I Rely on the Collapse of the Character Setting to Survive in the Hands of the Male Lead Chapter 81

Chapter 81

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Perhaps due to encountering danger too many times, Lin Qingyang could distinctly feel the killing intent now.

However, he didn’t know where to dodge. Just as he was about to choose randomly, a figure suddenly pounced on him. Lin Qingyang didn’t have time to scream as the figure pressed him in the opposite direction.

In a split second, Lin Qingyang was grabbed, and the assailant covered his mouth, pulling him to the left. He felt a chilling breeze pass by his ear, accompanied by the sound of flesh being torn.

With a swish, an arrow shot directly into the fire pit that Lin Qingyang had just checked.

Lin Qingyang stared wide-eyed at the person pinning him down, and it turned out to be Chu Lishu.

Did Chu Lishu just suddenly appear to save him?

If it weren’t for him, Lin Qingyang’s head would have a hole in it by now.

With a pounding heart, Lin Qingyang didn’t have time to assess the situation before Chu Lishu snatched the lantern from his hand, threw it aside, and then dragged Lin Qingyang, who was rolling and crawling, to hide behind a nearby big tree.

Fortunately, they ran fast. They heard two more sounds, and the lantern they had just discarded was now pierced through.

What was going on?

Could it be that the Shadow Wolves wanted to kill him? Why? Were they afraid of revealing their whereabouts?

In his mind, the warning from the system continued, though not urgent, indicating that the danger was still present.

Lin Qingyang watched as Chu Lishu pulled out a dagger, gripping it tightly, and warily looked toward the darkness in the distance. Following his lead, Lin Qingyang also held the knife, albeit with a bit of nervousness in his hand.

The Shadow Wolves were too ruthless. They didn’t even attempt to figure out their identities before attacking. Chu Lishu should have guessed it was them, right? Did he find a way to recognize them? Or was it difficult to identify them because Lin Qingyang was present?

Just as he was lost in these thoughts, suddenly, he heard footsteps.

Strange, aren’t the Shadow Wolves supposed to be shadow guards, silent and stealthy? Do they make footsteps when walking?

Seeing Chu Lishu already starting to investigate the surroundings, evidently looking for a better hiding spot, Lin Qingyang suddenly had a good idea. The trees here were sturdy and perfect for climbing. Lin Qingyang tugged at Chu Lishu’s clothes, pointing upwards. Chu Lishu immediately understood, rolled up his sleeves, and gestured for Lin Qingyang to climb first. So, the two of them silently climbed up.

Due to the training during this period, Chu Lishu’s agility was quite impressive.

Soon, Lin Qingyang and Chu Lishu climbed to a higher branch. Both maintained a standing position, ready to act in case of an emergency. Their feet rested on the same tree trunk, hands gripping different branches above, bodies tightly pressed together for balance. They concealed themselves in the darkness, observing the situation.

Soon, within the lantern’s illumination, they spotted two figures.

“Where is he?”

“I don’t know.”

“He’s not supposed to be skilled in martial arts, right? How did he manage to evade us? Could the information be incorrect?”

“He really doesn’t know martial arts. Look, there are bloodstains on the arrowhead, aren’t there? But just now, I seemed to catch a glimpse of someone. Weren’t they supposed to split at the fork in the road? Did we overlook something?”

“Never mind, he must still be nearby, let’s search separately!”

Lin Qingyang’s heart sank. This wasn’t the work of the Shadow Wolves. They were specifically after him, aiming to kill. Who could it be? Pei Jin or Lin Qingxu? Lin Qingyang couldn’t think of anyone else.

As a mere pawn, he didn’t need such a heavy storyline!

A figure in black raised the lantern higher, seemingly trying to illuminate the area more, but almost exposing the two hidden above.

Now, they had to slow down even their breathing to avoid detection.

As the light swept upward, Lin Qingyang suddenly noticed that the arm and wrist in front of him were bleeding. They said there was blood on the arrowhead – was it Chu Lishu? Was he injured by the arrowhead when he tackled Lin Qingyang?

Lin Qingyang felt uneasy, but the most crucial thing now was that the blood was about to drip, and below them stood that person in black.

Lin Qingyang dared not move recklessly; he could only stretch his neck and gently touch Chu Lishu’s wounded arm.

Chu Lishu turned to look, and Lin Qingyang directly used his eyes to signal.

Chu Lishu also noticed that his wrist was bleeding, and blood was gathering, about to drip.

Chu Lishu intended to release the branch he was holding to bring his hand back for treatment. However, the place he gripped had too many splits, and with a slight movement, they heard a faint creaking sound.

The person below immediately reacted, “Did you hear any noise?”

“Not far away,” the person in black said, “Where?”

“I just heard something, not sure about the specific direction.”

“Be more careful.”

The two in the tree breathed a sigh of relief, but if the person below didn’t leave, the blood droplets would fall on his head.

Chu Lishu’s face gradually became fierce. He thought of launching a surprise attack unexpectedly. Although it was very risky, there was no other way. Just as he was preparing to act, the person next to him suddenly moved his head.

He hadn’t reacted yet when he felt his wrist being swept by something warm and moist.

Chu Lishu’s arm muscles tightened instantly, and the tree branch in his hand almost crumbled. Fortunately, all the sounds were muffled in his hand; otherwise, they would have been discovered long ago.

Chu Lishu stared wide-eyed at Lin Qingyang.

He felt his sensitive wrist becoming numb and itchy. Lin Qingyang’s soft, slightly dry lips pressed tightly against his skin, vigorously sucking. A wet tongue continuously swept over the wound, seemingly attempting to draw out the blood concealed in the shallow part of the injury.

The situation is urgent now, and this method of treating the wound is considered normal. Chu Lishu had nothing much to say about it, but he felt like something had been sucked away by him.

Soon, Lin Qingyang released his mouth. The area that was sucked felt a bit sore, and the surrounding skin turned slightly red. Moreover, when his lips left, that area became much cooler than the nearby skin.

Chu Lishu looked over and happened to see Lin Qingyang slip up. He swallowed hard, and the blood he had just sucked into his mouth was swallowed down. Immediately, a look of bitterness and embarrassment appeared on his face. Seeing the bloodstain inadvertently smeared on his lips, Chu Lishu suddenly remembered the unexpected incident from this morning when he also licked his blood…

Chu Lishu couldn’t help but swallow, then he saw Lin Qingyang look up at him with a face full of apology, as if he, too, had been forced and had feared blame.

Chu Lishu pretended to be calm, withdrew his gaze, and continued to watch the situation below. The surroundings were limited, and after searching for a while, the two of them discussed going to another place to continue searching.

Seeing that the figures had all disappeared, Lin Qingyang breathed a sigh of relief, and the warning sound from the system was also gone. Just as he was about to speak, suddenly Chu Lishu’s body tightened abruptly, pressing him completely against the tree trunk. Then a voice, very soft, entered his ears, “Shh…”

Lin Qingyang immediately stopped moving.

Sure enough, after a while, those two individuals returned.

“Damn it, are they really not hiding? Did they run far away already? Are they rabbits? Why did they run so fast?”

“They must be heading back to the imperial tomb. Let’s ambush them and strike when the time comes. Let’s go!”

This time passed for quite a while again, and Chu Lishu’s body finally relaxed.

“Thanks, if it weren’t for you, I would have been done for tonight. But why are you here? Have you been following me?” Lin Qingyang asked in confusion.

“Yeah,” Chu Lishu didn’t deny it. “Let’s not talk about that for now. Those two went ahead; we need to change direction to return to the imperial tomb. Let’s go.”

The two of them didn’t have time to discuss the matter and descended from the tree, intending to leave.

However, Chu Lishu’s gaze fixed on the extinguished bonfire. The two assassins had come from the east, and the bonfire was already there, indicating that there was another group of people nearby. Could it be the Shadow Wolves? With his current lack of internal strength and impaired hearing, he couldn’t determine if there were others around. For now, they had to leave and not let Lin Qingyang fall into danger.

But Lin Qingyang was feeling frustrated; the sudden appearance of the two individuals might delay his mission.

As they left, Lin Qingyang pondered solutions.

And shortly after they left, the two assassins circled back.

“Look for footprints!”

“You’re smart; they’re indeed here.”

“Chase!”

At this moment, atop the highest tree, two figures squatted silently. They almost blended into the night, as if they were part of the tree, making them nearly impossible to detect.

They silently observed everything happening below.

The tenth member of the Shadow Wolves, Lu Shi, asked, “Boss, what should we do?”

The leader of the Shadow Wolves, Lu Yi, replied coldly, “Blame it on you for insisting on roasting meat.”

Lu Shi, with a face that hadn’t fully matured, pouted with dissatisfaction, “I was hungry. Master said that when growing, you should eat more and not go hungry.”

However, Lu Yi, who was just over twenty, already had a mature demeanor. He gave his younger brother a helpless look and said, “What else can we do? Eliminate them all, destroy the evidence, no, wait for them to leave this forest first.” Lu Yi suddenly changed his mind, but he didn’t explain the reason.

Nevertheless, Lu Shi understood the boss’s intention.

In case… in case their master’s undead spirit truly returns to the imperial tomb, shedding blood on his territory would be disrespectful. If they have to kill, they should leave this area; beyond the forest wouldn’t be considered part of the imperial tomb’s domain.

At this moment, Lin Qingyang truly believed that they were trying to circle back and escape to the imperial tomb.

However, just as they emerged from the forest and caught sight of the moonlight lake they had intended to reach, Chu Lishu suddenly pulled Lin Qingyang a few more steps towards the lake, stopping only when they reached the shore.

Lin Qingyang, thinking that Chu Lishu was about to pull him into the lake, said, “Don’t move!”

Chu Lishu spoke seriously, “Now, turn around and look at the path we’ve taken. Following our footprints, let’s step backward and return to the forest step by step.”

Lin Qingyang was puzzled, but seeing Chu Lishu’s serious expression, he had no choice but to comply without asking questions.

It turned out that due to rain a few days ago, the mountain paths were a bit soft. While walking, Lin Qingyang hadn’t noticed, but looking back, footprints were visible. Although not very distinct, careful observation would reveal them.

Following Chu Lishu’s instructions, the two retreated to the forest, and climbed separate trees, and this time, they were much more composed, choosing the best positions.

It was then that Chu Lishu explained that he had suspected the two killers would definitely turn back because of the footprints. Those assassins must have known they hadn’t left, but the footprints in that area were too chaotic for them to determine where exactly Lin Qingyang and Chu Lishu were hiding. So, they had no choice but to repeatedly leave and return.

Saying something about ambushing near the Imperial Tomb was simply not possible. Once they took action there, it would easily be detected by the nearby tomb guards. If it was a good place for an ambush, they would have chosen to do so from the beginning instead of waiting for everyone to go far away before coming to attack.

So, Chu Lishu judged that they would return. However, continuing like this obviously carried the risk of being discovered. Their actions were restricted in that area, and those two individuals would undoubtedly be very vigilant.

If they changed the location, like here, they could turn the situation around, taking the initiative instead of being passive.

Chu Lishu directly cut off a small branch, took off the hairband from his hair, and quickly made a simple bow and arrow. He sharpened one end of a twig into a pointed shape.

His impressive wilderness survival skills left Lin Qingyang completely astonished.

“Wait, don’t move around. Protect yourself! Don’t let them discover you. Leave everything to me!”

While Lin Qingyang was undoubtedly a hundred percent trusting in the male lead, on the surface, he still had to struggle a bit. “I can be the bait. That way, wouldn’t it be better for you to take action?”

Chu Lishu seemed to hesitate for a moment but still shook his head firmly. “Unless I tell you to come down, don’t move.”

Using oneself as bait would indeed be more effective, but he wasn’t sure about the opponent’s skills, so he preferred not to take unnecessary risks.

Soon enough, those two individuals behaved exactly as Chu Lishu anticipated, skulking behind.

Following the footprints led them to the lakeside, and both of them were dumbfounded.

“They jumped into the lake?”

“How is that possible! Search around.”

After circling the area without finding anything, one of them continued searching near the lake, while the other attempted to return to the woods.

This move widened the distance between the two.

Lin Qingyang instantly became tense, observing Chu Lishu already setting up the bow, aiming at the person returning to the woods.

Just as the person got closest to the tree, a whooshing sound followed, and a crude arrow shot from a makeshift bow hit the person’s heart with remarkable precision.

The improvised bow instantly snapped into two pieces in Chu Lishu’s hands, and the person below, resembling prey, fell to the ground with just a muffled groan.

Witnessing the protagonist commits murder face to face was indeed shocking. Lin Qingyang had mixed feelings but didn’t dwell on it too much. After all, these two individuals were after his life. He was merely adapting to the rules of this world.

Although the disturbance was minimal, it still spread in the quiet night. The patrolling figure at the lake, sensing something amiss, drew their knives and vigilantly rushed towards the scene.

Chu Lishu’s bow and arrow were disposable and now useless. He tightly gripped a blade in anticipation.

Concentrating intensely on the scene below, Chu Lishu resembled a poised black panther hidden in the trees, exuding elegance and ready to strike. Lin Qingyang watched with bated breath as if engrossed in an action movie.

In the moment the person discovered their companion’s lifeless body, their brain was shocked, presenting the perfect opportunity. Descending from above, Chu Lishu’s disheveled black hair danced in the wind as he overwhelmed the individual below.

A piercing scream echoed, and Lin Qingyang couldn’t clearly see how Chu Lishu executed the move. The person seemed clumsy yet fierce, while Chu Lishu, despite lacking physical strength, displayed agility and finesse. In the blink of an eye, the dagger was pressed against the person’s throat.

The person wanted to struggle, but Chu Lishu pressed his back with his knee, one hand twisted behind his back, and a sharp weapon rested against his throat horizontally. In this posture, any movement from him would immediately result in the opponent slitting his throat.

Lin Qingyang, illuminated by the moonlight, was almost dazzled by how handsome Chu Lishu looked in this scene. A person who had lost all martial arts skills could still counter-attack two assassins; truly worthy of being the male lead.

Lin Qingyang felt a sense of pride!

Eagerly about to climb down the tree, Chu Lishu shot a warning look, and Lin Qingyang froze.

Wasn’t it safe now? Why wasn’t he allowed to come down?

At this moment, Chu Lishu had already begun to interrogate the person.

Not attempting to escape was also because Chu Lishu was confident in his ability to counter-attack. He wanted to figure out who was targeting Lin Qingyang. This matter needed to be resolved to prevent future trouble.

“Speak up! Your fate depends on it.”

“Even if I talk, you won’t spare me. If you want to kill, then kill!”

The assassin still wanted to resist until a cut was actually made on his neck, causing him to panic.

“Please have mercy, mercy! We were hired by someone. We just took a job!”

“Who issued the task?”

“We really don’t know. The Blood Abyss Pavilion has its rules. We only know the mission target and the reward, but we can’t know the employer.”

Blood Abyss Pavilion?

Lin Qingyang was instantly shocked; it seemed like he had heard something incredible.

Wait a minute, the system wouldn’t…

Lin Qingyang’s heart raced, but he didn’t hear any notification sound.

This wasn’t right. According to the system’s habits, it should have reminded him of the mission at this point. After all, the Blood Abyss Pavilion was also one of the future male lead’s significant weapons.

Could it be… the triggering conditions are not met yet? Well, it’s better not to activate it. This is a tough nut to crack, involving too much. It’s more convenient to open it according to the plot.

Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but sigh in relief, starting to wonder who would go to the Blood Abyss Pavilion, the number one assassin organization in the Great Zhou Dynasty, to issue a task to kill him.

“Blood Abyss Pavilion? Haha, how can there be trash like you?”

“We… just joined, and some tasks are low-level. There are only a few top-level assassins. Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? They won’t take it, so it naturally falls to us. It’s just a small task worth fifty taels.”

Chu Lishu clearly paused for a moment.

Lin Qingyang up in the tree: …

Fifty taels?

Was that what he understood, fifty taels?

Damn it, who issued such a low-value task! It’s too insulting! Take it back and reissue it. How could I be worth only fifty taels? And it even split between two assassins!!!!!!

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