The Palaces of the Twelve Sacred Beasts

Translated by Shiya of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

"Ye Yin Ju!!?" Zhuo Yin gasped.

Zhuo Yin had yet to finish when a black leopard swiftly emerged from the woods—he seemed to have been waiting there for a while already, fresh blood was dripping from his fangs…

The three of them prepared for battle, but the strange thing was, the black leopard didn't seem to be keen on fighting.

He stared at the three coldly and just turned tail and ran.

Zhuo Yin was the first to run after Ye Yin Ju with Qing Que and Nian Xing tailing behind them.

They reached deeper into the forest, and the trees became thicker and more packed. As they ran further in, they could hear the sounds of a river…

After passing through a thick layer of shrubs, the view in front of them widened.

However… the scene that entered their eyes was nothing but suffocating.

Gu Ting Yu had fallen in the river. Blood was slowly trickling down his neck; Gu Ting Yu's lifeless complexion shook the three of them to the core.

Blood seemed to have flowed backwards to their brains. Something seemed to have break in their heads, making a huge noise.

"Gu Ting Yu!"

Seeing the three rush towards the human, the black leopard backed away slowly, very slowly.

The black leopard looked at Gu Ting Yu, feeling complicated. Grinding shi teeth, he opened his mouth… Still, not a word came past his fangs.

He left stealthily.

————————————

[About half an hour ago (i)]

Advance as if the wind.

Movements like those of shadows.

Stealthy like nothingness itself.

The black leopard held his breath, staring intensely at the human who was in his range of attack.

Gu Ting Yu was drinking from the river, unguarded; it seemed like he was completely ignorant of the black leopard's existence.

The black leopard didn't dare to blink, sweat mixed with blood and dropped to the ground.

Drop… Drop…

He waved his tail a bit as he felt insecure.

At this moment, his opponent was wide open, there weren't other opponents around that he would have to deal with… If he missed this chance, there might not be another for him to attack.

Jump out…

Bite and kill him, it's that simple.

The leopard etched forward, closing onto Gu Ting Yu step by step…

Oh no!! (It's kinda like やばい！！)

He's going to turn around, this is the last chance!!!

Ye Yin Ju's claws slashed like a sword out of a scabbard. The black leopard opened his mouth to show his sharp fangs.

He put all his effort into that attack—but his body suddenly froze.

Gu Ting Yu turned around to see the black leopard who was just a few steps away; he stood still in shock for a while as well.

The black leopard didn't know why he stopped there like a fool the second he saw Gu Ting Yu's face—he even missed the best moment for an attack.

He roared a few times, trying to intimidate Gu Ting Yu.

Gu Ting Yu was holding a soaked boxer in his hand, the black leopard's mind fogged as he saw the triangular boxers.

Gu Ting Yu had wanted to wash his undergarments while the others were not here. The sudden appearance of a black leopard shocked him, and his hand slipped, letting his boxer be swept down the quick stream…

As they say, morale dies along with time (ii).

The black leopard was contemplating whether to attack again…

"You… are you…" Gu Ting Yu recognized him, this gravely injured black leopard was exactly the one he saved from Fu Wang's clutches.

The black leopard hissed dangerously, staring at Gu Ting Yu cautiously, preparing to strike any second.

Gu Ting Yu silently watched the black leopard. The first time he laid eyes on the leopard, his wilful but helpless eyes had left a huge impression on him.

He couldn't put his feelings at the time into words, but just seeing his feisty eyes and his relentless struggles, he couldn't just leave him there to die.

After being wounded, the black leopard couldn't control his footsteps well, he breathing was also more chaotic and thick then before.

The two of them stood still, until Gu Ting Yu slowly squatted down, carefully extending his arm towards the black leopard.

The black leopard backed away a little.

This human saved him back there…

Even though this human knew that the leopard had hurt him…

And now this same person in front of him didn't show a shred of caution.

The black leopard squinted his eyes, and he obediently walked forward to lick Gu Ting Yu's palm—but in the next moment, he abruptly bit Gu Ting Yu's neck.

Splash!

Gu Ting Yu moaned weakly and fell into the river behind him.

Fresh blood flowed out like a spider's thread along the river. The black leopard breathed heavily.

The blood reached Gu Ting Yu's chest, his face was as white as paper, and he had his eyes shut tightly.

The black leopard began to back away; he retreated quickly…

He ran aimlessly through the forest, ignoring the gaping wounds along the way, the forest was dense and vast, his mouth was filled with that human's blood, that human's smell.

There was no room for failure in the Night Tribe.

I'm sorry.

… I cannot fail again…

As a member of the most hidden assassination tribe, betrayal definitely did not run in a Night Warrior's blood.

Every assassination mission, every battle, they put their lives on the line.

Ye Yin Ju, who was brought up in the Night Tribe, was instilled with the belief that there were no second chances.

"If you fail, you don't need to return anymore." The one who said so was the one and only person Ye Yin Ju had ever admired.

He taught Ye Yin Ju many assassination methods, and he told Ye Yin Ju that assassins were nothing more than tools.

Ye Yin Ju wanted to show himself off so very much… he seized many opportunities to display how strong he was.

He wanted to be cherished by someone even though he was in a place where no light could ever reach, but every time he stained his hands with blood and finished a mission, what he got wasn't appreciation—the only thing that was given to him was just another mission.

This cycle continued on and eventually, he became numb to everything.

So, when a day came when his mission was to kill the one who brought him to this world of assassins, he naturally failed.

—He didn't even fight.

After leaving the Night Tribe, the only noteworthy occurrence was him entering the ranks of the world's strongest king; since he was destined to be a tool one way or the other, then at least he could be the strongest person's tool.

Afterall, a Night Tribe Warrior's destiny was never to fight for himself.

The black leopard ran relentlessly without turning his head back… the cold wind slashed against him like blades that would cut up his lungs and hearts.

Well… I finished my mission.

I finally… finished my mission… once again…

……

But what is it worth…

T/N

(i) The raws didn't write half-an-hour directly, but "the time needed to burn one incense" ago, I'm not sure what kind of incense the writer was referring to, but I assume it's the traditional straight Buddhist incense, so according to the ones I use at home, they burn for about half-an-hour.

(ii) The saying in the raws is something from ancient literature, "The first round of battle drums increases morale, the second round and morale starts to deplete, the third round and morale dies down completely."