One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The night was deep, like a huge black curtain, enveloping the entire Longhu Mountain.

The once bustling martial arts arena was now completely silent, save for the occasional chirping of insects that continued their tireless clamor.

The VIP guest room area is located on the back hill.

This is the place where the Celestial Master's Mansion specially entertains bigwigs from all walks of life. The environment is quiet and the furnishings are elegant.

"Click."

A soft but crisp cracking sound rang out in a brightly lit room.

Wang Ai sat in the armchair, his wrinkled old face so gloomy it seemed as if water could drip from it.

He slowly opened his palm.

The pair of shiny lion's head walnuts that he had been playing with for over a decade had now turned into a pile of jagged fragments, with a lot of powder even falling through his fingers.

"Grandpa, please calm down."

A middle-aged man in a black suit knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed tightly against the earth, his whole body trembling slightly.

"That Zhang Chu... is just a lucky Taoist priest who got lucky by sheer luck."

"Even if he defeats the young master of the Zhuge family, in your eyes he is nothing more than an ant that you can crush with a flick of your wrist."

"Ant?"

Wang Ai sneered and casually slapped the walnut crumbs from her palm onto the ground.

He stood up, leaned on his cane, and walked to the window. A cold, venomous light gleamed in his cloudy old eyes.

"Have you ever seen an ant dare to look at someone like that?"

The middle-aged man froze, not daring to reply.

"During the day, at the training ground..."

Wang Ai's fingers tapped lightly on the windowpane, her voice low and hoarse:

"The way that kid looked at me wasn't defiant, nor was it fearful."

"It's like looking at a pile of dog poop on the side of the road, or a stone that you can kick away at any time."

At this point, Wang Ai suddenly turned around, slamming her cane heavily on the ground with a dull thud.

"I've lived to such an old age, and I'm one of the Ten Elders. Even the Old Celestial Master Zhang Zhiwei has never looked at me like that!"

"This child... cannot be allowed to live."

That look in his eyes evoked a long-lost, deep-seated fear in him.

It feels like prey being targeted by a apex predator.

Such uncontrollable variables must be nipped in the bud!

The middle-aged man kneeling on the ground suddenly raised his head, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes:

"What the master means is..."

He raised his hand and made a slicing motion across his neck.

Wang Ai squinted her eyes and slowly turned the jade thumb ring on her thumb:

"Make it clean."

"This is Longhu Mountain after all. Don't give that old Taoist priest any leverage."

"Use a bone-piercing nail."

"This stuff melts instantly upon entering the flesh, leaving no trace. Even an autopsy wouldn't reveal the cause of death."

The middle-aged man understood immediately, a cruel smile curving his lips:

"Don't worry, sir."

"I will arrange it immediately."

"Make sure he never sees the sun rise tomorrow."

……

Midday on the moon.

The silvery moonlight shone on the layers of eaves of Longhu Mountain, creating a cool, shimmering glow.

This is a secluded room in the Celestial Master's Mansion, usually quiet with few visitors.

On the roof.

Zhang Taichu was lying sprawled out on the roof tiles, in a posture that was as unrestrained as could be.

He was lying on the old, faded Taoist robe, one leg crossed over the other, swaying with his breath.

"Hoo-hoo-hoo"

The deafening snores echoed rhythmically through the night sky.

He was sleeping soundly.

There was even a trace of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth, clearly indicating that she was having a sweet dream.

Just then.

A very faint black shadow, like a gecko, silently slithered up the wall.

The shadowy figure moved with incredible speed, without making a sound.

Even the wind chimes hanging under the eaves remained still, completely unaware of the intrusion of the outside world.

He's a master.

Moreover, they are experts at doing dirty work.

The dark figure leaped onto the roof, instantly crouching low, almost blending into the black tiles.

He only showed his eyes, staring intently at the unsuspecting Taoist priest not far away.

"Oh……"

A very soft chuckle came from beneath the mask of the dark figure.

That's it?

This is the target that Master Wang is so wary of, and that he even had to use the "Bone-Piercing Nail," a top-tier hidden weapon.

It's a complete joke.

That sleeping posture, that alertness—let alone an assassin, even a stray dog ​​could bite his throat off.

The shadowy figure shook his head, his contempt deepening.

He slowly straightened up, his right hand reaching into his robe.

When it reached out again, its fingertips were holding three long, dark blue nails.

The nail was as thin as a cow's hair, and it did not reflect light under the moonlight. Instead, it appeared strangely translucent.

Penetrating bone nail.

It is coated with a deadly poison that can kill instantly upon contact with blood, specifically designed to break through protective qi.

Even a tiny scratch can be fatal.

"In the next life..."

The shadowy figure silently chanted in his mind, his soft-soled shoes making no sound as they stepped on the tiles.

He approached step by step.

ten meters.

five meters.

three meters.

At this distance, it's an absolute killing zone for an assassin of his caliber.

Zhang Taichu was still snoring, and even complained of being a little hot, so he reached out and scratched his belly, revealing his ribcage.

"it's over."

A cold glint flashed in the shadowy figure's eyes, and he suddenly flicked his wrist.

call out!call out!call out!

The three bone-piercing nails instantly transformed into three eerie blue afterimages, forming a triangular shape, heading straight for Zhang Taichu's three vital points: throat, heart, and brow!

This strike was as fast as lightning and extremely ruthless.

While sleeping, Zhang Taichu seemed to suddenly feel something was wrong, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"Tsk..."

He mumbled something under his breath, and his body, which had been lying flat, naturally rolled to the side.

"I have no money..."

"Leave me alone..."

With this turn of events.

Those three deadly bone-piercing nails actually flew past his nose.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Three soft sounds.

The poisoned nail sank deep into the nearby tiles, instantly corroding those tiles into a pool of black liquid.

"What?!"

The shadowy figure's pupils contracted sharply, and it instinctively took a half-step back.

Did he dodge it?

coincidence?

It's absolutely a coincidence!

How could such a haphazard rolling over be a prediction?

"You're lucky to be alive."

The shadowy figure gritted his teeth, flipped his hand, and this time pulled out a gleaming dagger.

Since hidden weapons won't work, let's just slit our throats!

He leaped up, instantly covering the final three meters, and with a sharp whistling sound, the dagger in his hand slashed fiercely towards Zhang Taichu's neck.

"die!!!"

however.

The Taoist priest who was lying on his side moved again.

Zhang Taichu did not wake up.

He simply waved the hand that had been scratching his stomach away very casually.

He even muttered an impatient curse under his breath:

"roll……"

boom--!!!

An extremely terrifying power appeared out of thin air.

The shadowy figure didn't even have time to scream.

He felt like a fly that had been swatted hard by a fly swatter.

With a soft splatter.

It was slammed directly onto the roof tiles.

"puff--"

A mouthful of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs gushed out from under his mask, instantly staining the tiles beneath him red.

His limbs were twisted at an eerie angle, and his whole body was embedded in the roof like a specimen.

The poisoned dagger broke into several pieces, and the fragments bounced back, embedding themselves deeply into his own arm.

A wave of excruciating pain washed over him, assaulting his fragile nerves.

But he couldn't make a sound.

Because that force even compressed his vocal cords, he could only let out a dying gasp of "ho...ho..." from deep in his throat.

He struggled to move his eyes, his vision blurry as he looked to the side.

That Taoist priest.

She is still in that side-lying position.

One hand rested on her stomach, and one foot dangled from the eaves.

The drool from the corner of his mouth grew even longer.

"Braised pork...another bowl, please..."

Zhang Taichu smacked his lips, seemingly finding the current position quite comfortable, and then snuggled closer to that side.

With his movements.

The shadowy figure felt the pressure on him increase even more.

"Click..."

The sound of another rib breaking.

fear.

despair.

At this moment, the shadowy figure finally understood that this was not some wild Taoist priest at all.

This is clearly a monster in human skin!

A monster that can kill even in its sleep!

Tears streamed uncontrollably down the shadowy figure's face, mingling with the blood, making him look utterly miserable.

……

I don't know how much time passed.

The eastern sky finally began to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

The first rays of sunlight in the morning pierced through the thin mist and shone on the rooftops of Longhu Mountain.

"Uh...ah..."

Zhang Taichu stretched comfortably, his joints cracking and popping.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes and slowly sat up.

"I slept so soundly that night."

He yawned and casually wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.

Sudden.

He looked at the roof tiles around him with astonishment, as if he had discovered a new continent.

There, lying there, was a dark, indistinct shape.

Humanoid.

It was completely unrecognizable from its original shape; the person looked as if they had been run over by a road roller, flattened and stuck to the roof.

The man in black is not dead yet.

But his eyes had long since lost focus, looking as empty as a dead person's, and white foam was still coming out of his mouth.

Upon seeing Zhang Taichu wake up, the man in black instinctively twitched, a glimmer of relief flashing in his eyes.

Kill me...please kill me...

Zhang Taichu tilted his head, curiously examining the uninvited guest.

"what?"

"Who is this?"

"Are you lying here drying salted fish so early in the morning?"

Zhang Taichu reached out and poked the man in black's face, feeling that it was a bit stiff.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

"Young people these days are really ahead of their time with performance art."

He shook his head, stood up, and casually patted the dust off his backside.

As he stood up.

The terrifying force that had oppressed the man in black all night finally dissipated.

"That guy."

Zhang Taichu looked down at the man in black, and said with a look of disdain:

"Next time, let's sleep somewhere else."

"This all-black outfit looks rather creepy."

Done.

He didn't even glance at the man in black before leaping off the roof.

"I'm starving, I'm starving!"

"I wonder if there will be meat buns for breakfast today..."

On the roof.

The man in black watched Zhang Taichu's departing figure, his lips trembling violently.

Two lines of tears welled up in her eyes again.

He mustered his last ounce of strength and squeezed out a few broken syllables from his throat:

"Mother……"

"I want to...go home..."