Prophecy Of The Stars

2. THE ESCAPE

Li Huang woke up dazed. Her eyes greeted daylight, foggy from sleep. She rubbed her eyes and sighed in confusion.

The sounds of clashing blades and painful screams still echoed in her ears.

Was it a dream?

In an instant, her body shook in pain. The pain seared through her brains as if to blast them. Her hands reached out to grip her head for comfort.

The pain intensified as visions, quickly yet painfully, flashing before her eyes.

She, Li Huang, was a doctor, specialized in ancient oriental medicine and a top-tier undercover assassin with the code name 'D'.

Before her death, she received a classified mission to steal an antique ring from a famous antiquarian.

His sanctuary was well guarded by top-ranked fighters and treacherous booby traps set by poison masters. Stealing from him was not an easy task. Thus the employer generously quoted a 500 million reward for the task.

The organisation selected their number one assassin- her, for the mission as she was the most suitable candidate.

Observing, studying and scheming for seven months, she successfully stole the ring from him.

On the way to report her mission, she met with an ambush. The perpetrators were none other than her lover Mu Chang and her best friend Qu Wan.

She was stunned beyond belief and heartbroken when they magnanimously confessed about their affair and collaboration with her employer, naming her for the mission.

She risked her life to complete the mission while the two stood by the sidelines, to reap the profits, with laughter and ridicule on their face.

The man whom she cherished and loved, the one who trained her and made her who she was now; The fact his love was nothing but a play broke her heart.

She and Qu Wan grew up together in the organisation and were inseparable. She was taught that there were no sincere feelings or friendship in their world, but she adamantly refused their words and blindly believed in her friend, only to become a joke and end up dying with Qu Wan's knife plunged in her chest.

She held no remorse, no regrets, but burning eyes of jealousy for Li Huang's talent that far surpassed her own.

Li Huang's eyes burned with tears as she swallowed the stone-cold object.

The couple fumbled with the box, opening it, only to find nothing. They demanded answer from Li Huang but it was too late, she was already falling off the cliff plunging into the surging river below, her body containing the ring to be never found again. Let them grieve their loss.

As her body thrashed into the water, she saw a glimpse of a shadow following her in, before she embraced death.

She gasped for air as she tried to shake her memories away. She was sure, what she saw just now wasn't a dream, nor was this an afterlife.

She crossed over time and space to end up in her current body. She had transmigrated.

She was no longer Li Huang but Wan Huang, young miss of the Wan family of Chang'an, a country in East Yue continent.

She wanted to spend time to process her thoughts but now was not the time because she was kidnapped.

Dust and dry leaves surrounded her in a partially collapsed room. Her legs and hands were bound behind her. She was a top-ranked assassin in her previous life, so this bondage was just a child's play to her.

With a wicked grin etched on her face, she ruthlessly dislocated both her shoulders and slipped out of her bindings, popping her shoulders back in place. After the pain receded, she began untying the bondage on her legs.

"Now that I am free, should I leave quietly?" She debated for a second.

"Nah, that's not my style. Since they have the guts to kidnap me I should reward them. Moreover, It's my first day here, how about a small 'celebration'?".

She grinned while walking out of the room, silently surveying her surroundings.

Surrounding the run-down shack was a jungle. "Mmm, they've got themselves a good hideout". She whistled. It will be mine for keeping.

With her skills, she found five men outside the shack, chatting away and drinking merrily. She walked a bit closer to them, hiding behind a divider and thinking of a strategy to deliver the rewards.

"Boss, why waste our resources for that trash? She wouldn't have the strength to open the door. Are we leaving her alive or...." His fingers raised towards his throat and swept horizontally.

"Boss, she is the young miss of the Wan family. THE Wan Family. Isn't this a bit troublesome?" Asked the second man joining the conversation.

The buff man, assuming the boss, looked at the subordinate who raised the doubt.

"Aiya! What do you know? She is a good for nothing! The disgrace of the Wan family! Let me tell you, it was her own family that paid us to abduct her. What are you afraid of? Come on! Drink up to your heart's content and enjoy tonight in pleasure. That trash is still decent looking...Come, brothers, let's have a toast!" His loud laughter rang out resonating through the whole courtyard.

"Then I shall go first". One of the men got up.

"Enjoy your fill brother". Rest of them teased, as he made his way to the room.

Wan Huang retreated to the room, keeping up the pretence of a tied up, helpless girl. The man staggered towards her, sat down beside her and extending his hand to touch her.
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"Ah!" She stood up, cracking her knuckles and stretched herself. "Ha! too easy. Not fun at all".

She complained, exiting the room, leaving behind a man, whose eyes were wide open in disbelief and a clean slit on his throat.

She walked out of the room to deal with the remaining men. Since this body is currently weak, she couldn't take all four of them at once. She picked up a hefty stone, throwing it into the jungle to create a distraction.

As if following her expectations, two subordinates left with their weapons to check, while the two remained behind to watch over the shack. Taking advantage of her chance, she moved in swiftly catching them unaware. Within seconds, two bodies dropped lifelessly on the ground.

"How weak. This body needs training in agility. No! it needs training overall. Whoever brought me here, shouldn't you give me a better body?" She expressed her dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, the two-the boss and one of his subordinate who went to search for intruders returned.

They were shocked to find their brothers dead on the ground, while the trash whom they kidnapped, stood before them, with an innocent smile on her face, waiting for them. Fear and rage gripped their hearts.

Brandishing their swords, they rushed towards her. She shook her head in disappointment watching their shoddy attacks. A few seconds after charging forward, the two men crashed onto the ground, dead.

Seeing her 'reward' being safely delivered, she exhaled, releasing her tension. Her vision became blurry and a wave of dizziness hit her. "I need to get home".

Throwing away the dagger and dusting her hands, she walked to her courtyard relying on her inherited memories.