Chapter 23 — One Sword
Since the last time he killed the Iron Horse Seven Thieves, he had gone seven or eight days without a mark.
As a killer endowed with an Assassin System, he could not grow without killing.
If he had not left the Mirror of Retribution, contracts for murder would have been plentiful.
But now he had no organization and was hunted by the Mirror of Retribution; taking on assassination jobs was far more difficult.
Given this opportunity, he had to try.
If this action could trigger a commission, so much the better.
At those words, not only did Wu Qianhuan widen her eyes, Xin Youhen snorted coldly: "Foolish and reckless."
"Do you even know what you are saying?" Wu Qianhuan fixed her gaze on Chu Qing.
Earlier in the front courtyard she had not clearly seen Chu Qing's sword technique—his strike had been too fast, and her attention had been entirely on the false Chu Qing.
By the time she recovered, Chu Qing had been standing atop the wall, posturing.
Hearing him now left her bewildered.
How could Chu Qing possibly kill Xin Youhen? Was he mad?
"Hurry and decide. He's nearly impatient enough to strike. If you don't hire me to kill him, with your skill you will most likely die at his hands."
Chu Qing tilted his chin toward Wu Qianhuan. "If I act, it will take only one sword; this man will surely die."
"Ha ha ha!"
Xin Youhen laughed uproariously at that claim. "In my decades roaming the jianghu, I've never met anyone so arrogant! Fine—since you've amused me, I'll give you a chance. You may strike first; let's see how you plan to kill me with one sword!"
Chu Qing did not even look at him; his eyes were on Wu Qianhuan.
She drew a deep breath and then smiled. "If you truly can kill him, I will believe you are not that other person. I will pay one thousand taels of silver—kill him."
[Commission: Assassinate Xin Youhen!]
[Accept?]
Chu Qing's eyes brightened—the opportunity had truly appeared.
He had only spoken on impulse, thinking there might be a patron, a target, and a killer; he never expected it to materialize.
Could this also be used to farm treasure chests? He considered having Wu Qianhuan lead him to the city lord's dungeon to fetch condemned men and accept commissions one by one.
On second thought, that plan seemed flawed.
If so, his system would cease being an "Assassin System" and would be more appropriately named an "Executioner System."
Still, it was worth trying.
With that thought, he drew his sword and advanced toward Xin Youhen.
By rights, in a fair fight Chu Qing was no match for Xin Youhen.
An assassination, however, carried a seventy to eighty percent chance of a fatal first strike.
In the present setting he could not hide or disguise a sudden attack, but his earlier words were not idle boasts.
Killing someone often required more than mere martial skill.
Just as the Mirror of Retribution's plot against Chu Yunfei was not about finding someone stronger and killing him outright, it was a played-out scheme—moves set like chess to checkmate Chu Yunfei.
If not for the unforeseen variable of Chu Qing appearing outside the game, the outcome would have been uncertain.
Now Chu Qing's plan to kill Xin Youhen was not simply relying on martial skill alone—though skill would be decisive, he first needed to secure a tremendous advantage.
That advantage he had already obtained.
It was the sword Xin Youhen offered.
This was not coincidence but calculation.
From Xin Youhen's boldness in brazenly breaking into the Chu residence and openly entering Chu Fan's yard to kill, Chu Qing could see how arrogant he truly was.
So Chu Qing deliberately claimed a single stroke would kill Xin Youhen; a man so supremely confident in his own skill, with such swagger, how could he believe a young man could slay him with one sword?
That boast was precisely bait to make Xin Youhen grant Chu Qing the first strike.
Chu Qing also knew Xin Youhen was wounded.
Although well concealed, the injury could not escape Chu Qing's notice.
Ask yourself, why would such a presumptuous man resort to stealth when dealing with a junior like Wu Qianhuan?
After a failed strike, based on his previous conduct in Chu Fan's yard, he would have instantly followed with a second and third blow, battering Wu Qianhuan to death without a second thought.
But he did not.
Thus Chu Qing inferred he had been injured chasing after Chu Fan's junior female disciple and those two madwomen.
That single blow seemed to put Wu Qianhuan at a disadvantage, but he himself was far from unscathed.
The reason he hesitated rather than finishing them was because another unknown swordsman had appeared in the scene.
So he played it safe.
He delayed action, waiting for Chu Qing to leave.
Once Chu Qing departed and he faced Wu Qianhuan alone, he would be confident of victory.
Although Chu Qing's words and Wu Qianhuan's commission had prevented his leaving and forced a confrontation, it still fitted within Xin Youhen's expected range.
After all, his arrogance remained; in one-on-one combat, even against an unknown swordsman, he believed he held the advantage.
If he could kill Chu Qing first and prevent Chu Qing and Wu Qianhuan from cooperating, he could defeat them one by one and leave victorious.
Of course, Chu Qing could not be certain his deduction was absolute.
But… if he were allowed to strike first, even if he could not kill Xin Youhen outright, he could wound him and compound his injuries.
Then, calling on Wu Qianhuan to join would make it difficult for Xin Youhen—no matter how skilled—to escape death.
All these calculations flashed through his mind in a single moment.
Chu Qing's hand rested on the sword hilt as he lifted his gaze to Xin Youhen: "Watch carefully—"
The long sword slowly left the scabbard, its blade catching the light and gleaming splendidly.
At that precise moment Chu Qing raised his head slightly and shifted the blade so that the reflected light fell into Xin Youhen's eyes.
Xin Youhen narrowed his eyes, and in that instant the sword moved!
When had it drawn from the scabbard?
Xin Youhen felt his vision skip a beat; he had not seen the sword leave the scabbard.
Yet he sensed a surge of killing intent.
Killing intent mixed with sword will seemed, from the moment of its birth, to pierce directly into his heart.
Gather energy!
Channel fate!
Execute the move!
In that brief instant, Xin Youhen reacted.
But as his hands barely rose, a whistling sword cry filled his ears—
Hum!
The sound struck the ear, yet the sword was in his chest.
All motion froze; Xin Youhen looked down at the sword embedded in his own breast, disbelief written across his face: "How… is this possible…"
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