Chapter 86: Attack in the Boudoir
Shi Hao thought for a moment, “It can’t be just bad luck. Logically, of the three gangs and six societies, the Brocade Dragon Gate is the least suspicious. Why would you start with them?”
“After all, they’re more of a merchant guild than a martial arts gang. Although they have connections to the martial world, they rarely get involved in conflicts.”
Yue Ya’er smiled, “You’re right. But we recently discovered that the Brocade Dragon Gate brought a group of girls to Dàxīng City…”
Shi Hao asked, surprised, “First abducted children, now abducted girls?” Although it was also a serious matter, as the daughter of the Yue Ke Tai family, he felt she was meddling too much.
Yue Ya’er waved her hand, “It’s not like that. Recently, we discovered that spies have infiltrated several prominent families within the royal clan. They’re all courtesans or concubines, using various seductive techniques. It took a lot of effort to uncover even a few of them.”
Shi Hao said, “Would those families allow the Yue Ke Tai family to interfere in such matters?”
He knew that concubines were often kept discreetly. Such private matters wouldn’t be casually investigated by outsiders.
Yue Ya’er smiled, “Of course, it wasn’t the Yue Ke Tai family who investigated. We only investigated our own family. If we investigated other families so thoroughly, not only would they be offended, but the Emperor wouldn’t tolerate it either.”
“He would suspect our motives. So, it was the Ancestral Altar who uncovered this.”
Shi Hao whispered, “The Ancestral Altar?”
Yue Ya’er waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t worry about what the Ancestral Altar is. Just know that they have the authority to investigate the private affairs of prominent families, even their concubines. Even a powerful family like the Yue Ke Tai clan wouldn’t dare offend them.”
“But even the Ancestral Altar only discovered this by chance. And upon further investigation, they realized there are more of these spies than they initially thought. They believe a demonic sect is behind this, but the trail went cold in Dàxīng City.”
“We suspect a gang in Dàxīng City is connected to the demonic sects, secretly gathering talented girls, training them as demonic cultivators, and then planting them in prominent families within the royal clan. And recently, the Brocade Dragon Gate brought a group of girls to Dàxīng City.”
Shi Hao said thoughtfully, “The trail went cold in Dàxīng City, and you immediately connected it to the Brocade Dragon Gate. Isn’t that a bit… far-fetched?”
Yue Ya’er giggled, “Then what should I do? Grandmother has more important matters to attend to. This was assigned to me. I have no choice.”
Shi Hao thought, The “Grandmother” she mentioned must be that strange old woman in the palanquin. What could be more important than demonic spies infiltrating the royal families?
He now understood why Yue Ya’er had captured Zhao Wencheng.
Lacking other leads, she was using the same tactic as before, hoping to find new clues by interrogating him, like she had done with the Shu Tiger Gang’s accountant.
It was a viable strategy.
He said, “Can I see the information you’ve gathered? Perhaps I can find something you’ve overlooked.”
Yue Ya’er jumped up, “Alright, follow me!” She floated out of the room.
Shi Hao followed her through several courtyards, reaching a small, secluded garden. The Thunderclap Eighteen Riders remained outside.
The garden was beautiful, with flowers, trees, a small pond, and an elegant, octagonal pavilion in the center. This must be Yue Ya’er’s personal quarters.
“Come in,” she said, opening the door.
The moment the door opened, Shi Hao rushed in, grabbing her waist, his sword flashing.
A loud crash echoed as a powerful force threw them both backwards.
Shi Hao, holding Yue Ya’er, rolled across the floor, his internal organs jolted, almost vomiting blood.
The assassin inside the pavilion was at least sixth-rank, stronger than him.
And an even greater force, like a tidal wave, crashed down on them.
The assassin attacked again!
The world went dark. Although it was daytime, Shi Hao couldn’t see anything.
He didn’t know if it was a supernatural ability or some strange demonic technique, but everything was shrouded in darkness. He couldn’t see himself, let alone the enemy.
The pervasive killing intent masked the attacker’s weapon. He didn’t know what kind of weapon it was or where the attack would come from.
Acting purely on instinct, he unleashed his Primordial Energy and activated the Sacred Heart Clear Mirror Technique.
Clang! Another resounding crash. His sword snapped, and he was thrown backwards, skidding across the floor.
At the same time, Yue Ya’er was also pulled out of the darkness. A child’s surprised gasp came from beyond the dissipating light.
The attacker hadn’t expected them to escape.
Shi Hao finally saw his attacker: a child in black, wielding a long, sharp, iron spike.
Despite his childlike appearance, his face was contorted in a grimace, his eyes glowing red, a strange, fleshy protuberance on his forehead.
The Thunderclap Eighteen Riders rushed in, some moving to protect Yue Ya’er, others surrounding the child assassin.
The child leaped and dodged, his movements swift and unpredictable, changing directions repeatedly as he weaved through the warriors.
“Assassin!” one of the warriors shouted. Arrows flew from outside, and shouts echoed, but the whistling sound of the child’s movement quickly faded into the distance.
“Are you alright?” Yue Ya’er cried, helping Shi Hao up.
Shi Hao, leaning on his broken sword, swayed, coughed up blood, and collapsed.
“Shi Hao?” Yue Ya’er caught him, her voice filled with alarm.
When Shi Hao woke up, his entire body ached.
He was lying on a soft bed with a pink canopy, covered by a pink embroidered quilt.
A sweet fragrance filled the air.
He turned his body with some effort, and the girl in the flower-patterned dress, sitting by his bedside, woke up, “Your internal injuries aren’t healed yet. Don’t move around.”
Shi Hao took a few deep breaths. His injuries weren’t that serious.
Even in his sleep, his Daoist and demonic energies had been slowly circulating, and his internal injuries, aided by the Daoist true energy, had mostly healed.
It was the lingering pain from the impact that made him uncomfortable.
Yue Ya’er sighed in relief, “It’s a good thing you were there. Otherwise, I would be dead. That assassin must have known I wouldn’t have guards stationed in my room, so he snuck in.
“And despite the tight security, no one knows how he got in.”
Shi Hao shuddered, remembering the encounter, “He looked like a child, but he was terrifyingly strong. I only sensed him when he attacked.”
Yue Ya’er said, “Someone told me he’s an Undying Child of the Ghost Extreme Sect, a specially trained assassin. They look like children, but they don’t age, like dwarfs.”
Shi Hao said in surprise, “Undying Child?” Su Mei had mentioned Undying Children.
In fact, “the blood of an Undying Child” was one of the requirements for his next demonic ritual.
However, this assassin was very different from the Undying Children Su Mei had described.
According to her, Undying Children were trained by the demonic sects using the Blood Erosion Technique, an easy way to give a child ninth or eighth-rank strength, preventing them from aging.
They were used as servants and slaves, their survival dependent on consuming the Blood Vine concoction, making them completely dependent on their masters.
But this assassin was clearly a sixth-rank expert.
And Su Mei had said Undying Children couldn’t surpass the eighth rank.
Yue Ya’er said, “That’s what your friend told me.”
Shi Hao asked, “My friend?”
Yue Ya’er went to the door and parted the beaded curtain, “Come in.”
Xu Xiaoyan entered.
Seeing him awake, she sighed in relief, “You’re lucky to have survived an assassination attempt by ‘Blood Shadow Undying Child’ of the Ghost Extreme Sect. This is probably his first failure. He’s even assassinated fifth-rank experts and escaped without a trace.”
Shi Hao, recalling the encounter, shuddered, “He was terrifying. There was no warning at all. I only sensed him at the last moment and barely managed to block his first attack. But with his second attack, I couldn’t even sense him. It was like being trapped in complete darkness, both physically and mentally. I’ve never encountered anything like it.”
If it weren’t for his Primordial Energy, he would have been killed instantly in that darkness.
Yue Ya’er clutched her chest, also remembering the terror, “I didn’t even know what was happening. You suddenly grabbed me, and we were thrown backwards. Everything went dark, and then, with a crash, you pulled me away. Then I saw him. And after he left, you coughed up blood.
“If it had just been me, I would have died without even knowing what happened.”
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