“Where can we get more of this stuff?” Ji Yuan asked darkly, his eyes fixed on the servant.
The rotund-faced youth, still smiling, replied, “No need to worry, sir. Master brought back several wagonloads of it. They should arrive home by this evening.”
Eyes narrowed dangerously, Ji Yuan was on the verge of pressing again when the sound of hurried footsteps interrupted. Before the person even entered the building, a frantic voice called out from the courtyard, “Disaster! The Master has been attacked! Someone’s trying to steal the medicine and has injured him! Quickly, bring reinforcements to assist!”
Ji Yuan’s face twisted instantly, barely able to maintain the appearance of ‘Wang Hanling.’ Dark blood surged beneath his skin, distorting his features into something unrecognizable.
The servant, though, appeared completely oblivious to the dreadful transformation happening before his very eyes. He anxiously turned to Ji Yuan, urging. “Eldest Young Master, someone’s stealing the medicine! What should we do?”
“What should we do?” Ji Yuan repeated; his face contorted into a cruel grin. His voice was hoarse and menacing. “Hahaha…!! If I’d known earlier that Huang Chuan was hiding such a treasure here…!!! But no matter, these things are all mine. Anyone who tries to take them must die!!”
Holding the medicine bottle, Lin Jiu felt a sense of unease creep into her chest, though she couldn’t pinpoint the cause.
Ji Yuan could no longer contain himself. He jumped off the couch, grabbed the rotund-faced youth by the collar, and ordered him to lead the way.
After exchanging a quick, baffled glance, Lin Jiu and Wang Weizhi hurriedly rush after him, leaving the lavishly decorated pavilion.
Stepping outside, they entered a sprawling courtyard, where open corridors intersected beneath intricately carved beams and pillars. Crane-shaped incense burners stood elegantly between the columns, their thick, fragrant smoke curling solemnly into the sky.
The one who brought the news, another young man dressed in a servant’s uniform, rushed in, cursing, “Those scoundrels have no shame! They’re claiming there are children’s bones hidden in the Master’s wagons. What nonsense! They just want to rob the medicine in broad daylight!”
Hearing the words ‘children’s bones,’ Lin Jiu’s heart gave a faint jolt. ‘This scenario… seems to match the original events faced by Liu Qingyin!’
Outside the courtyard lay a wide, stone-paved street lined with bustling shops. Crowds of people moved about in a lively flow.
It wasn’t long before the medicine’s effects began to subside. As the searing pain in their blood returned, Ji Yuan was the first to succumb. He tossed the rotund-faced youth aside, retrieved his bottle, uncorked it, and took another sniff.
“It’s useless now,” he said grimly, his face darkened. “We’ll need a fresh dose.”
The searing pain started to crawl back from the depth of Lin Jiu’s bones, spreading like wildfire and consuming her alive. Her vision blurred faintly with bloodshot as she gazed at the throngs of people on the street. An overwhelming urge for destruction began to bubble up within her, an inexplicable compulsion surging through her blood, resonating with her being, making her fingers tremble as she felt the urge to rip apart the living flesh and cover herself in their fresh blood. Deep down, her instinct told her that giving in to this urge would bring immense relief, that her suffocating chest could finally draw in sweet, fresh air.
She drew in a sharp breath.
Had she never been human, she might have succumbed without hesitation, diving straight into the crowd…
Among them, only Ji Yuan was used to this sensation. He turned back to Lin Jiu and Wang Weizhi, his expression twisted into a malevolent grin. “Enjoy the exquisite feeling of a wolf among sheep, oh noble righteous cultivators!”
Wang Weizhi’s thick brows furrowed, and his fingers trembled slightly as he clutched the sleeve of Lin Jiu’s robe. Gasping for breath, he asked, “Is this truly what it means to be a devil?”
She looked into his eyes. Those narrow, finely shaped eyes, often filled with disdain, scorn, and hostility, now bore a complex and conflicted emotion—something akin to a trace of longing mixed with unspoken sorrow.
Puzzled, Lin Jiu gave him a slight nod. “Yes. And this is still mild. If these people harbored any hostility toward us, I’m sure the murderous intent in our hearts would burn even fiercer. Remember, under no circumstances should you strike back at them.”
“I won’t,” Wang Weizhi said firmly, his pale lips pressed into a tight line.
Lin Jiu glanced at him, surprised to find herself believing him. When he said he wouldn’t, it sounded like an oath he intended to keep.
They walked on in silence until a wagon convoy came into view. The lead carriage lay overturned, surrounded by a dense crowd of people. Several burly men had climbed onto the wagon, wielding iron rods to pry open its tightly sealed cargo hold.
Ji Yuan rudely pushed through the crowd, with Lin Jiu and Wang Weizhi following close behind. At the center of the commotion was an elderly man dressed in a bronze-colored robe, clutching his bleeding forehead as several servants shielded him. Rotten vegetable leaves hung from his shoulders, his disheveled headdress barely holding together as putrid egg whites dripped from his hair.
The townsfolk stood around, hurling curses and screaming bloody murders. The wagon’s seal was tight, but a small crack at the junction of the carriage and the shaft revealed a glimpse of a tiny, pale white bone lodged within. For now, the crowd’s anger was restrained, but if the carriage were fully opened and confirmed to contain the bones of children, the mob would surely tear the convoy apart.
Analyzing the situation, Lin Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. She silently retreated from the throng, scanning the area, and soon spotting her targets: Qin Yunxi and Liu Qingyin. Though their appearances had completely changed, her instincts told her the man was undoubtedly Qin Yunxi. No one else had such a distinctive presence and stare!
The female lead and her ‘senior brother’ sat in a teahouse not far away. Sensing Lin Jiu’s gaze, Qin Yunxi smiled faintly and raised his teacup toward her in a distant toast.
‘It was him!’ Lin Jiu clenched her teeth. That Qin Yunxi would move the bones from beneath the bed was within her prediction, but she hadn’t anticipated how flawlessly he would use them to frame her!
‘Is it truly a coincidence? Or…’
From the window of the teahouse, Liu Qingyin noticed the subtle exchange between Lin Jiu and Qin Yunxi. “Isn’t this a mere illusion? Do you know that woman?” she asked.
Qin Yunxi smiled calmly. “That’s Lin Qiu.”
Liu Qingyin’s expression flickered briefly, and a faint shadow passed over her eyes before she casually replied, “Oh? She doesn’t look like it at all.”
Qin Yunxi explained, “Only members of the same group can see each other’s original appearances. To others, we also appear not as ourselves, but as the identity we are using.”
“Then why did you hide the bones in the wagon?” Liu Qingyin’s beautiful face showed a hint of confusion. “Didn’t you say Lin Qiu never entered the Huang Chuan Secret Realm in her previous life? How do you know that convoy is connected to her?”
Qin Yunxi chuckled softly. “That’s why I brought you to this teahouse.”
He gestured subtly toward the other patrons in the room, sipping lightly before continuing. “This place is perfect for gathering information. The patriarch of the Bai family has been seeking medicine for his three sons and one daughter for the past six months. Today, he finally returned to the city. The ‘three sons and one daughter’ are the key—among the remaining, there are only three women: you, Wang Yanzhi, and Lin Qiu. This strongly suggests that the Bai family’s ‘three sons and one daughter’ are Lin Qiu and three members of the Wang family. When I discovered that the medicine in their carriage could alleviate the pain of devil blood burning through the veins, I was even more certain.”
“And just now, I tested that ‘medicine’ on a group of wandering cultivators who ‘happened to be here.’ It didn’t take much to reveal that they were the other Wang members. I deliberately left clues for them to find, and they’ll soon catch wind of this incident and confront Lin Qiu’s group. Qingyin, I’ve done everything I can to clear your path and help you hold out until the end. I can’t bear to see you die, even if death here is only an illusion.”
Liu Qingyin stared at him for a long moment before lowering her gaze and speaking softly, “You… you’re not like Master. Master wasn’t one to talk so much.”
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