In the forest, two figures clad in black cloaks darted swiftly between the trees.
Though both were high-ranking cultivators, they had chosen to forsake flight, threading carefully through the woods to avoid detection…
At this moment, the pair paused atop a giant tree, carefully measuring the distance ahead.
“We’ve already entered the Sword Sect’s territory. Let’s rest here for a day, but after this we must be even more cautious. The Cloak of Concealment has its limits—against a sect like the Sword Sect, we can’t afford a single mistake.”
The other person was far less tense. She pushed back the hood of her cloak, revealing sky-blue hair and two small horns…
“Little sis, don’t be so nervous. It’s rare for us to get out like this, so relax~ I finally understand what ‘serving the Emperor is like living with a tiger’ means. Ever since the Prime Minister was gone, Wuhen’s gotten harder and harder to deal with. Whenever I’m around her, I’m always worried she’ll just cut me down out of nowhere.”
With that, she reclined comfortably on the tree trunk, enjoying a moment of rare leisure.
Seeing her elder sister like this, Ying, the younger of the two, could only sigh.
She, too, pulled down her hood, revealing the same blue hair and horns, and sat down beside her sister, Shun.
If outsiders saw them, they would notice that aside from their expressions and bearing, the two looked almost identical.
The elder was named Shun, her expression relaxed, with a faint smile on her lips.
The younger was Ying, whose face was utterly expressionless and whose manner was exceptionally cold.
They were twin sisters, Mixed-Blood Shadow Demons, who had suffered endless discrimination and harm living in the Human Race’s lands.
The sisters depended on each other for survival.
Fortunately, their talents were excellent, and they were clever enough to get by, picking up contracts for a Shadow Assassin Organization.
But in this line of work, failure is inevitable sooner or later…
Greedy for a high bounty, the sisters took on a dangerous assassination target.
Relying on their caution and perfect teamwork, they barely managed to complete the job.
But just as they were about to take proof of the kill to claim the reward, Shun, momentarily careless in her delight, was pierced through by a trap in the target’s cave!
It was lucky Ying reacted swiftly—Shun barely escaped with her life. But with such a severe wound and the deadly poison from the trap, Shun was hanging by a thread.
To save Shun would require a massive sum of spirit stones; even their combined savings were not enough.
Watching her sister’s life ebb away, Ying ultimately accepted the most lucrative commission available at the time: assassinate the new Prime Minister of the Ziyuan Kingdom!
Ziyuan Kingdom was an ancient and powerful nation. With Ying’s abilities, this assassination was nearly certain death.
She took the job with the thought that, if she succeeded, she could save her sister; if she failed, they would die together.
Before she left, she asked someone else to help bury her sister should she not return…
As expected, even though something strange had happened in the Royal Court and the government was in turmoil—security was looser, giving her a chance to approach the Prime Minister—no one could have guessed the mysterious Prime Minister would be a Divine Palace Realm expert.
There was absolutely no way an assassination could succeed.
Ying was pinned to a pillar by a single strike from the youthful-looking Prime Minister. In the end, Ying simply let out a sigh of relief, calmly awaiting death…
But after closing her eyes for a long while, when Ying opened them again, she found that powerful Prime Minister regarding her with keen interest.
At the time, Ying misunderstood the Prime Minister’s intentions. Gritting her teeth, she prepared to use the self-destruct trap she’d set beforehand.
To prevent torture or humiliation if captured, every assassin carried such a method of suicide.
But unfortunately, perhaps the Prime Minister had been targeted too often—he had already broken the secret technique.
With a casual wave, Ying found the trap was disabled…
Just as Ying braced herself for interrogation and torture, closing her eyes in despair, she suddenly realized the restraint on her body had disappeared?
At the same time, a deep voice sounded in her ear: “You’re actually a Mixed-Blood Shadow Demon? Interesting. Want to join us? I’m just forming an Intelligence and Assassination Department.”
“But I have a Soul Contract—”
Before she could finish, Ying felt her Soul Contract vanish from her body?!
“I’ll ask you again. Want to work for me? If you refuse, I’ll throw you in the dungeon.”
Facing the half-threatening offer from the man before her, Ying clutched her wound and knelt forward…
“I have an elder sister. She is also a Mixed-Blood Shadow Demon. Only together are we at our best. Her life is hanging by a thread—if you are willing to save her, I will give you everything!”
“Deal. Lead the way, then…”
The Prime Minister followed Ying to where Shun lay.
Sweeping the area with his spiritual sense, he rubbed his chin and frowned: “Aiya, this wound is severe. Not easy to handle. The value of you two doesn’t quite cover the medical bill…”
Upon hearing his words, Ying’s eyes instantly dimmed. She knew it was true—their value didn’t match the cost, which meant her sister would be abandoned…
“Don’t give me that look. I have high hopes for your potential. Don’t let me down…”
“You mean—?!”
……
At that time, the twin sisters knelt on one knee. Before them stood two people—one, their savior; the other, a spirited young woman, now the nominal monarch of Ziyuan Kingdom.
“Then, pledge your loyalty. I trust anyone recommended by the Prime Minister won’t disappoint me.”
The heroic young woman looked down from above, and the two assassins signed a new Contract…
After that came a rather unpleasant period.
Although the sisters no longer lacked resources for cultivation and could access many high-level techniques and treasures—things they never even dreamed of before—the Prime Minister’s training was truly harsh, almost to the death!
During that time, just seeing that young man would make the sisters tremble! In a way, they could be considered his disciples in the arts of concealment.
Time returned to the present. Shun lay lazily on the tree trunk, while her younger sister continued organizing intelligence: “Elder sister, focus. You know how seriously the Emperor takes this. If we fail, with the Emperor’s current temper, we’re finished.”
“Alright, alright, little sis, a little more time won’t make a difference~”
Shun glanced over and saw the images of Su Lingling and Su Qianqian that Ying had prepared, unable to resist asking her sister:
“Guess which one is the Prime Minister’s Reincarnation? The tall one or the short one? The tall one looks a bit too innocent, while the short one seems sharp, but she’s so tiny. I heard the short one is actually the elder sister?”
“Tsk—so the once stern Prime Minister was Reincarnated as a cute little girl? Pfft, I can hardly keep a straight face.”
“Still, we should show some respect. The Prime Minister is our benefactor, no matter what. Even if she’s been Reincarnated, that shouldn’t be forgotten.”
“Alright, alright, I get it. Of course I know. But the Prime Minister drilled us so hard for so long, can’t we tease her just a little? These two little girls look like the kind who’d cry for ages after a single punch~”
“You really don’t know what respect means… Don’t forget the Prime Minister’s standing in the Emperor’s heart. I don’t want you to end up hacked to pieces for a petty grudge.”
“Alright, alright, little sis, say no more. I’m getting scared now.”
Shun shivered at her sister’s words, but her next question left Ying silent as well:
“But, little sis, once we bring the Prime Minister back, what do you think will happen to her? The Emperor’s possessiveness is nothing short of pathological, and the Prime Minister’s Reincarnation seems to be doing quite well in the Sword Sect…”
“……”
“The Prime Minister made us sign a Contract to fully obey the Emperor’s orders. We can’t refuse… All we can do is try to help her Reincarnation as much as possible, within the scope of our orders…”
……
To remain concealed, they slowed their pace. Two days later, they arrived at the forest outskirts of the Sword Sect’s Mountain Town.
After activating various fixed concealment Supreme Arrays, they began observing the town.
“I heard the Prime Minister’s Reincarnated parents live in this town. Sometimes she and her sister come down the mountain to visit.”
“No wonder the sect is so powerful—even an ordinary mortal town is covered with such a strong Supreme Array.”
“What’s the next step? If we don’t want to end up riddled with holes, there’s no way we can just barge in and drag them out.”
“We do what we’re best at—wait for the right moment, seize the opportunity, and then—kidnap them!”