Chapter 011: Hidden Attack

Scraping sounds came from the bushes, as if some fierce beast was moving through them. Everyone in the marching group suddenly tensed up. Xue Lan, at the front, frowned and said, “Don’t worry. It’s probably just a wild animal in the mountains. Even if it’s a low-level magical beast, there’s nothing to fear. As long as we hurry, we’ll soon reach the castle in the mountains. With Young Master Aldas there, we’ll be completely safe!”
The subordinates visibly relaxed a bit.
But just then, a scream suddenly came from behind the group. When Xue Lan turned around, she saw a human head flying into the air, its expression frozen in fear and despair—likely irreversible.
Dozens of black figures seemed to emerge gently from the depths of the jungle. The one at the front leaped lightly, caught the flying head mid-air, and tossed it behind him. “Alright, that’s the first one. Four more remain.”
Xue Lan’s expression changed. Though severely injured, she was still highly skilled. She quickly moved to the back of the group, holding a small dagger. Glancing at the blood on the ground and her companions who were almost collapsed, she felt a pang of bitterness.
Young Master Du Fan was truly calculating. Having hidden in Moduo City, he had hired only a dozen warriors as guards for safety. Her own subordinates were ordinary people. Those guards had already been dismissed before she attempted to assassinate Du Fan. Among the remaining servants, none knew any combat skills or magic. Of the dozens of people here, only she was capable of fighting. It was hard to tell whether this was sad or unfortunate.
Xue Lan took a deep breath and stared at the men in black. “Who are you? Why are you attacking us?”
“Ah, isn’t this Miss Xue Lan?” The man at the front sneered coldly. “Miss Xue Lan, since you dared to assassinate Young Master Du Fan back then, you should have expected this day. So it’s only fitting that we take your life today. Well, Miss Xue Lan, are you going to resist a little, or hand over peacefully?”
“Of course, if you surrender, my brothers will take good care of you!”

At these words, the men in black all let out a series of lewd cackles.
“Dare you!”
Xue Lan shouted fiercely and rushed at the man in black at the front. The dagger in her hand glowed intensely, with silver combat energy appearing almost tangible.
Seeing this sword strike coming, the man in black gave Xue Lan a deep look before calmly raising his long sword. The sword was extremely ordinary, as if chosen from any random blacksmith’s shop, yet a faint murderous aura seemed to linger around it.
With a clang, Xue Lan’s strike was effortlessly deflected. The man in black hadn’t even used combat energy; he simply used skillful manipulation to block her attack.
Intimidated by the man’s presence, Xue Lan was unable to move forward or back. Though she was a killer trained since childhood by the Belinger family, she had only attempted assassination once in her life, lacking real combat experience. If she had acted without hesitation, she would likely have defeated the man in front of her, but her hesitation cost her the opportunity.
After hesitating for less than a second, Xue Lan gritted her teeth and rushed at the man again, shouting as she swung down with her sword.
Assassins trained by the Belinger family were highly skilled, even if not perfect. Facing this man in black—actually a Templar knight, at most at the fifth level—his strength was limited. Assassins excelled in stealth and ambushes, not direct combat, especially not against a delicate girl with little real combat experience.
Her sword was ablaze with combat energy as she swung, and the sound alone was astonishing.
With a boom, her strike landed squarely on the man’s raised sword. He blocked it effortlessly, with a flash of combat energy on his sword, yet that simple block stopped Xue Lan’s fierce attack.
Still, it wasn’t easy for him either. Though Xue Lan lacked experience, her skills were undeniable. Fueled by anger, she swung again and again.

Only the sound of “clang, clang, clang” could be heard continuously, as the man in black blocked Xue Lan’s subsequent attacks one after another. Yet the assassin’s fighting style relied on relentless continuity—these attacks were delivered in quick succession, and combined with Xue Lan’s combat energy, they carried considerable force. The man in black couldn’t reveal his identity as a Temple Knight, which limited his movements in battle. If not for his extensive combat experience, he likely wouldn’t have been able to block those dozen or so attacks.

Even so, his feet made a cracking sound—although he had used skillful techniques to parry those attacks, his feet had sunk deep into the ground. Seeing this, Xue Lan felt secretly pleased. With another sharp cry, she leaped into the air, then used the momentum to unleash another series of precise attacks.

Xue Lan, who dared to attempt to assassinate Du Fan, indeed possessed some real skill. From a high vantage point, she launched swift and decisive strikes. Even Ferre and Selina, who were watching from deep in the jungle through a positioning crystal ball, couldn’t help but admire her skills.

Her dagger was short, but thanks to her combat energy, its edge became extremely sharp. Her attacks from above were like a storm—each strike was faster and more fierce than the last, carrying the power to shatter rocks. The combat energy surrounding the dagger resembled a huge silver sphere, with each swing seemingly accompanied by the sound of thunder.

Another dozen attacks later, the man in black continued to retreat step by step. Holding his sword in one hand, he parried left and right. Whenever two blades collided, he would unleash bursts of combat energy, like dazzling fireworks. Every clash between his long sword and her dagger produced dazzling sparks that were hard to look at.

It was a pity, however, that despite her strength, Xue Lan had zero practical combat experience. She missed many opportunities to strike her opponent, or rather, she didn’t even realize them. It was ironic that the man in black had blocked those dozen attacks without any harm.

After these two encounters, Xue Lan’s fighting spirit had been greatly diminished. She had already suffered a spell from Du Fan during her attempt to assassinate him, reducing her strength by at least 70%. After that, she was locked in a dungeon for over ten days with no food or water. Even after finally getting a full meal, she was immediately forced by Du Fan to carry out such tasks. Thus, both physically and mentally, Xue Lan was already exhausted.

Under these circumstances, launching such a fierce attack left her with no reserves left. Although she still held the dagger in her hand, it felt increasingly heavy. Her two combat techniques were the most powerful moves she knew, yet this man in black could still keep up as if nothing had happened, hardly using any combat energy at all. Who on earth was he?

The man in black appeared calm, but in reality, he was also struggling. Though he managed to withstand Miss Xue Lan’s attacks relying on skill and extensive combat experience, the gap in their levels was undeniable. If not for Miss Xue Lan’s extreme physical and mental exhaustion, even skill and experience alone might not have been enough to block those two attacks.

Although the man in black was in a somewhat awkward situation, he maintained a calm exterior. Sensing that his opponent was running out of strength, he immediately stepped back a few steps and said, “Very good. I didn’t expect Miss Xue Lan to have such skills. We underestimated you. If we continued fighting, I might really not be your match. In that case, it’s better not to fight at all.”

Xue Lan was stunned and asked, “What do you mean?”

The man in black replied indifferently, “It’s nothing special. If I can’t win, I just run away. That’s my principle. It’s truly unfortunate for me that I haven’t taken Miss Xue Lan’s head yet!”

Xue Lan frowned and said, “Are you saying you guys are just going to leave like this?”

The man in black sneered and said, “Miss Xue Lan, I think you’ve misunderstood me. Although I haven’t killed you, it doesn’t mean we can’t kill you. It’s just that you’re lucky—Lord Paulesen’s order this time is only for us to retrieve five heads. So, Miss Xue Lan, will you take action on your own, or shall we do it for you?”

“Paulesen?” Xue Lan’s expression changed. “Are you people of Paulesen?”

The man in black smiled faintly and said, “Otherwise, who do you think we are?”