Chapter 103: The Secret of the Snuff Bottle

“Seems like it!” Gu Xiangnan was also stunned.

The fox worshipping the moon—this is an ancient legend.

When he was in the mountains, he had read some old books that recorded similar stories.

In those tales, after the fox worshipped the moon, it would reveal its true form and then devour humans.

Gu Xiangnan felt uneasy, fearing that after Taoyao worshipped the moon, she might transform into a man-eating beast.

Tonight, the moon was full.

Its silvery light spilled gently onto the ground.

Taoyao closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and astonishingly absorbed all the moonlight into herself.

She was drawing in the moon’s radiance to cultivate her spiritual power.

Sure enough!

Before long, Taoyao began an incredible transformation.

The moonlight shone upon her, each strand of fur radiating a brilliant luster.

Gradually, the glow grew brighter and brighter until Taoyao was enveloped in a radiant aura.

As the light slowly faded, she had undergone a profound change.

A faint purple mist swirled around her, accompanied by several mysterious talismans rotating gently.

Her body stretched longer; her limbs became more slender and powerful, elegant and upright against the backdrop of her white fur.

Taoyao slowly opened her eyes, and it was clear her expression had completely changed.

There was a sense of metamorphosis about her.

Soon, Taoyao transformed again—this time into human form.

Seconds later, the three of them were dumbfounded.

The woman before them was no longer the petite little girl they had known.

Taoyao’s appearance had changed dramatically.

She was tall and slender, her skin as white as snow.

Her oval face framed a pair of captivating eyes; with just one glance, she could deeply ensnare a man’s heart and soul.

None of them had ever seen a woman so breathtakingly beautiful.

“My lord, I have absorbed all their spiritual energy. Now I have grown stronger,” Taoyao said as she walked over gracefully, smiling.

Gu Xiangnan snapped back to reality.

Faced with this stunning yet unfamiliar face, he found himself somewhat awkward.

“Tha-That… Taoyao,” he stammered.

Noticing the strange looks from the three, and how Gu Xiangnan struggled to speak, Taoyao anxiously touched her face and asked, “What’s wrong with my face? Is it so ugly it scares people to death?”

“Uh-huh, it’s scary. But scary in a beautiful way,” Gu Xiangnan replied.

Then he suddenly remembered something.

Turning to Wang Mei, he said, “Do Senior Sister and Zi know that we came tonight to rescue Taoyao?”

Wang Mei shook her head. “They don’t. Zi Xiaoyin lost her snuff bottle and has been grieving at home. That’s why I came to find you.”

“That’s good. No need to tell them, so they won’t worry.”

Wang Mei replied, “This is hard to hide. So many people filmed videos tonight; it will probably cause a city-wide uproar soon.”

“No matter. Let them talk—I can’t silence everyone’s tongues.”

Mentioning Zi Xiaoyin reminded Gu Xiangnan of something.

He walked toward the charred corpse of Ashiya Yangming; the pile of blackened ashes still emitted heat.

Using his sword, Gu Xiangnan carefully sifted through the remains, seemingly searching for something.

“Xiaonan, what are you looking for?” Zhang Baolian asked.

“I want to find the snuff bottle and return it to its rightful owner,” he answered without looking up.

“I found it.” He picked up the snuff bottle between two fingers.

It was coated with a layer of soot, but its overall shape remained intact.

“Strange, it didn’t burn away,” Wang Mei exclaimed.

Normally, to char a corpse that badly, the temperature must have reached over a thousand degrees Celsius, enough to melt glass.

Gu Xiangnan took some paper and carefully wiped the bottle.

As he cleaned the bottom, his gaze suddenly halted.

“Huh? Why are there characters here?”

At the base of the snuff bottle was a small inscription.

It wasn’t engraved on the surface but recessed into the bottom.

Usually, this character was hardly visible as it blended with the bottle’s color.

But now, with soot filling the indentation, the character appeared clearly.

Gu Xiangnan leaned in to see—it was the character for “Gu.”

A strange feeling surged in his chest.

Why would this snuff bottle bear his surname?

Zhang Baolian noticed his daze and asked with concern, “Xiaonan, what’s wrong? What does it say?”

Gu Xiangnan handed the bottle to them, saying, “See for yourselves.”

Zhang Baolian took it and showed a surprised expression.

Wang Mei said, “Could it be that Zi Xiaoyin’s original surname was Gu? That would mean she shares the same surname as Gu Xiangnan.”

Suddenly, she realized a possibility: “Gu Xiangnan, could you be Zi Xiaoyin’s brother?”

Gu Xiangnan smiled bitterly, “What are the odds? There are plenty of people surnamed Gu in the world! Besides, this ‘Gu’ character may not even be a surname.”

Taoyao had lived inside this bottle for a long time; it was best to ask her directly.

Gu Xiangnan suddenly turned to Taoyao and asked, “Taoyao, when did you move into this snuff bottle?”

Taoyao paused to recall.

“I have been living here for decades.”

“Can you tell us about your experience?” Gu Xiangnan pressed.

“We foxes originally lived inside bamboo tubes,” she began.

“The eldest son of the Koyama family—the current head, Koyama Hiromi—was going off to war.”

“To ensure victory, they brought me along to help absorb their fortune.”

“One day, Koyama Hiromi received a snuff bottle. I noticed the snuff inside smelled unusually good, so I often sneaked over to smell it. Over time, I became addicted.”

“I followed him far away, away from home for several years.”

“At first, the war went well, but there were also setbacks.”

“In one battle, due to a failed tactic, Koyama Hiromi was pursued by enemies and had to flee hastily, leaving everything behind—including me.”

“I was stranded outside, and Koyama Hiromi, eager to return home, entrusted Suzuki Genkuro to search for me.”

“At that time, I was playful and unwilling to go back. He used the snuff bottle to lure me and sealed me inside.”

Taoyao looked at Gu Xiangnan. “You already know what happened next.”

Gu Xiangnan asked in confusion, “Is there any connection between the Koyama family and this ‘Gu’ character?”

“I haven’t heard of any,” Taoyao shook her head.

It seemed her knowledge was limited.

Gu Xiangnan took several photos of the snuff bottle and then handed it to Wang Mei.

“Please deliver this to Miss Zi and return it to its rightful owner.”

Wang Mei put it away and made a call to arrange for the cleanup of Ashiya Yangming’s body.

The four were preparing to leave when a phone suddenly rang.

They glanced at their own phones—it wasn’t theirs.

Following the sound, Gu Xiangnan found a phone in a corner.

“That commotion earlier—could it belong to a citizen who lost it?” Zhang Baolian guessed.

The phone had just received a message, the screen still lit.

The message was in Japanese.

It appeared to be Ashiya Yangming’s phone.

Gu Xiangnan, unable to understand Japanese, handed the phone to Taoyao.

She translated: “Mr. Ashiya, for your merits in killing Gu Xiangnan, the Fusang Herbal Medicine Association has specially organized a thank-you banquet. Please come to the Dongsheng Building in the provincial capital the day after tomorrow.”

Gu Xiangnan’s expression darkened. “The Herbal Medicine Association again. Seems I’ve been too lenient with them.”