Incorrect Flower Pattern

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Killer Plum

Yi Mei is a very famous and ruthless killer.

Some say her swordsmanship has transcended form and reached a divine level, even surpassing that of the Master of Wuyou Tower; others say she is nothing more than a thief who steals fame and fortune; some say she is in the prime of her youth, stunningly beautiful; conversely, some say she is already past forty, with graying temples.

Yi Mei was an assassin. Legend has it that when she killed, she was dressed in black, her face hidden. But everyone knew her sword: narrow-bodied, thin-bladed, entirely black, and without luster. Yet, this sword was named Han Guang (含光).

It is said that the first person Yi Mei killed was none other than Wu Yifeng, the handsome young man who was famous throughout the southeast.

Back then, Wuyi Peak captivated countless young women with budding romances. It seemed that every young girl in the world knew of Young Master Wu's iron-faced landscape fan.

However, Young Master Wu's Iron-Faced Mountain and Water Fan could not block the fifteenth move of Han Guang Sword.

At that time, Yi Mei was not yet famous, and her customers were only willing to pay twenty taels of silver. Thus, those twenty taels of silver bought the dreams of countless young girls.

Young Master Wu sighed softly, "What a pity, such a woman..."

Women like her are rare.

Willow branches greet the painted boats, and the water reflects the carved beams.

The couplet on the carved beams of the small building is in cursive script, written in a wild, unrestrained style, carved on two dark, matte wooden boards. Only those who know their stuff would recognize that this barely legible cursive script is actually the work of the calligraphy master who lived to the age of thirty-one three hundred years ago; and that these two unassuming wooden boards are made from a rare piece of black wood that only grows once every few hundred years in the dense forests of the far south.

Liu Tianyi sat in a large sandalwood chair covered with a fur rug, his steady fingers holding a jade porcelain teacup. He seemed lost in thought, as if his mind was undisturbed. He slowly brought the teacup to his lips, took a sip, and a relaxed smile immediately appeared on his face. His movements were gentle, and his smile was warm, as if it came from the depths of his heart.

Anyone sitting in such an exquisite and cozy little building, drinking this top-grade Mao Feng tea brewed with the purest mountain spring water, would smile with the same contentment as him.

Moreover, a very famous woman has now sent him a visiting card and is requesting an audience.

The ornately decorated pavilion housed six beautiful concubines, each with a captivating charm and graceful bearing. Their most admirable qualities lay in their intelligence and understanding; they could serve men with a charming and gentle demeanor, making them feel completely at ease. Such beauties were a rare find, priceless, yet Liu Tianyi possessed all six. He was a man who knew how to enjoy life, and on this snowy night, in the warm pavilion, he should have been embracing his concubines, spending a blissful evening together.

Even so, he found it hard to refuse the crude visiting card. The card seemed to possess a kind of magic, overcoming the gentleness of six exceptionally beautiful women.

The name on the visiting card was that of a very ordinary, down-to-earth woman: Yi Mei.

Yi Mei was truly an ordinary woman. She wore the simple clothes of a common girl, and her face was covered with a piece of hemp cloth, revealing only her unremarkable eyes. Only the dull, black sword hanging at her waist barely confirmed her identity. So, she was Yi Mei.

Yi Mei's eyes swept around the carved beams of the small building, and she said politely, with a hint of unease, "Master Liu, hello."

Liu Tianyi frowned and asked, "Are you the assassin Yi Mei?"

Yi Mei said, "I am Yi Mei." She answered honestly, but with a hint of surprise, as if to say: If I am not Yi Mei, then who am I?

Liu Tianyi coughed lightly and said frankly, "I originally thought that an assassin as famous as you should have a more assassin-like demeanor."

These words hit the nail on the head, so Yi Mei smiled and said, "Master Liu, to be honest, I also think my outfit today is too strange, I don't look like an assassin at all." She smiled again, but there was a hint of embarrassment in her smile, "It's just that I lost money in business, and I even sold my assassin's gear - it was a set of top-quality black fabric, head and toes."

Upon hearing this, even someone as worldly-wise as Liu Tianyi was momentarily stunned. But in an instant, he seemed to understand, yet he didn't say anything, only letting out an "Oh—" and asking, "So, you came to see me for...?"

Yi Mei laughed and said, "Master Liu, in the martial arts world, we don't beat around the bush. 'Carved beams and small buildings, full of treasures,' how many people who come to you, Master Liu, aren't after money?"

Liu Tianyi chuckled and said, "You're quite straightforward, being a woman."

Yi Mei sneered, "What are you saying, Master Liu? Is there some rule that only men are allowed to be happy? You men have never understood the benefits of women."

Liu Tianyi raised his eyes, looked her up and down, and smiled, "I can't speak for other women, but I know that no one can underestimate the assassin Yi Mei."

Yi Mei chuckled lightly and said, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me. It's a pity that I'm not as shrewd in business as Master Liu. If my small business hadn't lost money this time and I didn't even have money for food, I wouldn't have taken this deal."

Liu Tianyi remained expressionless and said calmly, "Wrong, wrong."

Yi Mei was somewhat surprised and asked, "Where did I go wrong?"

Liu Tianyi's well-maintained fingers stroked the white jade teacup as he casually asked, "How do you know you're sure you can take this job?"

Yi Mei opened her ordinary eyes wide, thought for a long time, and asked, "Why can't I do it?"

Liu Tianyi said, "Starting from the eighth day of the sixth lunar month this year, it has been exactly half a year today. A total of thirty-five assassins have come to this building. Of these thirty-five assassins, only five dared to take this job, and each of them was one of the most powerful figures in your line of work. Now, all five of them are dead. Two of them have had their bodies found, two have had their remains found, and the remaining one has not even had his remains found."

Yi Mei laughed and said, "What Master Liu said is also wrong."

Liu Tianyi asked curiously, "Where did I go wrong?"

Yi Mei said, "If they are top-notch and powerful figures, there should only be one. How can there be as many as five?"

Liu Tianyi couldn't help but chuckle, saying in a slightly sarcastic tone, "Could that person be you?"

Yi Mei said, "Although I am not a top-notch expert, I am definitely stronger than them."

Liu Tianyi asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Yi Mei laughed and said, "They are dead, and I am still alive. Am I not better than them? Besides, my business deals are almost always successful."

Liu Tianyi stared into her eyes, but Yi Mei just smiled. Her face was covered with burlap, and her smile came from her eyes, as if the cash commission had already been safely deposited into her pocket.

So Liu Tianyi sighed and said, as if conceding, "Master Wuyou. The one you want to kill is Master Wuyou."

Yi Mei's expression changed rapidly.

Even if the top ten swordsmen in the martial arts world were chasing her from behind, even if their swords had already pierced her body, her eyes could not change so quickly.

Unfortunately, Liu Tianyi was referring to the Master of Worry-Free Pavilion.

In the world of martial arts, every era has its legends.

For example, Dugu Qiubai, Chu Liuxiang, and Ximen Chuixue—whether they truly existed is no longer known; they are merely leg

……