An Important Mission to Kill the Martial God

At the beginning of summer, when the mist cleared and people were resuming their daily tasks, Jun, along with his assassins, launched small-scale actions against enemies who had been free for too long.

On the first day, they eliminated everyone they believed to be spies.

In this regard, Jun gathered his most loyal followers to prepare the defense line that would be used in the upcoming battle. All the generals were theoretically instructed about this battle, and they understood its importance, so they agreed to learn.

The lives of the people had changed significantly since Jun became their savior. They all knew that as long as the army under his command protected them, there would be no famine, crime, or injustice.

Only the soldiers were obliged to go to war, but those who were not soldiers felt at peace, knowing that as long as they did their jobs, they wouldn't be forced into battle.

Jun had real soldiers in his army, not peasants who only knew how to swing a sword.

In these times, all men were required to fight, and the pay was very generous.

Today, the nation's payment to its soldiers was remarkably high, far more than what they could earn in months through regular work. The people had no knowledge of how to earn money properly, and the existing job system was outdated.

But Jun had taught them many things, including various ways to earn a living.

"Are you sure I should join them?" Kyou Kai looked Jun directly in the eyes, awaiting his response.

"You said you wanted to achieve things on your own. You're their friend, so you can spend some time with them." Jun hadn't realized how long Kyou Kai had been by his side.

She had fulfilled her revenge, and now the time had come for her to experience new things and figure out what she truly wanted for her future.

"I have some matters to attend to over the next few months, so you can make the most of this time until the war reaches us." Jun wasn't pushing her away; he just wanted her to explore more so she could clarify her desires.

After all, one only lives once.

"And you?"

"Me?"

"What are you going to do, and why don't you want to include me?"

Jun looked at Kyou Kai and said, "You've been by my side, killing alongside me, and I think it's time for you to walk your own path. If you really find that you're happier here, you can come back after a few months."

"You hold the rank of general of a thousand men. You can take those we have here and experiment with being a commander."

Kyou Kai watched as Jun walked away, unsure of why he had made such a sudden decision.

When Jun saw her chatting with Shin's company, he noticed more smiles than he had ever seen when she was with him. Surrounded by enemies, he worried about many things, and that was despite not being a king.

That's why he wanted Kyou Kai to be free—he didn't want to force her to stay if she wasn't happy in that place.

But there was also another reason, one that could prove dangerous if she got involved.

…

Zhao State, unnamed city.

A few weeks later, Jun's unparalleled network of contacts had taken him to all sorts of places, from renowned restaurants to luxurious hotels.

The reason he was here was that he had heard of the Martial God Hou Ken, known as the most powerful warrior of this era, and Jun wanted to fight him.

Why? To win the loyalty of everyone in the Haiyue clan, he needed to prove that he was the greatest assassin of all time, and only then would he achieve that goal.

On his journey to Zhao, Jun had heard much about an assassin's sanctuary, a place supposedly gathering the strongest warriors from unnamed assassin villages.

Jun sat there, having already heard three different versions of the same story before he could finish his meal. And each version was enough to trigger his uncontrollable laughter!

It was near the new year, and heavy snow was falling.

But nothing could prevent people from crowding into this small, remote hotel. With the vast amount of snow blocking the way out of the mountains, more guests could only keep arriving, seated around the hearth.

What was odd was that the two owners of the hotel seemed unsatisfied, even annoyed, despite their prosperous business and substantial income. They weren't even interested in receiving money. This peculiar phenomenon soon caught Jun's attention, who was just another guest.

He had no idea where Martial God Hou Ken was, but he was waiting for information while staying at this hotel.

He had initially planned to lodge elsewhere due to the number of people here, but with the heavy snowfall, the hotel was undoubtedly a good place to stay. Though the owners might be suspicious, they were open to talking with guests. So, Jun decided to stay for the night and make more decisions based on the weather the next day.

After all, those accompanying him were regular people, good at business and gathering information.

By staying here for a day, not only could they rest, but they could also gather some information. Even if there wasn't much important news, the interesting stories were at least quite entertaining.

As Jun mused, Shen leaned over and whispered a message directly into his ear. "The two hotel owners are assassins."

"Yes, indeed they are. Also, this hotel is a bit mysterious," Jun replied while holding his tea, not even bothering to blink.

"Mysterious? In what way?" Shen asked, a little surprised. Looking around, this seemed like an ordinary hotel. Except for the owners' experience, nothing seemed out of place.

Moreover, it was true that many expert assassins liked to hide in isolated places, avoiding the outside world. But beyond that, the two owners didn't seem particularly strange.

"Firstly, the location of this hotel is odd. We traveled about two hundred kilometers to get here from the previous village. Though it was short for us, for ordinary people, it could take an entire day. The village we came from is quite large; if this hotel opened there, they would definitely make better profits. But for some reason, the owners chose to stay here," Jun analyzed after some thought.

"True, this place is quite isolated," Shen agreed, nodding. "There aren't many people around here."