True Solution of the Sword Dao
Chapter 277 - 255 Satire One

Chapter 277: Chapter 255 Satire One

In the hotel

"What do we do now?" Feil half-reclined on the bed, idly tossing a semi-transparent Phantom Spirit Crystal with a bored expression. "I was planning to go to the market once more, but they moved the exit this morning. It’ll be three more days until the next entrance and exit notification. The location of the Pacific Exchange is just troublesome; it changes too quickly."

"So we’re just going back like this? Without having bought anything?" Lin You’s voice came from the little black cat, curled up in a ball in the corner, looking utterly embarrassed. "Speaking of which, Feil..."

"What?"

"Why do I feel so cold all over..."

"You’re not wearing any clothes, of course you’d feel cold," Feil said casually.

"Is... is that so..." Lin You curled up even tighter.

"Going back like this works too. There’s nothing left to do here anyway," Feil put down the Phantom Spirit Stone, "Let’s get ready to leave after we switch back later."

"When can we switch back?"

"In about two hours, based on the general properties of the Phantom Spirit Stone. If Merrill were here, she could concoct a new plant-based potion to speed up the process, but sadly, she’s not," Feil shrugged helplessly. "Actually, I also feel quite unfamiliar using this body."

"...."

"We must keep this Phantom Spirit Stone safe; it’s an extremely rare material," Feil picked up the Phantom Spirit Stone and examined it closely. The black-grey, semi-transparent crystal looked like ordinary, unremarkable grey-black glass. "Who knows, it might come in handy later."

"You’ve got to be kidding, what else is it good for besides playing pranks?" Lin You said helplessly.

"Of course it’s for pranks!" Feil stated matter-of-factly.

*****************

Lin Fei looked down at Lu Xiuya, who was almost lying on the ground, their eyes meeting.

The passersby hurried past them, no one noticing anything odd about the two, some even walking right through their bodies as if through a phantom.

The air faintly swirled with strands of blue smoke, dreamlike and illusory.

"It’s you," Lu Xiuya recalled. As someone with the physical fitness of a Grade B fighter, her memory was not weak. Naturally, she remembered the candidate member of the Celestial Mansion she had encountered during a mission.

But with just two words, Lu Xiuya felt as if she had used all her body’s strength, her eyes starting to blacken slightly, a sign of severe blood deficiency to the eyes and an insufficient qi-blood connection.

"Although I don’t know what happened to you," Lin Fei said with a smile. "It seems like you’re in terrible shape."

"Heh..." Lu Xiuya gave a wry smile. "Victor or loser, it was my own naivety," she answered with difficulty.

"If you were given another chance, what would you do?" Lin Fei asked softly.

"A chance?" Lu Xiuya was taken aback. She stared steadily at the person before her.

This young man, unremarkable as any ordinary man on the street.

Suddenly, a streak of golden light flashed by.

Lu Xiuya felt a mild prick on her forehead as if something had burrowed into it.

If she could see herself now, she would have noticed a golden pattern glowing faintly on her forehead, exceptionally luxurious and mysterious. Soon, the golden pattern dimmed and returned to normal skin.

An unknown energy abruptly surged into Lu Xiuya’s body, continuously circulating through a set pathway. Fine, free-floating energies from the surroundings also began to be absorbed by her. These minute energies had a shocking recovery rate. Everywhere they passed, the surrounding injuries on blood vessels and meridians began to heal at an incredibly fast rate.

"What is this?!" She stared at her hand in amazement. A recent abrasion on the back of her hand was visibly closing up at a slow pace. A tingling sensation constantly came from various parts of her body – the feeling of all injuries rapidly self-healing. She could feel that at this rate, it would only take half a day for all her near-fatal injuries to be completely cured by this strange energy.

But at the same time, Lu Xiuya could clearly feel that the string of energy that had entered her body was rapidly absorbing some type of energy within her body during its circulation – hidden energies deep within her body, all uncovered by this mysterious energy, merged, and began combining with external energies to rapidly repair her physique. This process also meant that this foreign energy was becoming more tightly integrated with her own, to the extent of being a matter of life and death.

"Someone’s coming," Lin Fei suddenly said.

Her voice interrupted Lu Xiuya’s thoughts.

The sound of urgent footsteps approached as two men and one woman hurried around the street corner. They were following faint bloodstains on the ground.

"Here they are," the leading woman sighed in relief, seeming to relax significantly. "Notify the others, tell them we’ve found them."

"Okay."

"Isolate this area."

A series of commands spread continuously as they coordinated through their phones.

Three people cautiously approached the two figures. They seemed completely unable to see Lu Xiuya, passing directly through the two and instead walking toward the side wall next to Lu Xiuya.

They finally gathered around a figure curled up in the corner of the wall.

It was then that Lu Xiuya realized there was another self there. The same attire, the same dying breath, the same face.

She glanced at Lin Fei in astonishment. The latter was smiling calmly.

"Captain, she’s out of breath," a man said as he knelt down to check the ’Lu Xiuya’s’ breath.

"Notify all units."

"Yes, sir!"

Soon, a yellow caution tape began to surround the area, and the sound of police and ambulance sirens arrived quickly. Waves of people kept gathering.

Lu Xiuya watched quietly. Among those who arrived were people she recognized and some she didn’t, including high-ranking officials and some new powerhouses from the Heavenly Strategy Mansion. They gathered here with one purpose—to confirm whether she was dead or alive.

Lu Xiuya watched as "herself" was lifted onto a stretcher by two medical staff and placed into an ambulance amid a rapidly arriving crowd. But just as the ambulance doors were about to close, a sudden scream erupted from within.

"She’s gone!!"

"She turned to ashes!! Oh my God!"

"How is that possible!?"

The people exclaimed, whether they were government representatives, medical staff, or members of special departments, and even a few from the Heavenly Strategy Mansion showed shock.

The ’Lu Xiuya’ corpse on the stretcher began to slowly disintegrate into specks of black ash visible to the naked eye.

Fortunately, the area had already been cordoned off, and since the stretcher was inside the ambulance, only some state-sent personnel witnessed the event.

Soon, the ’Lu Xiuya’ corpse completely turned into a pool of black ash. Then the ash gradually dissipated, turning into nothingness.

"Now, with so many people having witnessed your death, Lord Xiuya, what are your thoughts?" Lin Fei asked quietly.

Lu Xiuya opened her mouth but found her throat was dry; she didn’t know what to say, nor could she think of anything.

"It’s over, let’s go." Lin Fei turned and walked away slowly.

Lu Xiuya hesitated for a moment but followed.

The two slowly left the bustling area of the caution tape. Lu Xiuya looked back one last time at the place where ’her’ body had disappeared.

There was nothing left, clean and clear.

*****************

Hua Xia Grand Hotel

As one of the Top Hotels in Capital City, the Hua Xia Grand Hotel keeps a low profile, known only by a few, but those who know are not of ordinary standing. This place is a frequent dining destination for the top echelons of Capital City.

From outside, it appears nothing more than an ordinary two-story tavern, but inside, the price of food and drink is exorbitantly high to the point that it would astonish ordinary people, and wealth alone is not enough to reserve a table.

At this moment, inside the hotel, an unique party is underway. Many men and women, dressed in suits and gowns, gathered here, each carrying a faint, indescribable aura. Any of them, taken out and placed in a typical banquet, would be the center of everyone’s attention, but here, this diverse set of characters had all come together, obviously indicating the high standard of the party.

Soft, goose-yellow chandeliers bathed the entire party in a warm glow.

Neatly arranged like a building block, a tower of red wine glasses, and meticulously set self-service dishes on the tables. Beautiful servers moved back and forth, occasionally reflecting bright reflections on various jewel-encrusted jewelry, making the entire venue appear exceptionally glamorous.

In a corner, some guests who preferred less bustle stood by, quietly observing the feigned joy of conversations in the center.

"Lu Xiuya is dead?" a woman in a purple evening dress asked with a frown.

"Yes, just received the news, it’s been confirmed. It seems that in a final burst of struggle, all her strength was used up, even her body turned to ash," another woman nodded in response.

"Regardless of whether she really betrayed the nation, for someone who was once one of the Five Stars to die so disgracefully, it feels quite unbelievable," the woman in purple shook her head.

"With the last direct leader of the Heavenly Strategy Mansion gone, no wonder the Explosive Flame Spear and others couldn’t hold back. Now the Heavenly Strategy Mansion is shattered into several factions. If nothing unexpected happens, they will likely show their hands tonight."

"Possibly. I heard you’ve already connected with the Wang family?"

"They approached me a while ago. Probably worried about how Lu Xiuya’s matter might affect us. They offered quite a few nice deals." (To be continued. If you like this work, please head to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)