After being chosen by the Ice Queen

Over the next few days, Liuli, like the most patient hunter, led Gu Yan to wander on the edge of Gui Touhao's power, spying on the Smiling Buddha.

Which pachinko parlor is the place where the Laughing Buddha often goes for entertainment? Which secluded clinic might handle some private matters for him? Which route he usually takes between his residence and the parlor is relatively quiet?

She seemed to know everything about the Laughing Buddha's habits, even that he liked to take walks after the rain to get some fresh air.

With his newly acquired sense of danger, Gu Yan could vaguely sense the occasional glances cast by those shopkeepers or pedestrians; those were likely sentries placed by Gui Touhao's side.

However, Ruri always cleverly chooses observation points that are in the blind spots of these lines of sight.

Gu Yan noticed that Liu Li's gaze was frighteningly focused when she was observing.

She would occasionally mutter a few brief assessments in a low voice: "Left leg, old injury, the limp will be more noticeable on rainy days." "Right-handed, but there are short thorns hidden in the sleeve of the left hand." "Very alert, especially sensitive to the wind behind him."

Three days have passed. Just as the sun was setting, a brief drizzle fell from the sky. After the rain, the mountain breeze brought a cool, fresh breeze. In the narrow alleyways, puddles reflected the darkening sky.

Liuli stopped in the shadows of an inconspicuous corner, her gaze fixed on the entrance to an alley not far away. An elderly man with a cane was strolling slowly, his face ruddy and a contented smile on his face.

Gu Yan noticed that none of the guards who usually lurked nearby were present today. The alleyway was also unusually quiet.

"Is he alone?" Gu Yan asked in a low voice.

Liuli's gaze remained fixed on her target as she calmly replied, "Gui Touhao has important goods to discuss today and has withdrawn most of his manpower. The rest... perhaps they think that old fox can handle it on his own, or perhaps..." She didn't finish her sentence, but Gu Yan understood immediately.

Perhaps Gui Touhao also had other intentions. For those in positions of power, knowing too much and wielding too much prestige isn't always a good thing.

Especially at delicate moments when it's necessary to demonstrate one's stance to Chiba Rin or to conduct some kind of inside deal, an old and frail strategist who knows countless secrets might become a valuable bargaining chip, or... a pawn to be discarded.

The Smiling Buddha seemed oblivious, or perhaps he had already seen through it all. He stopped in the middle of the alley, took a deep breath of the cool post-rain air, and muttered to himself, "Perfect weather for murder and dismemberment... The smell of blood will be blown far away in no time, completely clean."

Gu Yan, dressed entirely in black, masked, and carrying a sword, nodded to Liu Li.

Liuli turned slightly to the side, and her figure disappeared silently.

Gu Yan moved, a black shadow slid into the alley along the wall, and in a few steps it was already close to the smiling Buddha's back.

Almost the instant Gu Yan stepped into the alley, the Smiling Buddha's hand, which was resting on his cane, twitched slightly, and he chuckled, "So you've finally arrived? A little later than I expected. Were you afraid this old cripple of mine would run away, or... were you waiting to see me betrayed by my own people?"

Without a word, he suddenly accelerated, charging forward. His longsword flashed from its sheath, a cold light gleaming as it aimed straight for the Smiling Buddha's back!

This sword strike was fast, accurate, and steady, without any fancy moves. At the same time, the newly transformed power within his body flowed quietly, and a faint, chilling aura, Yin Corrosion, appeared on the sword's edge.

However, the Smiling Buddha, despite his seemingly old and disabled appearance, reacted with astonishing speed. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, at the very moment the sword was about to strike him, he twisted his body strangely, not to dodge forward, but to use his cane for support, and with an unusually agile movement, he spun to the side and backward!

Gu Yanzhi's sword, which he was determined to strike, actually grazed the edge of his kimono and missed.

"Huh?" The Smiling Buddha seemed somewhat surprised by the speed and sharpness of Gu Yan's sword strike, but his hand movements were not slow at all.

As he spun around, a gleaming, slender dagger suddenly sprang out from the end of his seemingly decorative cane, like a viper spitting its tongue, viciously and cunningly slashing at Gu Yan's wrist holding the sword!

Gu Yan felt a sudden sense of danger, sensing the hidden killing intent within the cane a fraction of a second earlier. He swiftly twisted his wrist, changing his thrusting sword into a parry, and slashed downwards!

"Clang!"

The sword's edge clashed with the cane's blade, sending sparks flying. Gu Yan felt a subtle yet resilient force emanating from the cane, causing his arm to go slightly numb.

Missing his first strike, the Smiling Buddha used the momentum to retreat half a step, wielding his cane as the dagger transformed into countless cold stars, relentlessly targeting Gu Yan's vital points.

His steps were slightly unsteady due to his leg ailment, but his movements, combined with the support of his cane and his attacks, were strangely unpredictable, forcing Gu Yan to be unable to get close for a while.

Gu Yan steadied himself and countered each move. His enhanced physique and sense of danger allowed him to barely keep up with the Smiling Buddha, but he still lacked experience and the ability to seize opportunities. Each of the Smiling Buddha's attacks was a feint, nearly breaching Gu Yan's defenses several times.

"Boy, you're good with your sword, your technique is sound, but you're not ruthless enough." The Smiling Buddha attacked while still having the energy to speak, his face still bearing that unsettling smile.

"Was it that wild girl from the Chiba family who sent her? She certainly knows how to pick her timing... but she's got no conscience whatsoever, not even leaving me a way out."

Gu Yan didn't answer, searching for a weakness. The other person had difficulty walking and relied on a cane to shift their weight; perhaps that was a breakthrough.

He deliberately created an opening, luring the Smiling Buddha to attack his left rib with his dagger. Then, he suddenly lowered his body and shifted his feet, narrowly avoiding the dagger. He then poured all his strength into his longsword and unleashed a fierce horizontal slash at the Smiling Buddha's good leg, which was supporting his weight.

This change of tactics was extremely quick, and the angle was low enough.

"Good!" The Smiling Buddha praised, but he was not flustered. He slammed his cane on the ground and used the force to leap up on one leg, narrowly avoiding the blow that would break his leg. At the same time, he swept the upper part of his cane horizontally and smashed it toward Gu Yan's head!

Gu Yan hurriedly raised his sword to parry.

Another muffled thud. The Smiling Buddha exerted his strength from above, making it even heavier. Although Gu Yan blocked it, the sword emitted a humming sound as if it could not bear the weight, and a tiny crack appeared where it touched the cane.

The sword can't hold on much longer!

A glint flashed in the Smiling Buddha's eyes, clearly indicating that he had also noticed this. After landing, his attack intensified, specifically targeting the cracked parts or the spine of Gu Yan's longsword, intending to destroy his weapon.

After several heavy impacts, with a crisp sound, the longsword in Gu Yan's hand broke in two. The front half of the sword spun and flew out, embedding itself deeply in the earthen wall beside him, leaving only half of the broken sword in Gu Yan's hand.

The Smiling Buddha's smile widened: "Inadequate weaponry can be fatal, kid!"

He pressed his advantage relentlessly, his cane thrusting like a leech, aiming straight for Gu Yan's throat. Gu Yan, wielding a broken sword, could barely parry.

Just as Gu Yan was trying to mobilize more Yin Erosion power, and even risk activating the Candle Yin Breath.

A sudden change has occurred!

A silent, swift shadow fell vertically from the shadow of the high wall on one side of the alley. It was like a weightless leaf falling, or a bolt of lightning tearing through the night.

It is glass.

Her timing was impeccable; it was precisely when the Smiling Buddha was launching a full-scale attack on Gu Yan, his old strength already unleashed but his new strength yet to arise, and when Gu Yan's mind momentarily relaxed due to the breakage of his weapon. She and her blade almost became one, slashing down from directly above the Smiling Buddha's head!

There was no dazzling flash of blades, only a black line, condensed to its extreme, that separated life and death.

The smile on the Laughing Buddha's face suddenly froze. His last senses might have been limited to catching only the barely perceptible sound of wind breaking above his head.

The dull thud of a sharp blade slicing into flesh and bone was exceptionally clear in the quiet alley.

The sword in Gu Yan's hand shattered into several pieces, the old man's cane remained intact, but the man himself was dead. He died from a sword that fell from the sky.

Gu Yan paused, then dropped the broken sword in his hand and gasped for breath.