Chapter 82
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: The First Death Decree (2)
Fox was chasing with pinpoint accuracy.
He had silenced all sounds perfectly. Erased every trace without a flaw. Not a single mistake. And yet Fox followed as if he could see him with his own eyes.
'Something's wrong.'
It was definitely abnormal.
He was keeping pace where it should have been impossible. There should have been some breathing room between them all the way to the Nineteen Hells, but if he sat down to rest now, his neck would be in Fox's grasp in an instant.
What was Fox using to track him?
It wasn't sound. There were no traces. And yet he was closing in... There had to be some basis for it, but what could it be? What exactly was he following?
There was a way to erase sound and traces completely.
He was confident he had done so perfectly even now, but since Fox was still on his tail, there must be some overlooked flaw. Some mistake he hadn't even realized he was making.
And there was a method to eliminate even those unconscious errors.
Four Thousand Four began descending the mountain.
He had planned to stick to the ridges. That way, he'd encounter fewer people. He might occasionally cross paths with mountain folk who made the slopes their home, but they never begged to be killed.
Ridge to ridge... It was also Vanguard's preferred method of travel.
He had thought making his way to the Nineteen Hells like this would keep him from running into anyone pleading for death.
Screeech!
Instead, he bolted toward the valley.
Having decided to head down the mountain, he charged at full speed. A leisurely pace might lead him to someone begging for death, so to avoid even glancing sideways, he threw everything into the sprint.
"He's changed direction!"
"What? Where to?"
"He's started descending the mountain."
Fox called out, staring into the valley.
"How do you know? Honestly, I have no idea what you're tracking. Are we even on the right path?"
Hanbi said, scanning their surroundings.
There wasn't a single footprint anywhere. The underbrush was thick, yet there were no signs of passage at all. He couldn't even be certain anyone had been through here.
"He knows what we're chasing."
"We knew that from the start of his escape."
"Idiot, that's not what she means."
Jaja chided Hanbi.
"Does that mean he's desperate enough to head downhill?"
Vanguard asked.
"Exactly. He's caught on that we're right behind him. That's why he switched directions."
"I've been wondering too—what's the key to the pursuit?"
In a word, what was he basing the chase on?
Even Vanguard had no idea what Fox was following. They just trailed behind because Fox took the lead. It wasn't sound, or footprints. He wasn't checking for bent foliage or snapped branches.
Truth be told, Fox wasn't even making an effort to search for anything.
He simply charged ahead blindly. For a pursuit, it was as casual as traversing a familiar road.
Fox wrinkled his nose at Vanguard's question.
"Are we chasing, or just gonna stand here talking?"
"Of course we're chasing. At this rate, we might catch him by evening."
"Do you know what's down there?"
"Hah! How would I?"
Fox pointed toward the foot of the mountain.
Everyone followed his gesture to where he indicated.
A mountain thick with greenery... and a single river snaking through it.
"He's heading for the river?"
"You know it's over once he reaches it, right?"
"Ugh! Take the lead!"
Vanguard urged him on instead.
A river washed away all traces. It was the worst obstacle for pursuers. Unless they could dispatch something like the Zhuge Clan's golden-eyed black hawks, the chase would end there.
Of course, they could keep pursuing. But after the river, everything changed. No more line-of-sight tracking—they'd have to guess Four Thousand Four's path.
The uncertainty would skyrocket.
Four Thousand Four abandoning the ridges for the river meant he was making a serious break for freedom. From here on, he was dead set on shaking them off.
Why the sudden change of heart?
It meant he felt real pressure from the pursuit. He'd guessed their intentions. Figured out they'd grill him on the murders the moment they caught him.
Now they truly had to hunt Four Thousand Four.
"Which way do you think he went down?"
Jaja asked.
Fox understood her intent and pointed into the valley.
"This path is the steepest. So he'll probably go straight down it. Entry point should be around there?"
"Got it. See you there!"
Shooo!
Jaja shot forward.
Her plan was to reach the spot Fox indicated first and intercept Four Thousand Four. Her lightness skill was far superior.
"Then I'll take this side!"
Screeech!
Hanbi launched himself as well.
If Jaja took the right slope, Hanbi chose the left.
They would seal off both flanks.
That left the rear. And Vanguard was already surging ahead.
'Sorry. I don't want to catch you... but why'd you have to kill so many people? Now I have no choice.'
Fox let out a deep sigh.
A tiger at his back, a thousand-foot cliff ahead.
This was exactly that situation.
Fox was closing in at a terrifying speed. This wasn't some half-hearted pretense—he could feel the desperate intent to capture him no matter what.
Ahead lay the cliff.
He'd originally planned a different route. Descend the mountain, slip into the river quietly.
Drift along the current for a while.
The river would mask his scent. Erase his traces. Silence his sounds. Wipe out every clue a pursuer might use.
But... against all odds, he encountered a real cliff.
"Hahaha! You thought we'd let you slip away?"
A man stood blocking the path ahead, solid as a boulder.
Merchant Swordsman had cut him off.
"The Zhuge Clan, for some reason, tried to protect you. But we can't allow that."
Shing!
Qingshui Merchant Sword drew his blade.
'Hmph.'
Four Thousand Four grunted inwardly.
Merchant Swordsman intended to kill him. Without question. He had appeared with his mind made up to end it, resolved from the moment he showed himself.
They lacked the skill to track him on their own. Their martial arts were far superior, but pursuit was their weakness.
That's why they had moved with the Zhuge Clan.
They'd relied on the Zhuge tracking and struck when the chance arose.
If the Zhuge were truly shielding him, as they claimed... then this was defiance of the clan's will. Willfully slaying an enemy they were told to spare.
Merchant Swordsman planned to kill him before the Zhuge warriors noticed or could interfere. And they had the prowess to pull it off.
What to do? Buy time?
It was a good thought, but unlikely to work. They knew time was short too. They were desperate to claim his life before the Zhuge arrived.
Shing!
Four Thousand Four drew his sword.
"Feel free to use poison if you have it."
Wandering Soul Vanguard Sword Huang Su's eyes flashed like a feral dog.
"Hahaha! Does anyone need permission for that? If you're worried about poison, just ask."
"Even if he has it, it doesn't matter!"
Screeeeech!
Huang Su struck like lightning with his sword.
Four Thousand Four fell back. Huang Su's momentum was like a raging bull—he couldn't clash head-on.
At that moment, another sword sliced toward his side at blinding speed.
Spectrum Wave Sword struck silently, swinging his blade. It was swift and insidious.
"Hut!"
Four Thousand Four recoiled in shock. But the blade nicked his flesh anyway.
A searing blaze erupted in his chest.
The line from his side down to his leg burned as well.
Excruciating pain and molten metal heat surged together.
"Ugh!"
Four Thousand Four staggered back with a groan.
"Too easy."
"Is he only good at hiding?"
"I'd love to vent a bit more, but no time... You'll have to die now."
Killing intent coiled around Merchant Swordsman's blade.
The next strike would be a true killing blow.
The first had been mostly probing. Four Thousand Four might use poison or hidden weapons. They still needed to gauge his martial prowess.
Hence the light graze.
But now they knew everything. His skill level. No poison or hidden arms.
The next sword would claim his life—he was sure of it.
Yet he couldn't just die like this. There was no escaping the combined assault of these four... No way to dodge or survive, but he racked his brain for an out anyway.
Four Thousand Four raised his sword while slipping his left hand into his bosom. He didn't pull it out.
"I'll request two of you as companions on the road."
"What!"
"Right lower guard is open, and my back too. Please, grant me your sharp blades."
Four Thousand Four's voice was ice-cold, devoid of emotion.
"Poison!"
He gave no reply. Instead, he lifted his sword a fraction higher, exposing the empty space from his right armpit to his toes. More than enough room for their speed to exploit.
"Ugh!"
"In the end, you're... Hah! As if an assassin has anything else to rely on."
Merchant Swordsman furrowed his brow.
Four Thousand Four had already singled out who among them would throw away their life—who would attack.
The poison threat lingered. But Merchant Swordsman would strike soon regardless. Willing to brave the toxin and sacrifice himself to slay the fiend who harmed his master.
Who would it be?
Wandering Soul Vanguard Sword Huang Su. He looked the most brutish among the Merchant Swordsmen. The most violent and crude. But crucially, he was the senior disciple.
He held absolute loyalty to the merchant escorts.
One Flash Beauty Sword Chuhak would attack too.
One Flash Beauty Sword had an intense competitive streak. The strongest of the Merchant Swordsmen. That meant strong jealousy and a thirst for bold risks. He knew how to gamble for victory.
One Flash Beauty Sword Chuhak was hesitating. But that doubt would fade soon. He'd commit to the attack.
'These two.'
Swish!
He withdrew his left hand from his bosom.
In it was a scrap of yellow manure paper clutching a black pellet, visible through the wrapping.
Definitely poison.
By revealing it, he aimed to make the other two hesitate even slightly.
With those two set on attacking, he needed to force the others back a step.
"We'll start by severing that left arm."
As expected, Chuhak targeted his left arm.
"Companions on the road either way. Arm or neck—makes no difference."
Then Four Thousand Four raised his voice.
"Vanguard, fall back twenty zhang. Anything within twenty zhang will be a land of death. No living creature will survive—not even an ant. With the Merchant Swordsmen as my companions, I have no regrets."
It was directed at Vanguard. And also... meant for the Merchant Swordsmen to overhear.