In the muddled back alleys of Muddy Corner, we find Cui Peng leaning against a crooked tree, looking like he’s waiting for the bus or, more likely, some grand evil plot to unfold.
“k*ll Li Mo, smear him with the bl**d of a genius, and my skills will ascend to new heights!” He mused, plotting something oh-so-clever in his mind. “But I wonder, apart from the Murong family, is there anyone else lurking around him? Professional lurkers, you know?”
Just then, as he was lost in his tasty little thoughts, a scruffy yellow mouse scampered up his pant leg and perched itself on his shoulder. After a few squeaks, Cui Peng’s mouth curled into a devilish grin. “Aha! That little beggar has left a trace of his presence on the target. Now, this tiny rodent will serve as my eyes and ears, gathering all sorts of juicy gossip!”
He fantasized about knowing everything—what techniques Li Mo practiced, whether he had any mentors trailing him, and what his daily routine was like.
“Understanding a person fully is the first step in making them the hunted,” Cui Peng smirked, brushing the bl**d on his sleeve as he felt a fiery thrill in his chest.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps nearby. Peeking up, he saw that very little beggar he had previously sent on a mission. Since he was done using the kid, there was no need for him to stick around.
“Come here for your payment!” Cui Peng jingled a copper coin from his pocket like he was a cast member in a terrible street performance.
“But wait!” he mused sinisterly, gripping his bl**d-stained weapon. Before he could make his move, the little yellow mouse squeaked again, causing him to turn sharply.
Standing there was a young man draped in a robe adorned with cloud patterns—a clean-cut Li Mo, who smiled like he had just found the last cookie in the jar.
“Cui Peng, you look nothing like your portrait,” Li Mo casually noted.
Unbeknownst to him, he had accidentally stumbled right into Cui Peng’s dark plot while searching for his friend, the ice chunk known colloquially as Ying Bing.
“How did you know?” Cui Peng’s voice came out like a gust of wind from the deepest abyss, every nerve in his body jumping to attention. When you know your enemy well—man, it makes you feel like a confident hunter! But now, Li Mo had turned the tables, and the hunter had become… well, still a hunter, but feeling a tad vulnerable.
“Let’s just say there’s a lot you’re oblivious to in this world,” Li Mo smirked, his divine eye revealing Cui Peng’s details like it was flipping through a poorly-hidden dossier.
【Name: Cui Peng】
【Age: 28】
【Bone Structure: White Monkey Arm】
【Realm: Internal Energy Gathering Stage】
【Fate: Grayish Blue】
【Evaluation: A cold-blooded, extremely lucky assassin—the gunman of fate.】
【Recent Events: bl**d-scent technique hitting a brick wall, injuries still not healed, determined to take a wild risk and attempt to ambush Qingyuan Sect’s true disciple, Li Mo, hoping to join Misty Rain Tower through this achievement.】
Cui Peng’s eyes narrowed like a hawk spotting its dinner. His bloody short blade gleamed ominously as tension filled the alley like a heavy fog.
The little beggar, now thoroughly confused but frightened, dropped his bag of rice, his mind racing faster than a rabbit on caffeine.
“Just go!” Li Mo said, walking past the boy and giving his head a gentle pat.
“Th-thank you…” The little beggar stammered, nearly tripping over his own legs as he bolted away, taking a few falls along the way. As he exited the alley, he turned back to peek.
Although he had no clue what shenanigans were happening, he understood one thing: the mighty sage Li Mo was definitely the good guy, and the creep in the alley was most certainly the villain.
Cui Peng! That’s the psycho who had caused quite a stir recently!
With a snap, the little beggar accidentally crushed a twig beneath his foot, shattering the tense silence.
“Playing tricks, are we?” Cui Peng glared, “Daring to come find me alone? Today’s your last day on this planet!”
His eyes darkened with menace, and his weapon sliced through the air, aiming straight for Li Mo’s chest.
The blade screeched with a furious energy—Wait, was that a… killing aura? And had it been dipped in the bl**d of the innocent?
Li Mo raised an eyebrow, his expression lifting into something halfway between amused and surprised.
“Seriously? You went through all that trouble to learn a kn*fe technique just to do… this?”
He shook his head, rolling his eyes. He had planned to try out his own move, but it appeared there was no need.
With a flourish, he unsheathed the Crimson Sky Sword at his waist.
Clang clang clang—
In a flash, the sword sliced through Cui Peng’s internal energy shrouding his blade, clashing ferociously to create a symphony of metal on metal.
In Cui Peng’s wide eyes of disbelief, the lethal bl**d kn*fe began to chip away like it was made of cheap glass.
Cui Peng’s face twisted in anger and shock.
But before he could even process the pain of loss, the point of impact where their weapons clashed suddenly erupted with overwhelming strength, shattering his blade into pieces.
“Your bl**d kn*fe technique… you know it?” Cui Peng was internally drowning in a tsunami of panic.
“What a bizarre weapon…”
Splurt! bl**d sprayed in a theatrical manner as it flowed down the gleaming blade of the Crimson Sky Sword.
Li Mo tiptoed forward with the calmness of a cat in a sunbeam. “Even at your peak, you wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”
Honestly, Li Mo was just as surprised. “Am I this strong now?” He had merely executed an ‘ordinary strike’ and had mopped the floor with Cui Peng instead.
But, in hindsight, it made sense. Though Li Mo was merely at the bl**d Realm, he had already surpassed the usual limits. His catastrophic physicality meant each of his strikes came laced with lethal intent and the bonus of holding an extraordinary sword—things mere mortals could only dream of.
“Honestly though, I was hoping to sharpen my combat skills with Cui Peng,” Li Mo chuckled, shaking his head while scanning Cui Peng’s motionless body, rummaging through his pockets like it was Black Friday.
Just a little habit from his past life of gaming, you know?
“Silver notes… bl**d kn*fe technique… strengthening herbs…” Most of the stuff was beneath his notice.
That bl**d kn*fe technique Cui Peng valued like his own life was merely mid-grade, while he had more than enough silver notes and medicinal herbs to spare.
Then he stumbled upon something hard and sharp in his rummaging.
Pulling it out, he discovered a plain iron swallow, with no remarkable qualities except for an oddly sharp inscription on it:
“Old time’s Royal House Swallows flew merely seeking common folk’s homes.”
“A swallow from Misty Rain Tower,” Li Mo recognized, recalling tales shared by his charming female mentor.
Misty Rain Tower was known throughout the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths for being downright notorious. Their initiation rituals were especially unsavory—a candidate had to be selected, not by their own choice, but rather hunted down like a piece of ripe fruit by the Tower itself.
This iron swallow indicated they were already eyeing him. No option to back out; he was now a contestant in their “Endless Trials,” a brutal game where selected individuals were forced to fight until only a few survived.
“Is the Endless Trial about to start in Ziyang Mansion?” Li Mo thought, knowing he had zero interest in their shenanigans. Better to wait for the authorities to arrive and have them deal with Cui Peng’s corpse for proper examination.
Just then, he heard the little beggar’s voice echoing, “Over here!”
Alongside him were Murong Hai and Murong Xiao, looking like they’d just emerged from a soap opera with all the anxiety in their faces.
Murong Xiao, sensing the vibe was off and hearing the radio silence, began fidgeting nervously. “No worries, Young Friend Li is safe.”
Murong Hai, with his Observation Realm powers, sensed the atmosphere well. He could feel only Li Mo’s calm presence amidst the chaos, indicating that the chaos maker, Cui Peng, had likely scurried off.
Before that thought could settle, he caught sight of Li Mo, standing over a corpsy figure, casually playing with an iron swallow like he was a contestant in a talent show.
