Chapter 65: Have you finally discovered me?

Shao Yi's brows furrowed.

No one was home?

He had been waiting for a while now, and there was still no movement inside. If someone were in there, they couldn't possibly ignore him.

Waking up in the middle of the night, the least they could do was say something to ask who it was!

He glanced at the barrier covering the wooden door. He could force his way through and tear it open, but it would definitely make noise.

But if he waited any longer, it would be dawn...

Oh well, time to act!

He pulled a short sword from his sleeve, preparing to strike, but a hand stopped him.

Feng Kong's voice directly penetrated the barrier.

"Ling Fa Ge, Xiao Qi Xiu!"

"Open the door!"

Just a door separated them.

Inside, Xu Xiao Shou's scalp instantly tingled. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to turn and run, but he forcefully suppressed the urge.

That voice was a perfect match, twelve out of ten. If he hadn't "sensed" the two people outside, he might actually have opened the door!

And the one knocking was holding two short swords!

If Xu Xiao Shou still didn't understand why these two were here, he might as well hit his head on a block of tofu and give up.

What was happening?

Why would someone want to kill him?!

Xu Xiao Shou panicked. Cold sweat poured down, and his mind raced, but he still didn't speak.

He maximized his "sensing," yet the two at the door still appeared like ordinary people, showing no signs of cultivation.

However, Xu Xiao Shou knew they were at least two Xian Tian experts, and not the average kind!

He could instantly detect Lian Ling cultivation levels, and the mysterious aura unique to Xian Tian was easy to discern.

These two were completely concealed—it must be some kind of technique to hide their cultivation.

They might even be professional assassins!

At that thought, Xu Xiao Shou's expression changed.

Ling Gong was protected by a great array, making it impossible for outside experts to sneak in unless their cultivation was overwhelmingly powerful.

But judging by the age of these two, that possibility could basically be ruled out.

So, where could such powerful Xian Tian experts come from?

There was only one answer...

The inner courtyard!

Xu Xiao Shou's body trembled involuntarily. What the hell—why would people from the inner courtyard come to kill him? Were they insane?

He racked his brains, feeling his brain cells dying in droves, yet he refused to—and didn't dare to—stop his reasoning.

If he couldn't get through this tonight, he might really meet his end here!

But the more he reasoned, the colder his heart grew.

Based on what he knew, only Su Qian Qian from the previous cohort had entered the inner courtyard; the one before that, no one; and further back, he didn't know.

But that was enough!

These two outside, if they were truly inner courtyard experts, must have reached Xian Tian two or three years ago!

What the f—

This was a joke, right?

What had he, Xu Xiao Shou, ever done to deserve such esteemed visitors?

When had he ever offended them?

Xu Xiao Shou nearly dropped to his knees. With this basic deduction, he "sensed" the two again.

The one in front seemed to have a faint trace of Xian Tian aura, and the one behind...

It was over!

At least one at Yuan Ting Jing peak, and one at Ju Wu Jing, or possibly even higher...

Xu Xiao Shou's heart sank like ice.

Once you entered Xian Tian, even the gap between the initial and mid stages was wider than the entire ten realms of Lian Ling combined.

Let alone that these two were far beyond that.

This wasn't just inner courtyard experts coming—they were basically the grim reapers here to claim his life!

Xu Xiao Shou wasn't arrogant enough to think that after just acquiring two Xian Tian passive skills and comprehending "Jin Zhao Tian Fen," he could take on veteran Xian Tian experts head-on.

Especially two of them!

That would be suicide, plain and simple!

What to do?

Escaping was impossible—how could he possibly get away?

But staying here...

Xu Xiao Shou swallowed hard, feeling like he was facing certain death. It seemed his life had reached its end.

...

Outside the door.

The two exchanged a glance, basically confirming the situation.

If no one was truly inside, then the person within had discovered them.

The latter was unlikely but not impossible.

The champion of the outer sect's "Feng Yun Zheng Ba," though the intel said he only had eighth-realm cultivation, with a Xian Tian physical body and Xian Tian sword intent—who knew what other tricks he had?

"Make your move!"

Feng Kong tilted his head, and Shao Yi's aura erupted. Vast spiritual energy gathered on the short sword, ready to strike like splitting Mount Hua.

But then—"Creak~"

The barrier cracked open, and the wooden door swung ajar on its own.

"Damn!"

Shao Yi hastily retracted his force, but the immense energy he'd built up nearly made him spit out blood from the sudden interruption.

The two locked eyes in mid-air, both on high alert, seeing the caution in each other's gaze.

Something was definitely up!

They were professional assassins—Feng Kong had even nearly earned a "Three Incense Sticks" red hunter order—so they were extremely sensitive to danger and always followed the principle of using full force, even against a rabbit.

Otherwise, Feng Kong wouldn't have come along on this night raid.

"Go in!"

The two cautiously stepped into the courtyard, and in the next second, they were stunned by what they saw.

The ground...

Why were there so many huge pits?

Had a battle taken place here?

And while the outer sect's private courtyards were nice, they were nothing compared to the inner courtyard. But glancing around, this place felt incredibly spacious.

It even seemed bigger than their own courtyards.

Wait, no!

Something was missing here...

Shao Yi looked at the wooden hut to the side. This shack was way too shabby—was this Xu Xiao Shou's house? So small and rundown? Did he buy the courtyard but not the house?

Wait, no!

This should be a guest house!

Shao Yi suddenly realized something. He glanced to the side of the small wooden hut, where there was a large empty plot.

"This damn well should have been the main house! How is it gone?"

That was why it felt so empty—private courtyards in Ling Gong always had at least one main house and one guest house.

Here, the spot for the main house was clearly there, but it was just empty land...

What the hell had happened?!

What on earth went down in this rundown place?!

Shao Yi was shocked.

Analyzing the terrain was a basic skill for an assassin, and all these thoughts flashed through his mind in the blink of an eye.

Not only that, the odd layout and the pitted ground instantly led Shao Yi to a deduction.

Could a fight have happened here?

"Who goes there?!"

From beside him, Feng Kong shouted in alarm. Shao Yi quickly turned his head and suddenly saw, in the dim rainy night, a tall and slender figure standing on the artificial hill.

Xu Xiao Shou?!

No!

It might not be Xu Xiao Shou—it could be someone else from that battle!

It wasn't just Shao Yi; Feng Kong's deduction was basically the same. Both felt the situation was more unexpected than they'd anticipated.

What was supposed to be a surefire assassination could have been finished when Xu Xiao Shou opened the door, but now, even after entering his courtyard, they felt a sense of uncertainty, like things were slipping away.

The figure on the artificial hill didn't turn around but gently lowered his head and let out a faint sigh. A hoarse voice rang out.

"Finally noticed me, have you? Surprisingly..."

"A bit slow!"