On the entirety of Lion Peak, all available resting spots were occupied. Lu Fan, however, felt no urge to forcefully claim one.
It was only now that he truly understood the rule of Lion Peak: to obtain something better, one had to possess the strength for it.
Within Lion Peak itself, members of the Assassin Dynasty could act against each other without any rules to govern them.
As long as one survived, that was the greatest rule of the Assassin Dynasty. This was also why genuine friendships were virtually nonexistent within the Dynasty.
Assassins were constantly on guard against one another. A moment's carelessness could lead to being ambushed and intercepted, a scenario that was far from uncommon.
"Be careful for the decisive battle three days from now, kid!" the old village chief advised. "If it's too much for you, I'll step in myself!"
"You'll step in yourself?"
Lu Fan glanced at him. "Do you really think you can defeat all the assassins? Or perhaps you've been hiding your strength, old man?"
"While I haven't hidden my strength, my own capabilities are not insignificant."
The old village chief stated directly, "After all, no matter what, I was once a veteran assassin of the Assassin Dynasty, a Saint-level assassin at that. So, securing a ranking shouldn't be too difficult!"
"If you say so, then I'll leave this matter to you!" Lu Fan shrugged. "It'll give me some peace and quiet, no need to worry about it anymore!"
"You're not serious, are you?" the old village chief chuckled awkwardly. "I was just saying that, kid. You actually took it seriously!"
"Of course, I'm serious. You said it yourself, so doesn't that mean you're offering?"
Lu Fan shrugged, his gaze growing even more placid, as if all of this was beneath his notice. It was as if the old village chief genuinely could secure the first place.
"Cough, cough..." The old village chief cleared his throat a few times, his expression somewhat peculiar.
He had only been speaking politely. He hadn't expected Lu Fan to be so earnest. With his current strength, it would be quite difficult to aim for first place. However, if Lu Fan were to act, it was not guaranteed he would achieve it.
"I was just joking with you earlier, don't take it seriously!" Lu Fan smiled slightly. "I'm confident I can secure a ranking, so you don't need to worry too much!"
"Really? The assassins in the Dynasty are no ordinary folk, and there are experts everywhere. It's not easy to get first place!" the old village chief said repeatedly. "With the slightest mistake, you might even die. After all, in the battles of previous years, very few people managed to leave alive!"
"I don't care about that!" Lu Fan shrugged. "As long as I can find the real culprit, these things are nothing in my eyes!"
Seeing Lu Fan's words, the old village chief nodded slightly but didn't say anything more. Since it was Lu Fan's decision, he naturally had to respect it.
Moreover, he sensed that Lu Fan might have some hidden trump cards, otherwise, why would he be so confident? However, within Lion Peak, one still had to be cautious, or they might very well become cannon fodder.
Just as they were conversing, a figure suddenly appeared outside Lion Peak. This person was not dressed in black but wore a white dress, appearing like a white lotus, making them quite striking.
Instantly, many assassins on Lion Peak turned their gaze towards the woman, their eyes filled with admiration and affection.
"Who is that? Why do they command such influence?" Lu Fan asked, slightly surprised.
"That is Peony Killer. Within the entirety of Lion Peak, apart from the King-level assassins, she is also highly ranked," the old village chief explained. "More importantly, she has numerous admirers, so she is very likely to be the next leader!"
"The next leader?" Lu Fan was slightly astonished. "Then that Hundred-Faced Scholar from earlier, he must be quite formidable too."
"He is the chief disciple of Jian Bei, so naturally, he is very powerful!"
The old village chief stated directly, "However, compared to Peony, he is still inferior. After all, in terms of popularity, Peony is the highest!"
Lu Fan nodded slightly, feeling quite interested in this Peony Killer. It was incredibly remarkable for a woman to achieve such a status.
"Senior Sister Peony, these are flowers I specifically prepared for you!"
At that moment, a man stepped forward from the crowd, holding a bouquet of flowers, and approached Peony, his eyes filled with adoration.
Peony glanced at him briefly, then said coldly, "Don't you know the rules of Lion Peak? How dare you flirt here!"
"Senior Sister Peony, you misunderstand. I didn't mean it that way. I have long admired Senior Sister Peony, and I couldn't help myself," the man quickly replied, appearing somewhat nervous.
He knew very well that those who violated the rules of Lion Peak would meet a grim fate. Peony's words had clearly frightened him. Sudan Novel Network.
"So much nonsense!"
Peony said coldly. The flowers in the man's hand instantly dissipated, and his body was violently flung, crashing heavily against the stone wall. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Many in the crowd witnessed this scene with a touch of schadenfreude. They knew very well that Peony was always proud and never looked at others with favor. This man was simply courting death by daring to confess his feelings publicly.
Lu Fan was slightly surprised, having not expected Peony to be so direct and merciless, even towards her admirer.
"Kid, don't be too surprised. This is actually quite normal!" the old village chief shrugged. "Those who can become top assassins have no emotions. In their eyes, there is only the mission. Other things cannot stir any ripples!"
"You are indeed correct," Lu Fan shrugged. "One really shouldn't provoke someone like that, or they won't even know how they died."
"So, Junior Sister is back. Why didn't you notify us?"
The Hundred-Faced Scholar walked over, a smile on his face. "I heard that you completed your mission exceptionally well!"
"Isn't that normal?" Peony shrugged. "You've arrived quite early. Where is our Master?"
"In three days, Master plans to take in a final disciple!" the Hundred-Faced Scholar said. "Therefore, for these three days, he doesn't wish to see anyone. Junior Sister, please don't disturb him!"
Peony did not reply and continued walking forward as if no one present was worthy of speaking to her.
Watching Peony's retreating figure, the Hundred-Faced Scholar revealed a sinister expression. As the chief disciple, Peony's coldness towards him naturally displeased him.
After all, he harbored aspirations of making Peony his own. Only then could he become the master of Lion Peak and the next branch leader.