Seeing Old Man Xu cough up blood, Evan Chu was shocked and quickly asked, "Old man, how did you get hurt? Was it that guy just now...?"
Old Man Xu waved his hand and said, "Not him. It was another assassin—the one we ran into on the street. But I dealt with him already.
That assassin actually had the strength of a second-layer Heaven Martial Realm expert. It was tough to kill him. He struck me once and injured my insides. Because I was worried about your safety, I didn’t have time to treat my wound, so that’s why I’m like this now."
Evan Chu knew Old Man Xu was just putting on a brave face. In reality, it definitely wasn’t that easy—otherwise he wouldn’t have let that middle-aged man escape just now.
"Kid, our identities are already exposed. Looks like we’ll have to think of another plan. The Assassin Guild only sent weaker killers this time; if they dispatch the Four Great Assassins, even I would only be able to run for my life." Old Man Xu said.
"The Four Great Assassins? How strong are they?" Evan Chu asked. Anyone who could scare Old Man Xu must be no joke.
"The Four Great Assassins are Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju. Those names are actually just one character from each of their real names. Their strength is ranked in that order: Mei is called Mei Buping, Lan is Wu Xiulan, Zhu is Zhu Changjiu, and Ju is Xiao Deju. Lan and Ju are both women.
Mei and Lan are third-layer Heaven Martial Realm experts, while Zhu and Ju are at the second layer. Whenever they’re sent out, it’s for really important targets. Looks like you haven’t reached the level that would make them show up yet." Old Man Xu explained slowly.
"Old man, what should we do next? I think we should split up—you can protect me from the shadows. If we stick together, it’s too easy for others to figure us out." Evan Chu suggested.
"I was thinking the same thing. Why don’t you go ahead first? I’m faster—I can catch up quickly. As long as we split up, no one should notice. I’ve taken care of all those assassins, and we’re still about a week’s journey from the Royal Capital. Be careful."
Evan Chu nodded and turned to leave. He knew Old Man Xu must be seriously injured—he was just pretending to keep Evan from worrying. If he stayed, he’d only be a burden. The thought of becoming a burden himself was honestly humiliating.
Evan Chu soon returned to the city. Since Old Man Xu had already dealt with those guys, there shouldn’t be any danger. He went back to the same restaurant as before, where the waiter was startled to see him and then asked, "Sir, would you like to eat again?"
"Bring some food and wine up to my room. Oh, and which room number was it? Take me there." Evan Chu said.
Better safe than sorry. He decided to keep a low profile—after all, in such a public place, there was always a chance of running into another assassin.
After eating a little, and taking a bath, Evan Chu lay down on the bed, thinking about the road ahead and what he needed to do.
The more he thought, the more complicated things seemed. Finally, he sat up and took out some Starstones from his storage ring to absorb. It had been a long time since he’d cultivated with the power inside Starstones—if he wanted a breakthrough, he had to practice.
When he took out the Starstones, he deliberately checked on Macy in his storage belt. The Star Crystal was noticeably smaller—looks like once she finishes absorbing all the energy, she’ll be able to come out.
But Goldwing hadn’t shown any sign of movement for ages, which left Evan Chu a bit speechless. If Goldwing were here, he could just fly straight to the Royal Capital—no need to rush along the road and worry about assassins.
Stellar power kept pouring into his body as Evan Chu absorbed and refined it. His split-focus technique was really effective—he managed to absorb half the power from two top-grade Starstones.
After a night of recovery, the injury from that middle-aged man was completely healed. The next morning, just as dawn broke, Evan Chu headed out, led a Windfiend Colt from the stables, and left the city, following the main road toward the Royal Capital.
Evan Chu raced along the road without stopping even once. The journey was peaceful—he didn’t run into any trouble.
Soon, a massive city appeared before Evan Chu. Even from a distance, the towering city walls gave off a sense of grandeur and power.
Evan Chu slowed down—there were a lot more people on the main road now. If he kept speeding, he’d risk crashing into someone and causing a whole lot of trouble.
"Hey, bro, what city is this? It looks amazing!" Evan Chu asked a young man passing by.
"You don’t even know Xuanwu City, the biggest city outside the Royal Capital? You must be from out of town," the young man replied.
"I was just curious, that’s all. How much farther is it to the Royal Capital?"
"After Xuanwu City, it’s just one more day’s journey. Are you heading to the Royal Capital to sign up for the Royal Capital Guard selection too?" The young man sized Evan Chu up as he spoke.
"You must be heading there too! You look pretty strong," Evan Chu said with a smile.
"That’s right, this is my second time. Last time I almost made it, but I failed the final round and was eliminated. I’ve spent the last three years training hard, and this time I’m sure I’ll succeed!" the young man said excitedly.
"I’m going to try too, but I probably won’t make it this time. I just want to test the waters first, and really give it my all next time. How about we team up for the journey?" Evan Chu suggested.
With a companion, there’d be less suspicion, and his safety would be much better.
"Sure! You seem like a good guy—I feel like we’ll get along. What’s your name?" the young man asked.
Of course, Evan Chu wouldn’t use his real name. He smiled and said, "Just call me Niu Tian. What about you, big brother?"
"I’m Wei Qun. You look a few years younger than me, so I’ll call you Xiao Tian. You can call me Lao Wei, or just Wei-ge." Wei Qun replied.
"Wei-ge, are you familiar with Xuanwu City?"
"My home is just a hundred li from here. I come to Xuanwu City all the time. Honestly, I think it’s even livelier than the Royal Capital—this is the most complicated place in the whole Heavenly Dragon Kingdom."
"There are restaurants, brothels, casinos, auctions, merchant guilds, mercenary companies—you name it. It’s a paradise for the rich," Wei Qun said with relish.
Evan Chu made a mental note—he definitely had to visit the auction house here.
"How often does the auction house hold auctions?" Evan Chu asked. He needed to know so he could plan to get what he needed.
"If you’ve got something to sell, you’re in luck—I’m heading there too. My stuff isn’t worth much, but it should cover the signup fee for the Royal Capital Guard."
"Wei-ge, the Royal Capital Guard selection actually charges a signup fee?" Evan Chu asked in surprise. That seemed pretty shady.
"Of course. Everyone has to pay a hundred low-grade Starstones. You think just anyone can join the Royal Capital Guard? If you don’t have Starstones, you’d better not bother—no point making a wasted trip."
"Got it. Don’t worry—I may not have that many Starstones, but I’ve got things I can auction. I’m sure I’ll be able to get a hundred low-grade Starstones." Evan Chu said. Lucky timing—he’d arrived just in time.
As they chatted, they soon reached the city gates. "Xiao Tian, dismount—no riding allowed in Xuanwu City," Wei Qun said.
Evan Chu couldn’t help but laugh to himself—Wei Qun thought his Windfiend Colt was just an ordinary horse. He dismounted, ready to enter the city with Wei Qun, when a loud, arrogant voice suddenly called out behind them: "You two in front, stop right there for this young master!"