Chapter Twenty: Rouge and Bones

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“Huo Siyen inviting me for a secret meeting in the middle of the night?!”

Qin Feng was stunned. In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through his mind, not without a touch of mischief. After all, late at night, a man and a woman alone—who wouldn’t have a few stray thoughts…!

But fortunately, having suffered a setback in his previous life, Qin Feng did not repeat the same mistake before a woman this time.

What’s more, recently he had succeeded in cultivating the first level of “Tai-A Tempered Mind,” giving him a mind sharper than most. After careful analysis, he sensed something fishy about this affair.

These days, his only contact with Huo Siyen had been through letters. From their exchanges, Qin Feng could tell that Huo Siyen was not a simple, naïve girl like Yu Yan, but rather a shrewd and calculating woman. Qin Feng did not dislike such women; what mattered was how they used their cunning. If used well, she could become a great help to him in the future.

One thing was certain: Huo Siyen had always been reserved. Though she corresponded with him, she had never overstepped the bounds.

Yet this time, she broke her usual restraint and invited him out so late at night—clearly abnormal.

“Anything so odd must hide a trick! Someone’s making a move,” a cold flicker of killing intent flashed deep in Qin Feng’s eyes.

“In that case…”

A sly smile appeared on Qin Feng’s face as he turned to Yu Yan and asked, “Yan’er, do you remember that game we used to play in the woods when we were children?”

“A game?” Yu Yan cocked her head, thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “I remember—hunting! The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!”

“Smart girl!”

Qin Feng grinned, lightly flicking Yu Yan’s small nose with his finger.

…

Night fell!

South of town, in a small grove.

For as long as anyone could remember, this little woodland at the southern outskirts was a place where officials and wives met in secret. But tonight was different. The sky was heavy with clouds; not a sliver of moonlight pierced the dark trees, which seemed particularly eerie and oppressive. The wind howled like wolves, and even the insects and birds had been frightened into silence by the stifling atmosphere.

At that moment, a figure gradually emerged from the distant darkness.

“A night as black as death—the perfect time and place for murder,” said Qin Feng, surveying his surroundings before curling his lip in a sneer at the slender, elegant silhouette cloaked in black ahead of him.

“To think you saw through it—I underestimated you,” came a melodious laugh, not unlike Huo Siyen’s, but as the black-clad figure turned, Qin Feng saw not a woman’s face, but a skull with a trace of rouge beneath the hood.

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Though he’d half expected it, Qin Feng was still taken aback when it was confirmed. He frowned and asked, “Who are you? Why invite me here?”

A sharp, coquettish laugh burst forth from the other, but the seductive gesture performed by a painted skull only sickened Qin Feng.

“Why else? Someone has put a price on your head.”

“My life? Then you’re assassins,” Qin Feng sneered, having already guessed as much.

At present, his only real enemy in Luoyang Town was Ye Wuyin of the White Tiger clan. It made sense: if not for Qin Feng’s sudden emergence, Ye Wuyin would have undoubtedly won the martial tournament—and with it, the bride. Qin Feng’s interference had ruined everything for him, so of course Ye Wuyin hated him to the bone. Unfortunately, that punch hadn’t finished the job at the time.

Now, the consequences had come home to roost. Ye Wuyin was ruthless enough to hire assassins to kill him—so eager for his death that even before his own wounds healed, he could not wait.

“Assassins? That’s such an outdated term. We are the Blood Hands,” the red-lipped skull twisted its slim waist, raising a withered claw to point at Qin Feng, giggling weirdly. The moonless, windy night made the scene all the more chilling.

“Hmph. You alone can’t kill me.”

Despite the eerie display, Qin Feng knew that practitioners of the dark arts loved to put on a show—using unsettling atmosphere and terror to break down their enemies’ mental defenses and strike at their most vulnerable moment.

But with his resolve, how could Qin Feng give them such an opening?

“Who said I was alone?” the skull cackled.

Suddenly, two ghostly pink flames blazed in the skull’s eye sockets. Black mist billowed from its body, and in the shroud of night, it vanished—leaving only the eerie twin lights swaying and flickering in the darkness.

“Kill him, kill him… kill him…” The demonic chant echoed in Qin Feng’s ears, and his vision wavered and blurred.

At the same time, a thin blade shot up from beneath his feet, aiming straight at his groin with blinding speed. Meanwhile, behind him, a large tree split open, and a shadow burst forth, thrusting a sharp sword at his back—swift as lightning.

“Hmph!” Qin Feng had indeed been momentarily dazed, caught off guard by their trick. But it lasted only a split second before his mind cleared—a resilience that startled even his assailants.

Their plan was simple: disorient him from the front, then launch a fatal strike from the shadows.

But they had underestimated Qin Feng!

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Their prior investigation had not revealed that Qin Feng had trained in “Tai-A Tempered Mind.” Such demonic arts might toy with lesser minds, but under the strength of Qin Feng’s soul, they were mere child’s play.

In an instant, his mind returned to clarity.

No sooner thought than done, Qin Feng s