Dongfang Xiongqi naturally discerned the warning within his words. He smiled and said, "I mean no offense. I simply find the Zi family disagreeable!"
"Oh? Is that so?"
Zi Lingling raised an eyebrow. "Then what is the Emperor's intention?"
A hint of ferocity flickered in Dongfang Xiongqi's eyes. "Arrogance leads to no good. Dogs that are arrogant get hit with bricks! Naturally, I wish to teach them a lesson, to make them rein themselves in!"
Zi Lingling chuckled. "Then how does the Emperor intend to teach them a lesson and make them rein themselves in?"
Dongfang Xiongqi replied, "That will depend on the Zi family head."
"Oh? What plan does the Emperor have?"
"Zi family head, we can do this and that..."
...
The two of them engaged in this secret discussion for two hours. It was only when night fell that Zi Lingling leisurely exited the imperial palace.
In the dim twilight, a faint killing intent instantly enveloped Zi Lingling.
Zi Lingling's expression turned cold. She swiftly activated her Phantom Dragon Step, effortlessly evading the attack.
"Hmph! You creatures of the dark! Since you've come, you shall stay!"
Her scalpel was instantly in her hand, spiritual energy coalescing into a blade gleam, which she slashed towards a certain spot.
"Clang... clang..."
The sound of clashing weapons rang out, and a black shadow, quite disheveled, fell from the air.
Zi Lingling sneered, "Gui Sha Lou! You are quite swift!"
Before her voice faded, another blade gleam slashed out.
The black-clad assassin's face drastically changed. Sword energy rapidly condensed, meeting Zi Lingling's blade gleam.
"Pfft!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, and with a terrified voice, asked, "You're not a peak Gathering Spirit Realm spiritual practitioner?"
Zi Lingling retorted sarcastically, "Peak Gathering Spirit Realm? I ceased to be that long ago! Therefore, your life shall be forfeit!"
As she spoke, she once again activated the Phantom Dragon Step, silently appearing behind the black-clad assassin, her scalpel casually resting on his neck.
The black-clad assassin inwardly cursed his misfortune and instinctively turned, raising his sword to defend.
But before he could even lift his sword, he felt a chill at his neck.
Then, his eyeballs tumbled onto the ground. And within his line of sight, a headless corpse stood erect.
Blood flowed from the cut above the headless corpse, a sight that seared the eyes.
"Clatter!"
The black-clad assassin's sword dropped to the ground with a crisp sound.
His head severed, he died with his eyes wide open.
"Hm?"
Zi Lingling's eyes narrowed. The scalpel in her hand flew out, slashing towards a certain patch of darkness.
A sword light flashed, colliding with the scalpel.
Simultaneously, a black figure rapidly retreated.
Zi Lingling said coldly, "Since you've come together, you shall stay together as companions!"
With a thought, she activated the Phantom Dragon Step beneath her feet, shooting towards the fleeing figure like an arrow.
At the same time, another scalpel appeared in her hand.
Spiritual energy gathered, blade gleam spitting, and she slashed down at the fleeing figure.
"Ah..."
A scream rang out, and the fleeing assassin fell heavily to the ground.
Before he could react, Zi Lingling's slender hand landed on his neck.
With a "click," the black-clad assassin's jaw was dislocated.
Following that, a round pill slid down his throat.
The pill quickly dissolved, flowing into his internal organs. Instantly, a myriad of ants seemed to gnaw at his insides.
"This is called 'Heart in Chaos,' just as its name suggests. Enjoy yourself!"
After speaking, Zi Lingling picked up the black-clad assassin and vanished into the night.
She returned to her room at the Welcoming Inn, set up a barrier outside, closed the door, summoned Elder Du, and entered the Goddess Hall.
In a certain space within the Goddess Hall, Zi Lingling gazed at the black-clad assassin, who was already a wreck, with a smile that resembled a celestial blessing.
However, this smile did not reach her eyes in any way.
"Aaaagh..."
The black-clad assassin's voice had become hoarse, testament to his immense pain!
This was incomparable to the suffering he had endured before becoming a qualified assassin.
He wanted to bite his tongue to end it, but he could not, for his jaw had been dislocated by Zi Lingling from the very beginning.
He wanted to sever his own meridians, but he still could not. Because Zi Lingling, through some unknown means, had halted the spiritual energy within his body, rendering it impossible to control.
For the first time, the black-clad assassin felt fear. Yet, even death was a luxury he could not attain.
Zi Lingling watched quietly, savoring his pathetic state, with no intention of questioning him.
"You... what... do you... want?"
The black-clad assassin's eyeballs bulged, and he transmitted his question with a trembling voice.
"Me? I want nothing. I merely wish to witness the process of death!" Zi Lingling said with a cold laugh.
In truth, she wanted to know many things, such as who had ordered her assassination, the receiving points and contact locations of Gui Sha Lou, and so on!
If it were anyone else, she could have performed a soul search.
But the two assassins from last time had shown her that the assassins of Gui Sha Lou had restrictions within their minds. The moment they were touched, the soul searched would suffer a soul explosion, their spirits annihilated.
Therefore, she had to choose a steady method of interrogation, to make this assassin completely submit.
While it was still not possible to speak directly, he could lead her, could he not?
And this submission required completely crushing the opponent's will, tormenting them to the brink of collapse.
For an ordinary person, this kind of crushing was very easy.
But assassins, having emerged from inhumane torture, possessed exceptionally firm wills.
Thus, Zi Lingling paid him no mind, pushing him to the absolute edge of despair.
This torment lasted for two hours. The assassin was still on the verge of death under her torture.
Though the assassin was dying, a glimmer of light appeared in his eyes.
It was a light filled with hope, for he was finally about to find release.
He had never imagined that one day he would consider death to be so precious.
Zi Lingling looked down from above, smiling sweetly, "Do you wish to die?"
The assassin's eyelids twitched. For some reason, a bad premonition surged in his heart.
Zi Lingling said gently, "What's the point of dying? This world, with its sunrises and sunsets, its blooming flowers and verdant willows, is so beautiful. Why wish for such a thing?"
"Come, swallow this Six Revolutions Returning Soul Pill. It guarantees you'll be brimming with life, a hundred thousand miles from death!"
Her voice, though seemingly as gentle as a spring breeze, sent shivers down one's spine.
The hope in the assassin's eyes instantly turned to terror.
He wanted to refuse, but in his dying state, how could he possibly be a match for Zi Lingling?
Thus, in extreme fear, he watched helplessly as the Six Revolutions Returning Soul Pill was forced into his mouth.