Song Jinzhao narrowed her eyes at the man standing behind the Rakshasa Ghost. Weren't they supposed to be accomplices?
Phantom withdrew his iron fan with a swift motion, and scalding blood sprayed out.
The Rakshasa Ghost collapsed to the ground, his eyes filled with confusion.
"Why?" he managed to choke out, questioning his comrade.
Phantom’s face remained expressionless, his voice cold. "The Gu poison in my body was planted by the Sect Leader himself."
The Rakshasa Ghost’s eyes widened in horror. "How can that be? The Sect Leader was saving your life."
Phantom let out a sneer, his face twisted in mockery.
"He poisons me, pretends to be my savior, and then uses the antidote pills to blackmail me into doing his dirty work. You call that saving a life? How laughable."
The two men who had been fighting Song Qiming exchanged glances when they saw Phantom kill the Rakshasa Ghost. They immediately chose to flee.
The Second Hall Master had betrayed the Life-Taking Sect; they had to get back and inform the Sect Leader at once.
Noticing their attempt to escape, Song Qiming prepared to give chase, but a slender figure in white moved faster, intercepting the two assassins.
The sharp edge of the iron fan sliced across their fragile throats. In less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, they were silent forever.
Song Qiming’s gaze remained locked on Phantom, unable to fathom the man’s true intentions.
Internal strife? What exactly was going on?
Song Gaoli climbed down from the carriage and hid behind Song Qiming.
"Qiming, who is he?" he whispered.
If he was an enemy, he had just killed three other assassins. But if he was a friend, the masked man’s words implied they had originally been part of the same group.
Phantom’s sharp gaze shot toward the carriage.
Song Shixue, who was aiming her bow at him, felt her arms stiffen. She looked toward Song Jinzhao with a lost expression.
Seeing this, Phantom folded his iron fan and walked up to Song Jinzhao. "Hand over the prescription for the Gu poison's cure."
Song Jinzhao stared back at him fearlessly. "All your helpers are dead. It would be easy for me to kill you now. Why should I give you the prescription?"
The blood in that dish earlier must have belonged to this man. If a single drop contained so many parasites, his entire body must be riddled with them.
Phantom leaned in close, his white breath brushing against Song Jinzhao’s fluttering hair. "If you don't give it to me, I will go to the pharmacy where you buy your herbs."
"As a physician, I assume you wouldn't want to see innocent people die because of you."
Song Jinzhao’s left hand, hanging at her side, curled slightly. She tilted her lips into a faint smile. "Even if you knew the prescription, you couldn't cure the Gu poison on your own."
"Every herb involved is a toxin. The dosage must be adjusted according to the patient's specific condition. Otherwise, it will either be useless or the poison will kill you before the cure does. You’re welcome to try."
Phantom’s dark pupils grew even gloomier. He took a step back and said, "I can tell you who wants you dead, provided you cure the Gu poison in me."
Song Jinzhao studied him. "When were you poisoned?"
Phantom clenched his jaw. "Three years ago."
After a moment of thought, Song Jinzhao said, "I can help you, but I have one condition."
"What condition?" Phantom pressed.
"I want you to bring me the head of the person who hired you," Song Jinzhao replied.
Phantom frowned. "It’s just a concubine in a back courtyard. Killing her would be easy for you. Why must I be the one to do it?"
Song Jinzhao raised an eyebrow. The only person she had offended in a back courtyard was Concubine Su of the Liao Manor. She hadn't expected the woman to be involved with an underworld assassin organization. Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover.
"I don't want to get my hands dirty."
Phantom’s brow twitched. That excuse was far too perfunctory. This woman had clearly killed many people; her hands were already stained. What difference would one more make?
"I accept your condition. Give me the cure first."
"I want to see Concubine Su’s head first," Song Jinzhao insisted.
The two remained in a deadlock for a moment before Phantom gripped his iron fan and turned to leave. "Remember your word. I will return with the head within seven days."
Watching the white figure gallop away, Song Qiming stepped forward. "Sister, are you really going to cure him?"
He was a professional killer who had attacked them. What if he decided to kill them after being cured?
Song Jinzhao thrust her spearhead into a snowbank to clean it.
"Concubine Su is not only favored, but she is also the cousin of Liao Xiwen's father. If she is killed, Liao Wangshu will definitely investigate to the end. Rather than risking ourselves, it’s better to let an assassin from the Life-Taking Sect do it."
"It's called shifting the trouble. We’ll see if the authorities can trace it back to the assassin organization and if they have the courage to wipe them out."
"He said himself that the Sect Leader poisoned him. Once he's cured, he will surely go back for revenge. Why refuse a blade that delivers itself to your door? An organization that kills for money shouldn't exist anyway."
The three people standing before her stared in stunned silence, their mouths hanging open.
This move—using a borrowed knife to kill two birds with one stone—their sister played the game far too well.
Phantom rode day and night without stopping, entering Anyang City two days later.
Under the cover of darkness, he slipped into the Liao Manor and decapitated Concubine Su. He also killed every servant in the courtyard for good measure. Before leaving, he dropped a token representing his status as a Hall Master of the Life-Taking Sect in the middle of the yard.
Shifting the trouble—he would let the government throw the Life-Taking Sect into chaos while he sought his own revenge. Three years of false kindness, deception, and threats needed a final resolution.
The next morning, when no one from Concubine Su's courtyard came to the kitchen for hot water, the staff sent someone to check.
A servant wearing a headscarf stepped through the archway and froze instantly.
"AHHHH!" A piercing scream shattered the morning peace of the Liao Manor.
Liao Xiwen's father was livid as he looked at the corpses littering the yard. When he saw Concubine Su’s headless body, his eyes bulged with fury. He had gone completely mad with rage.
"Who did this?" he roared at the sky.
"Report this to the authorities! Go now! You must find the killer!"
Liao Xiwen, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, collapsed to the ground at the sight of the blood-drenched neck under the white cloth.
"Miss!" Her maid, Linglong, hurried forward to help her up and lead her out of the courtyard.
She had told her mistress not to come. What was there to see in a corpse? She was bound to have nightmares tonight.
Sitting on her bed and drinking medicine, Kong Wanru looked at her daughter being supported by the maid and confirmed, "Is Concubine Su really dead?"
Liao Xiwen sat weakly on a stool, her voice thin and trembling. "Mother, you didn't see it. Her head was gone. She died so miserably."
Kong Wanru leaned against her soft pillows, lost in thought. "What did your father say?"
"Father is furious. He’s already sent people to report it to the officials," Liao Xiwen replied. "Mother, do you think the killer will come back?"
Kong Wanru looked out the window. Her own illness hadn't even cleared up yet, and she hadn't expected the concubine to die first.
"To strike so ruthlessly, there must be a deep grudge. Stay inside the manor for the next few days. Don't go out."
Liao Xiwen nodded vigorously. Even if someone begged her to go out, she wouldn't. Who knew if the killer was targeting Concubine Su specifically or the entire Liao Manor?
