Chapter 307: Chapter 216: After the Stab
Discuss it?
What the hell is there to discuss?
This is pure madness! Is this jerk really a student? He seems more like a seasoned veteran! Otherwise, any ordinary person would have obediently followed their orders by now!
"Not talking? Good, let’s start with self-introductions then. But considering you already know who I am, why don’t you guys start by introducing yourselves, beginning with you."
Long Yi spoke to the person impaled on his sword.
Self-introduction? I’m an assassin! Who the hell has ever heard of assassins introducing themselves?
But, if I don’t introduce myself now, I’m afraid I’m not going to be breathing much longer!
"I... I am Suo De."
"That’s all?"
"That’s all..."
"Seriously, is that how you introduce yourself? Come on, let me teach you. Name, Gender, Age, Ancestry, Home address, Marital status, Employment status. Now go ahead."
Suo De’s face, already pale from the pain, turned beet red from frustration. He could sense Long Yi’s mockery. Does he not understand that his friends are all in our hands? That they could die at any moment!?
Stealing a glance at Long Yi, Suo De saw that he looked relaxed and at ease, as if nothing had happened, while the three men facing them were incredibly nervous.
"Just kill me! Stop toying with me!"
Suo De roared, willing to risk it all.
"Acting tough, aren’t we, Suo De? The Dragon-slaying Sword is right beneath your heart. A little friction and your heart will be cut open. If you really wanted to die, you’d be dead by now. So stop whining and properly introduce yourself."
Long Yi chuckled, employing both persuasion and reasoning.
Suo De had no choice. Honestly, although he was an assassin, he wasn’t a fanatical martyr. He was indeed afraid of death. The reason he became an assassin was primarily due to the low risk and high returns. He loved to enjoy life, and someone who enjoys life isn’t likely to readily throw it away!
"My name is Suo De, male, 37 years old, from the Fertile Plains Federation, residing in the Blood Coagulation White Dragon Empire branch. I have no wife or children, currently serving as a level six assassin for the Blood Coagulation organization."
Suo De dutifully answered. Honestly, the structure of the Blood Coagulation organization wasn’t exactly a secret in various countries. Naturally, an assassin organization that could flourish everywhere would have some skills. Of course, the main reason was probably their multiple hideouts.
On the other hand, the three men caught in the trap looked at each other, each of them noticing the amusement in the others’ eyes. Clearly, Long Yi’s actions significantly weakened the sense of urgency. The four men who were just killed, however, reminded them of the bloody stench wafting into their nostrils. A reminder that this wasn’t a game, but a life-threatening gamble.
"A decent introduction. As a level six assassin, there should be higher ranking assassins above you - level seven, eight, and even nine, right?" Long Yi asked.
"Yes."
"Then I don’t understand why — considering how strong I, Long Yi am —, why wouldn’t you guys send one of your top level nine assassins instead of a level six assassin like you? Are you guys looking down on me?"
Long Yi’s words immediately dumbfounded Suo De. He had anticipated many possible remarks from Long Yi and even had responses ready for them. However, what he hadn’t expected was Long Yi complaining about their low level!
What kind of shit did this guy have in his brain? I’m an assassin! My organization sent me to kill you! It’s your lucky day that they sent me and not a level nine assassin, otherwise you’d probably be pulp by now!
Though he thought this, Suo De didn’t dare to speak out. He couldn’t find the right words in response.
"Not speaking? Even if you don’t, I already know. It must be because your boss is an idiot. Either his brain is all white matter with no gray matter, or his skull is filled with an ornamental walnut. Whatever it is, it definitely isn’t par for the course."
Long Yi mercilessly began to slander.
Suo De listened, completely unbothered. What kind of person his boss was, had nothing to do with him. He only received and executed orders, not caring whether his boss’s brain was an ornamental walnut or not.
However, one thing did matter to Suo De.
He was nearing death.
Long Yi’s Dragon-slaying Sword hadn’t pierced his heart, but it had gone through his lung. He could clearly feel his breathing becoming more difficult, and each breath was bringing up more blood foam. This was a sign that blood had already entered his lung. If he didn’t get treated soon, he would die.
But, Long Yi still sat there, rambling on, with clearly no intention of having a proper conversation.
Finally, Suo De couldn’t take it any longer.
"Let me go!"
Suo De demanded.
"And then?" Long Yi immediately ceased his monologue and asked.
"I’ll let your friends go," replied Suo De.
"You’re joking, right? You are assassins, paid mercenaries. You expect me to believe you? Impossible." Long Yi laughed.
"Believe me. I won’t risk my own life needlessly," Suo De replied.
"Well then, you guys go first."
Suo De wrinkled his brow slightly. He didn’t know if his decision was right, but he didn’t want to sacrifice his own life for three useless ones.
"Let them go." Suo De said.
Thus, Wesley and his two companions were promptly released from their shackles. They immediately came to Long Yi’s side, looking somewhat sheepish.
"Alright, you are free now."
Long Yi gently pulled out the Sword of Eternal Frost.
Suo De slowly stood up, the intense pain from the sword withdrawal made it hard to straighten his back. But his desire to live compelled him to hobble outward. As long as he left the academy, the people waiting for him would take him away, and he would survive. To Suo De, nothing else was as valuable as his own life.
"Brother Long, are we letting them go just like this?" The cook said darkly, staring at the man ready to stagger away.
"Are you kidding me?" Long Yi said, widening his eyes, "I promised him he can leave, thus he can leave indeed."
"But they are assassins!" Mosquito found it hard to comprehend Long Yi’s thinking. This was no mere spar among classmates at the academy! They were letting go of an enemy!
"Wait, Brother Long is not that stupid, look at Suo De!" said the guy who had been watching Suo De closely.
The Cook and Mosquito looked and saw that Suo De, who hadn’t yet gotten very far, suddenly clutched his chest. Blood spurted uncontrollably from the huge wound there.
"Don’t blame me, your body is just too warm." Long Yi retorted with a snort.
As it turned out, when the Sword of Eternal Frost pierced Suo De’s chest, it had already opened a cut on his heart. But the freezing air from the sword immediately sealed the wound, preventing too much blood from flowing out.
When Long Yi pulled out the Dragon-slaying Sword, the wound froze, with no blood flowing. Suo De, who was under intense pressure, didn’t think about why. As a result, as soon as he left, his body temperature began to melt the frozen wound.
The three men who were planning to help Suo De were taken aback when they saw Suo De spraying blood and collapsing. They immediately realized they were fooled. This Long Yi was incredibly ruthless! They instantly unleashed all their Fighting Aura, intending to turn and escape. But they saw Little Zi floating behind them with a smiled.
"Looks like, you really are temporary helpers! You didn’t even bring Isolation Headbands!"
A Mental Impact swept over; all three collapsed, foaming at the mouth, unconscious.
"Master, what do we do with these three men?" Little Zi floated over and asked.
"Keep them, hand them to the Second Crown Prince. A wise man like him will know how to use them." said Long Yi.
An assassination attempt rocked the entire academy the next day. Yet, the target of the attempt in the story shifted from Long Yi to the Second Crown Prince.
Honestly, an assassination attempt on Long Yi was not amusing, so he deflected the attention toward the Second Crown Prince. The Crown Prince pondered a bit but did not object, as being the target of an assassination at this time could earn him some sympathy points.
The corpse of the assassin, the mark of Blood Coagulation, it was clear that the assassination was real. At this time, who else could be the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on the Second Crown Prince?
Only the Third Crown Prince, Tilian!
In the academy, Third Crown Prince Tilian’s staunch supporters began to waver. Those who sat on the fence praised their own wisdom, claiming to have long recognized the scum that the Third Crown Prince was.
However, even facing the assassins, some die-hard fans of the Third Crown Prince believed that such extreme measures demonstrated his determination for greatness. If the Third Prince successfully assassinated the Second Prince, it would prevent the state from falling into chaos, and it would be a commendable deed.
So, this situation fully illustrated one thing: it’s fine to kill off the stupid. Keeping them only wastes resources.
Regardless, this fiasco garnered the Second Crown Prince more trust.
However, the Third Crown Prince, Tilian, was not in a good mood. Blood Coagulation lost eight assassins altogether. The man in charge of the White Dragon Empire, the overweight Toen, glared at the Third Prince in a way that made him feel suffocated.
"Eight assassins are gone just like that! Your Highness, Third Prince, what do you think we should do?" Toen still had a smile on his face, but it looked eerily grim.
"So, are you saying this is also my fault?" The Third Prince, Tilian, retorted.
"If you insist, we can’t blame it solely on you, Your Highness. Mind you that we at Blood Coagulation lost eleven assassins altogether to resolve your feud with Long Yi. Regardless of the money you paid, have you ever considered the families of these assassins? Don’t you think you should do something for them?"
Toen was directly trying to extort him.
"Is Blood Coagulation always like this? Failing to complete the mission and then threatening the employer?" The Third Prince asked instead with a smile.
"Your Highness, you’re kidding, our Blood Coagulation is a very honorable organization. How could we possibly threaten our employer? I’m just negotiating with you." Toen backed off a bit with his portly body to seem less intimidating.
"How about this, let’s make a deal. If you can kill Long Yi, I’ll designate a piece of land in my White Dragon Empire as your headquarters and promise to provide protection for Blood Coagulation. However, if I become the Emperor yet Long Yi still lives so freely, then I’ll have no use for you."
The Third Prince proposed.
"Your Highness, Third Prince, is this a threat?" This time, it was Toen’s turn to respond.
"Yes, Toen, I am indeed threatening you, that much is obvious." said the Third Prince.
Toen snorted coldly, a formidable aura rose around him, but a more terrifying aura rushed toward Toen. Toen stepped back, only to see an old man in a black robe, who had suddenly appeared beside the Third Prince. He was staring coldly at Toen, as was the little black dragon on his shoulder.
"Haha, Master, you’re back." Toen said with a forced laugh.
"Hmph!"
The old man didn’t say a word, just snorted from his nostrils, leaving Toen covered in cold sweat. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote and support for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can read it at m.qidian.com)
