Ye Qiu’s heart skipped a beat.
It wasn’t until this moment that he realized there was someone else hiding in the shadows.
Moreover, this person was not only a master but also highly skilled in assassination techniques, with an impeccable sense of timing.
Since both of Ye Qiu’s hands were occupied, he couldn’t use them to block the sword’s edge. This was a fatal strike.
Life and death hung in the balance.
At the critical moment, Ye Qiu jerked his head to the side, and the cold glint grazed past his throat, piercing his shoulder.
“Pfft!”
The cold glint sank into his flesh, and blood immediately flowed out.
Ye Qiu was shocked once again.
After successfully cultivating the second level of the Nine Transformations Divine Dragon Art, his body had become as hard as iron and bronze, impervious to bullets. Yet now, someone had actually breached his defenses.
Ye Qiu looked down and saw that the cold glint was a sword.
He didn’t have time to think. He quickly retracted his hands, flicked the sword’s edge away with a finger, and then darted back, retreating more than five meters.
Then, he looked up at the sword’s owner.
It was a young man who appeared to be in his twenties. His complexion was pale, his features sharp and lean, and his figure tall and slender. His narrow eyes were devoid of any emotion, cold and indifferent.
The young man wore a long black coat and a black tailcoat hat. In his hand, he held a three-foot-long sword.
This sword was different from ordinary swords. It looked more like a steel rod, with a blade as thin as a chopstick, round in shape, and pitch black all over. The tip of the sword had been sharpened to an extreme degree, glinting with a silver light in the darkness.
Ye Qiu stared at the young man, his expression grave.
“You managed to dodge my attack. That’s interesting,” the young man said, his voice cold and arrogant.
Before Ye Qiu could respond, the Hanging Ghost started complaining to the young man.
“What’s wrong with you? If it weren’t for waiting for you, my brother and I would have already taken care of that kid.”
“And just now, we created the perfect opportunity for you to deliver a fatal blow, but you missed.”
“Is this all you’re capable of? And you call yourself the world’s number one assassin?”
The young man turned his head, his cold gaze falling on the Hanging Ghost. “If you don’t want to die, shut up.”
“You—” The Hanging Ghost seemed somewhat afraid of the young man and closed his mouth.
But the Starving Ghost wasn’t having it.
“Pretty boy, how dare you insult my brother? I’ll kill you—” The Starving Ghost raised the bone in his hand, ready to smash it at the young man. However, before the bone could descend, the tip of the sword was already pressed against his throat.
Instantly, cold sweat broke out on the Starving Ghost’s forehead.
“Big brother, save me,” the Starving Ghost said, trembling.
The Hanging Ghost immediately put on a smile and said to the young man, “Brother, the enemy isn’t dead yet. Please be merciful.”
The young man remained unmoved.
The Hanging Ghost continued, “My brother has some mental issues. Don’t take it to heart.”
The young man still didn’t withdraw his sword.
The Hanging Ghost added, “How about this, brother? After we kill that kid, we’ll take only forty percent of the reward, and you can take sixty. How’s that?”
“Not bad,” the young man finally retracted his sword.
Listening to their conversation, Ye Qiu finally understood that the Hanging Ghost and the Starving Ghost had been acting like idiots in front of him to deceive him.
Their purpose was to wait for the young man.
Once the young man arrived, they attacked Ye Qiu simultaneously to create an opportunity for the young man to strike.
Ye Qiu regretted it deeply.
“If I had known this earlier, I should have taken them out immediately with a swift and decisive move.”
“These two ghosts are incredibly strong, and that young man’s methods are even more unpredictable. Now that the three of them are working together, I’m in danger.”
Ye Qiu wasn’t just worried about his own safety; he was also concerned for Tang Fei and Long Ye.
These three were all masters. If they decided to attack Tang Fei and Long Ye, the two wouldn’t stand a chance.
In other words, for Tang Fei and Long Ye to be safe, Ye Qiu would have to hold off all three of them by himself.
But holding them off wasn’t enough. He would have to kill them to ensure complete safety.
However, among the three, the one who posed the greatest threat to Ye Qiu was the young man.
“What should I call you?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Cold Blood,” the young man replied, his voice still icy.
“That name suits your demeanor,” Ye Qiu said sincerely.
At that moment, Tang Fei and Long Ye got out of the car and quickly made their way to Ye Qiu’s side.
“What are you doing here?” Ye Qiu asked, annoyed. “I told you to stay in the car.”
“Ye Qiu, we’re in big trouble this time,” Tang Fei said, his expression grave as he looked at the young man. “Cold Blood is the world’s number one assassin.”
Hmm?
Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow, his face showing surprise.
He had heard the Hanging Ghost say the same thing earlier, but at the time, he thought it was just a joke. Now, it seemed the Hanging Ghost was telling the truth.
Tang Fei explained to Ye Qiu, “The Underworld Palace’s list of top experts includes Cold Blood.”
“Cold Blood is ranked number one on the world’s assassin list. He works alone and is known for his swift sword techniques.”
“Over the years, over a hundred people have died by Cold Blood’s sword, and each of them was someone of great importance—international politicians, business tycoons, even international celebrities.”
“Cold Blood made his debut at the age of sixteen. Unlike others who gain fame by completing more and more assassination missions, he rose to fame by killing the previous world’s number one assassin, skyrocketing to the top of the assassin world in one fell swoop.”
Tang Fei asked, “Do you know who the previous world’s number one assassin was?”
Ye Qiu looked at Tang Fei with displeasure. What kind of time was this to be playing guessing games?
Tang Fei said, “The previous world’s number one assassin was Cold Blood’s master—and also his father.”
What?
Ye Qiu was shocked. So, this guy became the world’s number one assassin by killing his own master and father?
What an unfilial son!
Tang Fei added, “Cold Blood’s sword is incredibly fast. You must be careful. Later, Long Ye and I will hold off the other two, and you focus on dealing with Cold Blood.”
“Those two ghosts are masters. You won’t be able to hold them off. You should go back to the car and wait for me,” Ye Qiu said.
“Do you think you can handle three of them at once?” Long Ye asked.
“I don’t know if I can handle them, but I do know that if you two stay here, you’ll only distract me,” Ye Qiu said. “Get back in the car. If I can’t hold them off, drive away immediately. Don’t worry about me.”
“How can we do that? We’re brothers. If we die, we die together…” Before Long Ye could finish, Ye Qiu cut him off.
“You’re so ugly. I don’t want to die with you. Get back in the car and stop causing trouble.”
“Ye Qiu, be careful,” Tang Fei added, then led Long Ye back to the car.
Afterward, Ye Qiu looked at Cold Blood and the two ghosts, hooked his finger, and said, “Come at me together!”
