Long Xiao and the other two left the Third Hospital, and Zhao Sikai escorted them to the car.
It was completely dark. Long Xiao and his companions first found a place to eat, then drove to Luosi Lane, ready to take action.
Luosi Lane was winding and narrow, with old houses on both sides built over a hundred years ago, exuding a sense of desolation.
It was pitch black, and the few streetlights were dim, making the entire alley look gloomy.
Long Xiao glanced at Luo Tianshui and Xiao Ming. They nodded and quickly retreated, disappearing into the darkness.
Long Xiao straightened his clothes and stepped into the dimly lit Luosi Lane.
The wreath and burial clothing shop in Luosi Lane was a stronghold that Hanshan Temple had operated for many years. Since the recent assassination attempt on Long Xiao had failed, the place was heavily guarded.
As soon as Long Xiao entered Luosi Lane, he was discovered by assassins hidden in the dark, who immediately called to report to the person in charge of the stronghold.
The person in charge of the stronghold was a middle-aged man with a large birthmark on his face, named Hei Tian.
"Senior Brother, Long Xiao is here."
"Is he alone?"
"Yes, only him."
"Keep an eye on him, I'll report to Master immediately."
Hei Tian's master, An Ye, was sitting on the rooftop of a villa in the western suburbs, with a tea table, a tea set, and a tea ceremony set before him.
Steam rose from the red clay stove as he was placing tea leaves into a gaiwan.
He pressed the answer button on the mobile phone on the tea table. Upon hearing his disciple's report, his right hand trembled, and tea spilled onto the table.
"What, Long Xiao went to Luosi Lane?"
"Yes, Master. He's in the alley, not yet at our wreath and burial clothing shop."
"He's alone, that's great. Stall him, we absolutely cannot let him escape this time."
He hadn't gone for the previous attempt to kill Long Xiao. Based on the descriptions of the returning assassins, Long Xiao's strength was likely at the intermediate Earth Realm.
An Ye had brought four intermediate Earth Realm cultivators with him this time, including himself. The two missions in Donghai were not only to kill Long Xiao but also to eliminate the Four Great Hei of Donghai.
The Four Great Hei of Donghai had been famous for many years, and each had experts by their side, making them difficult to kill.
Of the two missions, killing Long Xiao was easier, so An Ye chose to deal with Long Xiao first. He hadn't expected the first attempt to fail.
For a Hanshan Temple assassin, failure was a disgrace. Repeated failures to complete a mission would result in death.
To die with disgrace was the most severe punishment for a Hanshan Temple assassin.
There were eight individuals at or above the Earth Realm, five at the peak of the Profound Realm, and the rest were at the apex of the Profound Realm, across three strongholds.
An Ye pondered for a moment, picked up the phone, and notified all those with Earth Realm strength to rush to Luosi Lane. Concentrating forces for a single strike was An Ye's consistent approach.
Last time, they underestimated Long Xiao's strength. This time, they must not, and they must succeed in one go.
Long Xiao walked into Luosi Lane, and after a few turns, he saw a wreath and burial clothing shop with a white paper lantern hanging outside and paper figures placed at the entrance.
The shop was small, and the lights were dim. The white paper lantern swayed gently in the breeze. The paper boy and girl also swayed slightly, as if they were alive.
Long Xiao stepped forward, knocked on the door, and called out, "Is anyone home?"
Tap, tap. The sound of a cane tapping the ground echoed, and the door creaked open. A young man with dark skin, leaning on a cane, opened the door and looked at Long Xiao through the dim light.
"Please come in. What size burial clothing do you need? Male or female?" The young man turned and walked inside, asking casually.
"I don't know the size, just make sure it fits. I don't know if it's for a man or a woman, and I don't know how many people."
Long Xiao followed the young man into the wreath and burial clothing shop, at the same time releasing his spiritual energy, and the situation inside the entire shop appeared in his mind.
The wreath and burial clothing shop had a total of three rooms. The two outer rooms were for business, and the inner ones were for living.
Five people were hidden in the room where they lived.
In the room where wreaths and burial clothing were displayed, a middle-aged man with a large birthmark on his face sat on a reclining chair, looking at his phone. A short sword was hidden beneath the armrest of the chair.
Killing seven people in one go should be fine, but Long Xiao didn't want to constantly use his full strength.
The Long family had hidden talents, and some members of the Long family were already suspicious of Long Xiao's identity. He had to increase his strength as quickly as possible to deal with the impending crisis.
The Five Elements Spiritual Energy was Long Xiao's greatest reliance, but it was too slow to cultivate. Although he sometimes received pure yang energy from the 'Crimson Flame Worms', refining it still required time.
Inside the glass counter, various items were placed in a haphazard manner. The young man walked behind the counter, took out a pack of cigarettes, pulled one out, and said, "Brother, have a cigarette first. I'll prepare whatever you need."
Long Xiao looked at the young man and shook his head, saying, "No need for cigarettes. Ask your brothers what size clothes they need, I'm in a hurry."
"Ask my brothers? Brother, you're buying burial clothes, why ask them?"
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "No, it's not me who needs burial clothes. These burial clothes are prepared for the seven of you."
Long Xiao's ability to mention seven people clearly indicated that he was already well aware of the situation here.
Hei Tian knew he could no longer wait. If he waited any longer, he would cede the initiative to Long Xiao.
With a flash of sword light, Hei Tian leaped up from the reclining chair, his short sword stabbing towards Long Xiao with a piercing sound.
As Hei Tian attacked, the young man leaning on his cane snapped his cane, which transformed into a long sword, slashing diagonally towards Long Xiao's neck.
Long Xiao took a step back, evading the attacks from Hei Tian and the young man. He grabbed the young man's wrist with his left hand, and with a crack, the wrist was broken. Long Xiao retracted his left hand and took the long sword.
Hei Tian missed his target. He flicked his wrist, reversed his grip on the sword, and stabbed at Long Xiao again.
Long Xiao dodged Hei Tian's subsequent attack, quickly retreated, and backed out of the wreath and burial clothing shop while opening the door.
The five people inside, hearing that the fight had begun, climbed out of the window and quickly surrounded Long Xiao.
"Long Xiao, you won't escape this time."
Long Xiao moved the long sword to his right hand and flicked his wrist. The long sword vibrated with a humming sound.
"Not bad, it can be used."
He had been practicing the rudimentary 'Dragon Swimming Sword' technique for quite some time, and Long Xiao was ready to test it.
Xiao Ming, sitting on a rooftop, saw Long Xiao about to make his move and whispered, "Brother Luo, shall we go down and help?"
Luo Tianshui sheathed his 'Blood Blade' and said, "No need, too few people."
This time, Long Xiao didn't give Hei Tian and the others a chance to strike first. He flicked his sword, sending a wave of sword light towards the assassins. Everyone felt that this sword strike was aimed at them.
Long Xiao's sword was too fast. Everyone except Hei Tian swung their swords to block, trying to intercept Long Xiao's sword.
Blood splattered into the dimly lit alley, and five people's throats simultaneously developed bloody holes.
Hei Tian had never seen such fast swordsmanship. He realized that he had underestimated Long Xiao again. Long Xiao's strength was not at the early Earth Realm.
"You are not at the early Earth Realm," Hei Tian said in surprise, retreating two steps.
"Who told you I was at the early Earth Realm?" Long Xiao said, his long sword flashing with cold light as he stabbed towards Hei Tian's throat.