"Cough, cough~" After successfully knocking back and heavily injuring Ren Yuanhao, the assassin slowly returned to Qiu Hui's side, coughing wildly. "You really are an ability user. I haven't met anyone who could hide their aura as well as you. If you hadn't suddenly suffered some kind of blow, you wouldn't have exposed yourself so quickly. That's right, you must be friends with that traitorous woman, right?"
The assassin sneered, "Speaking of which, that woman's body was really something. I still savor it to this day!"
"Stop talking," Ren Yuanhao said, his head lowered, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword trembling uncontrollably.
"Oh right, that woman's name is Cheng Li, isn't it? What a shame. Before she died, she was clutching her throat, as if murmuring someone's name. Hey, I say, could the person she was murmuring be you?"
The assassin completely ignored Ren Yuanhao's words, becoming more animated as he spoke. "Speaking of which, I haven't encountered such a supple woman in a long time. I wonder if you, little lady, can make this old man happy."
As he spoke, the assassin reached out towards the woman's clean neck, his hand slowly moving downwards.
Qiu Hui closed her eyes, seemingly accepting her fate. If she could still speak, she would surely tell her beloved brother to run!
"Stop!"
Ren Yuanhao pressed his hands onto the sword hilt, slowly rising with its support.
"Oh? Look at your state. If I weren't playing with you, you'd probably be dead by now." The assassin suddenly held the knife horizontally against Qiu Hui's neck. "Let me tell you, Cheng Li was also cut like this back then."
Before the assassin could finish his sentence, Ren Yuanhao suddenly looked up, his entire face contorting into something incredibly bizarre. Tears of blood streamed down his bloodshot eyes, slowly converging as if to outline some unknown totem. His throat emitted a guttural sound like a beast swallowing, his mouth stretching into a mad grin.
He was smiling!
That expression not only made the assassin's hair stand on end, but it also nearly caused Qiu Hui to faint.
It was no longer a human expression, but rather like a demon breaking free from its cage, singing a Buddhist chant incomprehensible to mortals, about to bring the flames of hell to the mortal world, to burn the sky and earth, until everything turned to ash!
"What a terrifying expression. No wonder Chen Yufei shivers involuntarily whenever he mentions you. Now, you can finally make me excited for real!"
The assassin suddenly turned into an illusion. But as he transformed, he suddenly saw Ren Yuanhao, along with the long sword in his hand, thrown aside. His hunched posture and lowered head made him resemble a zombie from an American doomsday TV show!
"Such a frightening expression, but this is the last moment of your life."
The assassin lunged with his sword, a babbling sound accompanied by phantom figures dancing everywhere. However, the moment he stepped within a meter of Ren Yuanhao, he felt a tremendous suction pulling him forward. What was even more terrifying was that he could feel an extremely fearsome power brewing in that enraged guy's right hand!
But in the face of that power, he suddenly lost all ability to resist, like a ship caught in a giant whirlpool. No matter how powerful your engine, that strength was like an ant before the might of nature.
This was power that completely surpassed his own abilities. In an instant, the two were no longer in the same dimension!
Boom!
A deafening roar, like thunder descending from the heavens, instantly engulfed the room in endless dust and smoke. When the dust settled, Ren Yuanhao was covered in blood, appearing like a blood-soaked figure. The assassin, who had held the absolute advantage just a minute or two ago, had vanished like the flying dust.
Ren Yuanhao staggered closer to Qiu Hui, but for some reason, Qiu Hui seemed even more frightened than before. Then, Ren Yuanhao slowly said, "I'm sorry, I... lost control."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ren Yuanhao tore off the ropes with his bare hands, but then collapsed forward, instantly losing consciousness.
"Brother Bao~"
...
In his dream, Ren Yuanhao followed his dream back to the cave that had brought him such overwhelming grief. The torrential rain could not wash away the immense sorrow. Lightning flashed across the sky, and Shen Lan Ni's Alfa Romeo shimmered with a dazzling red in the thunderstorm.
Like blood.
Standing at the cave entrance, he felt as if the entrance was the gate to hell. Before even entering, he could faintly hear someone softly sobbing.
It was a low and gentle female voice.
He felt as if he was possessed. Though his heart was filled with dread, an invisible rope seemed to be wrapped around him, pulling him inch by inch into the cave.
The stalactites, flickering in the lightning or the flashlight beam, were like monstrous beasts lurking in the dark night. He followed, step by step, towards the sound of sobbing.
The voice grew closer, and he grew more afraid, as if some evil were breeding in the darkness. The flickering shadows made him tremble uncontrollably.
At that moment, he heard a clear female voice, right beside him, "Ren Yuanhao, you're late."
Ren Yuanhao covered his ears, but the voice seemed to bypass his hearing and strike directly at his brain!
"You're late~ late~"
"Late~"
Ren Yuanhao suddenly sat up from his nightmare, his entire body drenched. The shallow knife wounds on his body ached faintly.
He looked up. Sunlight streamed in from the window of his slum room, illuminating the entire space. The wall clock pointed to 1:18 PM. He shook his head vigorously, thinking he had slept for a full 9 hours.
"You're awake?"
A girl of twelve or thirteen years old stood beside Ren Yuanhao.
She was wearing cheap, faded cotton clothes and holding a meticulously washed cloth doll in her hands. The cloth pocket on the doll's belly showed signs of stitching.
"Mhm. Who are you~" Ren Yuanhao patted his slightly aching back of the head, feeling like he had blacked out after drinking.
"My name is Xiao Ya. Sister Qiu Hui went out. She told us not to wake you," Xiao Ya said, her smile clean and clear, her two small rabbit teeth slightly exposed. For some reason, seeing her reminded him of Cheng Li back then. Her eyes were like the clearest lakes in the world, untainted by the secular world.
"Big brother, are your injuries better?"
"Much better. What about the other little ones?"
Ren Yuanhao was curious. What were the identities of those children last night?
Just then, his gaze fell upon a rather old, yellowed photograph.
The photo showed a charred ruin. On top of the ruins stood a disheveled little girl, about 12 years old. Upon closer inspection, that little girl bore a resemblance to Qiu Hui!