I leaned against the door outside. Though I had left the bar earlier, I merely leaned by the entrance. Frankly, I couldn’t trust those subordinates of mine to handle things, and it turned out I was right to be wary.
However, I seemed to have intercepted some rather intriguing information. Leaning against the door, I murmured, “Moe God, Ye Menghan, Moe, Moe, Dream, Ye Menghan, Menghan. Heh, interesting.” A slight curve appeared on my lips. It seemed things were about to get truly interesting.
As the blond man exited the bar, he spotted me leaning by the door. His eyes narrowed, and he seemed to find me somewhat familiar. I, however, merely offered him a sidelong glance before standing up and departing.
He stared at my retreating back, pondering for a long time. Yet, no answer came to him, and so he too turned and departed.
I heard the sound of his footsteps fading, and a smirk played on my lips. I walked in several wide circles, only returning to my dwelling once I was certain the persistent shadow trailing me had been shaken off.
“Little one, trying to trail me?” I scoffed, muttering to myself. “I doubt many in the Divine Realm could manage that.”
I am Yin, bestowed with the single character title of ‘Death’. This doesn’t signify the attribute I command, for no deities in the Divine Realm wield the power of death. Yet, I was crowned with this title—not a God of Death, but something more potent than one.
In the Divine Realm of old, perhaps no one could rival me in the number of gods slain, save for Blood Lotus Tianqi. However, when it came to killing high-ranking deities, I was undeniably the one who had claimed the most lives. The reason was simple: I had once been the Divine Realm’s executioner, carrying out assassination missions decreed by the Seven Divine Pillars.
What’s truly ironic, though, is that in the end, I was accused of deicide, had my wings severed, and was exiled to the Land of Disorder. The reason? Who knows. Perhaps it was for speaking a few too many words with Lotus.
I chuckled self-deprecatingly and opened the cabinet beneath my bed. This was something Blood Lotus Tianqi had given me after my exile.
Gently, I opened it to reveal a greatsword. Indeed, the one-hit kill combat style I once wielded was now somewhat strenuous for me. This sword, perhaps, was the weapon best suited for my current self.
But Blood Lotus Tianqi… dead? That woman, dead? At this thought, my eyes reddened, and I gripped the sword hilt tightly.
Those who knew Lotus understood the kind of person she truly was. To outsiders, she might have appeared as a merciless Asura from hell, but she possessed an unparalleled concern for those around her, a steadfast refusal to abandon any subordinate.
‘Actually, Blood Lotus, I love you…’
A tear fell, dripping onto the sword’s blade.
My emotions finally settled. I strapped on the greatsword, took some coins, and headed out. I settled into a restaurant near the city gate, quietly awaiting those little rascals.
However, I didn’t plan to show myself. After all, a direct appearance would be difficult to explain.
After I finished three bowls of ramen, four bowls of rice, and six bowls of plain water, those guys finally emerged. Seeing their disorganized group of over a dozen, I couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. Is this truly how they behaved when I wasn’t around?
A group of assassins, on the verge of murder, casually chatted and laughed as they left their residence, then rushed directly to their destination. Their discipline was lax, without a shred of vigilance. What if this was false information, a trap set to lure assassins? If they weren’t entirely wiped out, I’d concede defeat.
At this thought, I couldn’t help but press a hand to my forehead. My presence here was absolutely necessary, I realized; if I hadn’t come this time, they likely wouldn’t be returning.
Kill Ye Menghan? Even if I didn’t know her current strength, with this rabble? Unless they were completely unguarded, forget about it.
However, what I hadn’t expected was that Ye Menghan and her group seemed genuinely to have no defenses whatsoever.
That unreliable bunch, once outside the city gates, wandered about like elementary schoolers on a field trip. Veins throbbed on my forehead at the sight. Is this truly how I usually taught these guys?
After playing around for a while, they seemed to suddenly remember their actual mission. Then, they hurriedly rushed towards their destination.
Hidden behind a large tree, I nearly snapped the innocent trunk in half. Is this what assassins are? Forgive my language, but if these guys could be called assassins… then I’d be damned!
Phew, that felt much better. Following their footsteps, I continued onward. They suddenly quieted down, and upon closer inspection, I saw a team ahead, clad in purple armor.
The next scene almost made my jaw drop. That unreliable bunch simply unleashed a volley of spells, and the other side retaliated in kind, initiating a long-range spell bombardment.
What in the world?
I felt as if I was meeting these guys for the first time. They were perfectly serious when on missions with me before, weren’t they? Careful consideration of the situation and thorough analysis were the best solutions, I thought.
And yet, these guys… what did ‘starting a fight without a word’ even mean?!
Listening carefully, I heard the following.
The Armored Knight asked, “Who are you people!”
“We are assassins!” an assassin declared.
‘Are they idiots? Announcing themselves as assassins to knights!’
The Armored Knight exclaimed, “What? Aren’t you guards sent by the Divine Realm to protect the exchange personnel?”
“Aren’t you?” an assassin retorted.
“No, we’re not,” they both said in unison.
“Then why are we fighting?” they questioned, still in unison. “Didn’t you start attacking as soon as we met?”
“So, no more fighting then,” both sides concluded, their voices blending.
And just like that, both sides ceased their mutual assault.
Sweat poured down me. Good heavens, the information overload was immense. I needed to calm down; I was utterly speechless.
Then both sides began to approach each other, and the two leaders started to converse. They seemed to reach some consensus, exchanged a few more words, shifted their formation, and then both teams collectively sprawled on a hillside.
Staring blankly at the unfolding events, I looked around in a daze. ‘Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?’ I pondered. ‘Am I the fool, or are those people over there all fools? Asking for a friend, urgently.’
‘Never mind,’ I decided. ‘I’ll just see what happens next. This world has become far too chaotic. As an old-timer, I suppose I’ll just quietly observe these youngsters…’