On the entirety of Lion Peak, every spot available for rest was occupied, yet Lu Fan felt no urge to resort to force.
It was only now that he truly understood Lion Peak's rule: to obtain something better, one must possess the strength to do so.
Even within Lion Peak, members of the assassin dynasty could act against each other without any discernible rules.
As long as one survived, that was the greatest rule of the assassin dynasty, which was also why friendships were virtually nonexistent there.
All assassins were wary of one another; a moment's carelessness could lead to being intercepted, and such incidents were far from rare.
"You need to be careful about the decisive battle three days from now!" the old village chief warned. "If you truly can't manage, I'll step in myself!"
"You'll step in yourself?"
Lu Fan glanced at him. "Do you have confidence you can defeat all the assassins? Could it be, old man, that you've been hiding your strength?"
"I haven't hidden my strength, but my own abilities are not low."
The old village chief stated plainly, "After all, no matter what, I was once a veteran assassin of the assassin dynasty, a Saint-level assassin. Therefore, securing a ranking won't be too difficult!"
"If you say so, then I'll leave this matter to you!" Lu Fan shrugged. "This way, I can enjoy some leisure and won't have to worry about it anymore!"
"You're not serious, are you?" the old village chief chuckled awkwardly. "I was just saying, and you actually took it to heart!"
"Of course, I'm serious. You've already said it, doesn't that mean it's settled?"
Lu Fan shrugged, his gaze growing even more placid, as if all of this seemed insignificant in his eyes, as if the old village chief could genuinely achieve first place.
"Cough, cough..." The old village chief coughed a few times, his expression somewhat peculiar.
He had merely been being polite. He hadn't expected Lu Fan to be serious. Relying on his own strength to win first place would likely be quite difficult. However, even if Lu Fan decided to act, he might not necessarily achieve first place.
"I was just joking earlier, you mustn't take it seriously!" Lu Fan smiled slightly. "I am confident I can secure a ranking, so you don't need to worry too much!"
"Seriously? The assassins in the dynasty are extraordinary, and there are countless experts. It's not an easy task to secure first place!" the old village chief said repeatedly. "With even a slight misstep, one could die. After all, in the annual battles for supremacy, very few have ever managed to leave alive!"
"I don't care about those things!" Lu Fan shrugged. "As long as I can find the real culprit behind this, these matters are nothing in my eyes!"
Seeing Lu Fan's words, the old village chief nodded slightly, but he couldn't say much more. Since it was Lu Fan's decision, he naturally had to respect it.
Moreover, he felt that Lu Fan might have some hidden trump cards, otherwise, why would he be so confident? However, caution was still necessary on Lion Peak, lest he become cannon fodder.
Just as they were conversing, a figure suddenly arrived outside Lion Peak. This person was not dressed in black but wore a white dress, appearing like a white lotus, making them quite striking.
Instantly, many assassins on Lion Peak turned their gazes towards the woman, their eyes filled with admiration and affection.
"Who is she? Why does she have such a strong appeal?" Lu Fan asked, slightly surprised.
"She is the Peony Killer. On the entirety of Lion Peak, apart from the King-level assassins, she also ranks highly," the old village chief explained. "More importantly, she has numerous suitors, so she is very likely to be the next leader!"
"The next leader?" Lu Fan was slightly surprised. "Then the Hundred-Faced Scholar from before, he should be quite formidable as well."
"He is Jian Bei's chief disciple, so naturally, he is very powerful!"
The old village chief stated directly, "However, compared to Peony, he is still inferior. After all, in terms of popularity, Peony is the highest!"
Lu Fan nodded slightly, showing considerable interest in this Peony Killer. For a woman to achieve such a position was exceptionally remarkable.
"Senior Sister Peony, these are the flowers I specially prepared for you!"
At this very moment, a man stepped forward from the crowd, holding a bouquet of flowers, and approached Peony, his eyes filled with adoration.
Peony glanced at him briefly, then said coldly, "Don't you know Lion Peak's rules? How dare you flirt here?"
"Senior Sister Peony misunderstands. I didn't mean it that way; I have admired Senior Sister Peony for a long time, and it was involuntary," the man said quickly, looking somewhat nervous.
He knew very well that those who violated Lion Peak's rules met a violent end. Peony's words had clearly frightened him. Su Dan Novel Network.
"Too much nonsense!"
Peony said coldly. The flowers in the man's hand instantly dissipated, his body was violently thrown, smashing heavily against the stone wall, with blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Many present witnessed this scene with a sense of schadenfreude. They knew very well that Peony was always proud and never looked at others differently. This man was simply courting death by daring to confess his feelings publicly.
Lu Fan was slightly astonished. He hadn't expected Peony to be so direct, even showing no mercy, not even to her admirer.
"You shouldn't be too surprised, boy. This is actually quite normal!" the old village chief shrugged. "Those who become top assassins have no emotions. In their eyes, there is only the mission; nothing else can stir any ripples!"
"Indeed, as you say," Lu Fan shrugged. "Such individuals are indeed not to be provoked. Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you died."
"So, Junior Sister is back. Why didn't you notify us?"
The Hundred-Faced Scholar walked over, revealing a smile. "I heard that you completed your mission very excellently!"
"Isn't that normal?" Peony shrugged. "You've arrived quite early. Where is Master?"
"Three days from now, Master intends to accept a final disciple!" the Hundred-Faced Scholar said, shrugging. "So he doesn't wish to see anyone for these three days. Junior Sister, please don't disturb him!"
Peony said nothing and walked straight ahead, as if no one present was worthy of speaking with her.
As he watched Peony's retreating figure, the Hundred-Faced Scholar's expression turned sinister. He was, after all, the chief disciple, and Peony's coldness towards him naturally displeased him.
After all, he harbored ambitions of winning Peony over. Only then could he become the master of Lion Peak and the next branch leader.