Reborn Ill Spoil My Little Drama Queen - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: First Use of the Disguise Card
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Translation by: Weebsread👹
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Night draped itself over the city as a shadow slipped soundlessly into Pei Hong’s study.
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The man was shrouded in black from head to toe, only half his face visible. It was Shadow Three.
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Pei Hong laid out his plan in detail, holding nothing back. Then, reaching beneath his desk, he produced a thick envelope and slid it across the table.
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“When it’s done, every silver note inside is yours.”
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Shadow Three weighed the envelope in his palm. His voice was hoarse and cold. “Rest assured, Marquis’s heir. It’s just some clueless brat.”
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Pei Hong’s tone sharpened. “When you strike, make sure he knows it was ‘Second Master’ who sent you.”
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Shadow Three nodded, his figure flickering out of sight, melting seamlessly into the night.
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——
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The next day, Gu Yunci set out to the outskirts of the Capital, eager to test his newly acquired brewing techniques and scout a suitable site and water source for his future distillery.
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He traveled light—just four guards, no grand procession—and slipped quietly out of the city.
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On the return journey, their carriage rolled into a desolate stretch of official road. Bare winter trees lined both sides, their skeletal branches clawing at the sky.
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Suddenly, the coachman pulled hard on the reins and called back, voice tense, “Marquis’s heir, there’s killing intent ahead!”
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He’d scarcely finished speaking when a shadow burst from the roadside woods.
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It moved with terrifying speed—a predator honing in on its prey.
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The coachman barked a warning, drew his blade, and leapt down to defend the front.
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But the attacker simply raised a casual palm.
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A blast of force erupted. The guard, sword and all, was hurled through the air and crashed to the ground. Blood spurted from his mouth—he was dead before he hit the earth.
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“Protect the Marquis’s heir!”
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The three remaining guards’ eyes blazed with fury. They drew their blades and charged.
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Shadow Three moved like a phantom, weaving among them in a blur.
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The clash lasted but a heartbeat.
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All three froze mid-stride. Thin red lines appeared at their throats—then blood sprayed, and they collapsed where they stood.
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From first blow to last, only a few breaths had passed. The four guards of the Marquis’s Residence lay dead on the roadside.
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Gu Yunci lifted the carriage curtain, his gaze cold and assessing.
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A Postnatal master.
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Shadow Three, having dispatched the guards, turned to Gu Yunci, his eyes flat and chilling. “Second Master says—he wants you crippled.”
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Gu Yunci heard the words and thought, So blatant about the mastermind? Someone’s eager to frame another.
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Second Master… trying to pin this on Gu Wenqi’s faction?
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Who could send a Postnatal expert and also hold a grudge against me? Only Gu Mingyu or Pei Hong.
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But Gu Mingyu’s people were always meticulous—never so ham-handed with a frame-up.
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So, Pei Hong, you fool. It’s you.
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A murderous intent surged in Gu Yunci’s chest.
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It seemed the Marquis Jin household would not walk away from this unscathed.
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He stepped down from the carriage, facing Shadow Three with calm composure. “Just you?”
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Shadow Three’s eyes narrowed.
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He was a Postnatal master—his killing aura alone was enough to make any ordinary First-Rate Martial Artist collapse in terror. Yet this Gu Yunci stood tall, utterly unafraid.
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Such steadiness… He’d seen few with such nerve.
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But surprise was fleeting. Shadow Three dismissed it as empty bravado.
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He had no intention of wasting time—best to end it swiftly.
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In a blur, Shadow Three rushed at Gu Yunci, a living shadow streaking forward.
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He struck with a withered claw, fingers whistling through the air, aiming straight for Gu Yunci’s throat.
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He put his full strength behind the blow, certain it would snap the man’s neck in an instant.
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But Gu Yunci didn’t so much as blink.
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Silently, he called out to the System in his mind.
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Use: Shadow Assassin Qi Disguise Card.
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【Status message! “Shadow Assassin Qi Disguise Card” activated. Uses remaining: 2. Host will inherit the target’s peak power, combat skills, and exclusive weapon for one hour.】
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Just as Shadow Three’s claw was about to close on Gu Yunci’s throat, everything shifted.
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A monstrous killing intent erupted from Gu Yunci, so dense it seemed to take physical form—reeking of death, as if a demon had risen from a mountain of corpses.
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Shadow Three’s breath caught in his chest.
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Before his eyes, Gu Yunci’s simple white scholar’s robe rippled, strange purple waves shimmering across the fabric.
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In the next instant, the robe transformed—becoming a long, purple cloak embroidered with intricate, shadowy patterns.
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But what truly made Shadow Three’s scalp prickle was the sight of countless metallic shards materializing in Gu Yunci’s right hand. They swirled, clicked, and fused together, forming a blade—cracked, nightmarish, utterly otherworldly.
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Demonblade Thousand Edge.
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On the hilt, a blue sigil shaped like a screaming wraith flared to life, glowing with an eerie, ghostly light.
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Gu Yunci closed his eyes.
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When he opened them again, the clarity was gone—replaced by a chilling, blood-red gaze. All trace of humanity vanished, leaving only the will to kill.
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Shadow Three suddenly felt as if he faced a beast bred for slaughter.
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“You… what are you?”
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Only one thought remained in Shadow Three’s mind—run.
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Run, as fast and as far as possible!
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He didn’t hesitate. He poured all his true qi into his legs and bolted for the woods.
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He’d barely taken ten steps.
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The purple-robed, red-eyed “Gu Yunci” was already standing ahead of him, back turned, as if he’d never moved at all.
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Impossible.
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When did he overtake me?
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Terror flooded Shadow Three. He tried to plead for mercy, but then noticed faint red cracks spiderwebbing across his chest.
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The cracks spread, racing over his entire body.
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“When… when did I get cut…”
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That was the last thought Shadow Three ever had.
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A heartbeat later, his body shattered into dozens of pieces, blood raining down in a crimson storm.
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Far away, atop the crowns of two tall trees, a pair of spies—sent by the Fourth Prince to keep watch on Gu Yunci—witnessed every horrifying moment.
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They dared not even breathe.
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A Postnatal master—wiped out, just like that?
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Even as shock rooted them in place, the purple-robed figure with the demonblade slowly turned his head.
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Those blood-red eyes locked onto their hiding place.
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The instant that gaze fell upon them, both men felt their blood freeze.
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Xuan Ye and Xuan Qing—top agents under the Fourth Prince, both at the very peak of First-Rate Martial Artist. Together, they could even challenge a newly advanced Postnatal expert.
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But at this moment, neither could muster the slightest urge to fight.
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We’ve been discovered!
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“Run!” Xuan Ye hissed.