Chapter 54: Is My Head Only Worth Fifty Thousand?

"Young master!" Hao Wenlong's expression shifted slightly, clearly sensing that aura as well.

However, Xiao Yang simply blinked, feigning nonchalance as he walked forward. Lowering his voice, he said, "Wenlong, let's have a bit of fun with him. Hide your aura."

Hao Wenlong nodded and suppressed his own presence. It was obvious he, too, could tell the opponent was not particularly strong; otherwise, he wouldn't have let his presence slip.

"Understood, young master."

Not far behind them, a man in black gave a sly grin. "What an easy job. Who would've thought a head like his would be worth fifty thousand taels? I can't imagine what the person who issued this contract was thinking," he muttered to himself, then silently followed.

Although he was almost certain he could kill with a single strike, an assassin never acts unless he's completely sure of the kill.

He watched as Xiao Yang walked into an alleyway. A cold glint flashed in the assassin's eyes. "Time to make my move." The rules in North Desert City were strict: attacking someone in a busy street brought endless trouble. But a quiet alley like this was the perfect place to strike. Even if discovered, at least an hour or two would pass, and by then, he would already be gone with the money.

With that thought, he quickened his pace.

"Wenlong, what's your relationship with the City Lord?" Xiao Yang asked with a smile, though his senses were sharply focused on the man in black behind them.

"Hua Hu and I both used to be guards for the City Lord," Hao Wenlong replied without hesitation. "Later, by chance, we broke through to Martial Marquis and became honored retainers at the City Lord's manor."

There was no need to hide such things; anyone who cared to look could find out. Serving as the City Lord's guard was hardly a secret.

"Oh? That's good to hear."

Just then, the man in black overtook Xiao Yang. In a flash, a dagger appeared in his hand and stabbed fiercely forward.

"You—" Xiao Yang feigned surprise, while the assassin revealed half his face in a wicked grin. "Die," he rasped.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out—the dagger snapped in two.

The assassin stared dumbly at the broken blade in his hand, unable to recover from his shock. He had been so close to success, and then, out of nowhere, a hand had reached forth.

At first, he had mocked the owner of that hand for recklessness. This dagger was forged from refined steel and laced with poison—even a grandmaster, if wounded by it, would die bleeding from every orifice within a short time.

So the assassin didn't hesitate, thrusting the blade straight for Xiao Yang's throat. But the hand that appeared was simply too fast. He felt a blur before his eyes, and the dagger was caught in a powerful grip. Just as he tried to force it forward, a tremendous strength wrenched it from his grasp.

Next, Hao Wenlong took the dagger in both hands, utterly unafraid of its poison, and in a few swift movements, broke the refined steel blade into pieces.

"I—" The assassin was stunned. No grandmaster could do such a thing—unless...

Realizing who he faced, the assassin shivered, his legs turning to jelly. All courage to flee vanished, and he collapsed to the ground.

"You're... you're a Martial Marquis..." he stammered in disbelief at Hao Wenlong. No matter how he racked his brain, he couldn't fathom why a head worth fifty thousand taels would be protected by a master of this level.

At that moment, the assassin wanted nothing more than to curse the one who had issued the contract, to drag that bastard out and shatter his bones piece by piece, pointing at his nose and cursing, "You bastard, you told me this head was worth only fifty thousand!"

Crunch! Crunch!

Hao Wenlong tossed aside the broken dagger, then grabbed the assassin by the collar. "Speak. Who sent you?" he asked coldly.

The assassin swallowed but remained silent. Assassins had their code, and the most basic rule was never to reveal a client's identity.

"Kill me. I won't talk."

Hearing this, Hao Wenlong sneered, his eyes narrowing. "Didn't expect you to be so tough."

The assassin wanted to retort, but instead, a scream escaped his lips.

"Ahhh!"

Crunch! Crunch!

Two more fingers snapped; Hao Wenlong had broken them with ease. But the assassin only grunted, refusing to speak.

"No need to torture him," Xiao Yang said. "Clearly, he's been trained—pain won't make him talk."

As he spoke, Hao Wenlong broke two more of the man's fingers. As Xiao Yang had predicted, the assassin only groaned, with no intention of revealing his employer.

"Young master, shall I finish him?" Hao Wenlong, after more than a decade as a guard, knew assassins well—their mouths were notoriously hard to pry open. Breaking more bones would only elicit more groans.

"I'll ask," Xiao Yang said with a smile, walking over to the assassin.

Expecting more questions about his employer, the assassin turned his head away, refusing to look at Xiao Yang. With a Martial Marquis standing guard, he had no chance of escape and had already accepted his fate.

"Brother Assassin, let me ask: How much is my head worth?" Xiao Yang circled in front of him, tapping his own head.

"Uh?" The assassin was momentarily stunned, but after a moment, he couldn't hold it in. To be protected by a Martial Marquis and only be worth fifty thousand taels—damn!

"Fifty thousand. No idea which son of a bitch set the price—I curse his ancestors!" he blurted out, then immediately realized he'd spoken too much in his agitation.

"Oh?" Xiao Yang straightened, a meaningful smile on his face. So, this man knew nothing of the mastermind—just a small fry.

"A mere lackey," Hao Wenlong muttered, realizing the assassin didn't know who was behind it and preparing to end him, as he was now useless.

"Wait, I want to talk to him," Xiao Yang stopped Hao Wenlong.

"Hmph! Nothing to discuss. I don't know the mastermind—just kill me," the assassin replied with a touch of pride, which irritated Xiao Yang.

Without another word, Xiao Yang slapped him, shouting, "Do you want to live or die?"

"Hmph!" The assassin merely shot him a cold glare, refusing to speak.

"Damn it!" Xiao Yang, already annoyed, grew even angrier at the assassin's attitude, as if he were the prisoner here.

"I kept you alive for one reason: to ask where your headquarters is and who set my price," Xiao Yang roared, grabbing the assassin by the collar. "My head is only worth fifty thousand taels?"

The assassin grew more and more bewildered. It was the first time he'd heard someone complain their bounty was too low. The lower the price, the less likely you were to be targeted; if the bounty were high enough, real assassins would come after you. He himself was strictly an amateur, taking jobs when convenient for decent profit.

"Speak! Who set my price?"