Chapter Eleven: Your Trace

“This is the emblem of the Silver Fox, but didn’t the Silver Fox perish long ago? Then it can’t possibly be her. Who could it be, then? Could it be Yao’er? Did she not die in that assassination after all? If that’s true, then it’s wonderful! Ha ha!”

The man called Xuan Yu was in fact none other than Ji Xuan Yu, who was now known as the Wulin Alliance Leader Chu Su Yi.

Ji Xuan Yu felt a secret delight in his heart, so pleased with this unexpected news that he could hardly contain himself. Yes, Silver Yao was alive; she had survived. This was truly news of great importance to him, a tremendous surprise! He had once wondered if perhaps Silver Yao had not perished, but he never expected it to be true—she was truly alive!

The murder of those five men and the vanishing of their attendants was thus no longer a mystery. Even he himself would have done everything in his power to avenge such a wrong, to exterminate those who had once plotted against the Silver Fox. Especially since, for Yao’er, those men were her mother’s killers—an enmity that could never be forgiven.

Yet, to have dealt with so many people in such a short time, it seemed that “Yao’er” was no longer the person she once was. Her martial skills had surely grown by leaps and bounds. She must still be as passionate about the martial arts as before.

“Xuan Yu, it seems this drama is becoming ever more intriguing, don’t you think? Apparently, the Silver Fox left behind a descendant, and that person was not slain in the assassination. It appears that it wasn’t our failure to arrive in time that left her doomed—she had already escaped her predicament!” Gu Shen Yu’s lips curled into a teasing smile, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the portrait of a woman on the wall—unparalleled arrogance, a cool and distant air. Pity the woman in the painting wore a silver mask, hiding her true face, but that only added to her mystery. What kind of person was she truly?

He was genuinely curious about the face behind the mask. Would her features astonish him even more? And he was certain, judging by Xuan Yu’s concern and attentiveness, that their relationship was far from simple.

“Mm, yes.” Ji Xuan Yu glanced instinctively at the portrait, and when he spoke, there was a hint of hesitation in his voice.

“The Silver Fox had a daughter. The one who saved me in the Ji family manor was none other than her. But last time, you know, we searched for a long time and never found her again! Perhaps, as you said, she escaped alive before we arrived.”

Ji Xuan Yu did not utter Silver Yao’s name, clearly unwilling to let more people know of her existence. Perhaps this was a small selfishness he harbored.

“Oh~” Gu Shen Yu cast a meaningful look at Ji Xuan Yu, then couldn’t help but recall an episode from the past, one connected to the Silver Fox, and by extension, to Silver Yao.

After leaving Silver Yao and her companions, it had taken no small effort to locate Alliance Leader Chu, Ji Xuan Yu, and settle down. But then, word arrived that someone intended to assassinate the Silver Fox. Without a second thought, he and Ji Xuan Yu hurried to the forest, but as they drew closer, the scent of blood grew stronger and stronger, foreboding calamity.

Upon reaching the scene, they were greeted by a sea of blood—a legion of black-clad men lay fallen, their blood staining even the pond’s clear waters crimson. The ferocity of the battle was evident. Witnessing this, Xuan Yu seemed deeply shaken, his eyes bloodshot as he frantically searched the area.

Behind the wooden cottage stood a silent grave, its tombstone inscribed in blood: “The Silver Fox’s Rest.” When Xuan Yu saw it, he was nearly driven to madness. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he resumed his search with feverish desperation.

It wasn’t until nightfall that he returned to the grave, exhausted. He knelt without a word, remaining there for three days straight, unmoved by any attempts to persuade him, staring blankly at the Silver Fox’s tomb… His eyes never closed, and there was a constant fear that his body would not withstand the ordeal.

That was a period of deep despondency for Ji Xuan Yu. He grew gaunt and frail, refusing all counsel, whether from Gu Shen Yu or Alliance Leader Chu. Fortunately, it did not last long—Xuan Yu slowly returned to normal.

To see one’s family slaughtered and one’s savior brutally murdered—few could bear such loss. Thankfully, Xuan Yu recovered quickly, otherwise neither he nor Chu would have known how to help him. That wound was a matter of the heart, one others could scarcely help him overcome.

He had once puzzled over why Xuan Yu’s reaction was so intense, almost excessive. Even if the Silver Fox had saved him, it seemed more than the situation warranted. But now it appeared there was more behind it than a single act of rescue.

As he reminisced, a fierce gleam flashed in Gu Shen Yu’s eyes—he wished he could drag the murderer out right now and execute him personally, to finally quench the hatred in his heart.

“Xuan Yu, do you think the Silver Fox’s daughter wishes to re-enter the martial world under her mother’s identity? Otherwise, why leave a signature weapon behind? I believe, first, she seeks vengeance for her mother; and second, she aims to restore her mother’s reputation and standing in the martial world, which will also help her survive and thrive.”

Gu Shen Yu’s eyes shone with conviction, his reasoning flawless. However—

Ji Xuan Yu listened, but his gaze drifted out the window, lost in thought, as if he had not heard a word Gu Shen Yu said. His mind was elsewhere.

How he longed to know what Yao’er had become, where she was now. Yao’er, where are you? He yearned to see her again. After all that happened, where had she gone, and how was she faring?

The following day, news of the Silver Fox’s return to the martial world, and her slaying of a court lackey on the day of the grand gathering, spread like wildfire. Some were shocked, some fearful, others bewildered, but most cheered—such villains deserved to meet the King of Hell, for they were the scourge of the martial world, disgracing all its people.

Yet—the Silver Fox, if memory served, was said to have died years ago, slain by those very lackeys. At this thought, many felt a cold sweat trickle down their backs.

In a tavern, Silver Yao sipped her wine, listening to the chatter, and smiled with immense satisfaction—it had not disappointed her. Wonderful!

She had expected the news to take several days to sweep across the martial world, but it seemed it had already done so. Truly delightful! Indeed, in any world, any realm, the spread of such entertaining news is always the swiftest.

In the days that followed, any martial figure who had ties to the court or taken part in the Silver Fox’s assassination was, as if in a grand clearance sale, sent to the King of Hell, dispatched with ruthless efficiency… And on every slain lackey, there was found a five-pointed star blade bearing the mark of the fox…