THE HUNTER OF DARKNESS

The Complexity of Palace Politics

"Why are you so surprised, young man? If you want to know how complicated palace politics can be, then this is the result. You’ll never know who your enemy is or who your ally is. The person you trust may suddenly betray you just for personal gain!" said Prime Minister Shen Wei. Standing inside the headquarters of the Death Demon Organization, his confidence in killing the young man was at its peak.

Fang An quietly gauged the strength of the black-clad men surrounding him. In his rough estimation, he wouldn't have much trouble taking them all down—unless Prime Minister Shen Wei and Commander Lu Han decided to intervene. Though confident of victory, it would still pose a challenge.

But then, the young man suddenly felt a presence—a surge of energy even greater than that of Commander Lu Han or Prime Minister Shen Wei. And the owner of that energy seemed to be watching him from afar.

"Hahahaha! If you're scared, you’d better surrender, young man! I promise your death won’t be painful!" Commander Lu Han laughed triumphantly.

"Didn’t Tang Fei say yesterday that if he could kill Lung Wei, then he has no reason to fear us? Hahahaha!" added Prime Minister Shen Wei.

"How sure are you that you can defeat me?" Fang An grinned, baring his teeth. His feet stood firmly on the ground in a strong battle stance.

"Arrogant bastard... Kill him!" Prime Minister Shen Wei shouted the command.

Surrounded by forty armed men, Fang An showed no sign of fear or hesitation. In fact, he welcomed the oncoming assault with a smile curling at the corners of his lips.

Five black-clad attackers advanced together to launch the opening assault. Their gleaming swords reflected the moonlight filtering through the thick canopy above.

Fang An swiftly dodged one attack while delivering a powerful strike to knock the opponent’s blade away from his body. With a single leap, he grabbed the fallen sword and delivered a sweeping slash that severed the legs of two of his attackers at once.

Agonizing screams echoed through the still night like the howls of wolves. Two attackers fell instantly, followed by two more whose headless bodies collapsed to the ground after the red-haired youth swiftly slashed their necks.

The last of the five stepped back a few paces, realizing that attacking alone would be a death sentence.

“So fast…” Prime Minister Shen Wei muttered. He hadn’t expected four members of the Death Demon Organization to fall so easily in just two moves.

“All of you, attack him now!” he shouted.

Fang An picked up another sword lying nearby. He took a stance, ready to attack.

Just two steps before the next wave of attackers reached him, Fang An extended his arms and spun rapidly like a windmill, slashing with the tips of his swords.

The unexpected strike from the front line left many victims. Eight members of the infamous assassin group operating within the Shang Dynasty had their throats slit by Fang An’s blades. Though surprised, they could do nothing—only surrender to their fate.

There were no screams, only the choking gurgles of men whose necks had been slashed, like cattle at a slaughterhouse.

The remaining attackers—less than thirty—halted in shock. Fear flooded their minds, and beads of sweat rolled down their faces like streams flowing to the sea.

Fang An grinned widely. There was no sign of anxiety despite having killed over a dozen men in mere moments. To the members of the Death Demon Organization, Fang An was more terrifying than Death itself.

His wide smile made their souls feel like they were hanging by a thread, waiting to be claimed by the God of Death. They had felt fear before, but this was something entirely different—something far more terrifying.

They were professional killers, used to taking lives without remorse. But facing a prey more merciless than themselves shattered their courage completely.

Especially that grin—given so effortlessly after killing with such ease—was a terrible omen.

“If you want to live, leave this place… or suffer the same fate!”

Fang An’s chilling voice sent some of the assassins fleeing in fear. They paid no heed to the curses hurled by Commander Lu Han or Prime Minister Shen Wei. All they could think about now was saving their own lives.

But just a few dozen meters into their escape, agonizing death cries pierced the night. No one knew who killed them, but the fleeing members of the Death Demon Organization collapsed lifeless on the ground.

Those who remained now faced a dilemma. If they attacked Fang An, they would surely die. But if they fled, they would also die. Whether forward or backward—death awaited.

Prime Minister Shen Wei and Commander Lu Han growled in frustration. Their plan to kill Fang An using the Death Demon Organization had thus far failed miserably.

"Attack him now!" Commander Lu Han shouted.

But the remaining assassins didn’t move. They were paralyzed, uncertain whether to attack, flee, or stand their ground.

“Attack him, or I’ll kill every one of you myself!” This time it was Prime Minister Shen Wei who roared the command.

Fang An chuckled softly. The red-haired youth took a few steps forward. “Why don’t the two of you come and fight me yourselves? Aren’t you a Prime Minister and a Commander? Surely you’re both martial experts, right? Or are your titles just a sham?” he mocked.

Indeed, Fang An’s personality wasn’t far off from Fang Yun’s—both adept at using verbal jabs to provoke their enemies.

Prime Minister Shen Wei grew more enraged. The old man unsheathed the sword at his waist. “Let’s fight him together! I’m sure we can defeat him!”

Commander Lu Han wasn’t as confident. After witnessing how easily Fang An had slain the assassins, he started to believe Tang Fei’s words might be true. But the plan was already in motion; there was no turning back now.

“There’s one thing you should know. I have no interest in your positions. So you were wrong to believe what Uncle Tang Fei said. Had you asked me directly before planning my death, tonight would’ve turned out very differently. You’re just too afraid of losing your power!”

The two high-ranking officials of the Shang Dynasty were stunned by Fang An’s admission. But they couldn’t back down now that their scheme had been exposed. They had to kill the red-haired youth to cover up their corruption—and to further their plan of overthrowing Emperor Li Wei and seizing the Shang Dynasty.

Prime Minister Shen Wei lunged first, with Commander Lu Han close behind. The two took turns attacking, trying to break Fang An’s defense. But the young man proved far too formidable. He easily dodged every strike aimed at him.

“Don’t ever let your guard down against me!” Fang An leaped into the air, unleashing a powerful slash at Commander Lu Han’s head, who had momentarily lost focus.

“Die!”