully, "Is it... that you don't want to consummate our marriage?"

"Is it because you were forced to cure my poison and can't marry the woman you truly love that you're depressed?"

Before he could finish speaking, the world spun around him.

Duan Xingzhi suddenly rolled over and pinned her down on the soft grass.

Its towering figure loomed down, blocking out the starlight.

He leaned over her, his deep eyes churning with pain and struggle she couldn't comprehend. His warm fingertips, carrying the scent of wine, gently and slowly traced her eyebrows, eyes, and lips.

fool.

He murmured to himself.

The one I love is you.

From beginning to end, it's only you.

The strong smell of alcohol mixed with his crisp, clean scent enveloped the room.

He bent down.

His hot breath brushed against her lips, carrying an almost desperate longing, and drew close to her, heavy and hot.

Shen Zhiyi, smelling the wine on him, seemed to become intoxicated as well.

She closed her eyes, her heart pounding like a drum...