Golden Silkworm Thread

Zu Hao's revelation made Ling Yanqiu and Su Huirong, who were eavesdropping in the secret passage, change expression dramatically at the same time.

Because Ling Yanqiu was still in shock and had her back to Su Huirong, Su Huirong seized the initiative.

With a flick of her wrist, a thread of faint silver light, nearly invisible to the naked eye, flashed past.

It was the incomparably sharp Western Region Golden Silkworm Thread, capable of slicing through hair.

Both ends of the Golden Silkworm Thread were fastened to the rings on Su Huirong's wrists. In an instant, it looped around Ling Yanqiu's fair neck and tightened viciously.

"Urgh..."

A brief, pained groan escaped Ling Yanqiu's throat.

She had never imagined that the person she had protected all this way, even risking her life for her, was truly a venomous thorn planted by the West Depot—and that she would strike with such ruthless decisiveness.

Instinctively, she thrust her sword backward. It was her famed technique, the Turn-Hand Sword, but her breath had been cut off and her strength greatly diminished.

Before the tip could reach its target, the sword slipped from her hand and fell with a crisp clang, piercingly clear in the silent tunnel.

Through his mental perception, Zu Hao "watched" Su Huirong mercilessly strangle Ling Yanqiu. His heart was cold and unmoved.

He knew well that, in the film, Ling Yanqiu might have been deeply devoted.

But Ling Yanqiu had once been the proprietress of Dragon Gate Inn. She had never hesitated to murder, rob, strip bones, and sell flesh. She was equally ruthless, treating human lives like dirt.

His deliberate exposure of Su Huirong's identity earlier had been meant to detonate this bomb hidden at their side, forcing these fake sisters to kill each other ahead of time.

No matter which of them died in the end, it meant one fewer potential enemy for Zu Hao.

At the same time, Zu Hao developed a keen interest in the Western Region Golden Silkworm Thread Su Huirong had used.

It was as fine as a hair, yet incomparably tough and razor-sharp. Silent and unseen, it was truly a perfect weapon for ambushes, murder, and robbery.

If he could get his hands on it and combine it with his invisible, intangible telekinetic control, which moved as easily as his own limbs, it would be like adding wings to a tiger in this low-martial world.

I have to get it!

Zu Hao made his decision in an instant, a barely noticeable eagerness flashing through his eyes.

Meanwhile, the crisp sound of Ling Yanqiu's sword falling to the ground before her death also clearly reached Bulu Du, Gu Shaotang, and Feng Lidao.

"Someone's there!"

Feng Lidao reacted swiftly. He gave a low shout, his body instantly tensing as he vigilantly stared toward the pile of debris where the sound had originated.

"There's movement behind us. There must be another hidden passage!"

At that moment, Zu Hao's gaze narrowed. His powerful telekinesis spread out soundlessly, like invisible mercury flowing across the ground, accurately locking onto and wrapping around the hilt of the Turn-Hand Sword lying on the floor.

The next instant, the short sword seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand. It sprang off the ground with a hum, turning into a deadly flash of cold light that shot toward Su Huirong, whose guard had loosened slightly after successfully killing Ling Yanqiu.

"Pfft!"

The blade pierced precisely through her back and instantly drove through her heart.

Su Huirong's body stiffened violently. The cold killing intent and faint, barely perceptible smugness that had just appeared on her face froze at once, transforming into utter shock and indescribable pain.

She lowered her head with difficulty, staring in disbelief at the bloodstained tip protruding from her chest. Her lips moved as though she wanted to ask something, but only hoarse, leaking breaths came out.

The light in her eyes soon faded completely. She collapsed limply to the ground, dead, following after Ling Yanqiu, whom she had just killed with her own hands.

It could not be denied that when Zu Hao first met Su Huirong, her gentle, delicate beauty had indeed stirred something faint within him.

In terms of looks alone, Su Huirong could be considered one of the most stunning women in Flying Swords of Dragon Gate.

But then he remembered Dong Tianbao's famous saying: "When a woman can influence your thoughts, don't hesitate. Kill her!"

Beautiful women were but skeletons beneath the skin, all an illusion.

In this world of bloodshed and peril at every step, only absolute benefit and one's own survival were eternal truths.

Any extra emotion could become deadly poison.

When Feng Lidao, Gu Shaotang, and the others worked together to move the stones blocking the way, they saw only two cold corpses lying in pools of blood, long dead.

"They're both dead?"

Gu Shaotang examined their wounds, her brows tightly furrowed. "Judging by the injuries, they killed each other. Su Huirong strangled Ling Yanqiu with silk thread, and Ling Yanqiu killed her with one final sword strike before she died."

Zu Hao entered the secret passage with a torch in hand.

His powerful mental perception spread swiftly and accurately like countless invisible feelers. Almost instantly, he found the roll of Western Region Golden Silkworm Thread and the matching specially made metal finger clasps in the hidden pocket inside Su Huirong's sleeve.

The Golden Silkworm Thread was incomparably sharp. It had to be gripped and wielded with these special finger clasps, or a slight exertion of force would sever one's own fingers first.

The Golden Silkworm Thread felt faintly cool in his hand, smooth and delicate beyond compare, almost weightless. If one had not witnessed its terrifying power to slice through a throat in an instant, who would have imagined that such seemingly fragile silk could be such a dreadful weapon?

Zu Hao carefully put away the Golden Silkworm Thread, then pulled Ling Yanqiu's somewhat heavy Turn-Hand Sword from Su Huirong's body.

The sword was relatively short, not even as long as a forearm. Its hilt was specially designed to allow rapid spinning and changes of direction in the hand. Its material was also far superior to the weapons used by ordinary martial artists, its cold gleam revealing it to be no common item.

After finishing all this, Zu Hao and the others investigated the secret passage below.

The passage connected to a deeper underground space, and they could faintly hear the murmur of running water.

Gu Shaotang surveyed the surroundings and said, "There's an underground river here, and the ventilation is better too. It's safer than above."

"We'll stay here and wait for the Black Sandstorm to pass. At dawn tomorrow, we can set out directly from here to find the imperial palace treasure."

Zu Hao did not object. He said gravely, "We'll take turns keeping watch tonight, in case anything happens."

Neither Feng Lidao nor Bulu Du objected, but their eyes were full of deep wariness toward everyone else.

They had gathered for wealth. Their temporary cooperation could not conceal the fact that each was ultimately fighting for themselves.

In the predawn hours, all was silent save for the mournful howl of wind and sand sweeping through the ruins.

A nimble figure rode through the night and arrived outside Dragon Gate Inn.

The newcomer was Zhao Huai'an, who had escaped from the post station.

He had originally planned to intercept and kill Yu Huatian at the post station, but it was heavily guarded and under strict watch. He could not find any chance to strike.

Left with no choice, he discarded his outer robe to make an escape, but this indirectly caused an innocent laborer to be mistaken for him and cut down by the West Depot.

After realizing it was a trap, Zhao Huai'an broke through the encirclement overnight. He rode without stopping for most of the night before finally reaching Dragon Gate Inn.

The moment he dismounted, he keenly caught the lingering scent of blood in the air. His heart sank, and a strong sense of foreboding arose.

Zu Hao, who had been dozing on the roof while remaining vigilant all along, immediately heard the movement and opened his eyes.