With the sound of "bang bang bang" gunfire, many of the people shielding Zhao Long fell to the ground.
"Boss, we need to get out of here," one of Zhao Long's subordinates urged. "Most of our men are unconscious. We don’t have the strength to fight back against them. It’s too dangerous—we should leave now."
"No."
Zhao Long's gaze darkened as he stared ahead.
"Today, Lin Xuan must die!"
Only if Lin Xuan died could "Ling" return to his side—his most formidable assassin. Only then could the name "Ling" once again strike fear across the international underworld.
Zhao Long's hand suddenly produced a crossbow from nowhere.
This crossbow could fire four arrows in rapid succession.
With a flick of his fingers, the arrows shot through the air, swift and unstoppable.
Lin Xuan moved to dodge.
Su Hua's heart clenched.
"Ah Xuan, watch out!"
She rushed forward and pushed Lin Xuan aside.
An arrow grazed her waist, leaving a bloody gash.
Jiang Qing, witnessing this, was baffled. "???"
At a time like this, CEO Su was still playing the martyr?
She could have dodged safely—why deliberately get herself hurt?
"Lin Xuan," Zhao Long sneered, "those arrows are coated with my signature poison. Without the antidote, death comes in three days."
"Lin Xuan, isn’t she the one you care about most? Then make Ling return to me. Otherwise, you’ll have to watch her die!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Think it over, then come find me."
With that, Zhao Long pressed a hidden mechanism. An opening appeared behind him, and he leaped into it with his closest men, vanishing from sight.
Lin Xuan had no time to worry about Zhao Long’s escape—even if he fired, he couldn’t stop him now.
Instead, he steadied Su Hua, quickly checking her pulse.
His eyes trembled violently.
The poison was a lethal blend of seven deadly toxins, meticulously brewed under precise conditions.
Just as Zhao Long had said—without the antidote, death would come in three days.
Lin Xuan knew the cure, but it required seven days to prepare. There was no time.
Would he have to watch Hua Bao die—or hand her over to the Shadow Organization?
Wang Ba scratched his head. "Well, the Golden Dragon Gang’s been paid, and the job’s done. We’ll be on our way now. Young Master Lin, if you ever need us again, don’t hesitate to call."
His eyes kept drifting toward Su Hua.
No denying it—CEO Su was stunning. Wealthy, beautiful.
But was she really in danger?
She was their gang’s golden goose. They couldn’t afford to lose her.
Then again, Lin Xuan’s medical skills were legendary. Surely he could save her.
Reassured, Wang Ba led the Golden Dragon Gang away in a grand procession.
Soon, he doubled back.
"Almost forgot something important," he muttered to himself.
"Listen up, all Golden Dragon Gang members!" Wang Ba barked. "Search every corner of the Shadow Organization’s hideout. Take anything valuable—leave nothing behind!"
Jiang Qing watched as the gang members eagerly looted the Shadow Organization’s treasures, her lips twitching.
No wonder they were under Young Master Lin’s command.
Their shamelessness matched his perfectly.
"Hua Bao." Lin Xuan held Su Hua close, letting her lean against him. His voice was soft, almost to himself. "Don’t worry. I’ll save you. You won’t die, and you won’t have to return to Zhao Long as an assassin."
Hua Bao would be fine!
The poison was fast-acting. Soon, Su Hua’s body grew weak, her once-vibrant lips now pale.
Hearing Lin Xuan’s words, a faint light flickered in her eyes.
So… Ah Xuan didn’t hate her for being an assassin?
Before coming here, she’d been terrified he’d think her cruel.
"Ah Xuan."
She weakly grasped his hand. "Don’t run away. Stay with me, okay?"
"Of course, of course. I’ll stay by your side, Hua Bao. I won’t leave."
Lin Xuan lifted her into his arms and boarded the plane back to Night Garden.
Su Hua fell unconscious.
Lin Xuan checked her pulse—just asleep, for now. He exhaled in relief.
"Young Master Lin, do you have a way to cure CEO Su?" Jiang Qing asked anxiously.
"No," Lin Xuan admitted grimly.
Jiang Qing deflated.
Her fists clenched.
"If we can’t find the antidote, CEO Su will die. Must she really go back to the Shadow Organization? That place devours people whole." She murmured to herself.
Her face twisted in anguish—but inwardly, she gave herself a silent pat on the back.
I never expected her acting skills to be this good.
"No."
Lin Xuan pressed his lips together. "No matter what, I won’t let anything happen to Hua Bao."
After returning to Night Garden,
Lin Xuan divided his time between caring for Su Hua and retreating into his research space, working tirelessly day and night to develop an antidote for her.
Over the past three days, he hadn’t shaved, bathed, or changed his clothes, letting his appearance become unkempt.
He wandered around in a daze, as if he had lost his soul.
Gazing at the woman on the bed, her entire body shrouded in an aura of death, he forced himself to continue administering acupuncture to Su Hua.
He needed to perform the acupuncture and administer medicine for seven consecutive days for her condition to recover.
But.
Even though he knew how to treat her, it was useless.
Because after being poisoned, Su Hua only had three days left.
"Hua Bao."
Lin Xuan held Su Hua’s icy hand. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone after the Mourning Syndicate on my own."
If he hadn’t sought them out, Hua Bao wouldn’t have followed, wouldn’t have gotten hurt, wouldn’t have been poisoned.
"Ah Xuan."
Su Hua weakly opened her eyes. "Don’t run away anymore, okay?"
"I won’t, I won’t. Hua Bao, I’ll never run away again in this lifetime," Lin Xuan rasped, his voice hoarse with emotion.
A faint glimmer flashed through Su Hua’s eyes.
Ah Xuan was being so obedient now…
"And, Ah Xuan, don’t put yourself in danger anymore," Su Hua added.
"Alright, alright. I’ll listen to whatever Hua Bao says."
At this point, he would agree to anything she asked.
Su Hua’s lashes fluttered as she watched Lin Xuan’s worried, fearful expression. She wanted so badly to tell him the truth.
But she couldn’t.
She needed Ah Xuan to worry, to be afraid—otherwise, he wouldn’t learn his lesson. Next time, he’d just throw himself into danger again.
"Ah Xuan." Su Hua’s cold fingers traced Lin Xuan’s brows, his nose, his lips, before finally resting on his cheek.
"I love you. So much… so, so much…"
After speaking, Su Hua, weakened beyond endurance, slipped back into unconsciousness.
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
is also known as: "Sword Flying Under the Desk: My School Life" "Balancing Cultivation and STEM Homework" "The System That Taught Me to Take College Entrance Exams While Surviving Heavenly Tribulations" Good news: I got reincarnated. Even better news: I got reincarnated with a system. So, should I chase wealth? Or pursue immortality? Maybe become a superhero for the motherland? But with regrets weighing on this second life, I’d rather fix what I missed before. System: "Host, the cultivation world is full of dangers. You must form your Golden Core immediately!" Lin Mo glanced at the truck he’d just stopped with one hand. "At my level, it’s not like I’ll piss off ‘Little Boy’ or ‘Fat Man,’ right? Whatever—I still have two math problems left. Go play by yourself." System: "How can you still focus on homework at a time like this?! Host! Don’t throw your life away!" Lin Mo stayed silent, burying himself deeper into his workbook.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"