Five figures, like phantoms from the darkness, streaked through the night, their speed almost unbelievable.
Their bodies pulsed with potent energy, each one clearly a Grandmaster of the Hua Jin realm!
In the blink of an eye, five Grandmasters in black night-gowns appeared out of nowhere in the阁楼 bedroom.
Xiao Yunlong remained seated cross-legged on the bed. These five assassins stood three meters away, surrounding him.
"Five Hua Jin Grandmasters, two of them at peak cultivation. Quite the display!" Xiao Yunlong's voice was a low growl.
A black-clothed figure in the center asked, "You're not surprised, kid?"
Xiao Yunlong simply smiled faintly. "Why should I be surprised? There are too many people in this world who want me dead!"
The old man in the night-gown grunted, "You are currently depleted of inner energy and your martial arts are greatly weakened. Facing five of us, yet you remain so calm. You are indeed a figure of some standing!"
The bedroom was pitch black. Although moonlight streamed through the window, it fell on the backs of the five figures, obscuring their faces.
Of course, even if the bedroom were lit, these five Hua Jin Grandmasters either wore masks or had painted ghastly faces, making their appearances impossible to discern.
Xiao Yunlong slowly stood up, his voice sharp as a knife. "Tell me who sent you, and perhaps I'll spare your lives!"
"What a joke! You are now like fish on a chopping block, yet you dare to threaten us? Truly audacious!" the central black-clothed Grandmaster spat out, his voice laced with cold fury.
"Big Brother, no need to waste words with him. Delay breeds trouble. We should strike quickly and eliminate this scoundrel!"
"Indeed. This brat has an extraordinary identity. Let's all attack together!"
As the words fell, the five Hua Jin Grandmasters unleashed their powerful inner energy. The bedroom was immediately filled with whistling winds, the momentum utterly immense.
The assassin Grandmaster in the center moved the fastest, his fingers like claws lunging straight for Xiao Yunlong's face. The other four attacked from the sides and above.
In an instant, the bedroom was like a tempest, the entire bed shaking violently from the fierce gusts of wind.
Xiao Yunlong remained seated cross-legged at the head of the bed, his expression now completely grim. Especially his eyes, which held a deep murderous intent in the darkness.
As the five claw-like fingers were about to grasp his throat, Xiao Yunlong let out a cold laugh and, with lightning speed, reached out and seized the opponent's wrist.
Then, with a swift twist, a crisp cracking sound echoed in the dark bedroom. The entire arm of the black-clothed assassin leader was dislocated.
But that wasn't all. Xiao Yunlong pulled forward with his right hand and then threw a punch!
*Bang!*
The assassin leader was sent flying straight backward. Mid-flight, he spat out a mouthful of blood and then slammed heavily against the wall, appearing to be severely injured.
The faces of the other four black-clothed assassin Grandmasters changed drastically. Someone exclaimed, "Not good, his cultivation is not damaged! Retreat quickly!"
As Hua Jin Grandmasters, these four black-clothed assassins reacted with incredible speed. Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, they immediately retreated, attempting to escape.
Judging by their actions, they must have known Xiao Yunlong's identity and his skills before coming to assassinate him!
"Trying to leave now? Do you think you can escape?"
Xiao Yunlong let out a cold snort, his body suddenly rising into the air, disappearing from his spot.
The four black-clothed assassins were stunned, as the opponent had vanished before their very eyes for no apparent reason.
Of course, the four assassin Grandmasters knew that the opponent hadn't truly vanished. The reason they couldn't see him was that his movement speed had reached an incredible level.
Or rather, it was so fast that their naked eyes couldn't capture it!
"The intelligence was wrong, we've been tricked! You guys, run!" the black-clothed assassin roared, his dark eyes filled with profound terror.
However, before his words even finished, four screams sounded in succession. Those four assassin Grandmasters were instantly killed.
With another swift sound, Xiao Yunlong suddenly appeared before the black-clothed leader.
With that punch just now, Xiao Yunlong hadn't intended to kill him directly. Otherwise, this person would have died the moment it landed.
He had spared his life because Xiao Yunlong wanted to find out who was behind the assassination.
"You should know very well why I didn't kill you just now. Speak, who sent you!"
Xiao Yunlong looked down at him, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
The black-clothed assassin leader, though a Hua Jin Grandmaster himself, and even at the peak, now lay on the ground like a dead dog, trembling all over.
"So you realized we were coming to assassinate you long ago, and after your treatment, you deliberately feigned weakened cultivation to lure us in!"
The black-clothed leader gritted his teeth, his face filled with regret and unwillingness.
Xiao Yunlong snorted, "Do you think saying that now has any meaning? Reveal the mastermind, or I will make you wish you were dead!"
"Make me wish I were dead? I believe that, but surname Xiao, even if I die today, you absolutely won't survive. There are too many people in this world who want you dead."
Before the black-clothed assassin leader could finish speaking, he suddenly bit down hard, as if biting something in his mouth.
Xiao Yunlong's expression changed drastically. "Not good..."
As he spoke, he grabbed the man's mouth, trying to retrieve something.
But by this time, the black-clothed assassin leader's mouth was full of black blood. It was too late; he had already swallowed it.
"Surname Xiao, the five of us brothers will await you on the road to the Yellow Springs..."
The black-clothed assassin leader let out a shrill roar through gritted teeth. After a bout of convulsions, he died.
"Damn it, I didn't expect them to have hidden poison fangs. These guys are actually suicide agents!"
Xiao Yunlong's brows furrowed, his gaze sharpening. He gritted his teeth and snorted, "To make Hua Jin Grandmasters willing to act as suicide agents, the mastermind is incredibly lavish. I doubt any family or power in Jiangdong has such capability!"
He walked slowly to the window, his brows knitted, and opened it. Milky moonlight poured in.
The night was clear, the moon gentle. Xiao Yunlong stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the round moon in the sky.
He knew very well that only the powerful families in the capital could afford to dispatch five Hua Jin Grandmaster assassins at once, two of them at peak cultivation.
In other words, not only had the capital learned of his whereabouts, but they had also launched a series of attacks again!
Xiao Yunlong wasn't surprised by all this. In fact, it was partly his intention. Otherwise, he wouldn't have so readily revealed his identity token in Sucheng. His original intention was to follow the trail and uncover the forces behind it.
It was just that tonight, he had been careless. He hadn't expected the peak Grandmaster to have a hidden poison fang, and the man had refused to yield even in death!
"The waters in the capital are too deep. With my current martial arts cultivation, I probably can't uproot them. I need to continue to lie low, improve my cultivation as much as possible, and return when my divine skills are perfected!"
As Xiao Yunlong thought this, he suddenly sighed inwardly, "The so-called influential families in Jiangdong, and even the entire Eastern Region, have likely grown too accustomed to peace and comfort. They have become increasingly decadent, rotting from the roots. During this time, I will properly set things right!"
Just then, a car roared into Purple Cloud Villa. Immediately, the sound of footsteps echoed from the villa. It turned out that Jun Bufan and Liang Bendao had rushed back.
"Hmm? Such a strong smell of blood. Could it be inside... Oh no, Big Brother is in trouble!"
Liang Bendao exclaimed, pushing open the阁楼 door with force. The two of them rushed in.
The bedroom light had been turned on at some point, making the room as bright as day. However, a strong smell of blood indeed permeated the air.
The five black-clothed assassins lay in pools of their own blood.
Xiao Yunlong still stood with his hands behind his back, gazing out the window at the clear night sky. Seeing the two enter, he simply said, "Don't worry, I'm fine!"
As he said this, Xiao Yunlong turned to look at them. He clearly saw the expressions of shock on Jun Bufan and Liang Bendao's faces.
However, Xiao Yunlong could discern that the shock on their faces was not the same. In other words, their thoughts at this moment were not identical.
Jun Bufan couldn't help but ask, "Big Brother, what exactly happened? Were these five black-clothed men here to kill you?"
Xiao Yunlong smiled faintly. "Of course they were here to kill me. Otherwise, why would they be here talking with me in the middle of the night?"
Jun Bufan couldn't manage a smile at this jest. He asked nervously, "Big Brother, your cultivation was damaged just now. Did you suffer any harm encountering such an attack?"
Liang Bendao chimed in, "Brother Bufan, what are you asking? Look at Big Brother now, does he seem like someone who's been harmed? Moreover, I can tell that Big Brother's cultivation is not damaged. These five black-clothed assassins were likely eliminated by Big Brother!"
"Ah, this..." Jun Bufan remained in a state of bewilderment.
Liang Bendao glanced at Xiao Yunlong and sighed, "I understand. Big Brother was actually setting a trap. The depletion of his cultivation during the treatment and detoxification was something Big Brother deliberately faked, just to make these assassins believe it and fall into his trap. Big Brother is truly Big Brother, with divine foresight, everything is under your control. Little brother is truly impressed!"
As he spoke, Liang Bendao cupped his hands and bowed, showing sincere respect.
Xiao Yunlong waved his hand slightly and sneered, "Mere clowns. There are plenty of people in this world who want to kill me. If I could be killed by such means, how could I still be alive today!"
Jun Bufan now understood. "So that's how it is. Fortunately, Big Brother deliberately faked it. If his cultivation had truly been damaged and he encountered such an attack, it would have been truly dangerous. But Big Brother, who exactly wants to kill you?"
"They are all dead now, so asking this is meaningless. You two, handle these corpses and clean up the scene before Ruyan returns."
Xiao Yunlong then walked towards the exit. Just as he reached the door, he suddenly paused and said, "Right, to avoid unnecessary trouble, you should call Director Yan Lichu of the Jiangdong Supervisory Department and tell him it's my order!"
With that, he turned and went down the阁楼, heading to the underground training room to go into seclusion.
Jun Bufan, however, frowned. "Big Brother wants us to call the Supervisory Department Director? If he sees these corpses, won't it be even more difficult to explain?"
Liang Bendao smiled. "You've been following Big Brother for some time, even longer than I have. How can you still not understand Big Brother's identity? You are too naive, my friend."
"What is Big Brother's identity? I don't really care about that. But speaking of which, what is Big Brother's background and identity?" Jun Bufan asked.
"I cannot say that unless Big Brother tells you himself. Alright, let's hurry and handle this. I'll call Yan Lichu first and ask him to bring people over!"
Liang Bendao said, shaking his head, and the two began to handle the situation.
Soon, the阁楼 was cleaned up, and Yan Lichu arrived with his men.
Just as Liang Bendao had said, although Yan Lichu saw the five corpses, he asked nothing. He simply waved his hand, instructing his subordinates to bag them.
"By the way, the two of you, where is Mr. Xiao now?" Yan Lichu asked as he was about to leave, after some thought.
"Big Brother is cultivating in the underground room. Do you need him for something?" Jun Bufan replied.
Yan Lichu smiled. "Forget it, then I won't disturb Mr. Xiao for now. I'll visit another day."
After cupping his hands, Yan Lichu quickly led his men away.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, Liu Ruyan, as she had done the day before, went to the film set early to shoot her scenes.
However, just as she left Purple Cloud Villa, Yan Lichu arrived with two deputies.
Xiao Yunlong was having breakfast when he saw this, his brow furrowing slightly. Seeing Yan Lichu's hurried demeanor, he vaguely guessed that something had happened in Jiangdong.
"You've come so early. I hope I haven't disturbed you, Mr. Xiao?" Yan Lichu asked with a smile and cupped hands as he walked in.
"It's fine. You are usually busy with official duties. Coming here so early must mean you've encountered a thorny issue, right?" Xiao Yunlong said with a slight smile.
"Mr. Xiao, you are indeed as wise as ever. I have indeed encountered an extremely thorny matter, and I have no choice but to seek your assistance, Mr. Xiao!"
Yan Lichu, dressed in a dark blue Zhongshan suit, was thin but stood very straight, appearing capable and fitting for his current position.
"Please sit and tell me!" Xiao Yunlong gestured slightly.
Yan Lichu did not sit. He said with a worried expression, "To be honest, Mr. Xiao, in the past two days, people have been disappearing in Jiangdong."
Liang Bendao heard this and said, "Director Yan, the disappearance of people is not an unusual case. Many occur across the country every year. Do you really need to bother our Big Brother with this?"
"You don't know, but these are not ordinary missing person cases. The people who have disappeared in the past two days are all girls between sixteen and eighteen years old who have never been intimate with anyone. Furthermore, after our comparison and investigation, they all share a common characteristic: they were all born on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month!"
"In fact, it's not just the past two days. Three years ago, there were similar cases of young girls disappearing, five in total, all born on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Strangely, the victims disappeared very bizarrely, as if they vanished into thin air. The perpetrators left no clues whatsoever, and our people could find nothing. Those cases from three years ago are still unsolved."
Yan Lichu said with a bitter smile.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunlong's gaze suddenly sharpened. He suddenly realized something.