Chapter 1118
The Death of Wuqun
Wuqun ultimately couldn’t bring herself to be ruthless.
She understood Lu’s intention perfectly—to have the young people “test the waters,” meaning to set up her former colleagues.
While they were unwilling to undertake the arduous and tiring work, or to search for the Blood Heavenly Envoy all over the country without aim, it would be easy to lure people down with excuses like “we’ve discovered a treasure.” And the more corrupted they were, the easier they would be to sway.
“You truly are kind.”
Lu sighed, ending her prayer and rising to leave. “Never mind… I don’t even know how much longer we’ll be colleagues. Since you feel that way, I respect your wishes. Investigating to this extent is already doing your utmost. Go back and rest. I’ll report the results to the teacher.”
From Lu’s perspective, those “colleagues” were no different than traitors. She saw no problem with using their lives to pave the way. In fact, it could be seen as clearing out the rot while also getting one last bit of use out of them.
“I just feel… this is also a form of corruption.”
Long after Lu had left, Wuqun replied softly to the empty air beside her.
She seemed to be struggling with something… and also trying to convince herself.
Undoubtedly, Wuqun’s duty was complete.
She wasn’t an assassin skilled in combat or stealth, but in untraceable poisonings and curses—just like every dancer who originated from the Eagle Eye organization. To prevent her Path Adaptation level from being detected by those astrologers and prophets, she had even used curses to abandon her Path Adaptation level, making herself appear to be an Ordinary Person.
In the name of justice, she couldn’t count how many people she had killed.
Although she appeared to be only in her early twenties, she was actually over thirty. And it had been twenty-eight years since she killed her first person.
At least two hundred people had been poisoned by her during a single night of intimacy. To avoid detection, the poisons she administered would only trigger several days after she had left.
While there were undoubtedly scumbags and wicked individuals among them, there were also the people she loved. She hadn’t killed many actual Children of the Moon; more often, her targets were wealthy merchants, scholars, or heirs of prominent families who refused to support the Eagle Eye organization.
The organization told her, “If these people don’t die, more brothers and sisters will die because of them.” That was why she used dirty methods to kill them… And many of her other missions involved stealing information.
Using her body, using lies. Exchanging for genuine affection with conspiracies and fabricated scenarios.
Tempting with beauty, deceiving with love, and then choosing betrayal.
She never remained by a traitor’s side when the truth was revealed… thus, she had never personally witnessed the unbelievable, heart-wrenching, twisted expressions of her victims. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t imagine it.
When she was a girl, she would sometimes wake up from nightmares. She would dream of people discovering her disguise, exposing her facade, and having nowhere to escape; she would dream of those people turning into vengeful spirits to claim her life after death, cursing her in her dreams; she would also dream of her identity being exposed and being captured by a Child of the Moon for cruel torture and punishment.
She occasionally revealed her confusion and pain to her teacher and colleagues. And she would almost always receive the same unwavering answer:
“—Idiot, our cause is righteous!”
Now, Wuqun wished she could ask them—is it still righteous now?
Once the inherent righteousness was lost, she felt overwhelmed by guilt.
It wasn’t about killing one or two people… Not all the people she killed were evil. There were hundreds, thousands of dead. Many executioners might not have beheaded so many people in their entire careers. Because Wuqun had abandoned her Extraordinary level, she had never become a “Mentor” to the higher-ups, assigning tasks to others… Many times, she didn’t even know what crime her target had committed.
As time went on, the missions she received became shorter. Sometimes, there was nothing more than a name.
No explanation, no crime, no reason.
Yet, she still chose to carry out the missions.
It was all because of her hatred for the Children of the Moon—her sister had been bitten and killed by a Child of the Moon during a night excursion. When she found the corpse, drained of blood and with its limbs missing, she vowed to never forgive the Children of the Moon.
The Child of the Moon who had killed her sister was long dead. She had collected some of his bone ash, mixed it with her sister’s bone ash, and placed them together in the necklace she wore on her chest. This was something she refused to give up, no matter how many identities or faces she adopted. And it was the only thing that could possibly expose her identity.
But now…
How did the sins she had accumulated compare to those of the Child of the Moon back then?
Did someone’s younger siblings, sons, or daughters now hate her, just as she had hated the Children of the Moon back then?
By the time Wuqun finished her prayer, she had made up her mind.
When Priest Cassius, who had rushed to finish maintaining the barrier, came out panting, he saw Wuqun rise gracefully and elegantly, preparing to leave.
Priest Cassius dared not directly call her name in public. He could only hurry a few steps forward, approaching Wuqun from behind, and then whisper, “Miss Clara!”
“…Priest Cassius, is there something you need?”
“Wuqun,” Clara turned back, smiling gently and politely.
Her smile held a hint of reserve and distance.
Clara had once considered the possibility of having a family herself. Just as Lu had said.
Now that the Children of the Moon had been wiped out, the Eagle Eye organization had no reason to exist. Although the Blood Heavenly Envoy had descended, Lord Eivass would likely handle everything. In other words, she could retire now.
Although she had always carried out the organization’s assassination missions and had not accepted private commissions that bypassed the organization’s commission, some of the missions assigned to her by the organization were assassination contracts that included her commission. Over the years, she had accumulated a considerable sum of money, enough at least to live the rest of her life affluently and leisurely as a rich young lady—
Buying a manor in Iris Flower, hiring twenty to thirty servants, marrying an honest and decent man, giving him some money to start a small business, and having a few children. Preferably two sons and one daughter. And she could buy piles of dresses and jewelry, attend banquets with ladies of high society. She could also have a dog… She had always wanted a dog, but had never had the chance. A dog’s scent could expose her, and she had been constantly on the move, living nomadically in different cities.
Her mission was over.
Such a future was already within her reach.
Clara had deceived countless men, and she knew all too well which were good men and which were bad. She knew that all she needed to do was nod for him to accept him as her “Bell.” With the protection of such an identity, it could also prevent him from accidentally being killed by her colleagues.
With the Eagle Eye about to become the controller of Iris Flower, and the teacher also planning to follow the Church, this was the best possible future.
Everything was the result of her hard work.
…But for some reason, Wuqun felt a strange nausea.
It was as if she were pregnant. Just thinking about such a future made her feel like throwing up.
Wuqun politely declined Priest Cassius’s invitation to dinner. Watching the man leave with a disappointed look, her gaze was gentle and calm.
“You deserve better, sir.”
That night, Wuqun infiltrated the church’s underground alone.
She had already reported the Blood Heavenly Envoy’s location to her teacher, and Eivass would arrive here soon. She no longer needed to continue the investigation… This much information was sufficient. Or rather, she could have gone to the underground to investigate with him after Eivass arrived.
Or rather, it wasn’t an investigation… it was simply that she didn’t want her duties and mission to come to an end.
Let it be this way, Wuqun thought.
Let her die in the line of duty. It was better than living on with wealth that did not belong to her.
Before leaving, she had anonymously sent all her assets to her parents. She had been away from home for a long time… Surely, they would understand everything.
Although she wanted to meet Eivass for a long time.
But perhaps… there would no longer be such an opportunity.
(End of Chapter)
