Chapter 26: Tianluo Ranking.

The next morning.

Cheng Jinyang slowly woke up, suddenly feeling something was off.

Huh, why isn't my arm numb this time? Does Miss Wang not like me anymore?

He sat up, momentarily alert, only to realize with horror that there was no one in the bed.

Not only that, but Ah Zhi's bed, the empty green sleeping bag on the floor, all were vacant.

He quickly got dressed and rushed out of the bedroom, only to see three girls sitting side by side on the sofa, eating breakfast and watching TV.

Miss Wang still had her gentle lady's hairstyle with a single ponytail in front, and so far she hadn't been murdered (perhaps the large number of deaths in the nightmare had reset the flag), her quiet demeanor was gentle and kind, making her very approachable.

Ah Zhi had her standard long black hair, unchanging over the years, her temperament was ethereal and otherworldly, cosplaying as a celestial fairy every day, making Cheng Jinyang unsure whether he should be Dong Yong or Cowherd.

Girl Qingqing also had shoulder-length hair, but this morning she casually tied it into a ponytail behind her head, revealing her lively and charming face... This appearance indeed had a confusing charm. If Cheng Jinyang hadn't remembered her ferocious and bloodthirsty appearance laughing maniacally in the dream last night, he might have been deceived by her.

"Are you awake?" Xing Yuanzhi glanced at him. "Why did you wake up so late today?"

"I overslept," Cheng Jinyang said helplessly, checking the time. "Hope I'm not late?"

"It's alright. You can still have breakfast." Chu Qingqing went to the kitchen and brought back a steaming bowl of wonton noodles.

"Thank you." Cheng Jinyang took the chopsticks, feeling very touched.

Since Chu Qingqing came, not only did I not have to cook every morning, but I also got to enjoy the treatment of having a chef cook for me. It's really great!

Miss Qingqing, you're amazing!

Seeing him happily eating breakfast, Xing Yuanzhi quietly pursed her lips.

Ever since she remembered Chu Qingqing's blood-stained appearance last night, she didn't want to get close to this girl who didn't seem to care about cleanliness anymore.

She didn't even want to thank her for the breakfast she made, but she didn't understand why Jinyang could enjoy it so much.

Just think about her bloody appearance last night! Don't you find it disgusting?

Of course, Cheng Jinyang couldn't hear Miss Ah Zhi's thoughts. He finished the wonton noodles, stood up, and said, "Let's go, we should get going."

............

After the nobility crossed south of the Yangtze River, they established family territories in Jiankang, and their specific distribution follows a pattern.

Families with abilities related to military affairs are primarily located in the Pukou District north of the river; those involved in heavy industry are found in the Qixia District east of Zhongshan Mountain; and those focused on research and education are situated in the southern Jiangning District.

Naturally, corresponding industrial clusters are also established in these three districts, collectively known as the outer ring zone.

The political central axis station is located in Xuanwu District, followed by three commercial CBD centers: Qinhuai District, Jianye District, and Yuhuatai District. These four districts are busier than the outer three districts and belong to the inner ring area.

The seven districts mentioned here are all large administrative districts, with numerous scattered small administrative districts between them.

For example, Yangtze River District encompasses a 14.3 square kilometer Jiangxin Zhou in the middle of the river, as well as the riverside area where the Qinhuai River and the Yangtze River meet.

Inside, there are many medical and agricultural facilities, as well as plenty of gourmet restaurants.

Visitors can taste the latest genetically modified ingredients here—said to offer flavors beyond what natural ingredients can provide.

Among all the districts, if we were to say which one has the lowest level of prosperity, it would probably be the Pukou District in Jiangbei.

The 'jianggui' cluster cannot swim. While the southern urban area is safely protected by the Yangtze River, the northern area of Jiangbei relies on a combination of massive city walls built along the Chu River water network, swarms of drones, and mobile cavalry to defend against the north.

About every 3-5 years, there are one or two sporadic incidents where the defense lines are infiltrated by demons, causing public opinion on the security of Jiangbei in Jiankang to almost demonize it.

Not only are there few Jiankang citizens willing to come to Jiangbei, but even the few refugee groups coming from the north, after staying in Jiangbei for a while, often choose to settle in Jiangnan.

Therefore, Chu Qingqing, who originally lived in the Chu family's territory in Qixia District, is visiting Jiangbei for the first time, a place that is said to be 'remote and impoverished' in legend.

"It's really run-down." Looking at the grocery stores, hardware shops, vegetable markets, and phone screen protector stalls on both sides of the road, Chu Qingqing couldn't help but sigh, "I thought our Qixia District was already pretty run-down..."

"Please separate the location from the quality of living," Xing Yuanzhi retorted, "The location in Pukou District may not be as good as the downtown area, but it's far from being in a dilapidated state, right? Please take a look at Liuhe District to the north. Thank you."

"Liuhe District seems to have been converted into a military zone," Cheng Jinyang suddenly said.

"Converted?" Xing Yuanzhi was surprised.

"Yes," Princess Nankang replied, "The relocation of residents has already begun, and it will be transformed into a fully enclosed unmanned military zone to fully support the Chu River defense line."

"Hmm," Xing Yuanzhi pondered.

When they arrived near the Cheng Clan's territory, the surroundings became slightly lively.

Curiously looking around, Chu Qingqing thought, Is this it? Just this?

As the base of the notorious Tianluo Assassins, shouldn't your clan's territory be located in hidden dry wells or remote caves to avoid being discovered by enemies seeking revenge?

"Why are you still standing there?" Cheng Jinyang turned back and called, "It's time to go in!"

"Oh, okay, okay," Chu Qingqing hurriedly followed suit.

Continuing forward for a while, Cheng Jinyang realized that only half of the Luo Hall, as the stronghold of Tianluo, was located within the clan's land, which is where he trained with his two cousins last time.

This time, however, the princess led everyone to another half of the Luo Hall located outside the clan's territory. Since there are no restrictions on non-Cheng family members accompanying them here, it's livelier compared to before.

Not only are there shooting ranges for foreign assassins, combat training grounds, bustling mission boards, and bars for brief respite, but also a black market where families turn a blind eye—it truly feels like a gathering place for assassins! As for the half-empty Luo Hall within the clan land, it's so deserted one could even raise spiders there.

Not only Chu Qingqing, but even Xing Yuanzhi began to look around in astonishment.

At the same time, the appearance of four beautiful girls naturally attracted the attention of the surrounding onlookers (with Cheng Jinyang, the male, being completely ignored).

It's a fact that wherever there are crowds, even if ninety-nine out of a hundred are sharp, there's always a chance of encountering a fool among the remaining one.

Soon enough, a burly bald man with tattoos all over his face stood up, his face twisted into a lecherous smile:

"Where did this pretty girl come from? I'll take her away..."

"Heh heh," he laughed and reached out to grab Princess Nankang. The princess coldly smiled and raised her hand, delivering a slap that spun his head 270 degrees, with sparks flying as the steel rods in his neck twisted.

"No one taught you that in Tianluo, you absolutely cannot provoke the elderly, women, and children?" With her right foot stepping on his chest, Princess Nankang sneered.

In the assassin world, it's always survival of the fittest, with a high casualty rate. Even strong adult males have a tough time, let alone the elderly, weak, women, and children. Those who survive usually have exceptional skills, otherwise, they would have died in the stinking gutters long ago.

Seeing the bald strong man's neck broken by a slap, the onlookers naturally averted their gaze, as if nothing had happened.

At this moment, a middle-aged man rushed out from the queue at the mission distribution point, hastily apologizing to Princess Nankang: "I'm sorry, that was my nephew. He is just starting out and doesn't know any better, accidentally offending everyone..."

He nodded and bowed while pulling out a bank storage card from his pocket, then handed it to Princess Nankang with both hands: "A small gift, as an apology."

Princess Nankang picked up the bank storage card, scanned the balance with her prosthetic eye, and exclaimed, "So much?"

"Offending Your Highness's dignity is, of course, worth this much," the middle-aged man said with a smile.

"Looks like you recognized me," Princess Nankang sighed and tossed the bank storage card to Cheng Jinyang, "Help me reserve five brain domain development machines."

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away!" The middle-aged man's face lit up, immediately turning and rushing to the counter, ignoring the people still in line, and cutting to the front. He shouted at the clerk, "Reserve five brain domain development machines!"

"Hey, why are you cutting in line?" Someone behind complained, but was quickly silenced by their companion, "Quiet! That's Su Zizhong, ranked seventh on the Tianluo Assassin List!"

So the crowd began to whisper among themselves. The Tianluo Ranking, managed by the Shendu Cheng family, is a publicly ranked list based on the total amount of tasks completed.

Anyone ranked high on the list is undoubtedly a formidable figure, having dealt with tasks that even the fiercest killers couldn't handle. This person, ranking seventh, is definitely not someone to mess with.

Now the question arises: who is this young lady that even the seventh-ranked on the Tianluo Ranking treats with utmost respect? And what about the man and three women accompanying her? Where do they come from?