Hengxing, seeing that the newcomer was fearless, also prepared himself to find out exactly what the other man was made of.
From just that single punch earlier, Shi Kai — standing three meters away — had already realized the opponent was no ordinary man and could not be underestimated. Thinking this, he used his Shift-Shadow Step to suddenly appear right in front of Hengxing.
The moment Hengxing saw this, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He reflexively stepped back, startled: What's going on? How can he be this fast? I can't even see him clearly. If he had struck just now…
Shi Aotian was also amazed: Such quick reactions… Aside from Master, this is the first time I've seen someone react so fast. But if I had actually attacked just now, I doubt he could have dodged it.
With that thought, Shi Aotian reassessed the man's strength.
True to his reputation as an elite assassin, Hengxing instantly regained his composure, leapt up, and threw a punch at Shi Aotian — a punch that seemed to carry the weight of a thousand catties.
Shi Aotian quickly brought up a knife-hand strike to meet it head-on. After a brief clash, they instantly broke apart.
Crack! Hengxing's glove shattered into pieces. His punching hand trembled uncontrollably, and fresh blood began to flow from it.
Shi Aotian fared slightly better, feeling only a strong numbness in his hand, making it a bit difficult to move.
Both were astonished — they had truly met a worthy opponent. Hengxing suddenly stepped back and glanced at his watch. Time was running out; lingering any longer could end badly. With that in mind, he vanished into the night.
Shi Aotian didn't give chase. He understood the man's capabilities — pursuing him might not end in his favor. Besides, the police would soon discover the severed head. So, instead, he turned, hoisted the utterly stunned Dongfang Qing over his shoulder, and disappeared into the darkness.
Hengxing cut through the night and headed straight for the deceased man's villa. He glanced at the dried blood on his right hand without giving it much thought. With one punch, he smashed the safe, grabbed the box of drugs inside, and left immediately, eventually depositing the drugs at the drop point specified by his employer.
Shi Aotian, worried the beauty in his arms might scream, reached out and pressed her neck. Dongfang Qing promptly fainted.
"Brother, the job's done," Hengxing said coldly into his phone after dialing.
"All taken care of?" came a man's voice from the other end.
"It's done. But there was a little… unexpected situation in the middle," Hengxing replied coolly.
"As long as the mission's complete, that's all that matters. Don't worry about the rest — the organization will handle the cleanup. Just come back first. I'm waiting for you at the hotel," the voice said.
Hengxing hung up, changed clothes, stowed them away, and immediately set off for the target hotel.
"Hello, Boss Wu, the job's done. You can transfer the balance to my account now," the young man said after making another call.
"Heh, very good… and the goods?" Boss Wu asked over the line.
"Don't worry, you can go pick them up. Everything is taken care of," the young man answered coldly.
"Good. You assassins really are trustworthy. You'll get your balance tomorrow. Hopefully, we'll never meet again," Boss Wu said before quickly hanging up.
At that moment, Hengxing walked in, closed the door, and said, "Brother."
"You're injured?" The young man glanced at Hengxing in surprise. "You haven't been hurt in five years. What happened?"
The man speaking was Hengxing's older brother, Badao. He was both Hengxing's agent and a fellow assassin. However, he rarely carried out assassination missions himself, so his name did not appear on the Blacklist rankings.
Thinking of Shi Aotian, Hengxing came back to his senses and said, "Something unexpected happened. It was going smoothly at first, but a woman suddenly appeared and saw everything. Just as I was about to silence her, a master showed up. After exchanging a single move with him, I got injured."
Badao stood up, took out some bandages, and began dressing his brother's wound. "A master? Is he also on the Blacklist?" he asked in surprise.
Hengxing shook his head. "Doesn't seem like it. I've never seen such a strange fighting style. His hands were like razor-sharp blades — no, sharper than blades. He actually sliced through my Iron Fist."
"That powerful?" Badao, finishing the bandaging, frowned in doubt. "Anything else unusual?"
Flexing his bandaged hand, Hengxing sighed. "His movement technique was bizarre. I have no idea how he could suddenly vanish from my sight, then instantly reappear right in front of me. I was careless at the time."
The strange movement he referred to was Shi Aotian's "Shift-Shadow Step" lightness skill. No matter how much they racked their brains, they could never figure out what kind of martial art it was.
Badao rubbed his chin in thought, then took a deep breath and said steadily, "Hengxing, you're no match for him. Luckily, you ran fast. If you had fought him head-on, the odds would've been heavily against you."
Hengxing, unwilling to accept this, said stubbornly, "I was careless. Otherwise, I'd definitely take him down."
"That's what I hate about you — never admitting your failures. Your Iron Fist is strong, but you're injured now. If he had really gone for the kill, think about how much of a chance you'd have had," Badao snapped.
It was true — Shi Aotian had also underestimated his opponent. Otherwise, the two would have had a fierce battle that night, and Hengxing would not have escaped so easily.
"Brother, I don't believe my Iron Fist, honed over twenty years, couldn't smash his head!" Hengxing still argued defiantly.
"Enough!" Badao roared, cutting him off. "Don't overestimate yourself. This mission is done, so consider yourself lucky. Tomorrow, you'll go back and strengthen your training, so nothing like this happens again."
Seeing his brother's temper flare, Hengxing felt even more unwilling to accept it, but he didn't dare talk back — after all, this was his older brother, and he was only worried for his safety. In some ways, Hengxing feared him. Though he had never witnessed Badao on an actual mission, their usual training made it clear that his brother's skill was definitely superior to his own.
Shi Aotian, carrying Dongfang Qing, ran to a dark corner of the park and stopped.
With a soft "Mm…," Dongfang Qing stirred awake. The moment she saw the tall, shadowy figure before her, her heart trembled in fear.
"Why did he want to kill you?" Shi Aotian asked coldly, his back still facing the woman who had just sat up.
"I… I… I don't even know who you are or where this is," Dongfang Qing stammered, her heart gripped by fear — she had never experienced anything like this before.
"Answer my question first. On what basis did you say that man was a bad guy?" Shi Aotian pressed.
"I just saw… saw him pick up a dead man's head. That person was probably killed by him. When I saw that and tried to call the police, he said he was going to kill me," Dongfang Qing replied, a chill running down her spine. She didn't know if the man in front of her was friend or foe, afraid he might also be an assassin.
Shi Aotian turned around and stepped closer, making Dongfang Qing shrink back on the ground, nearly bursting into tears.
But he quickly pulled her up and said calmly, "You can go now."
The moment he helped her to her feet, Dongfang Qing clearly caught his scent — and her heart jolted violently. It was a smell she could never forget for the rest of her life, the same primal scent she had smelled three years ago when a "wild man" had saved her by sucking the venom from a snakebite. Countless times, this scent had intoxicated her in dreams, leaving only a lingering ache upon waking.
Her body trembled — not from fear, but from the thrill of recognizing a familiar scent that had been etched into her soul. Though it was too dark to see his face, she already knew the answer in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"Why haven't you left yet?" Shi Aotian asked coldly.
"You haven't changed at all — still just as cold," Dongfang Qing said softly, stepping closer, her tear-filled eyes gazing at him tenderly.
Shi Aotian's body stiffened at her words. In this world, besides my master, who else could recognize me — Shi Kai — as I am now?
That fateful encounter in Shennongjia years ago had left little impression on him; he had simply been following his master's orders. Her face had long since blurred in his memory. Though she resembled his sister, it was only a resemblance. His heart held only the image of his sister, and over time, even Dongfang Qing's features had faded away.
"Who are you?" Shi Aotian asked, feigning ignorance.
"Wild man… do you still remember the girl you saved twice in Shennongjia three years ago?" Dongfang Qing's voice was trembling with both excitement and tenderness. In her heart, she had never forgotten the tall, handsome, and captivating "wild man."
Shi Aotian's mind raced back to three years ago. Something seemed to surface in his memory, and he suddenly stepped back, momentarily frozen.
Seeing his startled reaction, Dongfang Qing became even more certain. "I was surprised too… but I remember your scent — that unique scent I could never forget for as long as I live." She herself didn't know when she had become so bold as to say such things. Anyone overhearing them would never believe such words could come from the mouth of the "Ice Beauty" Dongfang Qing.
Shi Aotian was also shocked. He had never expected his identity to be exposed in such a way. Turning on his heel, he began to leave.
But Dongfang Qing immediately rushed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around him from behind, greedily breathing in his scent — that primal fragrance of memory that once again intoxicated her completely.
Held tightly from behind by Dongfang Qing, Shi Aotian stopped in his tracks. He didn't struggle — he simply stood there in silence, not knowing what to do.
Feeling satisfied, Dongfang Qing moved around to face him. Under the moonlight, she carefully studied his features and asked softly, "Wild man… do you remember me?"
Shi Aotian said nothing, standing cold and still.
Seeing his lack of response, Dongfang Qing refused to give up and continued, "Back then, if you hadn't rescued me from Scenic Cliff, I would have been shattered to pieces. If you hadn't sucked out the venom when I was bitten by a snake, I would have died from the poison. If you hadn't led us out of the primeval forest, I would have left nothing but bones. You even told me I looked like your sister… Do you remember all of that?"
Shi Aotian had remembered long ago — he simply didn't want to dwell on it.
"I remember," he said, spitting out the two words coldly.
Though his voice was icy, hearing them made Dongfang Qing burst into tears of joy. "I knew you'd remember!" she cried, before throwing her arms around his neck in excitement.
Shi Aotian still stood there stiffly, without the slightest ripple in his heart.
A wailing siren tore through the night.
Inside the chairman's office of Tianhai Entertainment City, a man rushed in, his face tense. "Boss, Brother Hai is dead."
The "Boss," who had been calmly reading a newspaper, froze. His expression turned instantly dark as he suddenly shot to his feet, flipping the entire desk over with a violent crash. Magazines, shattered computer parts, and broken bottles scattered across the floor.
"Who did it?" the boss asked coldly.
"We don't know. The police just came by and said they need you to identify the body," the man replied.
"You don't know? Then get out there and find out! If you can't, don't bother coming back — ever, you useless piece of trash!" the boss roared. In a flash, he pulled a gun from his waist and pointed it at the man. "If you don't find out, you'll join my brother in the grave."
Staring into the gun barrel, the man's legs went weak, sweat pouring down his face. "B-Boss, I'll go right now. I'll find out immediately!" he stammered, before turning and hurrying out the door.
The chairman of Tianhai Entertainment City was named Liu Tian. He dealt in arms and ran an underground sex business. His younger brother, Liu Hai, was the drug dealer whose head Hengxing had punched clean off earlier that night. Liu Hai specialized in narcotics, and with his older brother's powerful influence backing him, the two had swallowed up all the local underworld forces. This gave them the arrogance to conduct business openly, without fear.
Those dealing with Liu Hai feared his influence in the area and didn't dare act against him themselves. Instead, they put up a high-priced Blacklist contract to have an assassin take care of him. That was only the first step — their real goal was to destroy the Liu brothers' power, eliminate them completely, and then monopolize the region's underworld business for themselves. It was, after all, a very juicy prize.
Once his subordinate left, Liu Tian let out a furious roar, slammed his pistol to the ground, and grabbed an unbroken bottle of liquor from the floor. Tilting his head back, he drank deeply. The grief of losing his brother brought tears to his eyes.
In a dark corner of the park, the joy of reunion had clouded Dongfang Qing's thoughts. She clung tightly to Shi Aotian. Snapping out of his daze, he pushed her away without mercy and said coldly, "I'm leaving. You should go too."
"Where are you going?" Dongfang Qing quickly asked.
Shi Aotian stood there in a daze, thinking to himself: Right… where am I going? The world is so vast, but where exactly are my enemies?
At this thought, confusion clouded his mind as he replied, "I don't know. I'll just take it one step at a time."
"Don't go, alright? Come to my place. After what happened tonight, that assassin won't let this go. I beg you not to leave—just like three years ago, when I was bitten by a snake and you stayed by my side. Besides, the police will definitely investigate this matter. Why don't you wait and see how things develop before you decide?" Dongfang Qing casually came up with an excuse. No matter what, as long as she could keep him from leaving, any method was worth trying.
Shi Aotian remained silent. In the moonlight, he looked once again into Dongfang Qing's hopeful eyes and slipped into memories: Her eyes… they're just like my sister's. When I was little, she loved pinching my cheeks, loved holding me. Her hands were just as warm as hers.
Dongfang Qing looked at the cold, expressionless Shi Aotian, not even daring to breathe too loudly for fear he would leave. Shi Kai was completely lost in the warmth of his past memories and murmured, "Sister…"
Dongfang Qing didn't catch what he said, only saw his lips move slightly. She softly asked again, "Alright?"
"I… don't know." Shi Aotian hesitated. He didn't even understand how such words came out of his mouth—it was so unlike his usual self.
Hearing this, Dongfang Qing knew a glimmer of hope had appeared. She couldn't possibly let him slip away again. Seizing the moment, she happily grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Let's just leave it at that for now. You can decide when you figure it out."
Thus, in his inner turmoil, Shi Aotian was dragged back to Dongfang Qing's rented apartment. Deep down, he wanted to see those gentle eyes of hers every day—eyes filled with familial warmth, so much like his sister's. But he also knew all too well that his sister was gone. Every decision he made now was steeped in self-deception.
Once home, Dongfang Qing turned on the light and carefully studied Shi Aotian. At last, she was face-to-face with the "wild man" who had haunted her dreams. He was even taller and stronger than before, and compared to three years ago, he carried a deeper charm. She could hardly believe she'd meet him again.
"Wild man, how did you get out of Shennongjia?" Dongfang Qing asked happily.
"I'm not called 'wild man.' I have a name—it's Shi Aotian," he answered coldly.
Regret flashed through Dongfang Qing's heart. In her mind, she had always called him "wild man," and over time, it had become a habit. The words slipped out without thinking.
"Sorry," she apologized softly. "Shi Aotian… your name."
Shi Aotian nodded. "I was never a wild man. Even if I've left Shennongjia, it's only natural."
In his heart, Shi Aotian would never reveal more of Shennongjia's secrets to anyone, nor could he allow anyone to realize that he was the Shi Kai from ten years ago. Having lived in isolation for a decade after his family's tragedy, he kept his guard up toward everyone except his master. This was also one of his master's teachings—he understood deeply the saying, 'Caution ensures a safe journey for a thousand years.'
"So, does this mean you won't be going back this time?" Dongfang Qing asked excitedly.
Shi Aotian thought of his master, and the longing in his heart deepened. Once he fulfilled his own wish, he would return to Shennongjia to live a carefree, secluded life with his master.
Dongfang Qing saw that he didn't respond. Although she felt a little disappointed, the feeling quickly passed. Smiling, she said, "Let me show you something."
With that, she stood up, went to her desk, and took a small box from the drawer. Opening it, she took out a piece of bloodstained torn cloth, walked over to Shi Aotian, and said, "Do you remember this?"
Shi Aotian took it, examined it carefully, and thought to himself: How could I not remember? This was the piece of cloth I tore from your clothes to bandage your wound back then. I didn't expect that you would still keep it.