"That's enough out of you!" The Super Assassin's voice was cold and sharp, like the glint of a chilling blade. "No matter what, this woman is a martial artist. On the battlefield, everyone fights for their own side—life and death, no need to hold back. But this kind of humiliation toward a fellow martial artist? I absolutely despise it."
"Oh, look at you getting all worked up!" The men let go of Lillian Lee and strode over, squaring off against the ninjas.
The leader squinted at him, sizing him up. "So what if you hate it? Who do you think you are—the Ninja King or something? Don't forget where you came from. You're the eunuch's lackey. Out there, maybe you're big stuff, but here, under the shadow of the imperial city, you kneel. You're nothing but a dog!"
The bald giant said nothing, just stood to the side watching the show. He was curious about this former lackey, wondering if he'd gone from being a razor-sharp blade to a broken one.
The Super Assassin ignored the blustering brute, his gaze fixed on the bald eunuch. "When I hate, I kill."
"Heh, this is rich. I heard both your arms got wrecked—how are you gonna kill me now?" The leader swaggered, feeling bold thanks to the eunuch's backing. This guy was supposed to be a cripple, no need to worry. Do a good job and there's a reward!
Just then, a cold flash sliced through the air.
The brute touched his forehead—blood was trickling down. "Wh—" He barely got the word out before he was split clean in two, top to bottom. Blood sprayed everywhere, guts spilled all over the floor.
"No way!" The bald giant's eyes went wide. Sure enough, both of the Super Assassin's hands were useless, but now he was gripping the blade with his toes. Using his feet, the blade flashed faster and fiercer than ever!
The shirtless brutes backed off in terror, not daring to utter another word.
"An obsolete dynasty still wants to enslave me?" The Super Assassin snorted disdainfully, locking eyes with the bald giant. "I don't care what kind of filthy business you're running behind the scenes, but I won't stand for it. If you make me hate you, I kill—doesn't matter who you are or what your status is. That includes you."
A chill of killing intent swept through, and the bald giant broke out in a cold sweat. After a moment, he said, "Alright, then. I'll take the Lee family's granddaughter as is."
Jack Young and Lillian Lee both breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, they'd survived this crisis for now. They glanced at the Super Assassin, surprised and a little grateful.
Wait, could this guy actually be... a good person?
"But this kid," the bald giant pointed at Jack Young, "he's not our target, but he's connected to that Tang guy. If he's found out, it's bad for the mission."
The Super Assassin glanced at Jack Young. "He knows about us, so we can't let him go. If you don't want to take him, then kill him here. Be clean about it—no traces, got it?"
Lillian Lee's face grew frantic again. She struggled and squirmed, but couldn't break free from the iron chains. With a clang, the chains rang out—she was channeling all her energy, but the binding technique was professional and solid. Even with a burst of power, she was helpless.
The bald giant grinned wickedly and walked up to Jack Young, landing a heavy punch on his chest and stomach. "Whatever that Tang guy did to me, I'm giving it right back!" A surge of power radiated out—Jack saw a red line flash from the giant's core up his arm. Then, a punch charged with full force slammed into Jack's gut.
There was a loud bang—Jack felt like his insides were about to explode, organs all out of place. He was sent flying, then crashed hard to the ground. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and his vision started to go dark.
Lillian Lee wailed, but her mouth was gagged and she couldn't say a word. Tears streamed down her face—she felt utterly powerless and helpless.
"That's enough. Untie him," the Super Assassin said coldly. "He's a martial artist, and a martial artist deserves a martial artist's death. Dying in battle is our fate. It's not fair, but give him a chance to fight."
"Hmph, fine. Untie him!"
The chains on Jack Young were quickly removed. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to stand. After being imprisoned, bound, beaten, and hit with that last heavy blow, he could barely stay on his feet.
"You little punk, you call yourself a martial artist?" The bald giant blocked out the sunset, his shadow looming heavy and suffocating. He bared his teeth in a mocking grin, then pointed at his crotch: "Crawl through here and I'll let you go—let you live. How about it?"
Jack wiped the blood from his mouth. Death was so close, so terrifying—and yet he laughed. "Old eunuch dog, gutless piece of trash. You won't even get a spot in your family's graveyard when you die."
"You!" The giant flew into a rage. "I'll kill you with one punch!"
He dropped into a horse stance, gathered his energy, and again that red line flashed across his body. In the next instant, his fist came crashing down. The force was like a speeding car barreling toward Jack—if it hit his head, he knew he was done for.
The shadow of death rushed in—so cold, so hopeless, and... so familiar.
"Ahhh!" With a furious, defiant roar, Jack felt something explode in his chest—a wave of heat he'd never felt before surged through his whole body, shooting straight to his mind.
In an instant, Jack's mind went completely blank...
............
That day was at sunset, too—a boy pedaled his bike, a girl sat on the back seat, with veggies, snacks, and a bag in the basket. They coasted downhill, wind whipping their hair, and it really felt like a carefree summer.
Cars sped by on both sides, but the girl just laughed happily on the bike's back seat.
"What's so funny, you goof? This is a bike, not a BMW."
"Who cares about BMWs? If I had money, I'd buy a Toyota Reiz!"
"A Reiz? You mean the one we were joking about with Yin Ruizhi the other day?"
"Yeah, that one! If I could drive a Reiz, I'd be satisfied. My dreams are simple. Sigh, with my salary now, I'd have to save for years."
"Hey," the boy turned to look at the girl, her face glowing in the sunset. "How about we pool our money? Half from you, half from me—we'll buy one together. That way, it'll be faster."
"Pool our money?"
"Yeah! When I drive, you ride; when you drive, I chill. How comfy is that?"
What the boy didn't say was: The best part is, I get to be with you like this. That's real happiness.
"Hmm, let me think about it—hey, stop staring at me, watch the road, look ahead—ah!"
Screech—the sharp sound of brakes cut through the air. The shadow of death rushed in, all so familiar...
............
"Ahhh!" Jack Young snapped awake like from a nightmare, his mind rushing back. People say that in a near-death moment, your whole life flashes before your eyes—and in an instant, you remember everything.
Jack saw flashes of his past like a movie. Now his mind returned, and everything was different.
The memory lasted only an instant, but after that instant—the world slowed down.
Slow. Everything was so slow. The bald giant was still grinning and swinging his fist, inching closer. Jack could even see the air rippling from the punch, like a distorted lens, but it all looked ridiculous—like slow motion.
Jack even had time to glance at the woods around him—leaves blown by the wind traced arcs in the air, every movement crystal clear, second by second.
This was the extreme slow-motion vision he'd experienced when Grandpa Tang sent him flying into a hail of bullets on the train—everything was slowed to half speed. But now, there was none of that edge-of-limit exhaustion; Jack could clearly feel he had enough energy to keep it up for a while, and he knew he could control this slow-motion vision at will.
Insight Technique, Level Two—Snowfall Perception: Mastered!