Zhang Heng did not know when the two gladiators in the same room woke up. When Zhang Heng returned to the room, they were already gone. It was not until the sky was completely dark that they walked into the room with their arms around each other's shoulders, and they reeked of alcohol.
In fact, it was not difficult to understand their choice. Although slave gladiators like Sethnets and Garba in the gladiator school continued to gain their freedom, only a small portion of the slave gladiators managed to gain their freedom. Most of them eventually died in the arena.
Although the death rate of gladiators had decreased significantly compared to BC, the average lifespan of twenty-five years was still an indication of a lot of problems. If they did not enjoy themselves now, they might not be able to enjoy themselves tomorrow. Besides, they were only partying for one day.
After a while, Varro also returned from the training ground. After chatting with Zhang Heng for a while, they went to their respective beds.
…
Late at night, the entire Roman city quieted down from the hustle and bustle.
Except for a few domus and temples that were still lit by oil lamps, most places were plunged into darkness.
Zhang Heng also closed his eyes and soon fell asleep. It was not until someone pushed his body that Zhang Heng opened his eyes and saw Dadatis's face. The latter was standing in front of his bed, gesturing to Zhang Heng to go out and talk to him. After that, he walked out of the room. Zhang Heng put on his sandals and followed behind the old trainer. He walked past the three people who were still sleeping soundly in the room and came to the yard outside.
At least for now, it seemed like the old trainer's story was not fabricated.
Zhang Heng had been through so many quests, and there was no lack of danger lurking around every corner. This made him develop the habit of remaining vigilant even when he was sleeping. Generally speaking, the sound of someone or something moving would wake him up. Of course, this ability might not work as well in the gladiator dormitory where snores could be heard everywhere. However, the fact that the old trainer could appear in front of his bed without him realizing it was him.
If the old trainer wanted to kill him, he would probably be dead by now.
So … was this how an assassin fought?
Zhang Heng saw the old trainer's figure turning into a small training ground in front of him, so he followed. However, when he entered the training ground, he did not see the old trainer inside.
The training ground was no longer as lively as it was during the day, and the entire training ground was empty. But soon, Zhang Heng sensed something approaching him from behind. Although the opponent's movements were very light and did not cause any airflow, Zhang Heng felt a chill run down his spine.
However, Zhang Heng's rich combat experience still played a role at this time. He twisted his body and dodged the attack at the last moment. At the same time, he saw that the thing that attacked him was a small wooden dagger.
The old trainer was a little surprised to see Zhang Heng dodging the attack.
Including sneaking up on Zhang Heng's bed and disappearing without a trace, he wanted to use this method to let Zhang Heng feel the power of an assassin. He did not expect to fail at the end. He knew that Zhang Heng had hidden his strength during the final assessment, but he did not expect the latter to hide so much.
Besides, he was getting older, and his skills had indeed declined a lot compared to when he was young.
No one could fight against time, the biggest enemy. Whether it was an assassin or a gladiator, as he grew older, his physical fitness was indeed not as good as it used to be. As a person who lived with death all year round, he could clearly feel the aging of his body, and he gradually realized what it felt like to be powerless.
On the other side, Zhang Heng had already distanced himself from the old trainer. He looked around and was looking for a weapon. Unexpectedly, the old trainer gave up on attacking him, turned around, and ran out of the training ground.
Zhang Heng did not rush to chase after him. Instead, he went to the room where weapons were stored. Of course, he could see that the old trainer did not mean him any harm, so he only took a wooden training sword.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, another dagger was aimed at his throat.
"Pay attention to the places that can block your vision. These are the best places for an assassin to attack," the old trainer whispered.
But this time, Zhang Heng was prepared, and he blocked the dagger with the wooden sword in his hand.
In all fairness, the old trainer's attack was still very good. Compared to the sneak attack from behind, his movement was faster, and the angle was more mysterious. Still, it was silent.
Unfortunately, his opponent was Zhang Heng, whose swordsmanship had reached level four. Once Zhang Heng had a sword in his hand, even the best assassin in the world would have a hard time breaking through his defense.
The old trainer still did not want to continue fighting. This time, he jumped directly on a wall not far away. Zhang Heng followed closely behind him, jumping over the wall and entering the next courtyard. However, after such a short delay, the old trainer disappeared from his sight again.
However, Zhang Heng quickly thought of something. He raised the wooden sword in his hand and blocked the stab that came from the sky.
"Everyone's eyes can be deceived. Learn to take advantage of the target's observation habits."
The old trainer seemed to have crawled out of his shadow, ghostly and light.
After that, he stopped Zhang Heng's plan to follow up with another attack. He then leaned against the mud wall on the side and said, "Wait. Let me catch my breath."
So Zhang Heng also put away the training sword in his hand politely.
The old trainer rested for a while and regained his strength. However, he did not seem to want to continue the fight. He waved his hand dispiritedly and said, "I'm done. Let's stop here."
"Hmm." Zhang Heng felt a little regretful. Although the two only exchanged three blows, the old trainer used a fighting method that he had never seen before. It did broaden his horizons, and he learned something from it.
However, Dadatis had already hung up the no-fight sign, and Zhang Heng did not want to bully the old man.
"In fact, an excellent assassin will generally not assassinate the same target more than three times. If he fails to kill the target after three attempts, it means that Kreis does not want to take the target's life. At this time, as an assassin, no matter how rich the reward is, and no matter how good the reason is, he should choose to let go."
The old trainer paused and said, "I have to admit that I underestimated you. Even if I were you when I was younger, I wouldn't have been able to kill you with those three sneak attacks. But don't be too happy just yet. A top assassin will have more than one way to kill their target."
When Dadatis said that, Zhang Heng did not say anything. Dadatis was the first to lose his momentum. According to his original plan, he should quietly put the wooden dagger on Zhang Heng's back and tell him in a low voice that Zhang Heng was dead. After that, he would be more convincing when he talked about his glorious history.
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