THE HUNTER OF DARKNESS

Trap

"Who are they?" Fang An murmured to himself, puzzled. Judging from the surge of energy he sensed, the intruders on his rooftop weren’t just one or two — there were at least three of them. His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling, ready to face whatever might happen next.

Fang An jumped lightly toward the lantern that lit up the room and blew it out. The bright room instantly turned dark. He tiptoed back to the bed and slowly lay down.

Crack!

The sound of broken roof tiles rolling down could be heard clearly, even though it was faint. Fang An’s ears caught the sound of shifting tiles — one, two, three, and finally four roof tiles were fully opened. The bright moonlight instantly poured into the room through the gaps.

Fang An closed his eyes but left a small slit to continue observing in the dark. The moonlight gave him just enough visibility to spot a head suddenly peeking through.

“What are they up to?” the question echoed again in his mind.

“He’s inside,” whispered one of the intruders to his companion.

The figure jumped down and landed silently right beside Fang An’s bed. Moments later, three more figures followed and leapt into the room.

Even in the darkness, with only moonlight to guide them, the four men could see their target seemingly fast asleep. Two of them drew their swords carefully to avoid making any noise that might awaken him.

After exchanging glances, the two raised their blades and swung them down toward Fang An’s neck and abdomen.

Before the blades could reach their target, Fang An kicked one of them, sending him crashing into his companions.

Crash! Smash!

The sound of a table breaking under the weight of bodies and a mirror shattering against the floor erupted in succession.

“Damn it… we’ve been set up!” one of them cursed.

“Kill him!” shouted another.

The four intruders launched an all-out attack on Fang An, no longer caring that the battle was happening within the palace walls.

Fang An dodged a strike aimed at him, then swiftly unleashed a scissor kick that slammed one of his attackers hard to the floor.

A cry of pain echoed through the still night. Fang An leapt toward one of the dropped swords and quickly counterattacked.

The dim lighting didn’t hinder him. Two years of life in the White Eagle Sect had sharpened both his vision and his reflexes.

A quick slash aimed at the neck followed by a powerful kick sent one of the attackers sprawling to the ground. His throat was deeply cut, his windpipe severed. Several choking sounds gurgled from him before he died in a pool of blood.

Fang An didn’t stop there. One of the intruders froze in shock at his comrade’s death, unaware of the danger rushing toward him. Though he managed to react, it was too late—the sword had already pierced his gut and exited through his back.

Fang An didn’t pull the blade out right away. Instead, he twisted it several times, deepening the wound. It took only seconds before the man gasped his last breath and died beside his friend.

The remaining two backed away a few steps. Both were stunned by the deadly skills of their supposed victim, who now resembled the god of death himself. The intel they had received stated that their target possessed little martial ability. But now the tables had turned—they were the ones fighting to survive.

“Tell me who you are and why you came to kill me!” Fang An demanded. His sword pointed straight at them.

“Threats are useless. We won’t tell you anything,” one of them spat.

“Then death is the answer you’ve chosen.” Fang An stepped forward slowly, his grin terrifying. The red-haired young man no longer hesitated when it came to killing.

Escape was no longer an option—the exits had been cut off by the young warrior. Jumping up through the roof wasn’t possible either, not when death loomed so close.

With no way out, the remaining two attackers chose to fight to the death. After taking a deep breath, they charged forward.

The dark room filled with broken furniture made their movements noisy. The sound of clashing steel rang out, intensifying the tension.

Several palace guards who were patrolling nearby were startled by the noise. They moved closer to Fang An’s room and knocked on the door.

When no one responded and the sounds inside grew louder, the guards broke in. At the exact moment they burst through the door, a loud, final scream echoed.

Fang An had sliced open his final attacker’s stomach—his intestines spilled to the floor.

The open door drew the young man's attention. He saw several soldiers entering the room and approaching him.

"What happened, Sir?" one of the soldiers asked.

Fang An let out a long sigh, then walked toward the lantern and lit it.

The soldiers were stunned to see the condition of Fang An’s room, which was already in complete disarray. Even more shocking were the four lifeless bodies lying on the floor.

"Who are they, Sir?"

"I don't know. But one thing is certain—they came to kill me," Fang An replied.

One of the soldiers approached a corpse and examined it. After finding nothing, he moved to inspect another body.

"Death Demon Assassins Organization," the soldier muttered, furrowing his brow.

"Are you sure?" another soldier asked.

"Isn’t this seal theirs?" the inspecting soldier showed the seal in his hand.

Fang An stepped forward, took the seal from the soldier’s hand, and stared at it for a while. "Clean up these bodies. I’m going to meet Master Tang Fei first."

"Yes, Sir," one of the soldiers responded.

Fang An shook his head slightly, then stepped out of the room. His mind was flooded with questions—who had tried to kill him? He truly couldn’t make sense of it. He had only been in the palace for a few days and had no conflict with anyone.

When he arrived in front of Tang Fei’s room, Fang An knocked a few times. Soon, a voice responded from inside, followed by the door opening from within.

"What happened, Fang An?" Tang Fei frowned upon seeing Fang An’s clothes stained with blood.

"Someone tried to kill me and sent four people into my room," Fang An replied.

"Do you know who they were?" Tang Fei asked, clearly curious.