Chapter 16: Mysterious Figures in the Shadows

The weight in Zhang Ye's hands was ridiculous. A solid lump of dense iron, easily twice as heavy as the training swords. Master He wasn't joking.

Zhang Ye adjusted his grip. "What am I supposed to do with this? Carry it around all day?"

Master He smirked. "You wish. You're going to swing it a thousand times."

Wei Han let out a low whistle. "If you survive that, I might start calling you a monster."

Zhang Ye sighed but grinned. "Let's get this over with."

He planted his feet, lifted the iron weight, and swung.

The first ten swings were manageable.

By fifty, his arms burned.

By two hundred, his muscles screamed.

By five hundred, sweat poured down his face, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

A thousand? This old man is insane.

Master He watched from the side, unimpressed. "You stop now, and I'll add another five hundred tomorrow."

Zhang Ye gritted his teeth and kept going.

Wei Han leaned against the forge, shaking his head. "You really pissed off the right guy."

Zhang Ye ignored him, focusing on his breathing. He could feel his qi moving through his body, trying to help, but it wasn't enough his muscles were breaking down, forced to grow.

Stronger.

Faster.

Better.

By the time he hit one thousand, he collapsed onto the dirt, gasping for air. His arms felt like lead.

Master He chuckled. "Not bad. Tomorrow, we add footwork."

Zhang Ye groaned. "You're trying to kill me."

Master He grinned. "If I wanted you dead, you'd already be dead."

Wei Han laughed. "Fair point."

But just as Zhang Ye rolled onto his back, trying to recover, he felt it a shift in the air.

Something was watching him.

His smirk faded. That wasn't a villager's gaze. It was something else. Something dangerous.

Wei Han noticed too. His hand drifted toward his sword.

Master He's grin disappeared. His sharp eyes glanced toward the rooftops.

A low breeze whispered through the training ground.

Zhang Ye's fingers tightened around the iron weight.

They weren't alone.

The training ground was silent.

Too silent.

Zhang Ye's instincts screamed. Someone was watching. Someone dangerous.

Wei Han's grip tightened around his sword. "You feel that?"

Zhang Ye nodded. "Yeah. We've got company."

Master He remained still, but his sharp eyes flicked toward the rooftops. His voice was calm. "Come out."

Nothing.

Then a shift in the shadows.

A figure dropped from the rooftop without a sound, landing effortlessly in the dirt. Clad in black, their face masked, their movements eerily smooth.

An assassin.

Zhang Ye's smirk returned. "What, no dramatic entrance? Just creeping in like a rat?"

The assassin didn't respond. Instead, they raised a hand two fingers pointing toward Zhang Ye.

Master He sighed. "Tch. First sect recruiters, now assassins. You're really making a name for yourself, brat."

Wei Han's stance shifted. "I count one. But if they're a professional, they aren't alone."

Zhang Ye exhaled, rolling his shoulders despite the soreness. One fight after another. No breaks.

Good. That's how he liked it.

The assassin finally spoke, their voice cold, quiet.

"Zhang Ye. Your existence is a problem."

Zhang Ye raised a brow. "For who?"

The assassin didn't answer.

Instead they moved.

Fast. Too fast.

Zhang Ye's qi surged.

The fight had already begun.

The assassin vanished.

Zhang Ye's instincts screamed right!

He barely twisted his body in time as a dagger sliced through the air, missing his neck by inches. Too fast!

Before he could counter, the assassin's second blade flickered toward his ribs.

CLANG!

Wei Han intercepted it, his sword deflecting the strike just before it could land. Sparks flew as steel met steel.

The assassin didn't pause. They twisted midair, flipping backward before landing with eerie silence.

Zhang Ye steadied himself, eyes narrowed. Fast. Precise. No wasted movement.

This wasn't some street thug. This was a trained killer.

Wei Han exhaled, lowering his stance. "That movement… they're from the Silent Needle Clan."

Master He's brows furrowed. "Tch. Assassins-for-hire. Someone wants you dead, brat."

Zhang Ye grinned. "Good. That means I'm important."

The assassin tilted their head. "You think this is a joke?"

Zhang Ye smirked. "It's only a joke if you miss."

The assassin's eyes flashed cold.

Then they attacked again.

This time, they didn't hold back.

They moved like a shadow, their daggers flickering in and out of the dim light. Zhang Ye had no time to think only react.

CLANG! CLANG!

He barely blocked the first strike. The second he had to twist away.

The third too late.

SLASH!

A thin line of red appeared on Zhang Ye's shoulder. A cut shallow, but enough to draw blood.

Wei Han rushed in, sword flashing toward the assassin's side.

But the assassin was already gone, spinning away with effortless grace.

Zhang Ye exhaled, shaking off the pain. His qi pulsed, burning through his veins.

Alright. Enough playing defense.

He tightened his grip on his sword.

Time to see what happened when an assassin became the hunted.

Zhang Ye's fingers tightened around his sword, the sting of the cut barely registering. Pain didn't matter. The assassin was fast but predictable.

They relied on speed. Precision. Clean, efficient movements.

I just have to break their rhythm.

The assassin moved again, their daggers flashing toward Zhang Ye's throat.

This time Zhang Ye stepped in.

Instead of dodging back, he lunged forward, cutting the distance between them.

The assassin's eyes widened. They weren't expecting that.

Zhang Ye didn't give them time to adjust. His sword clashed against their daggers, forcing them into a direct engagement.

CLANG! CLANG!

Every strike came faster, heavier. Zhang Ye wasn't just reacting anymore he was pushing back.

The assassin twisted away, flipping backward to gain distance.

But Zhang Ye was already moving.

The moment their feet touched the ground he attacked.

His sword slashed low, aimed at their legs.

The assassin dodged left

Right into Zhang Ye's waiting elbow.

CRACK!

The impact slammed into their ribs, sending them stumbling. First solid hit!

Wei Han took the opening. His sword blurred

SHINK!

The tip of his blade grazed the assassin's shoulder.

A second wound. Their rhythm was breaking.

The assassin hissed, leaping back, gripping their side.

Their movements were less perfect now.

Master He chuckled. "Not so untouchable anymore, are they?"

Zhang Ye rolled his shoulders. "Not when they're fighting people who can actually think."

The assassin's eyes narrowed.

Then they did something unexpected.

They whistled.

A sharp, piercing sound.

Zhang Ye's grin faded. That's not good.

From the rooftops three more figures appeared.

Dressed in the same dark robes, masked, silent.

More assassins.

Zhang Ye sighed. "Great. More guests."

Wei Han exhaled. "I was hoping for an easy day."

Master He cracked his knuckles. "Tch. You boys focus on the fast ones. Leave the big one to me."

The assassins spread out.

The fight wasn't over.

It was just getting started.

Zhang Ye exhaled slowly, his heart pounding as the three new assassins landed in a silent crouch.

Four against three.

The odds weren't terrible.

But these weren't common thugs. Every single one of them was a trained killer.

The leader of the assassins still clutching their injured side raised a hand.

No words. Just a signal.

The assassins attacked.

They moved like shadows, fast and seamless.

Zhang Ye barely caught the movement before the first one vanished from sight.

Not good.

He instinctively ducked

A dagger whistled past his head. Too close!

He twisted his sword up, blocking another assassin's strike CLANG! The force jarred his arms.

Wei Han was already engaged in a duel with the second assassin, their swords clashing furiously.

Master He?

Master He was laughing.

The largest assassin had rushed him, two heavy iron gauntlets crushing the dirt beneath them.

Master He didn't move.

Until the last second.

Then he punched forward.

His fist met the assassin's gauntlet mid-swing.

BOOM!

The assassin's body lifted off the ground, crashing into a wall.

Zhang Ye didn't have time to be amazed.

The first assassin was still coming.

They dashed low, daggers aimed at his legs.

Zhang Ye had no time to block.

So he jumped.

The assassin's blades missed, but they twisted, coming up fast for a second attack

Zhang Ye was faster.

He kicked midair, his foot slamming into their wrist disrupting their momentum!

Before they could react he flipped his sword, using the pommel instead of the blade.

CRACK!

The assassin's head snapped back. Direct hit!

Zhang Ye landed, adjusting his stance. "One down."

Wei Han, still clashing blades, grunted. "Hurry it up!"

Zhang Ye smirked. "I'm getting there."

The leader of the assassins wiped blood from their mouth. "Tch. Annoying."

They took one step back.

Then threw something.

A small black sphere.

Zhang Ye's eyes widened. Smoke bomb!

PSSHHHHH!

The entire training ground was swallowed in a thick black fog.

Voices vanished. Footsteps disappeared.

Zhang Ye tensed, gripping his sword tighter.

They were going for a kill in the dark.

Fine. Let's see who dies first.