Chapter 44: Chapter 12 Death Crisis (Lower)_1

"Grandpa Owen, welcome, please come in." Sixteen-year-old Si Fei warmly invited Owen and Ah Dai into the courtyard. She had already grown into a young lady at sixteen and was known as the most beautiful girl in Stone Pond Town. Si Fei glanced at Ah Dai, her face turning red, and she quickly turned to call her grandfather.

"Big brother, you’re finally here, today we have to have a few good drinks."

Owen laughed heartily, saying, "I’m not afraid of you. That time, you were the one who ended up drunk! Where are Zhong, Fa, and Bai? How come I haven’t seen the three of them?"

Xi Er smiled and said, "The weather’s nice today so they went fishing with their wives. I’m afraid they won’t be back till tonight. Fei Fei, please serve the crab and the rest of the dishes."

"Alright—" Si Fei responded and, along with her brothers Si Feng and Si Ley, went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.

Xi Er commented, "Big Brother, our Fei girl’s cooking skills are getting better and better. Her mother’s got it easy now since she takes care of all the cooking at home."

Owen nodded and said, "She’s grown up too, whoever marries her will be a lucky man."

Xi Er leaned in next to Owen, speaking mysteriously, "Big Brother, the reason I invited you today is to discuss Fei’s marriage plans! We need a good matchmaker and you’re the perfect one."

Owen was taken aback, asking, "What, have you already picked someone for her?"

Xi Er glanced at Ah Dai, saying, "I’ve watched Ah Dai grow up. He’s humble and kind, much better than the restless young men in the village. I’ll only feel reassured if I can marry Fei off to Ah Dai! What do you think? Big Brother, isn’t it a steal for Ah Dai to marry our Fei Fei, haha."

Owen was surprised and looked at Ah Dai who was also surprised, he said, "Brother, they’re not the same age, and the kids are still young, let’s talk about it in a few years."

Xi Er chuckled, saying, "This is just a neighborhood, each generation is its own. It doesn’t matter, who’s going to gossip. Both of them are of age, one’s eighteen and the other is sixteen, so they’re not too young. What, is our Fei Fei not good enough for this silly kid? Ah Dai, tell me, do you like Fei Fei?"

Images of the girl flashed through Ah Dai’s mind. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Big brother Ah Dai, will you marry me when I grow up?"

"From now on, I, your girl, am your betrothed. You have to treat me well in the future."

Ah Dai was filled with longing for the girl, and it took Xi Er calling out to him several times before he came back to his senses, "Ah! Uncle Xi Er, what did you say?"

Xi Er said annoyed, "What are you daydreaming about? I’m asking if you like Fei Fei?"

Ah Dai nodded, saying, "I do! Fei Fei is a very nice girl."

Xi Er glanced at Owen and laughed triumphantly, "See, see, the kids have agreed, and there won’t be any problem on our Fei Fei’s side. Ah Dai, if Fei Fei marries you, you must treat her well, you hear me?"

Owen frowned. Ah Dai was in a crucial phase of his training, how could he get married now? Moreover, Ah Dai had many other things to do. But Xi Er’s family had always been kind to them, how could he reject Xi Er’s goodwill.

Just as Owen was in a dilemma, Ah Dai suddenly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, Uncle Xi Er, this won’t work!"

Xi Er glared, demanding, "How can it not work?"

Ah Dai lowered his head, murmuring, "I... I already have a betrothed."

Not only was Xi Er stunned by his words, but Owen was also taken aback. He had never heard Ah Dai mention anything about being betrothed before.

"Clang--" Si Fei, who had just come out of the kitchen, heard Ah Dai’s words. The cooked crab and the iron plate in her hands fell to the ground. Her eyes were red as she looked at Ah Dai saying, "Stinking Ah Dai, I hate you," before running back to her room crying. It turned out, Si Fei had ignored Ah Dai for a while because he almost drowned saving them and was punished by her grandfather. But over time, Si Fei had forgotten about that incident. She began to grow fond of the tall and modest Ah Dai, which is why her grandfather, Xi Er, tried to feel out Owen’s opinion today. But Xi Er was impulsive and already fond of Ah Dai. He wanted to settle the marriage all at once, leading to the scene just now.

Owen pulled Ah Dai up, sighed, and whispered, "I’m sorry, brother, Ah Dai really was betrothed when he was young. Ah, it’s Ah Dai’s fault for not following along. We should go," saying this he pulled the bewildered Ah Dai away from Xi Er’s house. After Ah Dai’s words, Xi Er felt extremely embarrassed and didn’t even see them out, just letting them leave.

Owen breathed out a sigh of relief once they stepped out of the house, whispering to Ah Dai, "You cheeky little fella, since when did you learn to lie? But your timing was right on the money this time. Otherwise, Mr Xi Er would really have married his granddaughter off to you, Ah Dai. I guess your uncle was a bit too selfish."

Ah Dai shook his head, replying, "Uncle, how could you be selfish? I’m too stupid to take good care of Little Sister Fei Fei. Besides, I didn’t lie. I really do have a fiancée."

Upon Owen’s questioning, Ah Dai explained everything that happened with the young girl.

Owen laughed, "So that’s the case! I didn’t expect that many people to be fond of such an innocent lad like you. However, a real man must first build a career before starting a family. Do you understand that? Ah... it seems that avenging the blood feud is all on you now."

Ah Dai appeared puzzled, asking, "Uncle, who are you holding a grudge against? With your skills, why couldn’t you get revenge yourself?" Ah Dai was deeply aware that even though he’d trained with Owen for five years, he couldn’t take a single strike if Owen went all out. Especially recalling the evil attacks Owen used in the Illusive Forest. The memory was still fresh, it was an unimaginable and overwhelming force!

Coldness flashed in Owen’s eyes. "It’s not time for you to know. My enemy is so powerful you can’t even imagine. Perhaps, if I hadn’t been poisoned by the Holy Sage Dual Liquid, I might be able to compete. But in my present condition, there’s no hope. My child, my hopes are now pinned on you."

As they conversed, they arrived at their house. However, Owen’s expression suddenly changed, and gripping Ah Dai tightly, he gravely commanded, "Who’s there? Show yourself."

A gloomy voice echoed from inside the yard, "Impressive, ’Nether King.’ Despite our extreme caution, you found us." Seven figures, swathed entirely in black, appeared in front of Owen and Ah Dai, all holding Narrow Swords. The chilling glint in their fourteen eyes focused sharply on Owen.

Ah Dai felt a jolt of alarm as he recognized that the seven men were dressed almost identical to the men who attempted to kill Owen in the Illusive Forest. Among them, the man in the center had a golden skull on his chest, while the other six sported silver skulls the size of fists.

Owen took a gasp of cold air, "Vice President, the Killer’s Team."

The central figure sneered coldly, "So the number one assassin remembers us. I must admit, you are quite impressive. Despite being severely poisoned by the Holy Sage Dual Liquid, you’re still standing. Just obediently come back with us. You should know that even if you weren’t poisoned, you might not be able to resist us. We’ve been looking for you for a very long time."

A complex light flickered in Owen’s eyes. After a long pause, he glanced at Ah Dai by his side and sighed, "You are indeed formidable. To have found me in this state. I will go with you. However, this child knows nothing. Please spare him." At that moment, Owen felt utterly despondent. He knew the Killer’s Team’s capabilities and that an unfathomable Vice President was also present. His only wish now was to ensure Ah Dai’s survival. But that posed a daunting task in front of these ruthless killers.

The Vice President coldly glanced at Ah Dai and sternly said, "’Nether King’, you should know our organization’s rules better than I do."

Owen snapped, "Vice President, do not push me too far." His hand drifted to his right breast, pure energy radiating from his body.

The Vice President scoffed, "’Nether King’, can you still wield the Sword of Hades? I’m quite interested to see."

Owen quickly turned to Ah Dai, "Run! Get away from here as quickly as you can, go find your master."

Ah Dai responded firmly, "No, uncle. If we’re going to die, we’ll die together. I won’t leave you behind."

Desperation surged within Owen, but he knew Ah Dai well. He gave a loud laugh, "Well then, watch your uncle slaughter these beasts." With a wave of his left hand, the gentle energy pushed Ah Dai’s body away. A chilling light intensified in his eyes, murderous intent filling his entire body. He knew, the only chance at survival was to go all out. Centered around Owen, the evil aura unseen for six years, burst forth from his chest and engulfed the seven men.

A flicker of surprise passed over the Vice President’s eyes, he spoke in a grave tone, "Owen, are you really going to resist to the death? The Ultimate Evil Hades Sword, good — I want to see how many moves you can make. Attack!" At his command, the six Killer’s Members’ six Narrow Swords, like venomous snakes, darted towards Owen from bizarre angles.

Unexpectedly, Owen did not block their attacks. His body moved with the force of the sword energy, shifting lightly to the side like a leaf. However, he was facing the highest ranked assassins of the Assassin’s Guild. Although he dodged their main attacks, his shoulder and thigh were cut in a few places.

The evil aura continued to surge, seemingly darkening the sky. The Killer’s Members kept attacking one after the other. Blood began to cover Owen’s body. In just a short while, he was drenched in blood. If not for these assassins dealing with the evil aura, Owen would have already perished.

Ah Dai, watching on the side, stood frozen with his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. With a leap, he charged towards the battleground. His right fist swung out, unleashing a surge of white energy, striking towards one of the men dressed in black.

The man in black casually flicked his Narrow Sword, red light flashed. Ah Dai’s energy was instantly nullified. The Narrow Sword, like a venomous snake, aimed for his abdomen. Ah Dai had absolutely no time to dodge. He could only watch helplessly as the sword moved closer with nowhere to evade. Only now did he understand the vast chasm between himself and these men. But it was too late. Just as he closed his eyes in resignation, Owen suddenly stood in front of him, lashing out a kick. The Narrow Sword was immediately deflected to the side, but still left a cut on Ah Dai’s waist. This intervention cost Owen as another assassin’s Narrow Sword went cleanly through his left shoulder.

Owen let out a sharp cry. The evil aura erupted. A hint of a blue glow emerged from his chest. The six members of Killer’s Team visibly staggered, giving Owen the chance to kick Ah Dai away, screaming, "Don’t come any closer, I can handle this."

The surrounding air turned greyish-black due to the spread of the evil aura. Owen’s white outfit was completely stained red, looking like a terrifying demon against the greyish-black air. Despite this, he screeched with a dreadful laugh, "Do you think that your Killer’s Team is superior? In the eyes of ’Nether King,’ you are nothing more than a group of henchmen underneath the beasts. Let me show you the true power of death. Nether King Flash - Sky - Land - Move!" A gloomy blue glow emerged from Owen’s chest, seemingly from Hell. The evil aura in the air quickly congregated into the blue glow. A scream echoed at the same instant. One of the Killer’s Team men collapsed, his forehead punctured with a small hole, his body quickly withering. Owen didn’t stop; his figure blurred with the continuous blue light flashing, "Nether King Flash - Ghost - Spirit - Shock!" The blue glow transformed into a myriad of light shadows. Two more screams, two more men fell. The blue glow reverberated with a joyful cry. After consuming the vitality of the two men, the glow intensified.