14. The Softest Place

Chapter 14: The Softest Place

What's going on? The skinny young man's mind went blank for a moment, unable to distinguish who was the assassin.

But feeling the tremendous pressure on his throat, he regained clarity, staring in fear at the little boy in front of him.

What kind of monster is this? Not even seven years old, yet possessing such terrifying strength? Even a fully developed Tongli Realm, combined with that marquis's awakened divine blood, shouldn't be this exaggerated, right?

"Who sent you to assassinate me?" Li Hao asked, staring intently at him while various pieces of information flashed through his mind. Playing chess was just a means to get close to him, indicating that the youth's purpose in infiltrating the Shenjiang Manor was straightforward—to assassinate him.

The skinny young man fell silent. The power and intelligence exhibited by this child were unlike any ordinary six-year-old.

He had thought he was coming to deal with a worthless child, only to discover such terrifying abilities.

"You're not a martial arts wastrel; is hiding your strength your idea or your father's plan?" The skinny young man squinted his eyes slightly as he spoke.

Failing the assassination, feeling the ever-present threat on his throat, he realized he had no chance of survival, and instead, he found calmness.

Assassinating a legitimate heir within the Shenjiang Manor was a mission with a nine out of ten chance of death. Unfortunately, the task couldn't be completed.

"You know my father?" Li Hao's eyes flickered.

"Are you joking?" the skinny young man said coldly. "Who doesn't know Xing Wu Hou these days? He's stationed at the frontier, summoning martial artists from across Jianghu to assist in subduing demons months ago, commanding widespread respect and renown."

Assist in subduing demons? Li Hao's brows furrowed. Could it be that the situation at Yanbei has become so dire that they have to rely on Jianghu warriors' strength?

"Did my second aunt send you?" Li Hao asked.

The skinny young man paused, then understood, a mocking look flashing in his eyes. "You've been assassinated before? I didn't expect the iron-blooded Shenjiang Manor to be internally corrupted like this. No wonder you'd disguise yourself as a wastrel. But that said, I truly haven't seen you practice. How many hours do you train a day?"

I've been training with you all this time... Li Hao gazed steadily into his eyes and said, "You answer my question first, then I'll answer yours. This is called an exchange."

The skinny young man raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but smile. This child was indeed interesting.

"I'm going to die anyway. You've made me fail my mission and ruined my family. Why should I tell you anything?" the skinny young man sneered softly.

Li Hao replied, "Because I can tell you don't want to die, and you're afraid of dying. And since there are many ways to die, I can give you a quick one."

The skinny young man's smile vanished. He fell silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "The one who sent me is..."

Suddenly, his arm jerked, and he punched towards Li Hao's head.

Li Hao tilted his head slightly, easily dodging it. He didn't retaliate, merely looking at him coldly.

The skinny young man's heart sank to the bottom, a chill creeping in. Was the gap this vast? He, a dignified Zhoutian Realm expert, seemed to have swapped identities with this child, utterly seen through.

The contempt in the child's eyes made him draw back his hand, dejected. "You truly are a monster."

"Go on," Li Hao said coldly. "You should know that our Li family, as a military household, has captured countless prisoners and interrogated countless criminals. The methods of torture are beyond your imagination. You won't be able to beg for death. If possible, I can give you a quick death."

The corners of the skinny young man's eyes twitched slightly. He naturally understood that the child before him wasn't lying, and he felt a growing fear.

"If I tell you, will you let me go?" the skinny young man asked with a hint of hope, pinning his last hopes on the child's innocence.

"I will," Li Hao answered.

Pfft... The skinny young man almost spat blood. Do you have to be so blunt? It's blatantly fake, taking me for a child?

He forced a bitter smile and said, "Actually, it doesn't matter if I tell you. Anyway, failing the assassination means my family won't survive either. I came from Yanbei. The one who sent me is 'Bai Shenjun.'"

"Bai Shenjun?"

"Yes, one of the three demon gods of Yanbei, terrifyingly powerful, and an old adversary of your father."

The skinny young man looked complicated. "Your father is a master strategist, and the Li family army is fierce and fearless. Yanbei would have fallen long ago. The frontlines have stalled, and Bai Shenjun sent me to kill you, aiming to spread the news of your death from the Shenjiang Manor to the Yanbei border, to throw your father's army into chaos. If he leaves the battlefield to return, Yanbei can be conquered."

Hearing this, he stared intently at the child in front of him.

No one knew that this child was such a crucial pawn in the life and death of tens of cities' people in Yanbei.

Li Hao was stunned, realizing it was all because of Yanbei.

The war there had reached the Shenjiang Manor, thousands of miles away.

"Your father is stationed at Yanbei. They are battle-hardened, without flaws. But you are their only weakness, the softest spot."

The skinny young man continued, "Only through you can they defeat your parents and break the Yanbei border, letting the demon army march in."

Li Hao was silent, processing his words, then slowly asked, "Why, as a human, are you working for the demons?"

The skinny young man hesitated, pausing before gazing at Li Hao with envy and hatred in his eyes. "Not everyone is as lucky as you. You wouldn't understand even if I told you."

"Is that so?"

Li Hao looked at him calmly. "I've been away from my parents since birth, been betrayed by those around me, and now targeted for assassination because of my parents. Do you think I'm lucky?"

The skinny young man opened his mouth, stunned, wanting to speak but unable to say a word.

Li Hao said no more, only, "I promised to give you a quick death."

"Heh, you're quite a nice guy," the skinny young man said, his smile bitter and mocking.

No matter how you said it, death was inevitable. Fear was in his eyes. He didn't want to die, which is why he ended up working for the demons in desperation.

Li Hao, seemingly oblivious to the sarcasm, said, "Actually, I don't want to kill you."

"Oh?" The skinny young man sneered, not believing it.

"Because you play chess well," Li Hao said seriously.

The skinny young man was taken aback.

After a while, he laughed bitterly, "But the pity is, I never won against you."

"In your next life, then."

Li Hao's grip tightened. "In your next life, don't practice martial arts. Just play chess honestly. At least you'll live longer and easier."

The skinny young man tried to struggle, but seeing Li Hao's calm and indifferent eyes, he felt only despair, bitterly saying, "You really are a strange child."

In the end, Li Hao still strangled him.

In the last moments of suffocation, the skinny young man fought back fiercely, but it had no effect.

After dealing with the assassin, Li Hao realized he didn't even know the man's real name.

And the name he used to infiltrate as a servant was given by the Li family.

But.

So be it.

…

With the assassin dead, Li Hao summoned the household servants, scaring them half to death.

That night, the entire Shenjiang Manor was in turmoil.

Lights flickered in all the courtyards as the mistresses, roused from sleep, hurried over, seeing the assassin's body slumped over the chess table, all utterly shocked.

How could such a place as the Shenjiang Manor be infiltrated by an assassin?

The always poised and composed He Jianlan was now tense, hugging Li Hao, checking him over from head to toe. "Are you hurt?"

"Madam, I'm fine," Li Hao reassured her.

It was only after checking and finding no injuries on Li Hao that He Jianlan relaxed, then carefully questioned him. Li Hao recounted the story he had prepared.

The assassin attacked, and in the crisis, an old man appeared, killing the assassin before disappearing.

Li Hao thought, since an assassin could infiltrate the Shenjiang Manor, making up an old man should be fine, right?

After all, if you didn't know about the assassin, then not knowing about another expert is normal, right?

Hearing Li Hao's explanation, He Jianlan was shocked, immediately suspecting it might be a military expert secretly sent by Xing Wu Hou.

Or perhaps... an elder from the clan?

She suppressed her speculation, not doubting Li Hao's words.

After all, no matter how mature Li Hao was, he was still just a child under seven years old.

Moreover, he hadn't embarked on the martial path, so without an expert secretly protecting him, he would have undoubtedly died.

Afterward, He Jianlan instructed Xue Jian to take Li Hao and the little girl, Bian Ruxue, to the Changchun courtyard to rest and calm down.

Meanwhile, she sat in the main hall of the Shanhe courtyard, summoning the household servant who had accompanied Li Hao during chess and the first servant who was alarmed by Li Hao's cries to conduct a detailed interrogation.

Simultaneously, she summoned experts within the manor to examine the assassin's corpse.

Before long, she learned from the servant's account the entire sequence of events:

When the assassin entered the manor, how he displayed his chess talent in front of the Shanhe courtyard servants, and how he got close to Li Hao.

Clearly, the assassin had gathered information on Li Hao and approached deliberately through chess, with everything having clear traces.

Later that night, the examination results of the corpse came out. The assassin turned out to be at the Zhoutian Realm, approximately third to fourth level.

Such a level, placed outside, was considered a decent skill for a wandering hero, sufficient to uphold justice in the martial world and gain some fame, but within the Shenjiang Manor, full of powerful individuals, it was absolutely ordinary.

However, to kill a six-year-old child, this level was more than sufficient, akin to using a bull knife to kill a mosquito—excessive.

Additionally, the assassin had consumed a special kind of elixir that sealed his aura, which is why no one had detected him.

Upon hearing this result, the madams of the various courtyards felt waves of fear. If today's target wasn't Li Hao but their child, it would have been certain death!

The sudden rise of a Zhoutian Realm assassin beside a child was simply too terrifying.

When Liu Yuerong heard the autopsy results, her wild and suspicious thoughts gradually subsided.

Even if Li Hao's divine blood hadn't been abolished, it would have been impossible for him to kill the assassin by himself.

It seems that although the couple was at the frontier, they had made thorough preparations for their child.

Thinking of this, she secretly felt a pang of fear, assuring herself that no one would detect the drugging incident, especially since she had acted upon orders from Shuihua courtyard, which also housed powerful figures.