<h4>Chapter 1210: Chapter 1217: Ying Hall (Part 2)</h4>


    "Master!"


    Upon entering the old man’s dwelling, the first thing that catches the eye is a gigantic wooden sculpture, a mighty eagle soaring majestically, exuding an air of authority. It’s unclear why, but this kind of eagle decoration can be found everywhere in this assassin base.


    Zhu Hong stood earnestly in front of the eagle, waiting for the old man to speak. "Come in," the old man’s voice resonated, prompting Zhu Hong to lift the curtain and step inside. The old man’s room was very simple; apart from this direct disciple, it rarely saw outsiders.


    At the moment, the old man was leaning against the window, gazing at the endless sea of yellow sand outside. Hearing Zhu Hong’s approaching footsteps, the old man shut the window and gestured to a nearby seat, "Sit down."


    "Master, why have you called me here?" Zhu Hong asked, looking directly at him.


    "You’ve been here for quite a while now, I imagine you might have many questions about the base," the old man began. "You are my direct disciple; I don’t care about your past, as long as you remain loyal to me, I promise your future will be smooth sailing."


    Zhu Hong replied earnestly, "Master, you gave me this life, no matter what you ask of me, I will not refuse."


    "Really?" The old man smiled faintly, a flick of his wrist and a sharp dagger suddenlynded at Zhu Hong’s feet, "Words alone are useless, I need you to prove it with actions."


    Zhu Hong picked up the dagger without flinching and asked, "What do you want me to do, Master?"


    The old man pointed at Zhu Hong’s crotch, a yful smile on his face, "You want to prove your loyalty? Fine, then ruin it. Assassins are solitary, you won’t need it anymore."


    Upon hearing this, Zhu Hong’s pupils slightly contracted, his entire body froze. He never expected such a demand from the old man.


    Seeing Zhu Hong immobile, the old man’s smile gradually turned cold, "What? Was everything you said earlier a lie? If you can’t bring yourself to do it, I can help you."


    Zhu Hong gritted his teeth, a fierce mental struggle raging in his mind. Women or power... any ambitious person desires both. But now, the old man has posed a dilemma before him. Seeing the old man’s cold gaze, Zhu Hong trembled inside, uncertain how to choose.


    More than ten seconds passed, beads of sweat formed on Zhu Hong’s forehead. He clenched his teeth, turned the dagger around in his hand, finally making his decision.


    He could guess that if he didn’tply, the old man might kill him on the spot. In that case, it was better to choose a path to survival. As long as he was alive, there was hope for everything. With that thought, Zhu Hong swung his arm, aiming the sharp dagger directly at his crotch.


    Just as Zhu Hong was about to make the cut, the old man sitting in the chair suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Zhu Hong’s wrist to stop him. Bewildered by the old man’s actions, Zhu Hong asked, "Master, you..."


    "Enough, that’s quite sufficient." The old man smiled and said, "I just wanted to test you, to see how ruthless you were with yourself. Only those who can be ruthless with themselves can be ruthless with others. This is your final test, passing it makes you my true direct disciple."


    The old man’s words made Zhu Hong involuntarily breathe a sigh of relief.


    "Sit down, I have many things to tell you." Once they were seated again, the old man slowly began, "You’ve been here for so long but still don’t know my name. I’m Zhu Chuan, the chief responsible for this base. Our assassin organization is called Skyhawk Pavilion, you probably haven’t heard of it."


    "Skyhawk Pavilion?" Zhu Hong’s interest was piqued, he asked, "Master, is Skyhawk Pavilion connected to Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion?"


    "You don’t need to know about that for now. This is the main base of Skyhawk Pavilion, where all assassins mustplete their training before officially bing members. Within Skyhawk Pavilion, core disciples belong to Ying Hall, I’m the Eagle Head, overseeing all Ying Hall affairs. With your current abilities, you are still insufficient to be a Ying Hall member. However, since you are my direct disciple, you have the privilege of directly entering Ying Hall. But don’t be too pleased. Skyhawk Pavilion always upholds the principle of preferring scarcity over mediocrity. If your skills never reach Ying Hall’s standards, I’ll have no choice but to demote you. So you need to work even harder than before. If you do well, perhaps decades from now you’ll have a chance to inherit my position, bing the Eagle Head of Ying Hall."


    "I understand." Zhu Hong nodded, "Rest assured, Master, I will not disappoint you."


    "Good, I trust I haven’t misjudged you." Zhu Chuan said, shifting the conversation, "Zhu Hong, I know you are an ambitious person, and that’s what I admire about you. But a person’s ambition must be supported by matching strength; otherwise, it bes overreach and self-destruction. So, without the requisite strength, hold your ambition in check, move forward diligently one step at a time."


    "Master, I understand your intention, I will be careful."


    "That’s best. All right, take your rest for now."


    Zhu Hong acknowledged, rising to leave. Just before he walked out the door, someone suddenly entered, bowing with fists sped, "Eagle Head, there’s an urgent message from Beijing."


    "Bring it here!"


    "Yes." The man hastily approached Zhu Chuan, handing over a set of documents.


    After reading the document’s content, a trace of cold killing intent appeared on Zhu Chuan’s old face, "Hmph! It’s those Zhu Family people again. Go, notify the Ying Hall’s Eagle Talon toe see me."


    "Master." Zhu Hong asked, "Is there trouble in Beijing?"


    Zhu Chuan nodded, "A client has hit a snag, encountering a tough opponent."


    "Can I know who this client is?"


    Zhu Chuan nced at Zhu Hong, "ording to the rules, Skyhawk Pavilion’s client information is confidential, not easily disclosed. However, this is a low-level client, so there aren’t as many restrictions. He’s called Hong Wei, you’ve lived in Beijing before, haven’t you heard of him."


    "Hong Wei?" Zhu Hong nodded slightly, "I know him; he’s a well-known figure in Beijing, runs the underground forces there, incredibly wealthy."


    "The data shows he’s conflicted with someone named Ling Chen, that Ling Chen hired Zhu Family people. The Zhu Family is our sworn enemy, difficult to deal with. This trouble with the Zhu Family is quite a hassle."


    Ling Chen!


    Upon hearing this name, Zhu Hong’s emotions involuntarily fluctuated. Sensing this change, the observant Zhu Chuan seemed to notice, looking up to ask, "Do you know this Ling Chen?"