Reborn Ill Spoil My Little Drama Queen - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Silencing Witnesses
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Translation by: Weebsread👹
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Xuan Qing didn’t hesitate for an instant. With a flick of his toe against a branch, he spun and vanished into the shadowy depths of the forest. Xuan Ye darted in the opposite direction, streaking toward the open road like a fleeing wraith.
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Splitting up—always the best chance at survival.
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Yet Gu Yunci, standing calm and unmoving amid the clearing, simply flicked his wrist.
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In a heartbeat, the Demonblade Thousand Edge disintegrated, scattering into thousands of razor-thin shards that blotted out the sky above the trees. Each sliver shimmered with a sinister violet light.
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Xuan Ye had barely reached the edge of the road when a chill of mortal dread crawled up his spine. He glanced back—only to see a storm of whirling metal fragments, a violet cyclone hurtling down upon him.
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He tried to dodge, but there was nowhere to run.
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Countless shards tore through his body, leaving bloody trails in their wake. Suspended in midair, Xuan Ye looked down in horror at the latticework of crimson lines blooming across his torso. In the next instant, his body shattered like porcelain, flesh and limbs scattering across the ground.
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Elsewhere, Xuan Qing had already sprinted dozens of meters, burning every last reserve of strength. Relief flickered in his chest—only to die as a violet silhouette materialized before him, blocking his path.
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The figure stood with his back to Xuan Qing, as if he had been waiting there all along.
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Xuan Qing’s footsteps faltered. He forced himself to stop, his short blade sliding into his grip.
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“Sir, this is a misunderstanding!” He raised the blade defensively, sweat beading on his brow. “We were just passing by—no harm intended!”
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Gu Yunci lifted his hand.
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In the distance, the purple storm that had just reduced Xuan Ye to bloody fragments seemed to receive a silent command. It spun, reversed course, and swept toward them, the thousands of shards whirling together above Gu Yunci’s palm, fusing once more into the uncanny Demonblade.
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Watching this, Xuan Qing felt his innards turn to ice.
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“I serve the Fourth Prince!” he blurted, desperately invoking the most powerful name he could.
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At the mention of “the Fourth Prince,” Gu Yunci’s movements stilled for a heartbeat.
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Hope flared briefly in Xuan Qing’s eyes.
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But it vanished as swiftly as it came. Gu Yunci resumed his advance, Demonblade in hand, stalking forward step by step.
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A killing intent as cold and unyielding as steel locked onto Xuan Qing, rooting him to the spot. He stumbled backward, crashing into the trunk of a tree. His hand shook so violently he nearly dropped his blade.
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Unable to withstand it any longer, Xuan Qing’s knees buckled. He collapsed to the ground, kneeling in the dirt.
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“Spare me, Marquis’s heir! I was only following orders to keep watch—I never meant to harm you!”
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【Status message! Detected: Xuan Qing has suffered moderate mental breakdown. Reward: Ten bottles of Corpse-Dissolving Powder.】
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Gu Yunci heard the System’s notification echo in his mind, but his blood-red eyes remained cold and unmoved.
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These two had witnessed him using the Disguise Card’s form. There was no way he could let them live.
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Seeing that Gu Yunci’s grip on the Demonblade hadn’t loosened and the killing intent only grew stronger, Xuan Qing realized—begging was useless.
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If pleading won’t work, there’s only one thing left.
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He gritted his teeth, flicked his wrist, and hurled his short blade straight at Gu Yunci’s face.
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At the same moment, he spun around, desperate to escape.
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Gu Yunci didn’t so much as flinch.
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Once more, the Demonblade Thousand Edge fragmented, its shards spreading like a vast net. In an instant, they shredded the incoming blade to glittering dust.
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Gu Yunci pointed the blade’s hilt at Xuan Qing’s fleeing back and slashed the air.
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A violet arc flashed.
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Xuan Qing’s body froze mid-stride. Then, silently, his head slid from his shoulders, rolling through the grass. His headless corpse wavered, then collapsed, warm blood seeping between the blades of grass, pooling darkly in the earth.
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Gu Yunci swept his gaze across the clearing, ensuring there were no survivors.
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He retrieved a newly awarded bottle of Corpse-Dissolving Powder from his System space and strode over to the scattered remains of Shadow Three. Uncorking the vial, he sprinkled the white powder over the mangled flesh.
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The powder hissed and smoked as soon as it touched blood and tissue, devouring flesh and cloth alike. In moments, nothing remained but a puddle of foul, inky water, which quickly soaked into the soil.
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Gu Yunci repeated the process, disposing of Xuan Ye and Xuan Qing’s bodies just as thoroughly.
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Only then did he approach the corpses of the four guards from the Marquis’s Residence.
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He knelt and gently closed the eyes of the nearest guard.
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Then he released the effect of the Disguise Card.
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The purple robes and Demonblade vanished, replaced by his familiar white attire.
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A pang of regret twisted in his chest.
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That trump card was powerful, yes, but it was consumed with each use, not by time spent. Even a few short minutes had cost him a precious activation.
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He checked the carriage—untouched. Taking the reins himself, he turned back toward the Capital.
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—
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Upon returning to Marquis Zhaoyi’s household, Gu Yunci went straight to Gu Wenhan’s study.
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The young servant standing watch outside blanched at the blood on Gu Yunci’s robes, then hurried inside to announce him.
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Gu Wenhan was reading. At the report—“The Marquis’s heir has returned, covered in blood”—his heart leapt into his throat.
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Gu Yunci entered and bowed first.
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“Father, I was ambushed today.”
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Gu Wenhan saw the dried blood and shot to his feet, striding over, his voice taut with worry. “Are you hurt?”
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Gu Yunci shook his head. “I’m unharmed. It was the guards who died.”
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Gu Wenhan finally relaxed, letting out a slow breath as he sat down again. “Explain.”
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Gu Yunci recounted the ambush on the return journey at Ten Mile Slope outside the city, and the deaths of the four guards. Naturally, he omitted any mention of the Disguise Card, saying only that his martial arts had recently improved and that he’d used the terrain to narrowly escape.
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Gu Wenhan listened, then pressed his palm hard against the desk, silent for a long moment.
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“Mid-Postnatal level,” he said at last, gazing at Gu Yunci. “Surviving an attack from someone of that caliber—‘luck’ hardly covers it.”
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Gu Yunci had anticipated this line of questioning. Calmly, he replied, “I recently encountered a stroke of fortune. My strength has reached the elite level. I also learned a refined movement technique, which is how I barely survived.”
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Gu Wenhan fixed him with a searching look. “Do you suspect anyone?”
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“Pei Hong,” Gu Yunci answered without hesitation.
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“Evidence?”
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Gu Yunci recounted the assassin’s deliberate message: “Our Second Master said, ‘Turn you into a cripple.’”
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Gu Wenhan’s expression darkened. “They’re trying to frame Wenqi.”
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Gu Yunci nodded. “That’s what I thought. Second Uncle has his schemes, but he’s not bold enough for something like this. He’d struggle to hire even an elite fighter, let alone someone at mid-Postnatal level.”