The Slaughter in the Night

The Slaughter in the Night

Spring Pavilion, Lan Manor

Two bodies were visible under the sheets of a pink and blue bed. Little Bun was fast asleep, a finger stuck in her mouth. Li Sihan's eyelashes were fluttering intermittently.

Cough, cough. Li Sihan sat up and wiped the trickle of blood on the corner of her mouth away. The whole room was suddenly covered in a heavy pressurizing aura as the last vestiges of the former Li Sihan slowly disappeared.

The still wind outside changed direction, blowing against the windows. In the soft moonlight, figures that blended with the surrounding darkness seemed to appear out of nowhere. They flew down from trees like birds and settled upon the roof of Spring Pavilion. They slid down effortlessly and drew their weapons. They were about thirty in number, all in black, and masked.

Inside, a small smirk was playing on Li Sihan's face. She chuckled, but the laugh seemed to come from a very dark pit.

"Looks like the mice are out to play," she muttered, "a good time too. They suppose I'm at my weakest. Perhaps they would have succeeded if they came a little while ago. Ah, fate's little game,"

Meanwhile, the dark clothed figures surrounded one who looked like their boss.

"Our orders are to capture her alive,"

"Yes!"

They charged towards the main door of Spring Pavilion and knocked it down. But they couldn't proceed as a shimmering hot dome activated at once and repelled them with a loud bang! They all flew backwards while spitting out blood and crashed on the paved ground.

"This is impossible!" The leader cried out as he got up quickly, "change of plan! Fatal Sting Strike!"

"Kill!" The others responded and rushed forward, activating their magic fight skills. The courtyard blossomed into what seemed like colorful fireworks, but it was actually death.

A snaking rope of what appeared to be live flames encircled the assassins. It rose suddenly, almost sentient, and started attacking them!

"Ahhh!" The agonized screams and the commotion woke master Li and his wife. Clutching their chests in horror, they rushed first to their children's bedroom right next to theirs.

"Silan!" Ren Zimimg snatched up her child at once, "where's Sihan!! Zhenming, Sihan is not here!"

Blood rushed to Li Zhenming's head as he ran towards the door. What he saw shocked him!

By the flashes of light coming from the magic being utilized, he saw, spinning between thirty or so masked assassins, Li Sihan cutting them down like she was cutting wheat! They fell one after the other, all dying gruesomely! Master Li felt sick as he witnessed his daughter plunge a sword straight into one's eye! The assassin's scream went on even after he fell to the floor!

Li Sihan's long raven black hair streamed behind her as her petite figure spun like afterimages as she killed them all!

The last one of them dropped to the ground. His own sword stuck out of his middle. A blooming red mandara flower started to appear on all of their chests. Before the shocked eyes of everyone that had gathered, the bodies all vanished!

"Hah," Li Sihan scoffed, wiping the sword she held in her hand on her sleeve, "that old man of the Scorpion Hall had not changed his tricks," she smirked to herself.

Master Li felt his scalp tingle when he heard the name Scorpion Hall. Before he could stop himself, he cried out.

"Are you saying -- these assassins are from the Scorpion?!! Who are they after?!!!"

Li Sihan raised a pair of shining pitch black eyes.

"Me," she replied shortly.

"What?-- what?!!" Li Zhenming could never believe it. This made no sense!! What was the Scorpion Hall? An organization of assassins, renowned in the whole continent. Who was he? Who was his daughter? No one virtually knew her yet. As for him? He was just a wealthy merchant. He hardly got into frictions with his competitors. He had even just recently left the Capital Party, or he would have thought that it was his political enemies behind this. It was even more ridiculous to suggest that they were after Master Lan. To the Scorpion Hall, he was just a nobody.

And now his daughter was telling him they were after her?!! But that was not the main issue.

"Si--Sihan--you-- are you alright!" Master Li ran towards his daughter, almost slipping on the spilled blood. Apart from the blood from the sword she had wiped on her sleeve, there was no speck on her. The Lan Manor guards started cleaning the blood, as Li Zhenming earnestly searched his daughter's face. But she stood rooted to one spot, unmoving.

Shiiinggg! Everyone shuddered and gasped as the air changed. It felt as if a cold sword that had killed a thousand people was pressed against their necks! A draft of freezing air blew past. Madam Lan whimpered and crept close to her husband!

A person dropped nimbly onto the ground. He was robed in deep icy blue, and had a scarlet belt around his waist. On his face, was a skull shaped helmet mask. The veins on master Li and everyone else's heads rose. Who was this one now?!!

"You are here," Li Sihan turned around to face the newcomer, who was on one knee with his face towards the ground. It seemed to be a sort of salute.

"Yes, Grand Chief," his voice was deep and low, but it was heavy. It seemed as if a great mountain was pressing down on everyone's chests. They couldn't breathe! Li Sihan, though, was not bothered, and didn't even seem to notice anything amiss.

"The Scorpion Hall ants got here before you, though," she just said nonchalantly.

"Shall I mobilize the Seniors and go destroy their hall?" the young man growled.

"Tsk. Nonsense. I have more pressing matters. I will send for you tomorrow."

Li Sihan turned and went inside, leaving everyone else in perplexity.

Master Li approached the gazebo cautiously. It was the following morning, and Li Sihan had taken Little Bun to eat snacks merrily, as if nothing gruesome had happened the previous night. Little Bun munched on an apple as she stared at the newcomer, the man who had appeared mysteriously last night. He was still dressed in the deep blue robe, and a skull mask covered his face. He had an imposing aura. Other children would cry, but Little Bun was already used to the tyrannical aura of her big sister.

"Big Sis, who?" she asked with her head on one side.

"This is Jun Ru," Li Sihan replied expressionlessly. "Oh, that's right. Come over here, you,"

Jun Ru stepped forward respectfully.

"Kneel," Li Sihan ordered.

He knelt on one knee. Li Sihan got up and carried Little Bun. She took one of the baby's fat, chubby hands and placed it on the head of the man. Little Bun felt a tingling sensation in her hand and she pulled it back.

"Huh?" she looked up at her sister inquiringly.

"One day, if you're in danger, and Big Sis isn't there, you can call him, and he will come to you," Li Sihan explained patiently to the one year old.

"Oh?" Little Bun examined her hand, "he good? Bun Bun like?"

Li Sihan frowned, and Jun Ru shivered.

"No. Don't like him." Li Sihan decided eventually with a shake of her head, "He's no good. Do you know what he does for a living? No, no way. Big Sis is the only one you should like,"

Ace assassin Shadow Claw Jun Ru, the fifth ranked most ruthless and deadly assassin in the continent, right hand man of the Grand Chief of the Si Lak Mercenaries, chuckled bitterly in his heart. Of he were not aware, he would have said that the residue of the real Li Sihan's soul was the person that said that last statement. His eyes turned sharp as he remembered what had been the cause of all this.

The Si Lak Mercenaries was the most renowned existence in this world. It was more than simply an assassin organization, like the Scorpion Hall was. The Si Lak Mercenaries was the place that cultivated the most deadly and lethal warriors and magic users in the entire continent!

And, like their name implied, they were mercenaries who could work for anyone as long as those that wanted their services had enough treasures to pay them. That was another reason why they were the most feared organization all over the world!

A few years, ago, the Si Lak Mercenaries, who's headquarters had always been unknown, suddenly stopped interfering in the affairs of the world. Those who had once been on the receiving end of their fury, celebrated in the underworld. And those, like the Scorpion Hall and the Yan Temple, who had always coveted Si Lak Mercenaries position at the top of the world, swung into action.

The Grand Chief of the Si Lak Mercenaries, an unparalleled existence on the continent, was gravely injured after a combined attack from both the Scorpion Hall and the Yan Temple. The news had shook the continent at that time. Singlehandedly, the Grand Chief of the Si Lak Mercenaries had faced off with several senior prodigies that must have been at the cultivation rank of Martial Overlord from the Yan Temple and Scorpion Hall and had escaped! That showed just how powerful she was!

Disgruntled with the fact that the attack brought more fame rather than hurt for the Si Lak Mercenaries, the Scorpion Hall laid in wait for the Grand Chief, knowing the extent of her injuries.

The Grand Chief dragged herself back to the headquarters, her soul badly damaged, and fell into a vegetative state, even after the enormous care that the medicine prodigies in the Mercenaries gave to her. Suddenly, the public heard that the Si Lak Mercenaries was willing to do anything for anyone that possessed a Soul Transfer Matrix. The Scorpion Hall seized their chance! They created a Soul Transfer Matrix that would allow them to track the soul and rush over to eliminate her at her weakest point and immediately take over the Si Lak Mercenaries.

Even though they erased all traces that could have let the Mercenaries know the Matrix came from them, they were shortsighted. The geniuses in the Si Lak Mercenaries tampered with the Soul Transfer Matrix before using it! The Grand Chief had fully assimilated the new body and had recovered more than half of her original strength before she could traced.

Master Li walked into the gazebo while Little Bun repeatedly patted Jun Ru's head from her perch in Li Sihan's arms.

"Hem hem," he had to cough to be noticed.

"We're returning to the Imperial Capital." Master Li said to his daughter first, "this place isn't safe. We don't know when those people might come back --"

"What do you mean?" Li Sihan raised her flawless eyebrows, "they can't come back. They are dead," she said. After a beat, she added, "but you could be right though. The Scorpion Hall will definitely use those bodies ad war puppets. So they could come back,"

Master Li shivered.

"You-- how do you know that?! How do you even know that they are from the -- the Scorpion Hall?! It can't be. They can't bother about me. It must be some small gang who I've annoyed,"

"I already told you they're not after you, but me," Li Sihan looked away, "anyway, forget it. Let's go back home," she started to walk towards the residence when she suddenly swooned! Jun Ru disappeared and reappeared by her side in a blink and caught her before she could fall.

"Grand Chief!"

Master Li flinched. Why was this man calling his daughter Grand Chief? Who was he even?

"About that," he went up to them, "Sihan, who is this person --"

Li Sihan gritted her teeth. She didn't look a good sight. Veins propped up on her forehead. A low gurgle came from her throat and she spat out a mouthful of blood!

"Li Sihan!" Li Zhenming cried out in horror. Before he could do anything, Jun Ru picked up Li Sihan, who still carried Little Bun in her arms, and flew into the Spring Pavilion.