Chapter 31: The Guardian

After their warm lunch ended, as soon as Xiao Kaitian and Jiang Churan stepped out of the restaurant, his expression turned cold. He pulled Jiang Churan close, bent down, and whispered softly in her ear, "Don’t speak. Just follow me."

The warmth of his breath at such close proximity made Jiang Churan’s cheeks flush, a blush blooming from her ears. She shrank her neck, unable to resist, "Is something happening? Please don’t make me worry."

"Mm," Xiao Kaitian murmured, barely nodding, his source of power expanding to envelop Jiang Churan protectively as he guided her toward a secluded spot.

Nearby stood a small city park, deserted at noon in winter. The park was circled by knee-high flower beds and dense thickets, shielding them from prying eyes. Xiao Kaitian and Jiang Churan walked slowly atop the leaf-strewn ground, their footsteps crunching softly.

"Kaitian..." Realization dawning, Jiang Churan’s face paled. She nervously bit her red lips, and Xiao Kaitian gently covered her mouth with his hand. "Don’t worry. They’re no match for me."

Relief washed over Jiang Churan, but before she could react, Xiao Kaitian wrapped his arm around her slender waist and leaped forward at lightning speed. The faint hiss of air being sliced reached her ears, reminiscent of a rattlesnake poised to strike.

Almost simultaneously, Xiao Kaitian sprang backward, evading an attack. Jiang Churan caught a glimpse of several thin, blade-like objects flying toward them at high speed.

The blades struck tree trunks, producing a dull thudding sound. Xiao Kaitian had already whisked her out of harm’s way. Only now did she see clearly—they were playing cards.

"Wait for me here," Xiao Kaitian said coolly, his calm voice steadying her racing heart. He gently placed her in a safe spot behind him.

He moved like a hare, agile and swift. More playing cards shot toward him, razor-sharp and slicing the air with a whistling sound. Xiao Kaitian’s eyes flashed; he swept up a handful of leaves, and with a flick, sent them flying.

Hissing sounds echoed as leaves collided with cards, the forces neutralizing each other. Some cards sliced through leaves; others were pierced by leaves. The assault was now evenly matched.

Xiao Kaitian landed steadily, hands in his pockets, a faint smile on his lips as he waited for his adversary to reveal himself.

Under mottled, chill sunlight not far away, a man emerged. He was a giant, nearly two meters tall, even taller than Xiao Kaitian, draped in a black robe. His bizarre attire would be rare even in the fashion-forward island nation.

His head seemed disproportionately small for his body, and he appeared to be in his thirties. Upon seeing Xiao Kaitian, realization dawned on his face.

"So it’s true. The deviation is greater than we expected. I didn’t think you were a martial cultivator," he said, licking his lips as he made his judgment.

Xiao Kaitian glanced at the six-leaf insignia hanging from his neck. "A Six Leaf operative." He frowned, surprised that, barely a day after the last encounter, the Six Leaf had returned, undeterred. Clearly, his handling of Bai Lu had been too lenient.

But he didn’t care. If Six Leaf chose to provoke him, he’d deal with them sooner rather than later—especially now that Jiang Churan had been dragged into this.

Jiang Churan was his fatal weakness. He would never allow danger to approach her.

"I am Twin Serpent," the newcomer chuckled, a stack of playing cards in his hand—his weapon. To wield cards lethally spoke of considerable skill. "Judging by your aura, you can’t project it outward. That means you’re either mid or peak Yellow Rank martial cultivator."

Xiao Kaitian laughed lightly, unable to fathom where this man, whose combat power was rated at 117, found his confidence. "Dealing with you is more than enough."

"Arrogant!" Twin Serpent sneered. The two closed in quickly again, and a swarm of cards homed in on Xiao Kaitian like a pack of hunters.

But Xiao Kaitian ignored the cards. His target was clear: catch the leader first!

He advanced swiftly toward Twin Serpent, the attacking cards barely slowing him. In Twin Serpent’s astonished gaze, Xiao Kaitian was already upon him.

"Time to end this!" With those words, Xiao Kaitian brought his hand down in a knife strike toward Twin Serpent’s neck.

"Hehehe!" Twin Serpent’s eyes gleamed suddenly. He’d waited for this moment a long time!

He had long anticipated that Xiao Kaitian might be a martial cultivator, and wouldn’t have dared confront him otherwise. What he sought was Xiao Kaitian’s "carelessness."

"You overlooked something," he nearly cried out in triumph. "You underestimate the Six Leaf bounty hunters. I am one of Six Leaf’s guardians!"

As he finished speaking, his robe at the chest bulged suddenly. From within, as if someone burst forth, a second figure emerged, wielding a fierce blade aimed straight for Xiao Kaitian’s heart.

"This is the true meaning of Twin Serpent brothers!" He couldn’t help smiling in victory.

The Twin Serpent’s secret weapon was a duo of dwarf killers—a surprise impossible to guard against!

Yet...

The confident, unexpected, assured strike missed Xiao Kaitian’s heart by less than a centimeter.

Even a centimeter is a gap!

The surprise attack failed, and the tide of battle shifted instantly. In this moment, the smile on Xiao Kaitian’s lips appeared ghostly in the Twin Serpent brothers’ eyes.

His hand knife did not slow, slamming down on the shoulder of the upper attacker. A crisp crack echoed, the man’s arm ruined, sent flying.

Before the lower one could react, Xiao Kaitian hammered a fist down, forcing him to his knees. Both legs shattered, and the ground beneath him caved in.

All this happened in the blink of an eye. Six Leaf’s guardian, Twin Serpent, was utterly incapacitated, left sprawled on the ground, crying out for mercy.

Xiao Kaitian smiled, flicked the remaining leaves in his hand, and dozens of them pierced the Twin Serpent brothers like needles. Their vitality instantly faded; from now on, they would never function as assassins, barely capable of normal activity.

He didn’t kill them. Once assassins lose their ability, their fate is inevitable—who doesn’t have enemies?

Let the ants resolve their own disputes. That was his judgment as one who walks among higher dimensions.