Consort Ling awoke to find herself lying on a bed, her clothes had been cleaned and changed, and her wounds were treated. She placed a hand on her wound and sat up from the bed. The smell of disinfectant lingered in the room as she headed towards the living room, searching for her clothes. It was only after hearing the playful laughter of a girl from another room that she began to take stock of her surroundings. After a moment's hesitation, she knocked on the door.

Xiao Lin unwillingly uttered a low curse, releasing Xia Xue and retreating to the side of the door. Who was so inconsiderate to ruin his good mood? "Consort Ling?" Xiao Lin looked shocked at Consort Ling standing outside the door; her speed in waking exceeded his expectations.

"Qing Yi is missing." Consort Ling wasn't one to talk much. Although his interruption at this time might irk Xiao Lin, he believed that Qing Yi's disappearance was more important than anything else.

"There are clothes in my room; you can put them on. I'll be there in a bit." Xiao Lin closed the door, looking apologetically at Xia Xue.

"I understand." With Xia Xue's consent, Xiao Lin dressed and returned to his own small room. Consort Ling was already dressed, though the clothes were slightly oversized for her. Even in the same clothes, the two displayed different styles.

"The person who hurt you was the same as last time, also the one who killed Zhang Teng." Xiao Lin stated with certainty, not as a question.

"I can't be sure if the woman is related to Qing Yi's disappearance, but I can be sure that the woman can see me."

"She can see through your invisibility cloak?" Xiao Lin was intrigued. He found a black cloak-like but distinct piece of leather in the living room. It was weightless in his hand. Xiao Lin inspected it thoroughly, finding no traces of fluorescent powder or similar substances, differing slightly from his prior assumptions.

"She attacked me from behind. At the time, I merely sensed someone approaching from behind, and Qing Yi was right in front of me. I had to abandon Qing Yi to evade the attack."

Xiao Lin noticed Consort Ling was slightly out of breath, her delicate face as pale as a sheet of paper. "What was Qing Yi doing at the time?"

"I was merely wandering around following him as usual. After he entered an alley, the woman appeared. After I got rid of her, Qing Yi vanished, and the woman continued following me to this vicinity."

"Did she hurt you here?"

"I'm not sure how she found me. I wanted to tell you; it's not safe here."

"You can drive, right?" Xiao Lin pondered. He wasn't certain about Qing Yi's disappearance, but he was sure the woman was nearby and posed a threat to Consort Ling, proving she intended to eliminate necessary people around him first, making him the true target. "Take Xia Xue back to the estate, Qing Yi and Shao Qing are there."

Consort Ling hesitated slightly. "This woman is one of Black Crow's top assassins, ranking above Human Skin Granny."

"These things are endless." Xiao Lin couldn't help but frown. "Wait for me." He returned to Xia Xue's room. The person on the bed was already asleep, and he didn't have the heart to wake her, so he retreated.

"How can we find this woman?" Abandoning the idea of them returning to the estate, he faced Consort Ling instead.

"She will come to find you."

Xiao Lin dug out a box from under the bed, filled with his favored cold weapons. He selected a short sword about twenty centimeters long and slid it into his sleeve. Then he took long needles from the medicine box and placed them in his pocket, satisfied only after closing the lid.

"That's all you use?" Consort Ling was surprised by Xiao Lin's choice of weapon. He thought firearms would be more convenient.

"I'm not interested in firearms. The other box contains guns; feel free to choose, and stay here. She needs your protection." Xiao Lin's meaning was clear to Consort Ling, who nodded. He wasn't a match for the woman and could only become a target if he went.

"The last place I confronted her was at the back entrance of the hospital."

Xiao Lin nodded and headed out. The hospital's back entrance was relatively secluded, two blocks from the professor dormitories. If he drove, it would only take five minutes, but Xiao Lin opted to walk.

This street served as a passage between the campus and residential areas, accommodating the width of two cars. Few people usually passed through here; most private cars used it to avoid the larger road's curves, heading to the next traffic light.

Looking up from this street revealed the inpatient unit of the campus hospital. By looking up, one could see the lights of the regular wards still on. If he recalled correctly, Dan Qing could be discharged this week, and he orchestrated the best arrangements at the estate. After discussions with Dan Qing, they planned to send Niu Niu to a boarding school for full-time care, returning once a week.

For Niu Niu, this was not a bad thing. The only thing that saddened her was having to leave Dan Qing, as the delay in her studies would create a discrepancy at the same age level. Even if Niu Niu entered school, she would have to start learning from the first grade. Having new companions would also help her voice her inner feelings. She had no doubt about Xiao Lin's arrangements.

Just as he was about to withdraw his gaze, a streak of red flashed before his eyes. Xiao Lin's eyes dimmed as he quickened his pace and leaped over the wall into the campus, heading straight to the seventh-floor general ward.

He pushed open Dan Qing's hospital room door. Niu Niu was sound asleep on the sofa, and the air was filled with a unique fragrance, a mixture of rosemary and some sedative powder. Glancing at the empty bed, Xiao Lin backed out; ordinary poisons had no effect on him.

"Hi!" Xiao Lin politely greeted the nurse at the station.

"Dr. Xiao, here to check on Dan Qing and her daughter so late?"

"Yes, just stepping out. They've already fallen asleep." Xiao Lin glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already past the inspection time; the next round should be at midnight. "I've checked; they're fine. No need to disturb them during the rounds."

"Okay."

Xiao Lin entered the stairwell. A streak of red drifted at the handrail as he climbed, presumably a red silk scarf or some other red item. He didn't intend to pick it up but followed the signs upward.

The campus hospital inpatient department had only ten floors. On the way to the rooftop, he saw the red again, possibly gloves? Or bandages? He was weary of such trivial tricks.

"Casually taking my patient away gives me a headache." As Xiao Lin stepped out the door, he saw the red shadow in the distance, with a black shadow collapsed beside it.

The red shadow didn't move. Xiao Lin halted five steps away. This was his first time observing this woman up close. He had only heard of her and seen her silhouette in videos before.

Beyond his imagination, the woman had long jet-black hair, reminding him of the red-clothed lady in the underground city, the kind of woman that made Lao Qing blush, wielding a skilled whip. Compared to her, the person before him was entirely a different type.

Under her slender eyes was a vibrant red lip, passionately fiery, as if her exhaled breath could scorch a person. Consort Ling called her the 'fire' of the 'black shadow.' "Give me back my patient." Such silence only escalated the tension of this battle for Xiao Lin; from her resolute eyes, there was no avoiding her.

The woman held a pair of silver hooks in her hands, with the tips not shaped like a lotus flower but more like a budding core. Xiao Lin cautiously watched her movements. From past accounts, she specialized in rapid attacks, and as he calculated in his mind, she was already upon him, the hooks sweeping towards him, aiming at his abdomen. Sparks flew when the heads of the hooks collided.

It seemed that the concealed weapons at the hook tips were more than one. Intentionally slowing his pace, only during her attacks would he double his speed to evade them.

The woman wasn't giving it her all; Xiao Lin could feel it. As she attacked the same spot repeatedly, she would abandon the vital points. Xiao Lin smiled slightly. "Xiao Mu's orders?"

Before launching her third wave of attacks, Xiao Lin tentatively inquired. An assassin not coming to get you killed but merely to fight seemed pointless regardless.

"But if you don't give it your all, I'll take your life." Xiao Lin didn't intend to let this woman go, so as she hesitated, he had already moved to her right flank, striking toward her shoulder with a palm.

The woman merely tilted her shoulder slightly, steadying her stance. From her eyes, Xiao Lin caught a glimmer of murderous intent, causing him to smirk. A short sword slipped from his sleeve, held in reverse. Since her lower body was stable, her upper body might be her weak spot. Without hesitation, he launched a series of attacks on her upper body, pushing her back, straight to the edge.

A lotus flower shot out, releasing a burst of silver threads. Xiao Lin had to step back in the dark as the lotus petals produced a crisp metal sound. Finally, the woman spoke, and with her roar, the hooks in her hands whirled up, lifting her entire body like a red vortex rushing at Xiao Lin.

In a duel, one side losing combat rhythm spells danger. Clearly, the woman was impulsive. From the vortex shot several silver lotuses, making sharp whistles as they pounced toward Xiao Lin's vital points.

No place to hide! Nowhere to conceal! Xiao Lin retreated three steps; the lotuses fell to the ground. With his knowledge of cold weapons, such hidden weapons had a range of only one or two meters, suitable for close-range damage. In terms of complex craftsmanship, at most, each tip could only collide with two lotuses, leaving the woman with one more chance to fire hidden weapons.

The woman squinted, altering her hook technique, drawing her arms inward with the hooks outward. She discarded another hidden weapon from one tip, leaving only two layers of lotus petals. She then bent down.

Xiao Lin shook off his casual demeanor, adjusting his stance to follow the woman's strange posture. The woman twisted her body like a snake, supple enough to separate her from the word "bone." After a series of violent shakes, Xiao Lin lost sight of her.

She was fast. Xiao Lin had to admit this woman's remarkable skill, blending with the speed of the wind, making it impossible to track her motion. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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