I Am An Assassin. Not A Dog! . . .
As the rain continued to pour, Cha-Eun Xiao couldn't help but contemplate the man before him. [This guy has been hunted for quite some time...] he mused. [His experience of being hunted may not be as harrowing as mine, but it's certainly been filled with hardships...]
Unbeknownst to Cha-Eun Xiao, Ning Bi-Luo's predicament had been indirectly caused by his own actions.
Ning Bi-Luo sat on the damp ground, dejected and breathless. He raised a weary gaze and inquired, "The House of Chaotic Storm. I wonder, are you Wan Of The Clouds or Xiu Of The Heavens?"
Xiu-Er, her demeanor unwavering, replied, "I am Xiu-Er."
Ning Bi-Luo offered a wry smile tinged with self-mockery. He suddenly found some amusement in the situation and remarked, "To meet my end at the hands of a demon, at least it won't tarnish my honorable reputation in the world."
This statement puzzled Cha-Eun Xiao. [Demon? What is he talking about? What does he mean by that?]
Xiu-Er's voice turned icy as she retorted, "Ning Bi-Luo, do you realize that you've just offended me?"
Ning Bi-Luo, still catching his breath, rolled his eyes and said, "I do. Of course, I do... Lady Xiu-Er, even though you possess formidable hexes, you can only kill me once, can't you? Do you intend to drag me back from the afterlife and slay me repeatedly... Well, even if you truly were a demon, I doubt you have such power. Am I right?"
With a chuckle, he continued, "I had the misfortune of encountering you while nursing these wounds. If I were at full strength, I have my doubts that you could defeat me. Sometimes, it seems the gods are not on my side."
A figure in white gracefully appeared, defying the downpour. It was the slender figure of Xiu-Er, whose clothes remained pristine and dry despite the relentless rain.
She spoke, her tone composed, "Fairness is a concept rarely found in the world, especially in the martial realm. Justice is often an elusive ideal... Ning Bi-Luo, you are an assassin. Taking lives is your profession. When you snuffed out others' lives, did you grant them a fair chance to defend themselves? Yet now, you speak of fairness. Don't you think your words have tarnished your own reputation? It's pitiful to see a man belittle himself just before his end."
Ning Bi-Luo fell into a contemplative silence, his voice eventually emerging hoarse as he admitted, "You're right. I'm a hypocrite for saying that. Just put an end to my life today. I won't utter a single complaint."
Xiu-Er, however, surprised him with her next words, "I have no desire to kill you. What I seek is to recruit you."
Ning Bi-Luo couldn't help but laugh at the unexpected turn of events. "Recruit? In such a civil manner?"
Xiu-Er, her demeanor unchanging, stated calmly, "The House of Chaotic Storm hasn't taken in any true members for many years... Now that we've extended our gratitude to you, why do you remain dissatisfied? Does the method of your recruitment truly matter?"
Ning Bi-Luo, after a fit of coughing, finally rasped out, "What a pity... I have no wish to become a demon."
The intensity in Xiu-Er's gaze continued to grow, her desire to take a life becoming increasingly palpable. Though her eyes were not on Cha-Eun Xiao, a shiver ran down his spine.
"You have offended me repeatedly," she began, her voice now calm. "Ning Bi-Luo, as a man, it is not fitting to insult a lady in such a manner."
Ning Bi-Luo fell silent, a sense of resignation washing over him.
"I want to know the real reason," Xiu-Er stated evenly, "The House of Chaotic Storm is renowned across the world, and all accomplished cultivators aspire to become members, yet you've remained an exception. Why?"
Ning Bi-Luo finally spoke after a prolonged pause, "I acknowledge the truth in your words. However... I am a man who lives by his own rules. I may be an assassin, but I have always been the one who gives orders. Perhaps I've never been a virtuous man... but I will never be a lackey."
With determination, he lifted his head and continued, "I can be a villain, but I'll never be subservient to anyone, not even to a king."
Xiu-Er remained silent for a while before conceding, "Good, you're a tough man. I underestimated you."
Ning Bi-Luo's spirit was rekindled, and he chuckled. "I have an unwavering character. I doubt I can change that in this lifetime."
"The House of Chaotic Storm currently needs assassins, and someone like you is not someone I want to lose," Xiu-Er sighed, extending another opportunity. "Red In The Sky has disappeared since his last mission. Ning Bi-Luo, I'm giving you one more chance... You can still change your mind."
Ning Bi-Luo kept his eyes and lips shut, conveying a resolute refusal. [Just end it; I won't change my mind!]
Xiu-Er, her tone filled with regret, made a final attempt, "Very well, I won't force you. However, Ning Bi-Luo, let me ask you something else. If you can provide a satisfactory explanation, I will cease pressing you and grant you a swift and painless death."
Ning Bi-Luo agreed, "Go ahead."
"You claim you don't wish to serve anyone and have always fought only for yourself. That's your personal belief, correct?" Xiu-Er inquired. "Throughout your life, you've only obeyed your own principles, is that so?"
Ning Bi-Luo sneered, "Indeed, that's me. It has always been. I'll remain true to it until my death. No regrets."
"Is that right? Then three years ago, why did you secretly lead your men to the north and assist Cha Nan-Tian in eliminating many of the Northern Wolves' generals?" Xiu-Er's tone was flat. "Don't you consider that you became a lackey for Cha Nan-Tian? Were you not serving the king of the Kingdom of Chen?"
"Absurd!" Ning Bi-Luo's eyes snapped open, and he retorted angrily, "Those are entirely unrelated matters! How can you conflate them?"
Xiu-Er spoke sternly, "Your actions were aiding others! Don't tell me that Cha Nan-Tian and the king provided something in return. If you claim that, I won't be satisfied. You won't die today, or tomorrow, or the day after. You will live for a very long time, and you will come to understand the agony of begging for death. After that 'very long time,' you'll realize that death is an exceedingly precious and rare dream for you!"
"I said it already; you can't equate these two situations. They are fundamentally different!" Ning Bi-Luo protested vehemently.
"Oh? Please, enlighten me," Xiu-Er responded dispassionately.
"It had nothing to do with Cha Nan-Tian. I didn't assist him. In fact... I had a longstanding enmity with the generals of the Northern Wolves. They were responsible for the slaughter of my clan long before that. So, I had to eliminate them. It wasn't about assisting Cha Nan-Tian; he was merely coincidentally furthering my quest for revenge."
"Cha Nan-Tian would have won the battle without my intervention; it had nothing to do with me. It was Ye Nan-Tian's victory alone," Ning Bi-Luo asserted indifferently. "You claimed I was a lackey to Cha Nan-Tian. That's nonsense. We were merely coincidental collaborators."
Xiu-Er paused briefly and then posed her second question, "What about the second query?"
Ning Bi-Luo regarded Xiu-Er with contemptuous eyes and spoke in a measured tone, "So, the wisdom of Xiu Of The Heavens turns out to be nothing more than a farce. You persist in questioning my loyalty to others? Can't you grasp that even if I've fought in battles, even if I've defended the Kingdom of Chen, even if I had no adversaries on the opposing side, it doesn't make me a lackey of the king?"
"It's simply because I am a citizen of the Kingdom of Chen!" Ning Bi-Luo continued with a matter-of-fact tone. "It's about bloodline, about one's homeland. It has nothing to do with one's character or personal matters, and it certainly has nothing to do with being subservient."
"Even though the royal court has placed a bounty on my head, when my homeland is in peril, I will step forward to defend it! Because that's the duty of a country's people!"
"I despise most of the men in the royal court. I harbor no affection for the royal family. I couldn't care less about the king. I am simply a martial world practitioner. Even in the martial world, I am an assassin, a profession often scorned by the so-called noble individuals. But when my country calls, I will fight for her!"
Ning Bi-Luo sneered, "I won't join you because, first, I refuse to be your lackey, and second... you folks have no understanding of true loyalty to your country. You're solely concerned with ascension and decline... but you disregard who will rise and who will fall. I am different. I have my roots."
"Who ascends and who declines... it encompasses my homeland! I can't sit idly by!"
Ning Bi-Luo grinned, "So... you can recruit anyone you please, except for me, the infamous assassin!"
"Or, let's put it this way: you lack the means to recruit me because you can't meet the conditions I demand!" Ning Bi-Luo chuckled.
His words rang clear amid the heavy rain and the fierce winds. A profound silence enveloped them, punctuated only by the relentless downpour.
The world was cloaked in rain and wind, and the raindrops resembled an unending barrage of javelins descending from the sky. The mountains seemed to transform into a vast sea, water coursing through every crevice. The deafening roar of the deluge echoed from the valley.
Ning Bi-Luo was covered in mud, gasping for breath, and in a precarious situation. In stark contrast, Xiu Of The Heavens remained immaculate in her pristine white attire, like a celestial being descended from the heavens.
Yet Cha-Eun Xiao couldn't help but feel that Ning Bi-Luo exuded more of a human aura than Xiu Of The Heavens. Despite her ethereal appearance, Xiu Of The Heavens concealed a ruthless streak—someone who could observe the world's suffering with casual elegance.
Her white garments, now stained by the darkness and rain, seemed incongruous with the grim reality.