The black tendrils coiled around Lin Hao’s neck, their icy grip inching toward his jaw. Panic clawed at his throat—80,000 taels short. System’s robbing me blind!
With a roar fueled by desperation, he rammed the voidshard fragment back into its stone prison. The mist dissolved, leaving him slumped against the forge wall, drenched in cold sweat.
“You… alright?” The dwarf smith eyed him warily, earlier greed replaced by unease.
“It’s… settled.” Lin Hao forced a grin, clutching the relic. “Soul-bound, like you said.”
The smith’s shoulders sagged. “Take it. Some curses aren’t worth breaking.”
Lin Hao bowed, relief masking triumph. Ten thousand saved. For now.
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Tianwu City’s Western District pulsed with illicit energy. The Underground Bazaar’s entrance yawned like a beast’s maw, neon-lit sigils above its archway flickering—Ling Clan Holdings. Lin Hao adjusted his mask, the Kung Fu Fly perched invisibly on his shoulder.
Inside, chaos reigned. Stalls hawked glowing spirit cores beside bloodstained armor; beggars peddled “authentic” ancient maps. Lin Hao wove through the throng, the Fly’s compound eyes scanning for threats.
Target acquired. The Fly’s telepathic alert coincided with Ma Feiyu’s sneering profile across a dumpling stall. The young master and his swordsman bodyguard Li Kun strode toward a gilded archway—VIP Passage.
Lin Hao glanced at the plebeian queues snaking around cheaper entrances. No choice. He slapped a 1,000-tael note at the VIP gatekeeper.
“Booth 88, second row.” The guard leered, mistaking Lin Hao’s tremor for novice jitters.
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The auction hall reeked of sandalwood and ambition. Tiered seating descended toward a stage veiled in enchanted mist. Lin Hao’s seat afforded a clear view of Ma Feiyu’s lacquered booth seven spots left.
“—break his legs myself!” Ma Feiyu’s hissed threat carried over the pre-auction murmur.
Li Kun’s hand restrained his charge. “The Ling Clan’s enforcers patrol here. Wait till he exits.”
Lin Hao’s fingers brushed the Wolf Spider’s carrier pouch. Let them try.
Lights dimmed. The mist parted to reveal an auctioneer in jade-scale armor. “Lot One: A Frost Wyvern egg, smuggled from the Northern Wastes!”
Bidding erupted. Lin Hao feigned interest while the Fly mapped exits—six guards posted at the vaulted doors, another dozen patrolling balconies.
Ding! Environmental scan complete. Host’s escape route probability: 73% post-assassination.
He stifled a grimace. 73%’s better than last time.
Ma Feiyu yawned through early lots, perking up only when the auctioneer unveiled a jade slip. “Final item: A Tianyan Academy recommendation token, anonymously consigned.”
Li Kun stiffened. Ma Feiyu’s paddle shot up. “200,000!”
Gasps rippled. The token’s reserve was 50,000.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Lin Hao’s nape prickled. Blackscale Gang’s payment for tonight’s hit—Ma’s laundering it clean.
“220,000!” A veiled woman countered.
Ma Feiyu’s smirk faltered. “250,000!”
“300,000.” The woman’s monotone cut through his bluster.
Li Kun gripped Ma’s wrist. “Young Master, our funds cap at 280,000.”
Ma Feiyu’s face purpled. The gavel fell. “Sold to Booth 33!”
As the winner rose, Lin Hao’s breath hitched—Zhao Ling’er’s jade hairpin glinted beneath the woman’s veil.
Ding! Secondary target identified. Adjust mission parameters?
Lin Hao’s nails dug into his palms. Focus. Ma first.
The crowd dispersed. Ma Feiyu stormed toward the VIP lounge, Li Kun struggling to keep pace. Lin Hao merged into the exodus, the Wolf Spider’s venom glands priming.
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Backstage corridors twisted like entrails. Lin Hao ducked into a service alcove, the Fly scouting ahead.
Ma Feiyu’s voice echoed from a private chamber. “—intercepted by some bitch! The Blackscales’ll skin me alive!”
Li Kun’s sword hissed free. “We ambush the buyer en route. No witnesses.”
Lin Hao’s lips curled. Perfect.
The Wolf Spider scuttled into ventilation ducts. The Fly hovered at the lintel, wing-blades vibrating.
Ding! Synced attack ready. Lethality index: 91%.
Lin Hao palmed the voidshard stone. Its chill seeped into his resolve.
Let’s dance.
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Blood in the Shadows
The auction hall plunged into darkness as the clock struck eight. Lin Hao’s pulse synced with the Wolf Spider’s movements—silent, lethal.
Ma Feiyu’s smug laughter died mid-snort. The arachnid’s fangs pierced his ankle, injecting venom that blackened veins within seconds.
“Aaaaagh—!” His scream sliced through the blackout.
Spotlights flared moments later, illuminating auctioneer Lin Wanrong’s crimson qipao. Gasps erupted as Ma Feiyu’s corpse slumped grotesquely, dark blood oozing from every orifice.
Li Kun’s sword rang free. “Lin Clan dogs! You’ll pay for this!”
The Lin enforcer captain crossed tattooed arms. “Take your corpse to the magistrates. We’re not your houndkeepers.”
Guards hauled the body toward exits, Ma Feiyu’s limbs dragging like a broken puppet. Li Kun’s blade trembled—not from fear, but the spider scuttling beneath chairs.
“There!” His sword arced,剑气 (sword energy) shearing through air.
The Wolf Spider’s adamantine armor flared runic crimson. The impact sent it caroming off marble walls, carapace screeching against stone. Lin Hao winced—his spider’s diagnostics flashed yellow.
“Crush it!” Li Kun lunged again.
The Wolf Spider spat silk, entangling his wrist. Guards closed in, clubs crackling with禁锢符文 (binding runes).
Lin Wanrong’s voice cut through chaos. “Enough! Disrupt this auction again, and the Lin Clan revokes your family’s trade permits!”
Li Kun froze. Ma Feiyu’s death meant little—losing access to Tianwu’s black markets would doom his clan.
The Wolf Spider seized the hesitation, scaling a velvet curtain to vanish into ceiling beams. Lin Hao exhaled—his creation’s vitals stabilized, though mobility dropped 40%.
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Back in his booth, Lin Hao monitored through the Fly’s eyes. Li Kun stormed out, murder etched in every stride. The auction resumed as if nothing occurred—Lin Wanrong now showcasing a jade artifact that pulsed with imprisoned storm spirits.
Ding! Primary target eliminated. Secondary objective updated: Evade Li Kun’s pursuit (survival probability: 63%).
Lin Hao slipped into the crowd, adopting the shuffle of a rheumatic merchant. The Fly tracked Li Kun’s progress—the swordsman was interrogating a mask vendor near the east exit.
Three blocks from the bazaar, alley shadows swallowed Lin Hao whole. He unclenched his fist, revealing the Wolf Spider curled protectively around a venom sac—its remaining payload.
“Hiding like a rat?” Li Kun’s silhouette blocked the alley mouth. Moonlight glinted on his drawn blade. “That spider reeks of alchemical stink. You’re no ordinary breeder.”
Lin Hao’s mask hid his smirk. “You’re right.”
The Wolf Spider launched itself, not at Li Kun, but at the brick wall. Its spinneret fired silk lines in a crisscross pattern—a net Li Kun’s sword shredded effortlessly.
But the real trap lay in the severed threads. Each split strand released microdroplets of paralytic agent. Li Kun inhaled sharply, knees buckling.
“Clever… vermin…” He collapsed, sword clattering.
Lin Hao stepped over him, pausing to pat the convulsing swordsman’s cheek. “Tell your clan head—next time they send a pup to hunt wolves, bring better bait."
The Fly landed on Li Kun’s eyelid, wing-blades poised. Lin Hao shook his head. "Let him crawl home. Dead men don’t spread fear."
As midnight bells tolled, Lin Hao melted into the docks district. Behind him, the Wolf Spider’s diagnostics finally blinked green—its carapace regenerating. The voidshard stone weighed heavy in his pocket, its hunger momentarily sated.
Somewhere in the Lin ancestral hall, a jade tablet bearing Ma Feiyu’s name cracked down the middle. The game had just begun.