plumnovel Chapter 8: Chasing the Killer in the Snow
Chapter 8: Chasing the Killer in the Snow
The Thousand-Armed Rakshasa immediately pressed for an answer:
"The White Snake was killed by that young man, but how did your head镖师 (chief镖师) die? Did that young man also come for the Golden Silk Armor, so he killed the White Snake first, and then killed your head镖师?"
Upon hearing this question, the bodyguards turned pale, their eyes darting around, their lips moving but unable to utter a complete sound.
They pushed each other, neither daring to speak.
Simply because this matter was just too embarrassing.
They really didn't want anyone to know that their head镖师 (chief镖师) had committed suicide to kill his own savior. If it were revealed, not only would Zhuge Lei's reputation be ruined, but their entire镖局 (镖局, a type of security escort agency) would also be implicated and looked down upon by people in the martial arts world.
Seeing their hesitation, the Thousand-Handed Rakshasa's eyes turned cold, and he said, word by word:
"If you don't speak, you die!"
Upon hearing these words, they all felt a tremor in their hearts and could only grit their teeth and say:
"It's...it's the head镖师 (chief镖师)!"
"He fawned over the white snake, but after the snake was killed by the boy, he went to ambush the boy in order to save face..."
Upon hearing this, the Thousand-Armed Rakshasa's eyes showed even deeper disgust:
"So, in the end, he still died by that boy's sword? And the golden silk armor also fell into that boy's hands?"
Just as the bodyguards were about to speak, Xue Bufeng sneered:
"None of that matters anymore. What matters is that their chief镖师 (chief镖师, a term referring to a powerful figure or leader) is dead. Now that item is no longer in your hands, but in someone else's. Wasting time here is pointless."
The bodyguards acquiesced and bowed their heads deeply.
Thousand-Armed Rakshasa's expression shifted, biting his lower lip as he showed signs of rapid thought.
"Walk."
Xue Bufeng released his hold on the woman and turned to walk out.
"It might not be too late to catch up now."
Thousand-Handed Rakshasa glanced at the few silent bodyguards, knowing he wouldn't get any more information out of them, stomped his foot angrily, and followed them out.
The carriage started moving again, leaving the town and heading southeast along the official road towards the interior of the pass.
Having received Xue Bufeng's instructions and reward, the coachman cracked his whip loudly.
After traveling for about two or three hours, the sun was already beginning to set in the west.
Suddenly, the coachman let out a long "Whoa!" and tightened the reins. The strong horses pulling the carriage reared up and neighed, and the wheels slid across the thin ice, making a screeching sound.
Inside the carriage, Xue Bufeng, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
blood!
He's full of energy again!
Almost at the same moment, he and the Thousand-Handed Rakshasa flew out of the front and rear car windows like two wisps of smoke, landing lightly in the middle of the road ahead.
On the snow, a corpse lay starkly exposed.
The man was slender and lithe, like a snake, and his black clothes made him stand out conspicuously as he lay in the white snow.
His face was deathly gray, his features contorted with extreme terror, and his eyes, which should have been vicious and cunning, now bulged out like dead fish, staring blankly at the gray sky.
His right hand was still tightly gripping a slender, serpentine sword.
"blacksnake!"
The Thousand-Handed Rakshasa exclaimed:
"It's the Black Serpent from 'The Twin Serpents in Blood'! How could he be here? Wasn't he already...?"
At this moment, Thousand-Handed Rakshasa suddenly remembered that what they had heard from the bodyguards in the inn was that only the White Snake had died, and that the Black Snake had not been mentioned as well.
However, Thousand-Handed Rakshasa subconsciously thought that the boy who killed the white snake was after the golden silk armor, so the black snake should naturally not live either. But he did not expect that the boy would actually let the black snake go.
But now...
"Is it that boy?"
The Thousand-Armed Rakshasa asked, then immediately denied it himself:
"No, if that boy was the one who did it, it should have been a sword wound..."
"Take a close look at how he died."
Xue Bufeng said calmly from the side.
The Thousand-Armed Rakshasa obeyed and stepped forward, suppressing his disgust, to examine the body closely.
Soon, she discovered several tiny, strangely colored, purplish-black swellings on the black snake's exposed neck and the back of its hands.
A look of surprise flashed across her beautiful face:
"Poison? He was poisoned to death? Look at these wounds... they look like scorpion and centipede stings, extremely venomous, killing instantly."
She stood up, her eyes filled with seriousness.
"Such potent venom, capable of killing the black snake in an instant—could it be the Five Poison Boys of Miao territory?"
Few in the martial arts world are unaware that the Five Poison Child is the master of the Blissful Cave in Miao territory.
Although this old poisoner is called "Boy," he is actually a monster whose poison skills are superb, and his poison prowess is not to be underestimated.
But after examining the wound more closely, Thousand-Handed Rakshasa discovered that while the poison was potent, the technique was somewhat domineering, lacking the subtle and unpredictable cunning of the Five Poison Child...
"It wasn't the Five Poison Boys himself who came; it seemed more like the work of his four Poison Boys—Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green!"
Xue Bufeng nodded: "Your observation is good, but it's still a little short."
The Thousand-Armed Rakshasa frowned: "What's missing?"
"Besides the Poison Child from Paradise Cave, there are two other people."
Xue Bufeng said calmly:
"Yu Erguaizi, known as the one who leaves no trace in the snow, and Cha Meng, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of the Golden Lion Escort Agency, nicknamed Golden Lion Palm."
The Thousand-Armed Rakshasa suddenly looked at him: "How do you know? There's absolutely no trace of them here!"
Xue Bufeng turned and walked towards the carriage, his voice carried on the wind:
"They didn't actually make a move, nor did they leave any traces, but I just knew it because I am Xue Bufu."
His words were simple, straightforward, and offered no explanation.
The Thousand-Armed Rakshasa stood there, pondering those words.
She didn't understand his meaning, but she knew all too well that Xue Bufu was mysterious and terrifying, and was definitely not someone who spoke carelessly.
She caught up with him and asked impatiently:
"After saying all that, do you even know where the Golden Silk Armor is now?"
Xue Bufeng had returned to the carriage shaft and gestured for Yuanyuan and Bingbing to help him into the carriage.
Without turning his head, he said:
Keep moving forward, you'll find it eventually.
The carriage continued on its way.
Leaving this snowfield, the road gradually descends, and the scenery on both sides subtly changes.
The wind, snow, and bitter cold behind us were left on the other side of the mountain, and before us lay a green field covered with a thin layer of snow. In the distance, a stream babbled, and the mountains were draped in dark blue pines and cypresses, showing a rare warmth in the winter afternoon, as if we had entered another world.
After traveling a while longer, a blue cloth wine flag was displayed on the hillside ahead, swaying gently in the breeze.
A solitary tavern stands quietly at the intersection of green hills and clear waters, nestled against the green mountains and facing the ancient road.
The carriage stopped in the open space outside the restaurant.
This time, before the coachman could even cry out in alarm, Xue Bufeng and Thousand-Handed Rakshasa had already leaped out of the carriage at the same time.
Looking at the unusually quiet tavern, the Thousand-Armed Rakshasa asked in confusion:
"Having seized the golden armor, instead of fleeing far away, would he be hiding in this inn in the middle of nowhere?"
Xue Bufeng smiled:
"Maybe someone else is waiting for him here. In any case, this place will definitely not be peaceful."
Without another word, the two walked one after the other toward the closed gate of the restaurant.
Xue Bufeng reached out and pushed open the door.
A stench of blood, several times stronger than that of the previous inn, wafted towards us.
The Thousand-Armed Rakshasa's pupils shrank instantly.
People were lying haphazardly on the ground in the courtyard.
dead.