Chapter 64: Banquet
"By the way, which prominent figure is hosting this banquet you're arranging?" Zhang Heng asked again.
Old Liu froze for a moment before slowly replying, "It's a banquet hosted by Young Master Nangong. I'm not too clear on the specific details, though. He announced it personally, but I'm not sure if it's legitimate. I was worried it might be a scam."
"Young Master Nangong?"
Zhang Heng's eyes narrowed. "Alright then. You arrange it. I'll head over right away."
"Thank you for agreeing to come, Brother Heng!"
Old Liu was instantly thrilled. "I'll get a car ready right now. We'll leave in a little while."
Hooligans like them usually made their living through robbery. Unless they came across someone wealthy or a high-level client, they would never get the chance to attend such a top-tier, luxurious banquet.
…
「Half an hour later.」
Lin Feng composed himself as he walked out of the manor.
He wiped the frosty, murderous expression from his face, replacing it with a gentle smile.
He was going to pick up Su Yanxue. After all, assassins had already come for him today. Although the chance of them targeting Su Yanxue was slim, it was still a possibility he had to guard against.
Sure enough, just as he stepped outside, he felt a faint, almost imperceptible sense of being watched.
Sensing the gaze, Lin Feng's eyes fixed on a nearby tree. A slight smile touched his lips as he strode toward it.
'This must be the person who came with Yang Hao to either assist with the mission or clean up afterward. Probably his subordinate.'
'Now that she's seen the assassin she was supporting get killed, she must know she's no match for me.'
'In that case, there are only two reasons she's still lurking here.'
'Either she has some high-tech weapon capable of hurting me, or she plans to target the ordinary people around me!'
'Either way, I'm not willing to take that chance. I'll deal with this on the spot!'
The assassin was impressively cautious; she'd been hiding in the branches of a tree ever since arriving at the manor. But her caution was useless against Lin Feng's incredibly keen senses.
Soon, Lin Feng was right in front of her.
Seeing Lin Feng suddenly appear before her, the assassin froze for a second. Then, she leaped down from the tree, her right hand shaped into a claw as she lunged at him.
She knew she'd been exposed, but instead of fleeing, she chose to face Lin Feng head-on.
"Heh. You've got guts, I'll give you that."
Lin Feng shook his head coldly. "But since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige you."
SWISH!
As he spoke, Lin Feng thrust a single finger forward, instantly piercing the assassin's chest. Blood splattered onto his clothes, making him look like a vengeful Asura.
"Ugh…"
The female assassin glanced down at her chest, then her body went limp and collapsed to the ground, her breathing stopped.
Lin Feng shook his head, then turned and left.
…
Meanwhile, in a Mercedes-Benz parked not far from Lin Feng's manor, a male driver witnessed the scene through his window. He immediately took out his phone and made a call. "Boss, the assassination failed. The target is incredibly strong."
"I know. The result was expected."
The voice on the other end of the line was remarkably calm. "Retreat. Abort the mission. Pull out all surviving personnel involved in this operation from the Great Xia Realm!"
"But…" the man hesitated. The voice on the other end cut him off with a cold snort. "Just get them back!"
The man nodded helplessly and hung up.
"What's the situation?"
A burly man in the driver's seat asked.
"Let's go. We're retreating. Contact all our undercover agents and informants in Xijing City. Execute Extraction Protocol One."
The man took a deep breath.
"We're pulling out!"
With the sound of two engines roaring to life, two cars sped away from the scene.
Shortly after the pair left, two black Range Rovers raced to the scene.
"Boss, they're gone!"
"Mm."
The vehicle came to a smooth stop at the manor gate. A middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair stepped out. He gazed at the empty grounds by the wall and the dark red pool of blood on the ground, then sighed. "I hope you all won't do something so foolish again."
With that, he and his assistant departed.
…
"Honey, I'm here. I'm waiting for you downstairs."
Lin Feng called Su Yanxue.
"Mhm, I'll be right down."
Su Yanxue sounded busy on the other end of the line and hung up in a hurry.
Lin Feng just shook his head, got out of the car, and headed for the lobby.
A moment later, he saw Su Yanxue emerge from the elevator dressed in stylish office attire. The powerful businesswoman aura she usually projected vanished the moment she saw Lin Feng, replaced by a brilliant smile. "Lin Feng!"
With that, Su Yanxue rushed over and threw her arms around him.
Lin Feng gently hugged the beautiful woman in his arms, inhaling her alluring fragrance. He reached out and playfully tapped her nose. "Well now, what's this? Planning on giving me a passionate kiss today?"
Su Yanxue playfully stuck out her tongue and let go of him, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him. "Honey, do I look pretty today?"
Lin Feng put on a serious expression and pretended to study her carefully before nodding. "Mm, not bad."
"Hehe!"
Su Yanxue couldn't hide her delight at the compliment, but her expression quickly shifted to a frown. "That smell on you… why is there a scent of blood?"
Lin Feng froze. 'I was planning to hide this from her. After all, she's an ordinary person who can't help with this sort of thing. Telling her would only make her worry.'
Seeing the concern in her eyes, Lin Feng simply smiled and swept her up into his arms.
"Hey, what are you doing? Put me down," Su Yanxue protested playfully.
"I'm your husband. What, am I not allowed to hold you now?"
Lin Feng chuckled and placed Su Yanxue in the car.
"There was a small incident, but you don't need to worry. I'll take you home, and you just be good, make dinner, and wait for me there."
As he spoke, Lin Feng gave Su Yanxue a light peck on the lips. "You hear me? Don't go wandering off."
Lin Feng closed her door and got into the driver's seat.
The car slowly pulled away, but Su Yanxue's expression remained conflicted.
At that moment, the words Lin Feng had spoken to her the previous night suddenly surfaced in her mind.
"If I'm in danger, remember to protect yourself."
"If *you're* in danger, remember to tell me."
It suddenly clicked for Su Yanxue.
'He's hiding this from me because he doesn't want me to be scared. But how can I not worry about him?'
"Lin Feng…"
She murmured his name, gritting her teeth and making a firm resolution. From now on, she wouldn't just find ways to help him; she would also have to ensure she herself was never threatened.