Chapter 326 Forced Retreat, If You Want to Pay Then Make It a Hundred Million

Retreat!

Li Yan only gave them ten seconds to think. How long can ten seconds really be? All their worries from every angle could only flash through their minds, and then they had to force themselves to make a decision immediately.

And at this moment, the two A‑class assassins were also taking their cue from that S‑class assassin. When the two of them looked over, the S‑class assassin gave them a look and a hand signal. The two didn’t head out, but instead rushed upstairs. Obviously, even though their people were still outside and Li Yan hadn’t said he’d already killed them, only that he’d move in ten seconds, compared to that, their own lives were more precious.

If they walked out the front, there might be a direct clash, or they might get ambushed. So they went upstairs to look for a window and leave from the back.

The S‑class assassin didn’t leave. He was the strongest one here; for the sake of face he had to stay behind to cover the retreat, and he also needed to give an explanation!

"We can agree to cooperate, but you have to give us your name, so we have something to report to the organization." The ten seconds were already up; he hurriedly spoke, making his stance clear, and this demand was also the step he needed. A step for the other five, for himself, and for the organization.

A堂堂dignified S‑class assassin, with the help of three A‑class and two B‑class assassins, actually got scared into retreat by some mysterious assassin whose name they didn’t even know—if that got out, how the hell was he supposed to keep mixing in this world?

But if they knew his title, then it would be different. Then it wouldn’t be "scared off" or "forced back," but a matter of respect, or personal ties—giving someone some face!

For many deadlocked situations, if you don’t want mutual destruction, one side will choose to give some face and sit down to talk. As for who compromises, who gives face to whom, that depends on who’s stronger, who has more to worry about. It’s also tied to who has more guts and who’s more cowardly in aura.

Li Yan could understand this man’s concerns. If it were him, facing the same situation, he’d also want to see whether the other party was worth giving this face to. But he was still a bit hesitant inside—should he really reveal his identity?

He actually had two options. Besides giving his own identity as "King," he could also raise Ding Junqing’s title. But the Netherworld King had been retired for over ten years; whether his name still had enough weight was questionable. Using the name "King," Li Yan was confident they’d leave convinced. Although the one dominating the scene these past two years was "Qi," Li Yan’s own legend had been getting more and more mythologized, and his influence was actually greater.

Feeling that two of them had already left, which counted as showing sincerity, Li Yan was fairly satisfied, but he still refused to reveal his identity: "You don’t need to know who I am, just like I don’t need to ask who you are. Even if I told you a fake name, you’d have no way to verify it."

King’s prestige was great, but at the same time, the taller the tree, the more it catches the wind. Like last year, at "their" meeting on Cloud Island, a lot of assassins rushed over as soon as they got wind of it. It wasn’t that "they" were that attractive; all those people were coming for King. In any circle, there are always a few newbies who want to step on their seniors’ heads to rise up—in their eyes, that’s a shortcut.

Li Yan wasn’t afraid of any challenges from newbies, but his friends and family couldn’t handle the harassment. As long as these assassins leaked the news, intentionally or not, there would definitely be some people who’d been searching for King in vain, who would come here and threaten the Zhang Family or others to force him to show himself.

Even if he could casually swat most of them to death, it would still be annoying. And Yurong and the rest were all ordinary people—what if something happened to them?

His refusal now was meant to cover this whole batch of targets with a layer of mystery. The protection of two S‑class assassins was enough to make any assassin think twice. As for whether others would associate those two with Zhang Tianyi or with Li Yan, that really didn’t matter.

Digging into the background of two S‑class assassins, especially ones who might already be retired, was a huge taboo. It would draw a crazed backlash; most people understood this and wouldn’t do it. In wuxia‑novel terms, this was like washing your hands in a golden basin and leaving the jianghu. And newbies eager to climb up wouldn’t go step on retired seniors either—not only did they not have the same impact as current stars, they’d even get despised; it wasn’t worth it. Even minor starlets know you get famous by hyping scandals with the hottest big names. Try to stir up a scandal with some senior who’s already quit the entertainment industry, and the effect is massively discounted.

Of course, killing these assassins to silence them wasn’t an option either, because just by the headcount it was obvious this wasn’t a lone wolf. If this was an organized group, with so many of their elites wiped out, there was no way they’d just swallow it in silence and accept the loss. They’d definitely mobilize all the strength of their Assassin Group to investigate and take revenge. This job would be their best clue. By then, what Yurong and the others would suffer wouldn’t be bait used to lure him out, but wave after wave of assassination attempts.

So forcing them to retreat wasn’t just about not wanting Yurong and the others hurt right now; it was also about avoiding as much trouble later as possible.

The assassin inside, hearing Li Yan’s words, felt a wave of frustration. In his heart he thought, I’ve already given you face; can’t you at least give me a step down? Sure, you’re strong, and sure, you’ve got two powerhouses—but do you really think we’re actually scared of you?