Chapter 85: The True Culprit Behind the Scenes?

The kick came in with tremendous force and from an angle so tricky it was hard to guard against. The man in black was clearly rich in combat experience; he showed no trace of panic in the exchange. By contrast, Li Huan had both arms pinned aside, and for a moment he grew anxious. Seeing the opponent’s toe driving straight for his chest, his heart lurched. In desperation, he rammed his body forward. The other man’s arm dropped at just the right instant, seizing Li Huan by the shoulder.

This time, however, the assassin in black had underestimated the explosive power in Li Huan’s body. Li Huan had thrown himself into the impact with all his strength, his whole frame arching slightly as his left shoulder smashed brutally into the other man’s chest. The assassin in black only reeled for an instant, then suddenly sensed the savage force surging through Li Huan’s body. Startled, he had just retreated half a step when Li Huan’s shoulder crashed in again.

A dull thud rang out.

The impact was heavy and solid. The assassin in black took the blow to the chest and felt a crushing, suffocating pressure seize his ribs. Hastily he let go of Li Huan’s shoulder and retreated quickly.

Li Huan only felt a sharp pain where the man’s grip had clamped down, but at the same time he could clearly tell that his earlier violent charge had left the other side in no small pain.

“Not bad. You’ve got some skill,” said the assassin in black, one hand pressed to his chest as he rubbed it lightly a few times. He had reacted quickly enough just now, or else his ribs would have been shattered by that bull of a man.

He had initially assumed Li Huan was nothing more than a brute with raw strength, and never expected that the target his employer wanted dead would actually have some ability. That made the assassin irritated. He should have demanded a higher price from the start. Once this job was done, he would go back and settle accounts with that fat bastard. He would either pay up, or have one of his legs broken.

Thinking this, the assassin in black calmed down instead. Dealing with an ordinary person could be finished in a couple of moves, but if the other side really had some tricks, then he would need to be more careful. Otherwise, he might draw unnecessary trouble in the midst of the fight.

“Die!” He stomped hard against the ground and shot forward. Yet even as his body rose into the air, he could not help frowning. The collision from earlier had made him quite uncomfortable; with the slightest exertion, his chest felt tight and stifling.

Li Huan stepped back. It was obvious the assassin in black was extremely wary: the slightest movement from him drew the man’s attention instantly. Escaping was impossible unless he used teleportation, but if he did that, the secret of his abilities might well be exposed.

After a brief adjustment of his breathing, the pain in his shoulder still had not fully faded. His entire arm felt slightly numb, though it would not affect his joints. Just as the assassin in black lunged again, Li Huan dropped his body low, taking advantage of his physique and suddenly thrusting one arm out to seize directly for the man’s groin.

It was a rather underhanded move, but in battle, deception was never forbidden. More to the point, when one’s life was on the line, if one still worried about gentlemanly decorum, one would only be courting death. Li Huan did not want to be seen as a despicable person, but neither would he foolishly try to be a noble gentleman.

The assassin in black’s face changed. Midair, he lacked agility, and when he saw Li Huan’s hand clawing toward his lower body, he felt a chill beneath him and was startled. Instantly, his legs crossed and tangled in the air, and with a forceful exhale he used a heavy drop of weight to plunge downward, crashing straight toward Li Huan’s head.

Li Huan’s move had only been a probe, meant to block the assassin’s killing strike. Seeing the man’s body come falling at him, he immediately withdrew his arm, threw himself toward the ground, and slipped beneath the assassin’s body. At the same time, he kicked backward, landing squarely on the other man’s calf.

The assassin in black was kicked in the lower leg and staggered away, but his reflexes were exceptionally fast. Slapping his hands to the ground, he sprang back up at once and landed firmly on the opposite side. He had not expected Li Huan to be this agile, capable even of landing a blow on him, and that only made him angrier.

“Looking for death...” he muttered.

As the words fell, the assassin in black suddenly reached into his coat and drew out a dagger flashing with cold light. Two hideous blood grooves ran along the blade. At a glance, it was clearly not the sort of weapon one could buy in an ordinary knife shop. It was likely military-grade hardware smuggled through the black market.

Once such a blood-grooved dagger pierced the body, blood would gush madly along the grooves. Unlike an ordinary fruit knife, where the bleeding would not be severe so long as the blade was left in place and timely treatment could still save a life, this kind of weapon was far more dangerous. A wound made by it could sever the vessels around the injury immediately, causing a terribly serious slash wound.

The assassin in black gripped the dagger tightly, his expression turning savage. With a cold laugh, he raised his arm high. A strange howl burst from his throat as his body launched forward. Under the dim lights, the icy blade radiated a horrifying aura as it stabbed straight down toward Li Huan’s chest.

“Damn it, he’s trying to take my life!”

Li Huan could not help cursing. He came from a different world and naturally knew such a profession existed, but this was his first time seeing one, and in a one-on-one killing match at that. Such people did not pursue ornate technique; they only needed a single fatal strike. The martial arts Li Huan had learned before were also practical in combat, but his experience was far too limited. He was relying entirely on his own ferocity and on the experience he had from street brawls. Against someone with real skill, those flashy, empty moves were useless. Only the family arts might be enough to hold the line.

Worried as he was, Li Huan also felt a trace of excitement. After all, this was a true assassin, and since he had already offended both the Dog Lord and his son, as well as the bald man from Lion Gate Hall, those two sides were sure to come looking for him sooner or later. Without strength, he would one day be crushed to pulp by them. Better to use this chance to test how powerful his own skills had become. Even if he could not beat the opponent, he could still use his low-level teleportation to flee. In any case, his life was not in immediate danger.

Thinking this, Li Huan grew a little calmer. Watching the assassin in black thrust in with that sharp dagger, he turned his body at once. Like a spirit snake, his arm coiled around to the side of the assassin’s weapon arm, wrist twisting as he locked the arm in place.

As for strength, Li Huan had never been afraid of anyone. Even knowing the other man was an assassin, he still had great confidence. More than that, lately he had felt that his body functions had undergone some kind of change, as though he had become stronger, with power in his body lying ready to erupt at any moment.

As expected, when the assassin in black had his arm tangled by Li Huan, a disdainful look appeared on his face. His shoulder jolted as he tried to shake Li Huan’s wrist loose, but Li Huan pressed back in reverse and instantly neutralized the force. The assassin could not even throw him off, which shocked him greatly. His expression shifted in surprise.

Li Huan saw the assassin in black actually hesitate for an instant and could not help but sneer. He leaned close, drove his elbow hard into the hollow of the man’s back, and used the rebound of that force to spring away. His hand, still wrapped around the assassin’s arm, suddenly clamped onto the elbow and yanked hard. The assassin’s body was sent flipping backward at once.

Still, although he had made a misstep and Li Huan had seized the initiative, the assassin’s reactions were equally quick. More importantly, he still had a lethal blade in hand. By the time Li Huan had dragged him to the ground, he had already switched the dagger to his other hand and slashed diagonally toward Li Huan’s thigh. Under the dim, gloomy light of the night, the cold gleam of the blade was especially piercing.

Li Huan sprang sideways, but he was a fraction too late. The dagger sliced through the trouser leg and left a six- or seven-centimeter line of blood along the side of his calf. Thankfully, the wound was not deep and had not reached the tendons or bone.

Having landed a hit, the assassin in black did not pursue. Instead, he used Li Huan’s pulling force to roll backward two or three meters before jumping up. At the same time, he held the dagger horizontally in front of him with his left hand and sidestepped warily.

“Who are you?” At last the assassin realized something: Li Huan’s skill was enough to match him, perhaps even to stand evenly with him. Judging from the fight just now, he was clearly the one taking the greater losses. Without the dagger, perhaps that fellow would already have had the upper hand.

That thought made his expression grow complicated. Li Huan was obviously not just some ordinary civilian. To possess such skill, to be able to hold off even a killer like him for a time—could a person like that really be ordinary? If he seemed ordinary, then it could only mean he was hiding it.

“You tell me who sent you, and I’ll tell you,” Li Huan said. The cut on his leg burned fiercely, but fortunately, though the calf had been sliced, it was not serious and did not affect his walking. He glanced at the assassin in black on the opposite side. The man showed no sign of attacking again, which meant he had begun to take him seriously.

In that case, Li Huan had actually lost his advantage. At any time, the instant one became careless, it could result in fatal harm. He had originally hoped to exploit the other man’s slight superiority complex and find a chance to beat him decisively, but now it seemed that idea was no longer useful.

The assassin in black fixed a cold stare on the enigmatic figure across from him. His expression became especially grave. “You don’t even know who your enemy is. How pathetic.”

In truth, Li Huan was more inclined to believe that the little fat man surnamed Wang was the real mastermind behind this. After all, the fellow’s father was ruthless and had enough power to hire an assassin. Still, the bald man was also a possibility. The man with the strange tattoo on his head was a master too, and would naturally have access to things most people could never reach.