Chapter Notes:
Recap: On a lunar eclipse night, Bai Feng managed to stop Xiao Tian's assassination ploy. Despite not knowing each other's identity, they both caught a glimpse of the other's key trait: bright golden eyes and a unique mask.
So what happens when Xiao Tian fails his mission for the first time?
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Deeming that tonight's mission was a failure, Xiao Tian hastily retreated to the headquarters. As the onyx-haired assassin entered the organization's building, an equally dark-dressed man greeted him.
"You're back."
"I'll go back tomorrow night" hearing Xiao Tian's unexpected request that he would need another attempt at the mission, the man narrowed his eyes dangerously.
"Another night? Have your blades become dull HeiLi?"
Xiao Tian kept his silence and kept his gaze unwavering on the intimidating man.
"Not talking huh? Let's see how long you can keep this up.. Forget about retrying, I'll assign someone else." warned the organization's boss.
"Someone has requested you to take up a bounty involving a noble family. Make sure you succeed this time, they paid a pretty penny for his head." he continued.
Xiao Tian nodded and took the scroll containing information about his next target. Even though it was the short-haired assassin's first time in a long time to fail a mission, he didn't feel disappointed. Instead, he felt giddy that someone had put on a good fight. Usually, one fatal strike was enough to bring down his targets and he would just return to the headquarters to report his kill.
Then Xiao Tian's mundane cycle would repeat again and again.
But tonight was different.. For once, he felt a sense of thrill. He unconsciously wished that he would be able to meet that person a second time. And for some reason, Xiao Tian's mind kept recalling those beautiful eyes he had seen earlier that night. With strong perseverance and a hint of curiosity gleaming in those golden eyes, they were truly stunning.
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On a clear afternoon, Bai Feng was seen walking with his attendant through the market. Once he spotted a stall selling crystals and rocks he stopped and picked up a beautiful amber stone.
"..Put it back" mumbled the stall vendor. But Bai Feng continued to observe the jewel, inspecting for any imperfections.
"Put it back! We don't want anything to do with—" the seller started. Then the golden-eyed man gave a pouch to his attendant and left without a word.
"How much for this stone?" Bai Feng's attendant asked sternly.
"I rather lose this sale than people finding out that we sold to—"
Xiao Mei then slams the pouch of silver ingots onto the table while gripping her spear tightly.
"It would be a personal purchase from me, it has nothing to do with him. Do you have a problem with that?" glared Bai Feng's most trusted underling.
"N-No of course not.. I will pack the goods immediately.." replied the vendor as he hurriedly put the stone into a beautiful lacquer box, intimidated by the glint of her weapon.
Bai Feng quickly walked to a less crowded place to wait for his attendant. He watched as people avoided him with slight curiosity in their eyes.
"Is there anything else you would like to get, young master?" the girl was seen carrying a box, indicating that their purchase was successful.
"There are a few things I would have to get my hands on, I'll be counting on you.."
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After spending days observing his new target, Xiao Tian decided that it was finally time to make a move. The short-haired assassin waited until the dead of night to execute his plan, knowing that his prey would be fast asleep by then.
But first thing first, he had to get in.
Bypassing security was the easy part, the manor didn't have too many guards so Xiao Tian silently took them down and got access to the estate with no problem. The assassin wondered whether this was a result of the naivety of the young noble, thinking that he would be safe with such little security.
The assassin then proceeded to traverse the complex hallways of the manor, swiftly making his way while avoiding the suspicious eyes of any patrolling attendants. Finally, Xiao Tian managed to reach the area of his prey's sleeping quarters.
As expected, his target seemed to be in a deep slumber. Perfect.. The masked assassin silently passed through the spacious work area and into the bedroom. Xiao Tian then quickly straddled his prey's chest and pressed his dagger to their slender neck. Unfortunately, his target's eyes gently fluttered open, it was the same pair of golden irises he saw during his last mission.
As soon as Xiao Tian saw Bai Feng's face clearly, he hesitated.
Out of nowhere, a vision overwhelmed the assassin. In a garden full of blooming magnolia trees, a person stood. Their stunning cedar-colored hair danced in the wind. The beauty was just about to turn around when Xiao Tian suddenly snapped out of his dream-like state.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Whilst Xiao Tian's mind was preoccupied, Bai Feng had taken the chance to pull something from his bedside.
A string.. as Xiao Tian noticed this, a blade was quickly approaching him.
The assassin's center of gravity shifted as he moved to dodge the projectile. Immediately Bai Feng jolted himself as hard as he could off the bed to throw the assassin off balance. The stoic man knew he had the opportunity to fight back only because Xiao Tian was distracted.
This time, it was Bai Feng's turn to pin Xiao Tian to the floor. Regrettably, the cedar-haired man didn't have enough strength to keep him down. Not long after, Xiao Tian overpowered him once again.
Thankfully for Bai Feng, their tussling made too much noise. Immediately, the sound of rushed footsteps could be heard. Xiao Tian assumed that the guards had come to check on Bai Feng, so he swiftly fled the scene.
Ever since that night, the masked assassin would silently watch Bai Feng from the rooftops.
The cedar-haired beauty definitely piqued Xiao Tian's interest.
After all, despite not having the same prowess as the trained assassin, Bai Feng did make him abandon his mission, not once, but twice in a row. Xiao Tian couldn't pinpoint what it was, but meeting the golden-eyed beauty sparked something in him, and it was not something unpleasant.
"Why did I hesitate that night?" was a frequent thought that crossed Xiao Tian's mind ever since. He couldn't understand why he didn't slit Bai Feng's throat right there and then, when he had the perfect opportunity to do so.
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A few days after Bai Feng's assassination attempt, Xiao Tian received news that other assassins would be assisting him in eliminating the golden-eyed beauty. This news made him frustrated, though he himself couldn't figure out the reason why.
Xiao Tian wasn't even upset when his previous target was reassigned. In fact, it is perfectly understandable for assassins to not attempt an assassination on the same target twice because it takes away a lot of the element of surprise.
But this time.. He didn't like it one bit. The only thing that Xiao Tian currently has in mind is that: he won't give Bai Feng to anyone, that long-haired beauty is his prey.
It's a first for Xiao Tian to feel so obsessed with a target. If someone is to assassinate the golden-eyed man, it would be him, no one else.
As for Bai Feng, ever since Xiao Tian's attack, the servants in the estate have been extra cautious. Strengthening the manor's security, even insisting on following the cedar-haired man whenever he has to leave the house.
"The cut has healed perfectly young master. Luckily it didn't leave a mark," Xiao Mei sighed in relief as Bai Feng removed the bandages from his neck.
"This was the closest attempt they had so far. Please assign a personal guard to protect you, maybe Xiao Mei—" suggested a few of his servants.
"I would not wish to put on such a dangerous task for her." the golden-eyed beauty calmly replied.
"Young master, it is our duty to keep you safe.. I will gladly—" the young girl volunteered but was quickly interrupted by the informant.
"..I'll think about it"
The cedar-haired man appreciated their concern but he truly didn't want to endanger the young girl's life, she had a long way in front of her after all. Besides, Bai Feng was always closely monitored and controlled back when he was a child, so the thought of being watched disturbed him greatly.
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That night, a pair of assassins infiltrated Bai Feng's manor. Luckily, security was way tighter this time so the guards immediately intercepted. The cedar-haired man heard the sounds of weapons clashing and immediately grabbed his sword which was placed right beside his bed.
Bai Feng soon arrived on the scene, frowning deeply as he saw a few of his men down.
"Stand back young master!" cried Bai Feng's guards.
This alerted one of the assassins and caused him to leap past the guards and lunge towards Bai Feng.
These idiots! Thought Xiao Mei as she was being kept busy by the other assassin.
The cedar-haired man proceeded to unsheathe his sword calmly and it quickly glowed gold. Before anyone noticed, the assassin was already clutching his now-severed arm. Then, Bai Feng pointed his sword at the intruder.
"Who do you work for?" asked the golden-eyed beauty but the assassin chewed poison, before immediately collapsing.
They were all once again mesmerized by their contractor's prowess. But once out of trance, Bai Feng's attendant immediately rushed to his side checking if the young master was alright. Aside from a few blood splatters on his robes, the cedar-haired man remained uninjured.
"Young master, please don't rush to the scene.. Apologies if this one sounds presumptuous, but we are your guards for a reason." Xiao Mei said sternly.
Bai Feng remained silent and walked over to his guards who fell in tonight's ordeal. Then he gently closed their eyelids and spoke up,
"Mei, give these honored men a proper burial."
Xiao Tian watched the manor while twirling his dagger. Soon he saw bodies being carried out of the estate and the two assassins that infiltrated were not seen to leave the premises.
"So you survived another night huh~" hummed the masked assassin as he left the territory.
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Xiao Tian was once again in the vicinity of Bai Feng's manor. Ever since the day he got replaced as the assassin in charge of eliminating the long-haired beauty, he had been staking out the manor every night. The masked assassin was monitoring the manor's entryways when he finally saw a group of five approaching one of the entrances.
Unfortunately, the gate guards were not enough to stop the squad, but it gave enough time for Xiao Tian to make his way over to the scene. The masked assassin jumped down from the rooftops and landed behind his seniors.
"HeiLi.. The boss never informed us about backup.." said one of the assassins.
Xiao Tian merely stared at the squad and gave no response.
"Anyways don't get in our way—" they said, turning their backs on the masked assassin.
That was a fatal mistake
Xiao Tian immediately slit one of the assassin's necks then proceeded to stab another from the back before the other three turned around. One of them had swung their dagger aiming at Xiao Tian's neck but the masked assassin swiftly ducked and lodged his dagger into the flesh just under their ribcage. Then he retained his low posture to quickly slash the inner thigh of another approaching assassin, before finally leaping behind the last senior and twisting his head until a clear crack was heard.
Within minutes, all five assassins were wiped out.
"Who says anything about backup?" said the masked assassin coldly as he flicked his dagger, causing blood to splatter on the ground. Then he calmly walked through the gates and stepped into the courtyard finding a certain golden-eyed man glaring at him.
"Hmm? Greeted by the master of the estate himself.. How flattering~" said Xiao Tian in a cheery tone.
"You and your friends just won't give up, won't you?" the cedar-haired man tightened his grip on his scabbard.
"Oh they're not my friends, don't worry ^^" replied the masked assassin as he casually twirled his dagger.
Bai Feng quickly unsheathed his sword and lunged at the assassin.
"What is your objective? Why did you kill your own people?" hissed the golden-eyed man.
A piercing CLANG! can be heard as Xiao Tian stops Bai Feng's blade before he flips backwards. The cedar-haired man continued with a riposte but the assassin swiftly yanked his wrist pulling Bai Feng closer to him.
"Your swordsmanship might be decent, but it's predictable" whispered the assassin.
Bai Feng gritted his teeth as he jerked his hand away from Xiao Tian's grip.
"Answer my question, " the golden-eyed man demanded as he swung his blade at the assassin's neck.
Xiao Tian ducked but Bai Feng leaped forward to slash the assassin's side. Unfortunately, his attacks didn't connect. So Xiao Tian quickly used this opportunity to tangle Bai Feng's hilt with his outer coat and yanked it, causing the sword to clatter on the ground.
"I'm just here doing some general cleaning for—" but before the assassin finished his sentence Bai Feng flung a wooden bucket at Xiao Tian and somersaulted to grab his sword from the ground. The assassin swiftly twisted his body and landed a high kick, resulting in the bucket smashing into pieces.
"What? Can't you talk while fighting? Continue," taunted the golden-eyed man as they once again closed their distance.
"Hey, You're not playing fair~" replied the assassin as he grabbed his other dagger and slashed Bai Feng's arm. The long-haired beauty then lowered his body as he stepped forward, aiming for Xiao Tian's left leg but the assassin quickly leaped away. Then Bai Feng grabbed a fistful of soil and sprayed it into the assassin's direction, obscuring his vision for a brief moment.
"I think pulling out a second weapon is far more dangerous than not playing fair," Bai Feng said as he leaped away to keep his distance from the assassin.
Xiao Tian was starting to feel giddy from the spar, this little prey of his is actually putting up a fight. However, as he was about to charge at Bai Feng, the assassin heard a crow's caw from a distance. Xiao Tian clicked his tongue in disappointment
Why must they interrupt his fun..
The masked assassin sprinted towards Bai Feng leaving just a few inches between them. But before the golden-eyed man could react to his sudden move, Xiao Tian whispered into his ears.
"I'm in a good mood today so I'll end this greeting early. See you next time~" the assassin quickly pulled away before leaping to the rooftops and escaping.
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Author's Notes:
Thank you for reading Obsession~ and don't forget to add us to your reading list <3
Votes and comments are highly appreciated!
Interaction time: What would Xiao Tian be likely to do next?
A) Xiao Tian will continue to stalk Bai Feng, finding him an exciting challenge.
B) Xiao Tian is angry and seeks revenge against Bai Feng for interfering with his missions.
C) Xiao Tian becomes indifferent towards Bai Feng and views him as just another target.