145 Not So Easy

Mu Qingcheng lay motionless on the bed, enduring the pain while tensing her entire body. At the same time, she held her breath, barely letting a single gasp escape. With her eyes shut, she began to slowly gather her strength, channeling the last reserves of energy within her toward her legs. She needed, at the very least, enough strength to pull herself off the bed.

Outside the window, a frail, shadowy figure flitted past. A full half-hour passed before the figure reappeared, revealing nothing but a pair of eerie eyes at the edge of the window, situated over a dozen stories high. The eyes were bloodshot and filled with a cold, terrifying murderous intent. Though Mu Qingcheng’s eyes remained closed, she sensed it instantly with sharp intuition. Yet, she maintained her posture, still as a frozen doll.

After the figure outside had stared at her for another twenty minutes, a pair of skeletal hands, clad in black gloves, reached up. The fingertips held a sharp, cold blade, which sliced a small circle into the windowpane with a gentle, silent motion. The intruder leapt inside, landing without a sound.

Inside the bedcovers, Mu Qingcheng’s hands had already quietly clenched into fists. Simultaneously, the black-clad assassin, moving like a ghost, crept toward the bedside. Mu Qingcheng caught a scent that felt vaguely familiar.

Could it truly be the same assassin from the forest that day? In truth, the moment that dart had appeared, Mu Qingcheng had known these people were behind the scheme. What she could not fathom was how they had learned the true identities of both herself and Si Qingchen, or why they had targeted the Ran family. However, before those mysteries could be unraveled, her immediate priority was to stay alive.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, the assassin, now standing right beside her, raised an arm high and brought it down with savage force.

*Thwack.*

The sharp, compact dagger plunged deep into the pillow, missing her ear by a hair’s breadth. A lock of her hair was sliced off, sliding down the slope of the pillow onto the bed. The assassin paused in surprise, but the woman, now fully prepared, sprang from the bed. Using her hands to brace herself, she tilted her body, and as she flipped off the mattress, she twisted her wrist and swung her legs with momentum, delivering a forceful kick to the assassin’s chest.

The attacker, unable to even retrieve the knife, was sent flying. With a heavy thud, the figure hit the wall behind, only to scramble back to their feet just as quickly.

By then, Mu Qingcheng had already retreated to the hospital room door, clutching the knife the assassin had dropped. As she watched the figure stand, she tilted her head, her expression cold and chilling.

"Killing me won't be that easy."

With those words, she flung open the door and bolted into the hallway.

However, expecting to find reinforcements outside, Mu Qingcheng was met with a grim sight: the hospital corridor was littered with the bodies of her bodyguards, all sprawled out in disarray.

***

On the other side of the building, as the car slid to a stop before the main entrance, Si Qingchen stepped out. He walked forward with his hands in his pockets, gazing straight at the man standing before him. He spoke in a composed, steady voice, "Master Mu, what is the meaning of this?"

Mu Jingchi struggled to suppress the agitation in his heart, though his face remained dark. He asked, his tone laced with irritation, "Shouldn't you give me the truth, Si? Exactly what is going on with my sister?"