Chapter Forty-Six: The Prodigy

Feng Yuan hid on the right side of the bed, watching as the would-be assassin entered from the left side of the doorway. Despite the danger, he remained calm. His right hand moved subtly, gathering a stream of golden light from his dantian into his palm, ready to strike at any moment.

The man, nearly two meters tall, quickly approached the bedside. By the faint candlelight at the head of the bed, Feng Yuan saw the man’s face clearly—a burly fellow with a bristling beard and fierce features, even more intimidating than Master Zhang, whom he had seen during the day.

The bearded brute leaned over, raising his dagger-wielding right hand, and stabbed mercilessly at the bed.

A series of muffled thuds sounded.

After two stabs, the man realized something was wrong. He paused, reached out to pull back the quilt, and found nothing but a pillow beneath. With a startled cry, he exclaimed, “Damn, it’s a trap!”

Immediately, he looked up and spun around, his eyes scanning every corner of the room.

Feng Yuan crouched less than a meter away, concealed by the bed’s curtains. He remained motionless, unwilling to act unless absolutely necessary, for he wasn’t confident he could kill such a formidable opponent. If he could avoid confrontation, he would.

The bearded man, dagger in hand, squinted suspiciously at his surroundings. Not spotting Feng Yuan, he nonetheless called out, “Come out, boy! I know where you’re hiding. You can’t escape—tonight you die. Show yourself and I’ll grant you a quick death. If I have to drag you out, it won’t be so pleasant!”

Feng Yuan rolled his eyes. Did the man think he was a child to be tricked so easily? He scoffed inwardly, determined to remain perfectly still.

Seeing no response, the brute sneered, “Very well, you won’t come out? Then I’ll haul you out myself!”

With that, he suddenly flipped over and lunged to the right side of the bed—Feng Yuan’s hiding spot—immediately spotting him, his face twisting into a cold grin.

“How awkward, you found me,” Feng Yuan said with a forced grin. In the next instant, his right hand flicked, unleashing a beam of golden light from his palm that shot straight at the brute’s chest.

“Not good—!”

A thunderous explosion resounded, and before the man could finish his sentence, his chest erupted in a blaze, sparks flying and smoke billowing. With a wretched scream, he was blasted across the room, smashing into the desk and shattering it to pieces.

Feng Yuan stood stunned by the power of his own attack—it was as if he’d thrown a grenade.

In that moment, the bearded man’s body on the ground dissolved into a streak of green light and shot toward the roof, vanishing instantly.

Feng Yuan’s eyes widened in shock. This wasn’t human after all. Moments ago, he’d thought the assassin a man, but seeing him disappear in a flash of green light, it seemed more like a ghost.

“Feng Yuan, beware above!” came Lan Qirou’s voice in his ear.

At that warning, a massive gray-furred wolf’s head, as large as a basket, materialized above him, jaws agape as it lunged downward. Only the head was visible, trailing a swirl of green mist.

Feng Yuan had thought his attacker fled, but now the wolf’s head was swooping down to devour him, sending a chill down his spine. He rolled aside just in time to evade the snapping jaws.

The floor where he’d just been struck exploded with a boom, bricks exploding and a pit half a meter wide forming.

Feng Yuan looked back, cold sweat trickling down his face. Had he been a moment slower, he would have been torn apart. The wolf’s power was terrifying.

Now, the entire creature revealed itself—almost three meters long, covered in gray fur that gleamed like polished needles.

“Damn, it’s a demon!” Feng Yuan cursed inwardly as he searched for an escape, but the wolf blocked the door, and the wall was at his back—nowhere to run.

“So, boy, you’re a cultivator after all,” the wolf demon sneered. “Lucky for me your skills are shallow, or that last blow might have finished me. It’s been ages since I tasted a cultivator’s flesh—it’s my favorite tonic. Prepare to die!”

“Wait!” Feng Yuan shouted as the wolf prepared to pounce.

“What, have you any last words?” the wolf asked.

“I just want to know—who sent you to kill me? I don’t want to die without understanding why!” Feng Yuan pleaded.

“Hmph, you’re already a dead man; there’s no need to know so much. Prepare to die!”

“Wait! Don’t kill me yet! Go tell Master Zhang I agree to his terms—I’ll write his novel!”

“Too late. The master has decreed your death!”

“Oh, so it was Master Zhang behind this!” Feng Yuan nodded as he listened.

“Despicable human, you dare try to trick me for information at death’s door! Enough—die!” the wolf demon roared, leaping at Feng Yuan with the speed of the wind.

Feng Yuan’s expression changed dramatically. He dodged to the side, but before he could escape, the wolf demon crashed into him, its massive paw slamming into his chest and pinning him against the wall.

A cry of pain escaped Feng Yuan as agony wracked his chest, as if he’d been hit by a carriage. Dizziness overtook him, and he nearly coughed up blood.

The wolf demon roared and lunged, snapping its jaws toward Feng Yuan’s head. He had no strength left to resist, watching helplessly as the maw closed in.

Just then, a jet of black light whistled down from the ceiling, striking the wolf demon in the midsection.

With a crack, the wolf demon howled in pain, its body flung to the side and crashing to the floor.

Feng Yuan looked up to see Lan Qirou, who had spat out a black pearl that unleashed the attack.

“Feng Yuan, run! This beast is too strong—I can’t defeat it!” Lan Qirou shouted.

“Run? No one escapes!” the wolf demon bellowed, rolling to its feet, seemingly unscathed. Its hide was so tough that even Lan Qirou’s attack had failed to harm it.

“I knew something was off—turns out there’s a wandering ghost hiding here as well. Perfect! I’ll devour you both for strength!” the wolf demon snarled, fixing its gaze on Lan Qirou.

With that, it opened its maw and spat out a pearl the size of an egg, which shot forth a blazing green beam straight toward Lan Qirou...