Chapter 72: Danger, The Most Venomous Woman

With a swift sound, Li Chao moved, his body as nimble as a hunting leopard. He supported himself with one hand on the window ledge and leapt out of the room in an instant, landing steadily in the courtyard. His gaze was piercing, fixed upon the crew-cut man in the distance, and his tone carried both scrutiny and wariness:
“Who are you? Why have you broken into my home in the dead of night?”

The crew-cut man did not respond directly. Instead, he quickly pulled a phone from his pocket, swiped through the screen at speed, and compared a photograph to the man standing before him. Upon confirming the match, a cold smile curled upon his lips as he said icily,
“An assassin. My identity is simple—I’m here to take your life.”

“What do you mean?” Li Chao’s brow furrowed at these words, his heart filling with doubt. He had never borne a grudge against anyone, never imagined he might become someone’s target.

The crew-cut man ignored his surprise and continued,
“I take money to rid others of their troubles. It’s my profession, my mission. Are you ready? Die!”

Before the words had faded, his hands flashed from his pockets, each gripping a custom spring-loaded knife, gleaming coldly under the moon’s silvery light, their lethality apparent.

With a sudden push of his legs, the man shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, his speed astonishing. Yet Li Chao did not retreat. He knew well that any hesitation or fear at this moment would doom him.

He quickly steadied his breath, activating the “Stellar Body Tempering Technique” he had trained in, his muscles tensing in readiness for the deadly contest.

“If you seek death, then I’ll oblige you!” Li Chao thought to himself, shifting aside just in time to avoid the first wave of the man’s attack. Using the momentum, he countered with a forceful punch aimed at his attacker’s abdomen, quick and powerful.

But the crew-cut man was clearly no ordinary foe. He recovered swiftly, exploiting the agility of his spring-loaded knives, tracing silvery arcs through the air, attempting to force Li Chao back.

The two men clashed fiercely in the courtyard, fists howling, blades flashing—their mortal struggle had truly begun.

Moonlight cascaded over the courtyard, illuminating every detail of their life-and-death duel. In the crew-cut man’s hands, the two custom knives seemed almost alive, their cold gleam flickering like the tongue of a venomous snake, each swing carrying a chill sharpness and a palpable killing intent.

Li Chao’s expression grew increasingly grave. He could sense an aura about his opponent that marked him as no ordinary man—a cold ruthlessness and resolve born of long years on the edge of life and death.

He realized that this was not a mere fight, but a genuine struggle for survival.

“Assassin…” The word echoed in Li Chao’s mind, an unprecedented sense of crisis welling within him. He knew he must give his utmost, leaving no room for slack or arrogance.

Yet his adversary allowed him no time for thought. With a flash, the crew-cut man unleashed twin blades—two slashes of silver lightning, one left, one right, both arcing toward Li Chao’s throat with force enough to cleave his head in two.

Li Chao felt a jolt of alarm, but did not panic. He understood that any confusion or mistake now would be fatal. Steeling himself, he planted his feet solidly, arms rising like iron gates to meet the twin blades.

Bang! Bang!
Two heavy impacts resounded almost simultaneously. By sheer reflex and strength, Li Chao fended off both knives, keeping them from his neck, though he still felt the tremendous force reverberate through the blades, causing his arms to tremble.

The crew-cut man’s eyes flashed with surprise—he had not expected Li Chao’s strength, nor that he could block a lethal strike barehanded.
Yet, though surprised, he did not retreat or hesitate. On the contrary, his resolve to kill Li Chao only deepened.

“Hmph! Interesting!” He sneered, then sprang forth again like a ferocious leopard, this time holding nothing back. All his power gathered into the knives, determined to finish Li Chao in one decisive blow.

Had this been any ordinary soul, they would have collapsed in terror, powerless before such a whirlwind assault.

But fate seems to favor the extraordinary, and standing upon this stage was a man named Li Chao.

Faced with the onslaught, Li Chao showed not the slightest sign of panic. In his deep eyes shone a rare calm and wisdom, as if he were an observer standing apart from the fray, a faint, knowing smile tugging at his lips—a quiet confidence in the storm to come.

The very air grew heavy with tension, every stir seeming to carry the weight of impending violence. Li Chao stood still, a serenity enveloping his form as he patiently awaited the decisive moment.

At last, as the razor edge of death sliced through the air toward his flesh, Li Chao moved.

His motion was light and agile, like a breeze among the mountains, like a deer in the woods. With a simple sidestep, he slipped through the sliver of space between the crossing blades, evading the fatal strike.

Then, a surge of unspeakable power burst forth from within him. With a sudden stamp of his right foot, the very ground seemed to tremble, force coalescing into a tangible gust that struck at the crew-cut man.

Boom!

A thunderous crash echoed as the crew-cut man, caught off guard, took the blow to his chest. Blood gushed like a breached dam, his body flung high by the impact before crashing heavily to the earth, dust billowing—an awe-inspiring sight.

This blow was fiercer than any before, its might enough to shake mountains.

Li Chao’s earlier restraint had stemmed from a lingering goodwill, a hope for a peaceful resolution. But now, with fatal blades drawn and aimed at his vitals, mercy seemed pale and powerless.

Li Chao was no saint, nor did he believe in repaying evil with kindness. He knew that mercy toward the enemy was cruelty to himself. Since the other had chosen a mortal fight, he would hold nothing back, determined to end this senseless struggle with overwhelming force.

The crew-cut man struggled to his feet, the ghastly dent in his chest proof of his defeat. His gaze toward Chen Shan now brimmed with disbelief, fear, and a growing despair.
A first failure might be blamed on carelessness, but now he knew—he faced a true master, one to be revered.

This scene brought sudden clarity to Li Chao—this man was no common fish, no ordinary foe. The difficulty of the task was far greater than he had imagined, and the shadow of hopelessness loomed.

“Escape!”
The thought flashed through his mind, a precise and decisive judgment. The crew-cut man, too, was resolute. Sensing defeat, he acted without hesitation: his arms thrusted, channeling all his frustration and rage into the twin knives, which flashed like meteors through the night, streaking straight toward Li Chao.

Using the recoil, he sprang away, vanishing over the courtyard wall like a panther, his hasty yet determined footsteps echoing in the darkness.

Li Chao sidestepped easily, dodging the deadly blades, which clattered to the ground with a crisp ring. Without pausing, he gave chase, but the night was deep, and the opponent prepared—the trail was already lost.

Helpless, Li Chao returned indoors, firmly closing the gates behind him to keep danger at bay. He checked the doors and windows one by one, ensuring absolute security before sitting down, idly turning the two abandoned spring-loaded knives in his hands. Their cold steel caught the room’s dim light, mirroring the complexity of his thoughts.

After a moment, he set the blades aside, picked up his phone, and dialed both Yuxin and Liu Dan. Hearing their safe voices, the knot in his heart loosened, and a wave of warmth flooded him—a deep gratitude and cherishing for those he cared for as family.

After hanging up, Li Chao fell into contemplation. The appearance of this assassin made him realize his life was far from the peaceful facade it seemed. The attacker’s intent was clear and direct, ruthless in his methods; this was no casual enmity.

But he was just an unremarkable village doctor—how could he have provoked such deadly hatred?

“I’m just a small-town doctor, is it really worth it?” Li Chao muttered to himself, a mix of puzzlement and self-mockery in his tone. Yet soon, his expression hardened. He knew that, whatever the truth behind this, he must face it bravely, protect those he loved, and uncover the mystery.

Confronted with this sudden threat to his life, Li Chao was filled with confusion. He’d always lived peacefully, treating people with kindness, healing the sick—why should anyone hate him enough to pay an assassin?

He began to review his social connections, searching for clues. By his reasoning, the grudge must have been formed recently, as his life had been calm until a few recent unpleasant incidents.

Those who might bear him ill will were few: Li Mazi and Liu Hongju from the village, and Xie Long and Jiang Shiren from the county.

But Li Chao was not one to act on impulse. He assessed these suspects rationally.
First, the assassin’s skilled methods would have cost a hefty sum. Li Mazi and Liu Hongju, being ordinary villagers with limited means, could not afford such an expense. He excluded them.

Next, he considered Xie Long. Although they’d had their differences, Li Chao believed he had already subdued Xie Long with both sternness and kindness. After two lessons, Xie Long should have learned his place and would not resort to such extremity. He was also ruled out.

That left only Jiang Shiren—wealthy, influential, and openly hostile. To Li Chao, Jiang Shiren had both the motive and means to hire an assassin. Rage and thoughts of revenge surged within him as he prepared to strike back.

His anger burned fiercely, convinced Jiang Shiren was the mastermind. Jiang’s wealth and enmity seemed damning evidence, and Li Chao, with a cold smile, sent a silent threat his way, as if foreseeing his enemy’s inevitable downfall.

Yet fate often delights in such bitter ironies. Li Chao never imagined that his carefully reasoned deduction would prove fatally flawed. The true mastermind was not Jiang Shiren, but a woman with whom he had barely any interaction—Wang Lan.

This revelation shocked and enraged Li Chao, a stark reminder of the complexity and unpredictability of human relationships. Sometimes, the most inconspicuous people or events spark the greatest turmoil. Offending anyone, regardless of gender or status, can bring unforeseen consequences.

To Li Chao, Wang Lan’s enmity seemed inexplicable—they had no deep connection, no grievance. The truth that she was behind the attempt on his life struck him like a bolt of lightning, overturning his assumptions and teaching him the dire consequences of offending a woman—even unknowingly, in ways he never imagined.

Meanwhile, in the health spa at Kaiyuan County, Jiang Shiren was basking in comfort, oblivious to the danger approaching. His sneeze was likely just a reaction to the shifting temperatures, yet in the web of fate, it became a subtle omen of the coming storm between him and Li Chao.

Jiang Shiren had no idea he had been falsely accused by Li Chao and marked for vengeance. This twist of misunderstanding not only heightened the tension between them, but also added drama and uncertainty to the story.

It reminds us that in the tangled web of human relations, truth is often hidden by layers of misunderstanding and prejudice—and the greatest dangers may come from the least expected quarters.