Chapter Twenty Four

At the stone steps, Da Chuanli gave the young spiritual beast a fair warning of the dangers to avoid before setting her down carefully on the steps. His eyes still curved joyfully because of the previous incident. He spoke kindly "Don't get caught again, I'm sure you're smart enough to avoid cultivators if you were able to get away from whoever took you in the first place." Using two fingers in fear of being too rough, he rubs the snake's head truly treating her as an ignorant young beast. "Spiritual beasts aren't rare, but one like you can be considered a desirable companion over the rest." He pauses before gently encouraging her in a certain direction. "-When you get out of here, try to avoid cultivators at all costs."

"Although my master would agree to show you compassion as you are a child, the rest are not so merciful towards silver serpents. You are still young and can't protect yourself yet, so live peacefully far from humans so that the next time if we cross paths once more-" Da Chuanli spoke so amicably that Lan Biyu was internally conflicted as he stared down at her with unexpectedly kind eyes. "-we should not become enemies." The spiritual beast stared up at him with milky eyes, seeming to absorb his every word and smile. So, his heart softening toward the young beast Da Chuanli chuckles, patting her head one more time. Not knowing how much he resembled their master with his current compassion and actions toward a dangerous spiritual beast. "Good child."

She watched as the young teen walked away intently, half expecting him to turn around and kill her when she least expected. But at the same time doubting that thought the further and further he got away from her. A mixture of disbelief seemed to suffocate Lan Biyu before acceptance and silent understanding filled her heart. Once more, the distance between her and Da Chuanli grew larger. "..." Sinking in the bitter mixture of her own making, Lan Biyu was forced to accept the fact that Da Chuanli was much better than her without trying. Her decision, she was determined before for her master's sake.

But now...Now Lan Biyu understood no matter what she does or did. Da Chuanli was still better than her. He deserved to be her master's favorite and a favored son of heaven... If she were in Da Chuanli's position, could she have let a silver serpent youngling go without any strings attached? She did not have to think about it, the answer was a resounding 'No' no matter what scenario she was placed in. If anything threatened the life of her master she wouldn't even let a child go. Elder Shang is a good example of a cultivator's hatred toward silver serpents.

She, donning the appearance of a human child was still harshly punished and despised by the old man no matter how harmless she appeared to be. In fact, the moment she had been discovered that day Elder Shang had been tempted to kill her. However, due to the life debt patriarch Ling owed her she had been spared. Along with Minglan's protection, she had barely managed to keep her head. She, a snake of the silver clan merely wanted to play human so she could stay close to her master's side. By the mercy of her master she continued to be his beloved "adopted daughter" to this day.

Perhaps, this was fate's way of realigning the stars to how they should be. She longed for the sound of her instrument, for it to soothe the aching in her chest that shouldn't belong. Lan Biyu with a hanging and messy heart silently made her way through the city gates toward the shrine without looking back. Only once the moon started to shift its position did Lan Biyu snap out of her daze and reharden her heart after slipping past the guards at the gate. Enough, Wang Lan Biyu do not let your mind wander too long. Didn't you already decide what you were going to do? For master's sake, do not ponder anymore.

Jealousy and envy never led anyone to victory. What Lan Biyu did not know was that as she made her way throughout the city Da Chuanli continued watching through a scurry device. He observes with interest as the young spirit beast slowly but surely makes its way through the gates before going out of range beyond the city walls into the forest. It never took a bite or actively sought a victim to vent its frustrations of being kidnapped by another human. "...Master was correct, young silver snakes are not innately evil." But how did he know this? Da Chuanli furrows his brows deep in thought, pondering his elder brother and master's history in An Xing.

Not everyone knew why his elder brother was in isolation, but the elders and his master knew. Bitten by a silver serpent, the only way to remedy the curse was to kill the original snake which was the cause of it. Even then the road to recovery was tough, to say the least of it. His master was a petty man, when he was enraged by something or someone he wouldn't let go of anyone related to the matter. Just like Elder Shang who spoke of snakes with a vehement hatred his master should have been the same way. And yet, his master taught him against Elder Shang's advice and nurtured him to be merciful towards the young and ignorant.

'Da Chuanli, although the silver serpent clan is one to be feared and despised, remember that most children are innocent and know nothing of their parent's shortcomings.' So despite having reservations himself, he still followed his master's teachings. Even more so after meeting Lan Biyu who seemed to hold a darker past than himself yet managed to keep the light in her heart. Pushing forward stubbornly to be near said light instead of letting her past consume her. Whatever that past was. Seeing that little spiritual beast reminded him of his junior sister, so he couldn't help being a bit more generous.

But that was all, he merely followed his master's teachings and helped the pitiful thing because it reminded him of his junior sister. If the young spiritual beast was ungrateful or harmed a helpless human he would have ended its life before its malicious mind could achieve results. Luckily, it was a smart and silly little snake. The corner of his mouth curls up slightly before he puts away the device. Knowing that the further out the little snake went from humans the less likely it was the be caught again. However, it didn't stop him from reporting to his master personally about its appearance.

And his junior sister too, seeing as she loves snakes so much he wonders what her expression will be when he tells her about the snake's appearance. Maybe she would be excited? Empathize with the snake? Maybe she would even give him a new expression if he told her she resembled the little thing. Da Chuanli put a fist to his mouth to muffle his chuckle. She was cold-hearted, but she was also very gentle to those who were kind to her. Besides himself.

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"*Gasp!" Inhaling sharply, the woman struggled to stand and continue her escape. Hair black like ink, eyes like the finest steel, long and sharp with a seductive feel to them. Her skin was inhumanly perfect and white meant to lure unsuspecting prey to lay in her embrace before being swallowed whole by the true nature of the beauty. Pink thin lips, fluttering lashes, and a straight nose to pair with. Like the living portrait of Xi Shi one of the four great beauties, one's heart couldn't help but tremble with just a single glance. Added to the fine white robe which was much too large for her and was ripped to shreds, were dazzling white legs that made people want to run their hands along to find the end of them.

Her long silky hair that fell to her waist was in a messy state, she gave another sharp gasp almost tripping over the tree root at her feet. Catching herself from a humiliating fall. The seductive goddess as if have just fallen from the heavens gritted her teeth and forced herself to stand straight. Her lips pursed and she raised her hands to disdain their appearance which had been holding onto the robe that barely covered her blush-inducing nudeness. Allowing the pitiful clothing to reveal a swan neck with a bone-chilling cut that was still spilling blood between her breasts. However, the woman didn't seem to care about her attire or injury, only expressing annoyance and disgust towards her shaking hands. Her cultivation in this form was truly the worst.

If she was in the An Xing realm... Biting her lip, Lan Biyu shook the thought away and buried her resentment for humans for the time being. Looking behind her at the shrine that had almost stolen her false core like the other corpses surrounding it. Her silver eyes flash with resentment. It was pure luck she managed to get away this time. To think they would set up a trap for her...It seems that they knew someone had snuck into the shrine yesterday night. She had miscalculated the maliciousness and cleverness of humans. Although where she stood was safe from its influence. She could still sense the hunger of the bloody curse vying for more prey even though she had already fed it its own 'masters' in her escape.

It wasn't that they were planning to sacrifice new victims as she thought, but that SHE was the supposed victim tonight if she didn't have her wits about her. Sneering at the five corpses of late martial kings who were on the brink of becoming enlightened martial kings. Lan Biyu knew if she were any other normal disciple she would have died today, or at least her consciousness would not have been able to be recovered quick enough to not suffer a severe backlash in her main body. Right now, her entire spiritual root, spiritual consciousness, and spiritual energy are supporting this body. So that means if this body died she could still go back but she may potentially be nothing but a normal human without her cultivation base anymore.

Her core would have been destroyed. This was one of the main reasons hardly anyone used this technique unless they were confident in their ability to survive anything. It was luck she managed. Pure and unadulterated luck. Her bottom lip trembles at the thought of being unable to complete her mission in the An Xing realm because of her recklessness tonight. Hiding her cultivation level was a good choice. They would never suspect a disciple to have been able to take on these five cultivators, which in turn meant they would never suspect her master's sect.

Lan Biyu bit her lip to suppress her groan as she limped over to one of the corpses that was closer to her. It was also the same corpse she had stolen the robe from. Sweat mixing with the blood around her neck Lan Biyu used all the might left in the body she currently had to drag the man over to her. She hurriedly searched his inner robes for a jade token, identification, or anything to confirm her suspicions before the enemy noticed something went awry with their plans. The moment they knew that five martial kings were murdered instead of the intended target. There would be no more room for failure after tonight, their vigilance would be even higher than before. Perhaps they will even barge into different sects' living quarters just to count their heads directly with the excuse of a thief having snuck in.

She had to work fast. "!" Knocking her hand into something hard Lan Biyu snatched the cold square object and the dead cultivator's sword before hurriedly running from the scene of the crime. But even as she ran, she deliberately made her footprints heavier, making herself seem too desperate to hide her tracks as she fled the scene with her injuries. Creating more evidence for the 'third party' who accidentally discovered more than they should have. "Chi!" Crawling out from her shadows, the snake worriedly bumped her head into her master's however Lan Biyu stuffed the jade token into the snake's mouth. Muttering a short and stern order to the innocent-looking white snake "Swallow."

Tilting its head at her, the snake expands her jaw to dutifully fulfill Lan Biyu's orders. Only once the jade was safely within the snake's stomach did Lan Biyu's eyes reveal the briefest signs of relief. Patting her head fondly, she dismissed the child and continued creating false evidence while fleeing towards the land outside the golden cloud sect's control. The blood on her neck never stopped its flow, seeming to gush faster because of the ruthlessness the owner had toward her own body. She was still breathless and weak because of the previous fight. So it wasn't long before Lan Biyu's legs gave out under her sending the fleeing cultivator tumbling into the grass smearing red paint across her landing place. "Ugh.."

Grimacing she pushed herself up, her pink lips had shockingly turned grey. The frail beauty had quickly deteriorated into a ghostly beauty, having lost more blood than anticipated. Her elbows and knees had suffered the most. Her once flawless skin with nothing to protect her now carried various smears of dirt, blood, and missing pieces of flesh because of her fall showing just how fast and desperate she was to get away. Lan Biyu hisses as the cut along her stomach tears further down her abdomen when she attempts to stand on her two feet again. Snapping her head up towards the city, she felt a dangerous presence closing in on her location.

A flicker of light passed the woman's eyes and she pursed her lips at the approaching shadow. Thinking quickly, Lan Biyu took a deep breath, her hands shakingly rising above her chest. Her hands shook, whether it was due to nerves or her waning strength it wasn't known. Sitting up on her knees, the beauty took one final breath and smiled to herself bitterly. *Klushuk-!! Before the person managed to arrive and stop her, the beauty had already breathed her last. Her hands still firmly held onto the blade deeply embedded into her own chest.

On her face was a simple and resentful smile, a smile which seemed to represent the completion of her mission and her acceptance of her end. Even a fool could tell, she took her own life so she couldn't be tortured or taken hostage. Her face, which should have been easily identified covered in bloody self-inflicted wounds. As fresh as the hole in her chest. "..." The man who arrived too late trembled with fury at the scene before him. His fists shook, his teeth grinding silently as he glowers at the dead cultivator in front of him. Ruthless. This woman was ruthless! To think that she worked so hard to infiltrate their city just to take her own life leaving them no leads in the end!

The only living evidence of who was behind this incident, in the end, was dead. "Ha." The murderous intent of a Nascent soul peak cultivator flooded the entire area with deafening silence for fear of angering him further. "Sect master..." Flicking his sleeves the man held back his vexation, growling at the other who quickly lowered their head out of fear. "Return. Be sure to burn the bodies." The man still cautiously asks for his opinion, glancing at the dead woman "Should we not investigate her body for any clues?" He sneers in the direction of the shrine where his men have yet to clean up the bodies of the subordinates who failed to kill a single woman.

"Useless!" Snorting at the fool who asked him the question "Investigate what? There is nothing left to give away who gave her orders to infiltrate the sect in the first place! Do you believe a death soldier will leave evidence? She was prepared to die!" Spitting the words out, he no longer cared for the person and turned to leave in a foul mood. But he turned back around after hearing his subordinate exclaim in alarm "Sect master the body-!!" The woman's body that was lying in a pool of blood was melting... No, it wasn't melting, it was disintegrating. Leaving nothing but the stolen robes behind, even her bones weren't spared. The thunderstorm brewing above the sect master's brows grew while his subordinate stared at the place where the corpse had disappeared into the dirt with fear. "...Demon arts."