Tang Ye (Part 3)
“It’s obvious you believe I’ll be your victim.”
The assassin started questioning if showing himself was a mistake. The worst mistake an assassin could make was attempting an assassination without a plan. Visually and audibly, Tang Ye was clearly barely hanging on, but what if it was all a ruse? Nonetheless, a professional assassin wouldn’t tuck tail after a mere few words.
“It looks like you can still manage one more kill, Brother Tang. Am I wrong?”
Tang Ye shook his head and forced a smile. “It’s tiring to even stay standing. If you have a walking stick, I don’t mind borrowing it. You could kill me with just a shove right now. How about giving it a try?”
Tang Ye was bleeding and poisoned, so the assassin couldn’t put his finger on why he was still hesitant, but he figured it out once he remembered Tang Za was now unconscious when the latter was probably thinking the same thing before being defeated.
“Hahaha, what do you think your chances of winning are if I attack now?”
An obvious provocation but also a brilliant way of testing his target. No matter what answer Tang Ye gave, his answer could very well have turned his deceit against him. As soon as they started throwing, Tang Ye’s true condition would come to light within three exchanges.
During his time in the martial world, Tang Ye learned that everybody had tags, a nickname or whatever you wanted to call it. The tag or nickname reflected the owner’s personality and behaviours that might not have been real, but the ignorant would believe those traits were real. The assassin definitely didn’t know Tang Ye well as a person, but he definitely know he tags associated with Tang Ye.
Tang Ye – a man of few words who’d accept every challenge.
Tang Ye smirked. “Why ask? You’ll know once we fight, won’t we?”
The “Tang Ye” response faded away the confidence in the assassin’s gaze.
“I have been reckless.” The assassin flung two darts at Tang Ye at high velocity.
The way Tang Ye evaded the darts betrayed his façade.
“Wow, you’re a shrewd guy, Brother Tang, hahaha.” The assassin propelled himself toward Tang Ye along the same path of the two darts, landed, drew his iron broadsword at his waist and plunged it straight through his injured prey.
Even though he was leaning, Tang Ye suddenly cracked a grin. Following a reactive gasp, the assassin punched the ground with his front foot to dodge the incoming fingers that would’ve rendered him in the same state as his fallen comrades.
“That was clever, Brother Tang. I’m not going to hang around.”
Once the assassin was gone, Tang Ye gasped a mouthful of blood. If keeping up the act was taxing, then it was no surprise he felt even worse after having to actually fight. He could barely feel his true qi since the last finger spear reduced his fireball of true qi to a mere spark of true qi. Still, he had to keep moving because, while an assassin wouldn’t go back to check the scene of their assassination, an assassin who failed to eliminate their target would.
Tang Ye dragged his mangled body in the opposite direction the assassin fled. It was close to daybreak, and he had to pass on the information before noon, or the hostages at Autumn Light Temple would be in danger. He couldn’t move fast, but he moved in the right direction. Given the distance between where he was and where the closest Qilin Guards’ base was located, they’d immediately come running if there was a fuss – and provided they weren’t sleeping on the job. Yelling out loud in the dark forest was still the most dangerous method of drawing attention as he lacked the energy to defend himself until they could arrive; he couldn’t even yell anywhere near as loud as usual, for that matter.
Tang Ye suddenly felt pain in his chest. Had he not shifted his weight off onto an angle the moment he sensed danger, the sword that pierced him from behind would’ve punctured his heart. Nevertheless, blood shot from his chest. Through sheer will, he managed to drop and roll to catch a glimpse of the man who tried to kill him.
Wearing a triumphant smile and carrying a bloody blade in his hand, the assassin said, “Your bluff was so hard to see through. You had me totally fooled. Respect.”
Tang Ye didn’t believe a word that came out of the assassin’s mouth, and the assassin probably didn’t believe he meant a word he said, either.
The assassin didn’t fall for Tang Ye’s lie. He deliberately pulled out, reasoning that prey would be easiest to take down once they lowered their guard. A beast’s desperate last-ditch attack was always the most ferocious attack they could offer. Therefore, he waited until Tang Ye was convinced he was safe before making his move.
Tang Ye’s strategy was immaculate. However, he failed to give enough credit to his opponent’s shrewdness and didn’t realise his opponent was the toughest fighter among the group. In what world would someone as proud as Tang Za do a job for someone else and play supporting character? He didn’t only took action first because he wasn’t as strong; he coveted the merit.
“I don’t doubt Tang Za is stronger than you, yet he surprisingly lost to you. What do we call it? Talent? I’m sure my memory doesn’t do me justice. I’m stronger than Tang Za, but I’d still lose to you because of that stupid talent.” The armed assassin vigilantly closed in without any emotions to speak of. “You forgot one thing: I’m an assassin, not a martial artist.”
There was still a lack of sincerity in his tone, but it sounded more genuine than anything he’d said thus far. If this manner of speech wasn’t a universal characteristic of assassins but an individual one, then Tang Ye couldn’t imagine getting along with him.
Tang Ye took breaths as big as a fish in a filthy tank. He was a subscriber to the axiom that how one lived changed their personality, and it didn’t take long for the changes to take place. Tang Za had changed, and so had the assassin. The first events Tang Ye started to reflect on weren’t the academy challenges but the days of going on patrol at Liu Shan Men.
Every day started off with tidying himself up, assembling for debriefs and then leading a squad out on patrol. If there was nobody around, he’d get dragged over to fetch water, sweep the floors and cook. Time flew at Liu Shan Men, not because the days were filled with joy but because of how packed his schedule was. Shen Yiren reasonably squeezed every ounce of energy and time out of her subordinates; she wouldn’t kill them, but she wouldn’t let them have time for leisure. Rather than saying he infused martial arts into his life, it’d have been more accurate to say he was forced to infuse martial arts into his daily life.
As a product of life experiences, some people ended up on the wrong and some ended up on the right path. Some people ended up being a blessing for the world and others a menace. Like it or not, nobody went through life without ever changing.
At the start, vengeance was Tang Ye’s steroids. At some point in time, that changed. Maybe it was during the morning training sessions. Maybe it was during the late-night patrols. Maybe it was when the stall owners on the streets called him “Constable Tang”. Maybe it was when everyone at the office started relying on him.
A lot of thoughts went through Tang Ye’s head in a short time. Of course, he also thought about what’d happen if he was in the palm of someone’s hands again. At the end of all the thoughts, the realisation of what impelled him to drag his worn-out body along no matter what put a smile on his face. “You sure you want to be back?”
The assassin first thought it wasn’t another bluff, but then he decided it was just another attempt to fool him. Using a strategy that didn’t work the first time for a second time was the pinnacle of idiocy. Working in the line of assassination, he had seen more idiots begging for their lives than he could remember, and it always worked one way or another. Howbeit, he didn’t want to see Tang Ye pleading for mercy as it’d ruin his desire to kill.
“You’re not my match.” Despite Tang Ye’s laborious breathing and hunched-over posture, he kept up his amateurish acting. “You won’t even last five attacks.”
Is he crazy? Does he really think he can fool me again? There’s no reason for me to feel uneasy. I’m not going to let him play me again.
The assassin struck out.
“One.” Tang Ye surprised the assassin with an eye poke technique.
“Two.” Tang Ye changed the trajectory of his finger spear, forcing the assassin to pull his blade back parallel to the ground for a block.
“Three.” Tang Ye hit the side of the blade with his open hand.
“Four.” Tang Ye reversed the blade and set it next to the assassin’s neck.
“Five.” Tang Ye pushed the blade in.
The assassin’s short and final cry startled the birds off the trees, but his blood continued to spray everywhere for a while from his neck.
“Hey, over here!”
“It’s Tang Ye!”
Qilin Guards who recognised Tang Ye sped over to him.
Tang Ye’s head felt so heavy that he didn’t know why he was smiling, but his instincts moved his limbs for him. His actions might’ve been innocuous, but it was critical to the outcome of Jiang Chen’s plans. Before he was no longer lucid, Tang Ye didn’t forget to throw the letter.
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