C2 Tendon-dissecting Hand

In a split second, Wang Xiao's expression turned grave. He snatched Tong Waner's head, who was mid-bite, and forced it down onto his thigh.

A gleaming blade sliced through the air, narrowly missing the spot where Tong Waner had been seated moments before, and shot towards Wang Xiao. Pinned to his chair, he couldn't dodge; instead, he caught the deadly missile with his teeth.

It was a jet-black throwing knife.

"Big Brother Wang Xiao, what's going on?"

Sandwiched between Wang Xiao's thighs, Tong Waner's face flushed with embarrassment. She straightened up, her lips pursed in a pout.

Since when had Big Brother Wang Xiao turned so wicked, daring to take such liberties with her?

But as Tong Waner lifted her gaze, she spotted the black knife clenched in Wang Xiao's mouth and her expression shifted.

The knife had come from directly behind her previous position.

Had Wang Xiao not pushed her head down, the knife would have surely skewered her skull...

The realization left Tong Waner with a profound sense of having narrowly escaped death.

Wang Xiao didn't answer Tong Waner's question. His eyes, icy and sharp, fixed on the shattered window, he called out, "You've made it this far, why not come in and sit down? How about joining us for a meal?"

With a crash, two figures in black leapt through the broken window as Wang Xiao finished speaking. Clutching daggers, they bore a solemn look as they faced Wang Xiao.

"We thought the task would be simple after dealing with the bodyguards outside. Little did we expect an expert to be inside this villa!"

One of the assailants ran his tongue along the blade's edge, his cold gaze mocking Wang Xiao.

"What have you done with Brother Tong Hu and the others?"

Tong Waner's face paled when she heard that the bodyguards had been neutralized. She quickly pressed the man for answers.

Brother Tong Hu had been her guardian for over a decade; he was like family to her.

"Heh, don't worry, they're just temporarily out of commission. You, however, are our target!"

The man in black sneered at Tong Waner, his eyes glinting with unyielding intent to kill, utterly unaffected by her beauty.

No sooner had the words left his lips than the man in black sprang into action, his sharp dagger slicing through the air towards Tong Waner.

His movements were lightning-fast, intent on a deadly single strike.

Tong Waner's complexion turned ghostly pale at the sight, the image of the black dagger growing rapidly in her crystalline eyes. She tried to dodge, but her limbs felt inexplicably weak.

The mission was nearly complete! The man in black's lips curled into a sadistic grin as he noticed Tong Waner paralyzed with fear, unable to move.

"Big Brother Wang Xiao, Waner has to go ahead. You must take care of yourself!"

Tong Waner shut her eyes in resignation, her heart sinking. With Tong Hu and the others knocked out cold, her fate seemed sealed.

But just as the dagger neared Tong Waner's throat by mere centimeters, a burly hand shot out in front of her, seizing the black blade.

"My woman, you think you can hurt her just like that?"

A calm voice cut through the silence of the villa, reaching the ears of the black-clad assailants. Wang Xiao's gaze was cool and detached as he regarded them, much like one would look upon the dead.

Having resolved to stay and play the role of Tong Waner's counterfeit fiancé, Wang Xiao was prepared to fulfill his duty as a man—to protect her at all costs.

"Hehe, what if you are injured?"

The man in black's brow furrowed, his sneer undiminished even as the young man effortlessly blocked his attack.

He attempted to withdraw the dagger from Wang Xiao's grasp, only to find it immovable as if clamped by iron. Yet there wasn't a scratch on Wang Xiao's hand. Upon closer inspection, the man's face contorted with shock.

"Sky Silkworm Gloves, I never expected you to possess such an item. Your origins must be far from ordinary!"

The man in black's voice was heavy with gravity as he locked eyes with Wang Xiao.

"Aiyo, not bad, recognizing my Heavenly Silkworm Gloves," Wang Xiao quipped, a roguish smirk playing on his lips.

Then, turning to Tong Waner with a reassuring smile, he said, "Waner, step aside for a moment. I'll handle them."

Tong Waner's eyes widened in shock, her expression dazed. It wasn't until she heard Wang Xiao's words that she snapped back to reality. "Huh? Big Brother Wang Xiao, you can't beat them, you just can't..."

Slap.

Her words were cut short as Wang Xiao brusquely interrupted her, slapping her on her firm, shapely behind. He spoke with a domineering tone, "Ever heard of 'where you go, I go'? You do what I say, got it?"

Tong Waner's cheeks flushed crimson, a jolt like electricity shooting through her from her fragrant buttocks, sending her heart into a frenzied flutter.

You jerk, how dare you slap me in front of others...

Pervert!

I'm mortified!

Chaos reigned in Tong Waner's heart, leaving her clueless on how to even step aside.

"There's no need for all this fuss. Today, you're both going to die!" declared the Black-clothed Man with a dagger, his voice dripping with contempt.

As he spoke, he drew another dagger and lunged for the hand Wang Xiao had on his weapon. Wang Xiao reacted with lightning speed, releasing his grip.

"Die!"

The Black-clothed Man's eyes blazed with murderous intent as he saw Wang Xiao release his hold. Gripping the dagger in both hands, he lunged at Wang Xiao with full force.

"Bring it on!"

Wang Xiao remained calm, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"A'yi, watch out, don't!" Another Black-clothed Man, sensing trouble, furrowed his brow and called out a warning to his companion, but it was too late.

Just as the dagger was about to strike Wang Xiao's chest, he vanished from sight, leaving behind only a trace of laughter, "You're too slow. Now, watch me!"

The Black-clothed Man felt a shadow flicker before his eyes. In an instant, Wang Xiao had retreated several meters, maintaining a distance. For a few seconds, it seemed as if nothing had happened. But then, seeing the two daggers twirling in Wang Xiao's hands, his face turned to one of shock.

This is my dagger!

He quickly glanced down and realized that the daggers in his hands had vanished. Shocked, he exclaimed, "When did the kid snatch my daggers? How did I not feel a thing?"

Thud...

Before the Dagger-wielding Black-clothed Man could grasp what had happened, a string of blood beads formed a gruesome bracelet around his wrists. Then, his palms detached from his arms as blood spurted from the wounds.

"Ah, my hands... Ugh!"

The Black-clothed Man's face contorted in horror as he watched his hands fall, crying out in terror. But his shout was abruptly cut short.

A vivid blood necklace had slowly emerged around his neck.

Eyes bulging, mouth agape, the Black-clothed Man fell forward lifelessly.

"Such swift swordsmanship! He severed First A's hands and ended his life in the blink of an eye!"

Another Black-clothed Man, witnessing the scene, spoke in terror. Without a moment's delay, he turned and fled from the villa.

Such a formidable opponent was beyond the capabilities of a mere bronze-level assassin.

"Trying to escape? Did you think to ask my permission?"

Wang Xiao's expression turned icy as he flicked his finger, sending the dagger flying like a streak of frost towards the fleeing Black-clothed Man.

The dagger pierced the man's thigh, eliciting a muffled groan, but he persisted, scrambling over the wall to escape.

"Waner, check on Tong Hu and the others. I'm going after him!"

Wang Xiao turned to Tong Waner with quick instructions before dashing off.

"Big Brother Wang Xiao, please be careful."

Tong Waner bit her lip with concern as she watched Wang Xiao give chase, her eyes shimmering with tender light.

When had Big Brother Wang Xiao become so formidable?

Could it be true that he left home to seek mastery in the martial arts?

On the deserted street, Wang Xiao rapidly closed in on the injured Black-clothed Man.

"Now, tell me without fuss, who sent you to assassinate Waner?"

Wang Xiao fixed his gaze indifferently on the injured man clad in black and asked in a deep voice, "Give up the fantasy. I won't tell you anything. Kill or maim me if you must; at worst, I'll just die!"

The man in black scoffed coldly, looking at Wang Xiao with contempt. "Die?" Wang Xiao mused, a sly grin creeping across his lips. "You know, sometimes death is the easy way out. It's living that can be excruciatingly painful."

"What are you planning to do?" The man in black's face drained of color as he stared at Wang Xiao, a hint of panic in his eyes.

"I've been perfecting a technique known as the Tendon Splitting and Bone Breaking Hand. Interested in helping me with some research?" Wang Xiao taunted, stepping closer with a sneer.

At the mention of "Tendon Splitting and Bone Breaking Hand," the man in black's face went ashen, and a resolute glint appeared in his eyes. He seemed on the verge of action.

"To think that an assassin these days would still resort to such an antiquated method of suicide," Wang Xiao remarked. Without hesitation, he seized the man's mouth and delivered a punch that shattered several teeth. Extracting the hidden poison sac from the broken teeth, Wang Xiao chuckled lightly.