Chapter 5: The Life of the World's Number One Assassin

The youth exhaled a sigh of relief, ignoring the wounds on his body as he made his way to the door with large strides.

For some reason, at this moment, he felt that this seemingly ordinary residence was far more terrifying than the cells of the Security Bureau.

Even under these circumstances, the youth maintained caution. Pushing the door open, he carefully scanned his surroundings to ensure no one from the Security Bureau was present before stepping out.

He had escaped to freedom.

That was the most genuine thought in the youth's mind.

But the moment his foot crossed the threshold, it felt as though a hand had seized his collar, yanking him back into the room with brute force.

The owner of the hand was strong; under normal circumstances, he might have been able to struggle.

But now...

The youth found himself back in the room, looking up in confusion at Yu Sheng, who stood opposite him, his eyes filled with questions.

Yu Sheng casually shut the door, his expression still calm: "I haven't restricted your freedom, so... this couldn't be considered unlawful detention."

"At least you've left the room once."

"Yes, that's it."

Finally, Yu Sheng nodded, as if to affirm the logic of his own words.

...

The youth could no longer remember how many times he had broken down in the span of half an hour.

Yu Sheng's youthful face appeared devilishly terrifying in his eyes.

"Feel free to sit."

"Your injuries are quite severe; it's best not to move around. And remember to clean the blood off the floor."

"Otherwise, I'll be unhappy."

After giving these instructions, Yu Sheng picked up the medicine from the cabinet and sat down on a chair, falling into a daze once again.

Meanwhile, the youth stood still, slightly dazed, uncertain whether to rest for a while or to clean the room.

"It doesn't seem to be an illusion."

Yu Sheng sat in the chair, somewhat lost in thought. Each time the youth's emotions collapsed, strands of pale grey energy would rise and merge into the Scroll in his mind.

As the Scroll depicted the Dragon Pattern Staff, it seemed to have become slightly more solid than before.

Though the progress was slow, it was indeed effective.

Did this mean that the energy stemmed from the emotions of others, and that those emotions had to be caused by oneself?

Yu Sheng's eyes began to gleam as he seemed to have figured out something, looking at the youth with a new light.

Meanwhile, the youth, dragging his severely wounded body to clean the room, felt a chill down his spine, as if needles were pricking him.

What was unbearable for him was the fact that the wound on his chest continued to bleed relentlessly. As he wiped away some of the blood, more would drip onto the floor in a never-ending cycle.

Seeing the youth's breathing becoming heavier and his body shaking, as if on the verge of collapse, Yu Sheng stepped forward with concern: "Your injuries are severe; any more strenuous movement could be fatal."

Under the youth's incredulous gaze, Yu Sheng fetched a bar of soap from the restroom and handed it to the youth: "Sulfur soap cleans blood more easily, so you can rest sooner."

The youth took the sulfur soap with an indifferent expression, numbly kneeling on the ground, wiping the floor.

Yu Sheng watched as the grey mist dissipating from the top of the youth's head grew less and less, until it vanished. He blinked, stood up immediately, and returned to the youth's side.

"I've thought about it, sulfur soap can be harsh on the hands."

Snatching the soap back and seeing the grey mist reappear above the youth's head, Yu Sheng sat back down, satisfied.

"I agree!"

The youth seemed to have made an important decision, took a deep breath, stood up, and spoke to Yu Sheng with seriousness.

"Give me paper and pen; I want to leave a will before I die."

Yu Sheng looked at the youth blankly, not understanding.

"Whether I take my own life or die from blood loss, the outcome is the same."

"Better to die with some dignity."

"You said I owed you a life, now I'm repaying it."

The youth lifted his chin with a hint of pride.

In that moment, he was like the sunny, midday hour when he decided to become the World's Number One Assassin—full of youthful vigor, the epitome of a gallant youth.

An assassin should not fear death but face it bravely.

It dawned on him... that without realizing it, he had lost sight of his original purpose. Fortunately, in the final moments, he reclaimed the dignity of being an assassin.

"You can't die."

Yu Sheng decisively shook his head, without any hesitation.

Such a stable source of energy would be a waste if lost to death.

"No, I must die!"

"Only through death can I uphold the dignity of an assassin."

But the youth stubbornly shook his head: "Fine, since I'm about to die anyway, there's no need for a will. An assassin... has no emotions."

With that, a small blade appeared between the youth's fingers, slowly moving towards his throat.

Eyes closing gently, as if following the custom of those about to die, the youth recalled his life one last time.

Half a year ago, he resolved to become the World's Number One Assassin.

Three days ago, received the first assignment.

In the morning, surveillance; in the afternoon, action.

Overpowered, fled, stumbled into a den of wolves, the end.

It wasn't a perfect ending, but... it was still the life of an assassin.

Unconsciously, a faint smile of relief formed on the youth's lips.

Yu Sheng stood up, frowning, and for the first time seriously looked at the youth's face in the moonlight, then said with some confusion: "Are you really an assassin?"

"You haven't killed anyone, there's no scent of blood on you."

The youth's eyes snapped open, glaring at Yu Sheng: "I just made a mistake, that's all. Given time, I would become the World's Number One Assassin!"

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand!"

With disdain for Yu Sheng, the youth closed his eyes again, returning to his memories.

"That's not the right spot; you're aiming for the trachea, you won't die instantly."

"And it will be very painful."

Yu Sheng kindly pointed out.

The youth's hand, holding the blade, froze mid-air, hesitated for a moment, then adjusted the position slightly.

Damn it, now to recall his life all over again.

The youth cursed silently.

"That won't work either, you'll spray blood."

"The room will get dirty, and it will be hard to clean."

Yu Sheng frowned, somewhat displeased.

"I'm about to die, death—do you understand what that means?"

"Can you not interrupt me?"

"Ah??"

Veins popping on his forehead, the youth glared at Yu Sheng and roared in anger!

The exertion split his wound further, deepening his injuries. Pain sent him collapsing to the ground, clutching at his chest. He wanted to howl in agony, but striving to maintain an assassin's dignity, he stifled the cries.

"The meaning of death?"

"I don't understand."

Yu Sheng pondered for a few seconds, then shook his head: "Next time before I kill someone, I'll make sure to ask them about it."