Assassin, You Are the Only One I Want to Kill

Serena had wanted to toss Elaine Lane over to William Wang Jinling, but William was a step ahead of her.

"Hyah!"

"Qing... Claire Chen, I'll leave Miss Lane to you. I'm heading off first."

Hyah, hyah, hyah...

William's horse sped right past Elaine Lane without slowing down in the slightest, showing he had zero intention of playing the gentleman. Clearly, William couldn't stand Elaine Lane.

Well, it wasn't Elaine herself he hated—it was her outrageous ideas. He was afraid she'd corrupt Serena.

A lifelong, exclusive partnership was already hard enough—three husbands and four male attendants? Just kill him now. Any man willing to be one of a woman's many husbands had to be utterly spineless, completely useless. It was the ultimate humiliation for a man's pride.

William could never accept that, even though he knew some young men sold themselves to survive. But that would never be him.

William Wang Jinling would rather die than be dishonored.

"Ah..." Elaine Lane was knocked down by the force, spun around, and landed spectacularly face-down in the dirt, lying there motionless.

Serena had no intention of getting off her horse to help. She just sat there, waiting for Elaine Lane to get up, but after a long while, Elaine still didn't move.

"Don't tell me she's dead?" Serena froze, quickly dismounted and hurried over to check.

Just as Serena dismounted, the man curled up in the tea shed corner suddenly moved. His half-asleep eyes sharpened in an instant, sweeping away all traces of his earlier destitution as he strode out like a gust of wind.

"Miss Lane?" Serena called out as she walked to Elaine's side, about to crouch down and check if she was alive. But at that very moment, a wave of icy killing intent swept up behind her. Serena's body stiffened. "Who's there?"

The cold killing intent was already at her back. Serena knew it was too late to turn around—the attacker was right behind her. Her heart leapt into her throat; if she couldn't dodge this strike, she was dead.

Damn it!

Who could this be, choosing the exact moment both Ninth Royal Uncle and William Wang Jinling left to make a move on her?

Serena was certain the attacker had been tailing them for a long time. Otherwise, it would be impossible to find such a perfect opportunity. The intruder was terrifyingly skilled—able to hide his presence so completely that none of them had noticed a thing.

The sword was already touching her skin. Serena knew she couldn't hesitate any longer. She glanced at Elaine Lane on the ground, then threw herself forward, collapsing on top of Elaine to dodge the sword.

"Ah..."

Serena landed squarely on top of Elaine Lane, pressing her so hard that Elaine spat out a mouthful of air, screamed, flailed her limbs, and then collapsed again.

Well... at least the girl wasn't dead yet.

Serena had no time to think—the assassin missed his first strike and immediately swung again. She couldn't worry about Elaine's fate now; bracing both hands on the ground, she rolled over Elaine's body to dodge the sword.

She managed to escape, but Elaine suffered for it. The moment Serena rolled away, the sword that should have pierced her instead stabbed into Elaine's body.

"Splurt..."

Warm blood sprayed out, soaking Serena's clothes. The familiar metallic scent made her whole body tense. She tried to get up, but the assassin gave her no chance, stabbing again and again. Serena could only keep rolling away, using Elaine as a human shield. If this kept up, Elaine would be dead for sure.

This assassin was here to kill her. Serena had already used Elaine as a shield twice—any more would be too much. In a few quick moves, she rolled away, and as expected, the assassin abandoned Elaine and chased after her. Serena couldn't find a chance to stand, but she did manage to grab her handgun.

Thank goodness she'd stuffed it into her robe after the tea shed fight—otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to get it out in time.

Cough, cough... If Serena knew the assassin only targeted her because she used a handgun, she might not be so grateful.

"Bang... Bang..." In her panic, Serena didn't have time to aim—she just fired wildly.

"So this is your so-called protective treasure? Child's play." The assassin seemed to understand the bullet's range perfectly. As Serena fired, he simply stepped aside, dodging the line of fire—and even reached out to catch a bullet.

While the assassin paused to examine the bullet, Serena quickly rolled away and scrambled to her feet. She was covered in mud and blood, her hair a mess—completely bedraggled, forced into utter desperation by this killer.

Finally on her feet, Serena raised her handgun and aimed at him—only to see the assassin calmly inspecting the bullet between thumb and forefinger, turning it over, his cold eyes gleaming with a strange light, a faint flush rising on his pale face.

This man... was terrifying.

It was broad daylight, but he radiated a chilling, ghostly aura—as if he'd never seen sunlight. His face was corpse-pale, with dark circles and bloodshot eyes. Serena felt like she'd seen a ghost in daylight. If Elaine Lane were awake, she'd probably say this man was so striking, he could play a vampire without makeup.

He was terrifying. Even standing still, his killing intent seemed to wrap around her. Serena gripped her handgun with both hands, aiming at him, not daring to relax for a second.

Serena didn't pull the trigger. She knew even if she fired, she wouldn't hit him. He might seem absorbed in the bullet, but he was still on guard.

The two stared each other down. Serena gripped her handgun tightly, arms straight and steady, looking completely calm—but her palms were sweating as she silently screamed inside.

Ninth Royal Uncle, William Wang Jinling—could one of you please come looking for me? Ugh... Haven't you noticed I'm missing?

Idiots! Just because I have a weapon for self-defense doesn't mean you can leave me behind like this!

As time passed, Serena grew more and more uneasy. This assassin was truly no ordinary opponent. She couldn't even recall seeing him on the road before—and yet, here he was...

He knew she had companions nearby, yet didn't rush to kill her—instead, he just stood there admiring the bullet. Either he was supremely confident or utterly arrogant. Clearly, he believed that even if Ninth Royal Uncle and William showed up, they couldn't save her from him.

Pat, pat... Sweat trickled down her temples. Thump, thump, thump—Serena's heartbeat raced, but the man still didn't move.

Hoo... Serena exhaled slowly, reminding herself to stay calm. The longer this dragged out, the better her chances. All she had to do was wait—wait for Ninth Royal Uncle and the others to return.

That thought helped her relax a little—but the moment she did, the assassin suddenly raised his sword with a sharp swish, aiming it at Serena. Startled, she squeezed the trigger, but the assassin didn't advance. Instead, he spoke: "Your hidden weapon is beautiful—the most beautiful I've ever seen."

It was a genuine compliment—Serena could hear the sincerity in his voice. She forced a stiff smile and nodded proudly. "Thank you for the compliment."

The assassin clearly hadn't expected that reply. He glanced at her in confusion, then stated his demand: "Give me your hidden weapon, and I'll let you go."

"What? You want my hidden weapon? Is that why you tried to kill me—just for what's in my hand?" If that was true, Serena really wanted to bang her head against the wall.

So it's true—'an innocent man gets in trouble just for carrying a treasure.'