In the lobby, Ye Niao was supported by a man, her head resting on his shoulder. They looked like a couple very much in love. It didn't draw much attention, but Li Chonglou sensed something was wrong.
First, Ye Niao had come to assassinate him. Now that the assassination had failed, she would either leave or continue her attempt. How could she possibly be starting a romance on the spot? It was illogical.
Second, Ye Niao's steps were unsteady, her expression vacant. Although her eyes were open, they were lifeless. She seemed to have been drugged, her mind clouded, and was being forcibly taken out of the hotel.
Even though he realized something was amiss, Li Chonglou had no inclination to intervene. After all, from the moment he knew Ye Niao was sent to kill him, it was already an exception that he didn't send her to jail. He certainly wouldn't create more trouble at this moment.
So, his gaze narrowed, and he pretended not to see anything, walking past them.
"Help... help me..." At that moment, Ye Niao's weak and powerless voice rang out, but it quickly vanished.
Li Chonglou and the man both stopped abruptly. Before Li Chonglou could turn to look, he heard the man's cold, threatening voice: "Mind your own business, and you might live a little longer."
"Otherwise, you'll die a miserable death!"
His arrogance was overbearing. An ordinary person would likely be terrified by such a voice, breaking out in a cold sweat. They wouldn't even dare to look again, and would flee immediately.
Unfortunately, the person he was threatening was Li Chonglou.
Li Chonglou, who had initially decided not to meddle, instantly changed his mind upon hearing those words. In this world, apart from his master and mother, how many people dared to tell him what to do? A mere assassin was not worthy.
Maintaining a calm expression, he turned to face the man's sinister and icy gaze and asked, "How will I die?"
"Seeking death!"
The man was surprised that Li Chonglou had ignored his warning and was foolishly asking for details, his killing intent surging. His mission was to abduct Ye Niao from the hotel for interrogation. Everything had gone smoothly. He had disguised himself as a waiter, knocked on her door, and as soon as Ye Niao turned, he had dazed her. Just as he was about to leave the hotel, he encountered this troublemaker.
Whether he was genuinely foolish or pretending, he actually dared to engage in conversation. The man wished he could stab Li Chonglou with a dagger on the spot, slitting his throat. However, doing so in broad daylight would be too conspicuous, not only detrimental to the organization but also potentially delaying his mission. He could only lure this fool out and find a secluded spot to quietly eliminate him.
Suppressing his indignation, he said in a deep voice, "You want to know? Come out with me."
With that, he continued to support Ye Niao and walked forward. Li Chonglou turned and followed silently behind. The assassin's actions were exactly what Li Chonglou wanted. If they had fought in public, the matter would have reached Kong Mo's ears. At that time, his superior martial arts skills would be revealed, inevitably arousing his suspicion. After all, the reason Kong Mo couldn't find fault with him during the incident where he saved Ye Niao at the company or when he was looking for evidence was because he didn't know about his martial arts.
The three of them exited the hotel, and the assassin, familiar with the area, led them to a small alley next to the parking lot. He had scouted the location beforehand.
The assassin watched Li Chonglou follow them, his eyelids twitching. He released Ye Niao, letting her fall to the ground. He said in a grim voice, "I didn't expect you to actually dare to come."
"Aren't you afraid of death?"
"Everyone fears death. I'm not stupid. But you threatened me just now, and I dislike it when people threaten me the most." Li Chonglou feigned ignorance, acting like an intractable troublemaker.
His words made the assassin's facial muscles twitch with impatience. With a swift movement, he drew a dagger from his waist and lunged at Li Chonglou. He cursed, "Damn it, I've run into an idiot. I'll send you on your way!"
The dagger simultaneously slashed towards Li Chonglou's neck. He was a professionally trained assassin. Even fighting two ordinary people bare-handed would be effortless for him. Using a dagger was already being cautious. However, despite his caution, he still treated Li Chonglou as an ordinary person with mental issues, and the slash was careless and utterly contemptuous.
*Whoosh!*
The tip of the dagger cut through the air, emitting a faint humming sound. But in the next second, the assassin's expression changed drastically. The dagger, which he thought was a sure hit, missed Li Chonglou's neck as he moved back by an inch.
Just one inch was enough to make his attack lose its target. The dagger sliced through the air, but his body, due to inertia, lost balance. By the time he reacted and tried to retract the knife, it was too late.
*Bang!*
Li Chonglou grabbed the assassin by the hair and slammed his head against the rough wall of the alley. Cement dust flew everywhere, as the assassin's face scraped against the wall for nearly ten centimeters. A bloody trail was dragged across the wall. The assassin's screams were incessant.
When his face was pulled away from the cement wall, it was disfigured. The skin was all abraded by the cement grit, making him look like a hideous ghost. His eyes were filled with terror and panic, and the dagger was now in Li Chonglou's hand. He never expected that the person in front of him was not a fool, but a master. His shock was immense.
However, his professionalism as an assassin made him endure the severe pain and roar, "Who are you? If you offend Xuan Jiu, you will have nowhere to bury yourself!"
Li Chonglou stopped his actions and threw the assassin to the ground, asking, "You don't recognize me?"
Last time in Yong'an, Xuan Jiu's forces suffered heavy losses. He thought they would be more restrained. He didn't expect them to find their way to Zhonghai so quickly. They were truly persistent. If this person hadn't spoken out of turn and provoked him, he wouldn't have known Xuan Jiu had reappeared.
"You're not the target of the mission, why should I recognize you?" the assassin gritted out, wishing he could tear Li Chonglou to shreds. "You'd better let me go, or you will regret it."
However, the constant burning pain on his face was a reminder that he was no match for Li Chonglou. He had completely failed today.
"So, that's how it is." Li Chonglou showed a look of sudden realization. It seemed that the information within the organization called Xuan Jiu was not shared among every assassin. Otherwise, how could this assassin not know that he was also one of the mission targets? It was likely that this guy was sent specifically to deal with Ye Niao. He just had bad luck, encountering Li Chonglou upon his return.
Thinking this, Li Chonglou's heart skipped a beat. Since they knew he and Bai Jing were "a couple," would they harm Bai Jing if they were not confident in dealing with him? Li Chonglou had no faith in the morality of these assassins. Ever since his mother and Jiang Yuxin were kidnapped last time, he had been particularly worried about such an event.
Therefore, he no longer had time to waste talking to the assassin. He said in a deep voice, "Go back and tell your Xuan Jiu boss that Li Chonglou has a message for you."
"If you dare to harass me in Zhonghai again, I will make your entire organization vanish!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the assassin's flustered and fearful eyes turned into utter dread, and he cried out, "You... you are Li Chonglou?"
Hearing these three words, he finally understood why he had been defeated. This name had already spread throughout Xuan Jiu. The organization's most significant mission since its resurgence was to go to Yong'an and kill this person named Li Chonglou. The result was a total annihilation, with everyone lost. Even worse, it had attracted the attention of the military, forcing them to go underground and disappear for a period. They only had to resurface again for this mission. Who would have thought he would encounter this harbinger of doom?
*Bang!*
Li Chonglou answered with a punch, knocking the assassin unconscious. Then, he picked up Ye Niao and returned to the hotel. As he was a regular guest, the front desk recognized Li Chonglou. When he mentioned losing the key card for room 3007, they simply glanced at Ye Niao and re-issued the card to Li Chonglou.
After carrying Ye Niao back to the room and laying her on the bed, Li Chonglou finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought about leaving directly, but seeing Ye Niao's dazed and motionless state, he decided to go to the bathroom, wet a towel, and place it on her forehead. Then, he called the 120 emergency number. After that, he returned to his own room.
Lin Zhendong was meditating in the room. Upon seeing Li Chonglou return, he opened his eyes. After a glance, he asked indifferently, "Did something happen?" The dust on Li Chonglou's person did not escape his notice.
"There's an assassin organization called Xuan Jiu that's targeting me. Master, have you heard of this name?" Li Chonglou recounted everything that had happened.
Lin Zhendong pondered for a few seconds, then nodded and replied, "Xuan Jiu was quite famous in the late eighties and early nineties. They committed many heinous crimes, and were eventually wiped out by the country. It seems there are still remnants who have resurfaced. These people are not to be feared, but it's annoying that they are in the dark while we are in the light. Especially since you have a mission to complete."
Li Chonglou agreed, the situation was just as his master described. He wasn't afraid of Xuan Jiu, but these people were like flies, disgusting.
"I'll find someone to handle the Xuan Jiu matter." The next second, Lin Zhendong's words shocked Li Chonglou. "In Zhonghai, I still have some connections and influence."
"Although I can't eradicate these flies completely, I can at least cause them some trouble." With that, under Li Chonglou's gaze, he took out his phone and dialed a number. After introducing himself, he spoke briefly and hung up. Then, he confidently said to Li Chonglou, "Alright, until your mission is complete, Xuan Jiu will not bother you anymore."
Li Chonglou was inwardly shocked. He knew his master's character very well; he never exaggerated. What shocked him was his master's influence, which was so immense that in a place like Zhonghai, he could simply stop an organization like Xuan Jiu. With such formidable connections, how could he have been imprisoned for so many years? Was it just out of fear of Li Hanlong's pursuit? That shouldn't be the case. Even without his martial arts, Li Hanlong wouldn't have been so insane as to seek mutual destruction. He always felt that the reason for his master's imprisonment was not as simple as he claimed. However, since his master wasn't telling him, there must be a difficult reason, and he would try to find out when the opportunity arose.
For now, he changed the subject and told Lin Zhendong about becoming the vice president of Xingzhi Group. Lin Zhendong's eyes gleamed. "That's good. Arrange for me to join Xingzhi Group, and I'll help you complete your mission sooner."
These words greatly astonished Li Chonglou.