Guan Jinyue

Long Ao wrinkled his nose in discomfort. The damn smell here was absolutely awful.

The interior of the Hidden Conduit Bar was larger than expected. Under the dim, flashing colored lights, all sorts of people crowded together. Scantily clad dancers writhed on a small central stage, while patrons gathered around rough wooden tables, shouting loudly. The air was thick with a restless energy.

As soon as the two entered, they attracted quite a bit of attention. Their young faces, along with the school uniform Chen Guan was wearing and the coffin on his back, were exceptionally eye-catching.

Several malicious gazes swept over them, but instantly shifted away the moment they saw the Huaqing Academy uniform. Must be joking, who would dare touch a Huaqing student here?

If anyone dared to touch a Huaqing student, even the earthworms in their backyard would be chopped in half, and the yolks of their eggs would be shaken loose.

Long Ao's expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept across the room, finally landing on the bar. A bald, burly man with a scar on his face was wiping a glass. He looked like the bartender, and according to Long Ao's experience, he was usually the informant here as well.

He walked over and knocked on the counter.

The bartender looked up, glanced at him, then at Chen Guan behind him. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Unfamiliar faces? What are you drinking?"

"Looking for someone." Long Ao pushed a photo onto the bar. "Seen him?"

The bartender didn't even look at the photo and continued wiping the glass. "We have people coming and going every day. Can't remember."

Long Ao pressed a small stack of bills onto the photo. "Remember now?"

The bartender paused, glanced out of the corner of his eye in a certain direction, and quickly looked back. He picked up the cash and mumbled, "...Might be in the back warehouse. Think I saw him this afternoon. Just go down this way."

Taking the money to do the job, the bartender shamelessly sold out Shadow Rat and pointed them in the right direction.

"Thanks." Long Ao turned around, signaling his teammate to follow.

Chen Guan secretly sighed in relief that bringing Long Ao was the right choice. If he had brought An Changqing, it might not have been this effective; he was a bit too righteous.

This guy seemed born to be an emperor of the underground world; he navigated all the procedures smoothly and effortlessly.

They pushed through the crowded dance floor and opened a small door marked for staff. The noise was mostly shut out. The corridor was narrow and the lighting even dimmer, with only a few emergency lights emitting a pale white glow.

At the end of the corridor was a heavy iron door, slightly ajar, with faint voices coming from inside.

Long Ao made a hand gesture, and the two held their breath as they approached.

"...The stuff is fine. Where's the money?" a hoarse voice asked.

"What's the rush? I'll give it to you once I inspect the goods," another slightly slick voice replied.

Long Ao gently pushed the door open a crack.

Inside was a warehouse piled high with wooden crates and wine barrels. The air smelled of mold, and two figures stood in a slightly empty clearing.

With his back to the door was a short, lean man in a tight black suit with two daggers at his waist. It was none other than Shadow Rat. Opposite him was a man in a suit, looking like a middleman.

On a wooden crate between them sat a small metal case, half open. It was unclear what was inside.

Seeing their target, Long Ao instantly erupted. Crimson aura flared up as he lunged from the side, blocking the escape route.

Chen Guan followed closely behind, his mental energy silently spreading, his illusion abilities ready to strike.

The sudden attack greatly startled the two men in the warehouse.

"Fuck! An ambush!" The middleman reacted the fastest, cursing and running away without hesitation.

Shadow Rat was both shocked and furious, but he was highly experienced and reacted swiftly. The moment Long Ao's fist wind reached him, he crouched down sharply, sliding away as if he had no bones. At the same time, he flicked his hands, shooting several streaks of dark light toward Chen Guan and Long Ao.

Clang! Clang! Long Ao didn't even look at the hidden weapons, directly deflecting them with his aura, while Chen Guan used his coffin to block them.

As for Shadow Rat himself, the moment he threw the darts, his body eerily melded into the wall and disappeared.

"He got away!" Long Ao roared, throwing a punch at the wall where Shadow Rat vanished. Rubble flew, but there was no sign of the man.

Chen Guan's gaze locked onto a corner. He had already caught onto it...

His scythe was eager to move.

However, in that split second, a sudden change occurred.

A bright sword glare instantly illuminated the entire room, slashing down from the ventilation duct on the ceiling without warning.

The sword light was not massive or overwhelming, but it was terrifyingly sharp. It accurately pierced through the gap in Long Ao's attack, arriving first despite being launched later.

Squelch!

A soft sound echoed, like a hot knife cutting through butter.

Before Shadow Rat could even break free from Chen Guan's illusion interference, he was pierced from his back through to his chest by this sudden, unparalleledly swift sword light. With a spray of blood, it forcefully pinned his entire body onto the stacked wooden crates nearby.

The sword light solidified, revealing a longsword with an ancient design, its blade shimmering with a cold, moon-like luster.

The blade trembled slightly, letting out a low hum as it firmly pinned Shadow Rat down. Traces of black smoke seeped out from the wound.

"Argh!"

Shadow Rat let out a miserable scream, struggling to break free. But the sword seemed to possess an exceptionally domineering power, making him unable to channel even a sliver of his abilities. He could only writhe in vain like an ordinary prisoner.

A dead silence fell over the warehouse.

From the ventilation duct, a slender figure dropped down gracefully.

Her long silver hair flowed with a faint luster in the dim light. Her black eyes were calm and unrippled, and her exquisite face carried a tranquil aloofness that kept people at a distance.

She wore a simple moon-white martial outfit, covered by a light gauze cloak embroidered with silver cloud patterns. Her posture was as straight as a bamboo stalk.

It was none other than the top student of Beishi Academy, Guan Jinyue!

She landed soundlessly, her gaze sweeping over the two men who were on high alert in the warehouse, before finally resting on Shadow Rat, who was pinned to the wall and groaning in pain. Her eyes showed no emotion, as if she had merely done something insignificant.

"Guan Jinyue?" Long Ao recognized her. He furrowed his brows and retracted his fists to stand straight, though he did not let his guard down.

This was the academy city of Huaqing Academy. For the top student of Beishi Academy to suddenly appear here and interfere with their mission was clearly unusual.

Long Ao's eyes were sharp, the crimson aura around his body still lingering. He stared at Guan Jinyue, his battle intent faintly rising. He felt a strong threat from her sword strike just now.

Chen Guan did not speak, simply observing Guan Jinyue quietly.

This girl before him, with her cold temperament and brilliant sword light, attacked with a ruthlessness and decisiveness that completely contrasted with her appearance. He had originally thought she would have a personality similar to Zhao Qingyin.

Guan Jinyue ignored Long Ao. She walked straight up to Shadow Rat, reaching out a pale hand to grasp the hilt of the sword pinning him down.

"Hand over the item." Her voice was cold and melodious, yet carried an unquestionable chill.

Shadow Rat's face was filled with terror, and he gasped with difficulty. "Wh... what item... I don't know..."

Guan Jinyue slightly twisted her wrist.

"Ah!"

An even more miserable scream rang out as the blade twisted inside Shadow Rat's body. The black smoke dissipated faster, and Shadow Rat felt as if his very soul was being torn apart by the power of the sword.

"The... metal case... you're looking for..." He pointed haltingly at the small metal case resting on the wooden crate from the earlier transaction.