Chapter 89: The Four Gentlemen
This novel is translated and hosted only on bcatranslation.
Guo Ming En wasn’t exaggerating; the Four Gentlemen of Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum were renowned for their exceptional tracking skills. Within two weeks of Yu Zhao emerging from her seclusion, they had pinpointed her location. They finally caught up with her on a desolate mountain, thousands of miles from Nanming City.
Yu Zhao initially assumed they were merely passersby and stepped aside to let them through. But, in an instant, the four formed a square formation around her, trapping her in the middle.
“Miss, you’ve made us work hard to find you,” said a woman with a soft but clear voice. She wore men’s clothing adorned with a bamboo design and carried herself with a graceful, scholarly demeanor.
It became clear to Yu Zhao that these people were not here by chance.
She remained calm but wary.
“Bamboo, enough with the pleasantries. Let’s just kill her,” said another woman, her voice cold and hostile. She was similarly dressed but with black chrysanthemum patterns on her robe.
The third woman, dressed in red plum blossom embroidery, giggled behind her hand. “Chrysanthemum, you’re always so impatient. We’ve spent so much time tracking her down; why not enjoy it a little before we finish her?”
The last woman remained silent, but her expression showed she agreed.
Noting their distinctive clothing and the way they addressed each other, Yu Zhao’s eyes narrowed. “So, you are the Four Gentlemen of Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum?”
Having lived an additional life, Yu Zhao was more knowledgeable than a typical disciple on their first mission. The Four Gentlemen were a notorious assassin group from the Dark Pavilion. Despite being women, they dressed as men and used the code names Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum, priding themselves as “gentlemen.”
Yu Zhao recalled hearing about them, particularly their tragic end. The Four Gentlemen accepted assassination contracts indiscriminately, driven by profit. This ruthlessness led to their downfall, as the vengeful relatives of their victims eventually hunted them down, resulting in their gruesome deaths. Afterward, the Dark Pavilion hesitated to accept assassination contracts for a long time.
Realizing who they were, Yu Zhao understood someone had placed a bounty on her head through the Dark Pavilion.
As she considered who might have issued the bounty, a cold gleam flashed in her eyes.
Bamboo produced a bamboo fan with a flourish and opened it gracefully. “Indeed, we are the Four Gentlemen. I am Bamboo,” she announced with an air of refinement.
The woman in red plum blossom attire smiled sweetly. “I am Plum.”
“And I am Orchid,” added another, her voice calm.
The last woman, in the black chrysanthemum robe, sneered, “Chrysanthemum.”
Yu Zhao was inwardly bemused. There was no need for such a thorough introduction.
“Miss, if you have any unfulfilled wishes, Bamboo here will give you the time it takes to burn half an incense stick to settle them. We wouldn’t want you to leave this world with regrets,” Bamboo said, waving her fan with a touch of mockery.
Yu Zhao couldn’t help but see her as a pretentious scholar.
Pausing briefly, Yu Zhao reached into her storage bag and pulled out a lotus incense burner. She held it up and asked sincerely, “May I light some incense?”
“There’s poison in the incense!” Chrysanthemum’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. She drew a flying sword from her waist, sending a sharp, lethal aura towards Yu Zhao.
Yu Zhao sighed inwardly and dodged the attack effortlessly.
Frustrated, Chrysanthemum shouted, “Bamboo, Orchid, what are you waiting for? Kill her!”
Chrysanthemum’s urgency was fueled by her aggressive nature and her unease over Yu Zhao’s rapid progress. When they took the mission, Yu Zhao was at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, in just half a year, she had advanced to the Golden Core stage, a pace that disturbed Chrysanthemum.
With Chrysanthemum’s first strike, the others no longer hesitated.
Bamboo’s weapon was her fan. She infused it with spiritual energy, causing the bamboo leaves depicted on it to come alive. The leaves detached from the fan’s surface and hovered before her.
“Go!” she commanded, and the leaves shot towards Yu Zhao like a barrage of arrows.
At the same time, Orchid summoned a large, translucent orchid flower, its petals laced with intricate red lines.
“Lock!” she ordered, and countless red threads shot out from the flower, weaving a web in the air, closing in on Yu Zhao.
Plum stood aside, arms crossed, watching with a smug expression. As a tracker, she rarely engaged in combat, confident that the combined might of three Golden Core cultivators would suffice to handle a newly advanced Golden Core disciple.
However, in the next moment, Plum’s confidence was shattered.
Instead of panicking under the assault, Yu Zhao smiled enigmatically.
Her advancement to the Golden Core stage had also elevated her mastery of the Illusory Tide Technique to its third level. She could now create illusions without relying on incense, manipulating reality with a mere gesture.
As her unique spiritual energy spread, the four assassins were ensnared in an illusion before they even realized it.
The sword aura, bamboo leaves, and red threads all halted in mid-air, frozen as if time itself had stopped.
…
In a foggy daze, Bamboo heard a familiar voice. “Little Bamboo, you are a girl. You shouldn’t compete with your brother. Listen to your mother and stay home to train with the elder. Let your brother join the Longevity Sect.”
Bamboo opened her eyes to see a stern face before her. “Mother…”
She called out instinctively, but the woman ignored her, continuing to pressure her into staying home.
Bamboo felt a surge of unwillingness, but faced with her mother’s stern expression, she reluctantly nodded in agreement.
The days of training at home were far worse than she had imagined. The family elder, who despised her for being a girl, treated her coldly, favoring her male cousins.
Every time her brother returned from the Longevity Sect, brimming with pride, it only deepened her frustration.
Bamboo longed to convince her mother to let her join any sect, even a minor one, rather than remain confined at home. But no matter how she pleaded, her mother refused, eventually locking her in the house.
This novel is translated and hosted only on bcatranslation.
Years went by…
Bamboo huddled in a corner of the dark room, her skin pale from lack of sunlight. Her eyes were hollow, her face gaunt, and deep within her heart, a gnawing pain lingered.
No!
This wasn’t her life!
Somewhere deep inside, Bamboo knew something was wrong, but clarity eluded her. Whenever she tried to focus, a sharp pain split through her head, as if her soul was being torn apart.
The confusion between reality and illusion led to frequent hallucinations. Sometimes, she was a cold-hearted assassin from the Dark Pavilion; other times, she was a neglected girl, trapped in her family’s home.
Ultimately, she couldn’t distinguish the illusion from reality, lost in a haze of confusion, unaware of the passing time.