Chapter Ten: A Mysterious Death
After a moment of silence had passed.
“Xinyu, let’s return together. I wonder if Miss Silver—Yao will be traveling the same way?” Chu Suyi deliberately elongated his words.
“Heh, there’s no need. I’ll be going on ahead.” With a leap, she disappeared from their sight—just as she had vanished from his gaze before.
As soon as Gu Xinyu and Chu Suyi stepped out the main gates, both soared into the air. Gu Xinyu, contrary to his usual self, wore no playful smile upon his face; the mischief in his eyes had faded, replaced by an air of righteousness.
…
As night deepened, the banquet gradually cooled, and the various guests, supporting one another, made their way to the nearby inns. Silver Yao, dressed all in white, looked like a mourner. Standing atop a high roof, she observed the scene below.
A silver whip, a silver mask, and the faint suggestion of a fox’s tail behind her—these all proclaimed her identity: the Silver Fox. No, the heir to the Silver Fox!
When several rotund, drunken men staggered into a narrow alley, Silver Yao sprang into action, dropping silently before them. A sudden flash of white startled the five as they looked up; in the next moment, clarity returned to their minds and disbelief filled their faces. Once they realized what stood before them, they hastily steadied their breaths and stared at the woman before them.
These five were no ordinary thugs; each was a guardian of one of the five great sects of the martial world, all ranked among the top. Yet, because they shared the same odious inclinations and had often served the imperial court, they were widely disliked. If not for the unpredictability of their movements, and the fact that they only appeared on rare occasions such as today, they would long ago have been torn to pieces by the denizens of the martial realm. How had they survived until now!
In her right sleeve, several concealed weapons were poised to strike.
“If you have any last words, speak them quickly.” So confident—these five could not help but be astonished. No matter what, they were martial masters; how could they be dismissed so lightly!
They were about to charge forward, but the eldest of them held them back with a hand. “May we know who seeks the lives of the Five Brothers?”
Even in death, they wanted to know their killer. For that, Silver Yao was generous enough to answer. “Daughter of the Silver Fox—Silver Yao.” Her voice, though calm, dripped with bloodlust.
What! Silver Yao? Wasn’t she the Snake Maiden? What was happening—how could the Snake Maiden be the daughter of the Silver Fox? What on earth was going on? That whip… No, it couldn’t be!
Seeing the five nearly collapse in terror, Silver Yao laughed—a wild, arrogant, unrestrained laugh. This was the effect she wanted! Gazing coldly at them, she waved her hand with effortless grace, and five concealed weapons flew forth.
Those two who were distracted were struck directly in the heart. Moreover, the weapons had been soaked in poison for a full day and night. The two of them had the dubious honor of experiencing instant death at her hand.
The remaining three, quick to react, dodged the hidden weapons and scattered with remarkable speed, attempting to form a circle around her. They exchanged glances and nodded solemnly, their steps growing strange and intricate as they moved.
Silver Yao watched their efforts with a faint smile, unmoving, as if granting them all the time they needed to gather their strength. She was curious to see what kind of desperate tricks they would pull in their final moments.
Believing her stillness to be fear, the three laughed with abandon—their laughter harsh and grating as they quickened their pace. Watching their foolish display, Silver Yao idly scratched her ear, unimpressed.
With a trace of disdain at her lips, Silver Yao merely flicked her right hand behind her, and the long whip appeared in her grasp. She observed the shifting positions of the three men, then lightly swung her whip.
Suddenly, one of the men froze, his form becoming distinct as he stopped and even began to back away in terror—for he had seen something he never should have seen, something so dreadful it seemed impossible.
The whip, which should have been entirely silver, had a tip stained crimson, as bright as fresh blood. This signified that its wielder had broken through the ninth level of the Silver Fox’s martial arts, entering a new realm, and even her weapon had transformed accordingly.
Her martial prowess was now beyond what ordinary men could withstand! No wonder, earlier, they had glimpsed a fox’s tail swaying behind her—a vision not seen in a hundred years! That was a phantom beast—a power not of this world! It meant her abilities were advancing to the level of the immortal and the illusory. How could such a thing be possible!
With only a few flicks of her whip, it seemed to come alive, chasing down the three who had tried to flee. At the fall of the last man, he let out a long, despairing howl—the final effort of a dying man.
Her cold smile widened, dazzling in its brilliance, though hidden behind a mask that shrouded a lifetime’s beauty.
Soon, a large group of black-clad men arrived, encircling Silver Yao in a tight formation. But none of this could hinder her.
Her whip returned to silver, and Silver Yao soared into the air. Countless concealed weapons flew in all directions. With another few casual lashes of her whip, only about ten of the black-clad men remained—they were truly unworthy opponents!
Not wishing to leave any survivors, Silver Yao lashed out with force; the crimson at the whip’s tip flashed, and those whose faces had turned frantic simply ceased to breathe. Their hearts stopped, and they died with eyes wide open, stunned to their last moment, staring at that whip—shocked beyond measure in their final seconds.
She scattered a fine layer of white powder, and the corpses on the ground vanished little by little, evaporating like mist—leaving not even a trace of blood behind. Not a single bone would remain of this unlucky group!
“Master, those five have mysteriously disappeared. They did not return to the inn, and the black-clad guards who had been following them have also vanished in recent days!”
In a dim, shadowed room, a man knelt, head bowed. A tall figure stood with his back to him, carefully regarding a painted portrait of a woman.
“You may go now.” With a wave of his hand, the kneeling man vanished in the blink of an eye.
“Xuanyu, it seems someone has made a move before us. I truly didn’t expect anyone to act ahead of us.” Gu Xinyu reclined lazily in a chair, a trace of mischief at his lips as he toyed with a teacup.
“Hmm?” The man called Xuanyu responded coldly, his features obscured by the darkness.
Suddenly, another man entered the room. Like the one before, he knelt with utmost respect.
“Master, this is a concealed weapon discovered in the alleyway leading to the inn. I have never seen this emblem before and await your punishment!” He presented the weapon with both hands, face full of shame.
In the moonlight, the silver weapon caught a glint—a fox.
“Silver Fox?!—No, is it Silver Yao?!”
Xuanyu’s heart gave a start.
“Silver Fox? Impossible! Could she have a descendant?” Gu Xinyu did not miss the fleeting emblem, and was greatly astonished. He had never imagined that the legendary Silver Fox would still have a descendant in this world!