Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

As soon as Xiao Lian stepped out of the courtyard gate, she breathed a sigh of relief. She took out some silver coins from her pocket, counted them, and then put them back.

Xiao Lian's purpose for coming out was not just to buy some cloth; she was going to the blacksmith's.

After a month of practice, her understanding of the "Jing Hua Zhi" had deepened.

"Jing Hua Zhi" was a book that detailed hidden assassination techniques, belonging to the Yuzi's secret scroll within the Feng Yu Tower’s assassin organization.

According to the descriptions in the book, Xiao Lian needed to comprehend various styles of hidden techniques and ultimately choose the one that suited her best.

That was her main objective for going out.

Xiao Lian glanced around with her lively eyes, seeing that there was no one around. She picked up a few stones from the ground and held them in her hand.

With a flick of her fair hand, a stone appeared between her fingers.

In the next instant, the stone flew out and shot towards a cicada on a tree branch five steps away.

The cicada, which was chirping loudly on the tree branch, seemed to sense danger and rapidly flew away. However, just as it left the branch, it was hit by a stone and fell from the sky to the ground.

Along with it, another stone fell from the tree branch. At the same time, a sound came from the tree, followed by another stone falling.

On the ground, there was now an extra cicada and two stones.

Seeing the scene, a satisfied expression appeared on Xiao Lian's pretty face. She had just shot out two stones.

But no one knew when she had shot out the first stone or how she had hit the cicada.

"Now, I can hit the target nine out of ten times. I've achieved a small mastery in the Jing Hua Zhi," Xiao Lian muttered to herself as she approached the fallen cicada and picked up the two stones.

The hidden technique Xiao Lian had just used was symbolic of the "Brightness Beyond the Darkness" aspect of the "Jing Hua Zhi," representing achieving a small level of mastery.

“But…”

"What does 'inner strength' mean?"

"Guiding the Yuzi Jue’s inner strength, passing through the San Yin Meridians to the Hand's Taiyin Fei Meridian..."

"What do these phrases mean?"

Recalling the contents of the manual, a trace of worry appeared between Xiao Lian's brows.

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Each word in the “Jing Hua Zhi" manual she could understand, but there were some parts where she didn't grasp the meaning. Moreover, after flipping through it for some time, Xiao Lian realized that the book was incomplete.

The content after achieving some mastery was mostly descriptions of using inner strength, with fewer techniques, giving it a sense of incompleteness. The book mentioned that the full potential of the Jing Hua Technique could only be realized when combined with inner strength.

But Xiao Lian knew nothing about inner strength.

With a sigh, Xiao Lian lifted her basket and headed towards the market.

There weren't many people at the market, as the sun was too harsh, and the vendors were seeking shelter in the shade, fanning themselves.

Xiao Lian lowered her head, pondering about inner strength.

Suddenly, she noticed several people near the wall exchanging glances, and one of them left the shade and approached a woman.

Xiao Lian pursed her lips slightly.

Those people were habitual thieves from the neighborhood, and they seemed to have targeted their "prey."

Following their gaze, Xiao Lian saw a woman walking down the street, carrying a sword in her left hand, dressed in a black dress, and wearing a veil.

The woman walked gracefully, with an embroidered money pouch hanging from her waist.

The thieves glanced at the woman's pouch, pretending to be indifferent as they approached her.

Seeing that the victim was a woman, Xiao Lian frowned.

Coincidentally, she still had two stones in her hand.

Xiao Lian took two quick steps forward, keeping herself within five steps of both the thieves and the woman. She knew she could only guarantee accuracy within five steps. Once it exceeded that distance, her aim would significantly decrease.

As the thief approached the woman, he reached out his right hand, revealing a shining blade between his fingers. He passed by the woman as if brushing past her.

Just as his hand touched the money pouch, he was hit by something, causing him to startle.

The blade fell from his hand with a light clatter.

The woman in the black dress stopped in her tracks, her eyes flashing with surprise. The thief didn't hesitate to flee, and the woman didn't chase after him but turned to look behind her.

Her gaze swept over the scene.

The vendors seeking shade, the hurried pedestrians, and the girl holding a basket with a worried expression...

Her gaze paused for a moment on the girl with the basket before quickly withdrawing. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a stone on the ground.

"The techniques of the Jing Hua Zhi from the Feng Yu Tower."

Qin Yi thought to herself.

She didn't linger her gaze and continued walking forward.

Xiao Lian lifted her head slightly and glanced at the woman in the black dress, who was gradually moving away. A hint of suspicion flickered in her eyes.

Did she just glance at me? It must be my imagination, right? I was facing away from her, so how could she see me?

Xiao Lian shook her head, dispelling the unrealistic thoughts from her mind.

First, she went to the famous "Qingjin Cloth Shop" in Yu Hang County to buy some cloth, and then she headed to the blacksmith's shop.

Qin Yi walked gracefully on the stone-paved road of Yu Hang County.

The cold attribute inner strength within her body circulated slowly, dispersing the heat of summer.

That girl just now had no trace of inner strength, yet she knew the techniques of the Jing Hua Zhi’s hidden weapons.

Could she be one of Executor Huang’s new apprentices?

Qin Yi found the encounter just now intriguing.

Since being promoted to a gold medal assassin, there were very few things in the world that could pique her interest.

Apart from missions, it was just missions.

She diligently fulfilled her duties as an assassin.

Lost in thought, Qin Yi crossed the street, passed by several residences, and arrived at a dark alley. Her gaze swept over the three markings at the corner of the alley, and she paused her steps, walking into the alley.

The alley wasn't long, only a few hundred meters. After passing through it, a dilapidated tavern appeared at the end.

There were no customers in the tavern, only a faint smell of inferior wine lingering in the air. Qin Yi entered the tavern, and her aquamarine eyes glanced behind the counter.

A short and stout old man was sitting in a recliner, eyes closed, deep in sleep.

His face was flushed with alcohol, and a prominent red nose was quite eye-catching. There was a transparent thread dangling from the corner of his mouth.

It was evident that the old man was sleeping soundly.

Qin Yi stood beside the counter, extending her slender, snowy-white hand to lightly tap on the tabletop.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

Hearing the noise, the old man's body trembled, and he opened his eyes, yawning. A strong smell of alcohol wafted over.

Qin Yi silently took a step back.

"What kind of wine would the guest like?"

"We have fine yellow wine and heated white wine here."

"The wine I want, I'm afraid you don't have it." Qin Yi's voice was calm, devoid of any emotion, but upon closer listening, it carried a subtle charm.

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light flashed in the old man's eyes.

"Then the guest must be asking for Nu Er Hong."

"Why is that?"

"Because, other than Nu Er Hong, we have everything else."

"Then I'll take two barrels." Qin Yi said calmly.

The old man's attitude immediately became respectful. He stepped outside the tavern, glanced around, and closed the door.

Qin Yi took out a golden waist token from her waist, flashing it in front of the old man.

"I want the latest information on Tang Feng from the Tang Sect and his whereabouts."

"Please wait a moment." The old man's tone became more respectful.

He turned and went into the kitchen.

Qin Yi listened attentively, hearing a few faint murmurs and the sound of the old man moving around in the kitchen.

After a while, the old man lifted the curtain of the kitchen and handed a silk embroidered sachet to Qin Yi. The old man walked over to Qin Yi and handed her the sachet.

Qin Yi took the sachet but didn't leave immediately.

Instead, she chose to open the sachet in the tavern. Inside was a neatly folded piece of paper.

Written on it in small, neat handwriting were some pieces of information.

After a moment, Qin Yi memorized the information on it, casually placed the sachet on the counter, and left the tavern.

Once Qin Yi left, the old man went back into the kitchen and took out pen and paper.

He lightly dipped the brush into the ink, swiftly wrote a few words in small, neat handwriting on the paper: "Yu Luo Sha has been hooked."

After finishing, he folded the paper, took out a pigeon from a cage, placed the paper in a bamboo tube attached to the pigeon's leg, and released the pigeon.

"Flap, flap..."

The pigeon spread its wings and flew into the sky.