Chapter 191 Achan finally reached out and touched the inner core.

Just after 1 p.m., the warm sunlight shone on the tightly closed door. A snow-white arm groped back and forth on the bed a few times, but found nothing. Only then did the owner of the arm lazily open her eyes.

She was alone in bed, with only a corner of the thin blanket draped over her, and the room was quiet.

She reached for the new clothes folded on the bedside table, stretched her arm slightly, and felt a soft, yielding sensation in her bones.

As she got up and dressed, Achan gritted her teeth looking at the marks all over her body. What was this? She was just sleeping peacefully at home when this disaster struck.

What on earth is wrong with Bai Xiuming?

After thinking for a long time, Ah Chan couldn't figure out what could have upset him, so she simply gave up and dawdled for a while before finally getting herself ready.

She went straight into the shop in front of the backyard. Chen Hui was serving customers who came to buy face powder. Hearing the noise, she turned around and glanced at them.

Achan greeted the familiar-looking guest, then said to Chen Hui, "Hui Niang, I'm going out for dinner."

Chen Hui took out two pieces of loose silver from behind the counter and handed them to her: "Go ahead."

Achan left the shop and strolled slowly along the street.

Across the street, a carriage had been parked there for a long time, and it only started moving when the person inside saw her.

Achan didn't go too far. She stopped in front of a noodle shop on the street corner. The mutton offal noodles there were pretty good, and she would occasionally try something different.

It was past lunchtime, and there were only a few people in the noodle shop. Ah Chan found a seat by the window, ordered a bowl of noodles, and a side dish.

Soon the owner brought the noodles over, and Achan picked up her chopsticks and lowered her head to eat.

Just then, she heard the shop owner's enthusiastic greeting, and it seemed that more customers had come in, but she was too lazy to look up and didn't bother to look.

A moment later, Ah Chan caught a glimpse of a figure walking to the table and sitting down directly opposite her.

She paused, picked up her chopsticks, and looked up to meet a pair of gentle eyes.

Bai Zhanhuang.

"Miss, can we share a table?" he asked.

Achan glanced at the noodle shop with all the empty tables and felt a little sullen. Clearly, this was not a coincidence.

I wonder if he came for Ji Chan's name or for me.

"random."

She gave a curt reply of two words and then continued eating her noodles with her head down, not even glancing at him.

Bai Zhanhuang didn't mind; he just sat opposite Achan and looked at her.

After a while, the shop owner nervously brought over a bowl of noodles, and was about to ask if there were any other instructions when Bai Zhanhuang glanced at him. The shop owner shuddered and quickly retreated.

Bai Zhanhuang didn't touch his chopsticks, but just watched Achan eat. His gaze moved from Achan's fair hands to her small earlobes.

Today, Achan is wearing a pair of ruby ​​peach blossom earrings, which are extremely exquisite and unlike the craftsmanship of ordinary jewelry shops.

Bai Zhanhuang recognized that the craftsmanship originated from the royal family.

He had given her jewelry before, but she accepted it but never wore it.

At that time, he felt that with her looks, she really didn't need any extra jewelry, and assuming she didn't like it, he never gave her any more.

It turns out it wasn't that I disliked it.

Ah Chan ate most of the noodles in her bowl before putting down her chopsticks. She wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, took out a few copper coins from her purse, put them down, and stood up to leave.

Bai Zhanhuang, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Miss, let's talk."

Only then did Achan look at him properly. Their eyes met, separated by an unfamiliar body, but she always felt as if he could see her.

"Should I not know you, young master?"

Bai Zhanhuang smiled and said, "My name is Bai Zhanhuang."

Achan feigned surprise: "So it's the King of the Northern Wilderness. This humble woman greets you."

Bai Zhanhuang gestured for him to sit down: "Please sit down."

Achan sat back down in her chair: "What would Your Highness like to discuss with me?"

"Let's talk about what happened on your estate."

"However, the officials of the Mingjing Division repeatedly warned me that I should not tell anyone about what happened that day." Achan recalled what happened that day. Bai Xiuming could not keep everyone quiet, so it was not surprising that Bai Zhanhuang could find out.

"The young lady is quite obedient. What if I insist on listening to what you have to say?"

"This humble woman would naturally not dare to disobey. Which part would Your Highness like to hear first?" Achan readily agreed.

"Did you witness my mother's death?"

Achan remained unmoved and began to lie through her teeth: "I never saw it. At the time, I was locked in the house."

Bai Zhanhuang suddenly said, "She died a terrible death."

"Your Highness, please accept my condolences."

He stared intently at Achan, unable to discern any extra emotion on her face—no resentment, no pleasure, no panic.

It really was Ah Chan.

"I heard that the kidnappers did not harm the girl that day."

"I was lucky; the officials from the Mingjing Division arrived just in time and saved my life."

"Bai Xiuming from the Mingjing Division...?"

"Yes."

Bai Zhanhuang noticed that when he said the name Bai Xiuming, Achan's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

He looked away from Achan's face.

"Does Your Highness have any further questions? If not, this humble woman should go home now."

"...Take care, young lady."

Achan nodded slightly to him, stood up, and walked out without looking back.

Her figure passed by the window and quickly disappeared from Bai Zhanhuang's sight.

Bai Zhanhuang looked at the bustling street and thought it was alright. They had only known each other for a year, and Achantu was just a passing fancy.

The news that Bai Zhanhuang had visited Achan in Changpingfang reached Bai Xiuming's ears half an hour later.

At that time, Feng Yang was reporting to Bai Xiuming that he had gone to the Lin family and asked them about Master Lü, but Master Lü himself had disappeared without a trace.

Bai Xiuming wasn't surprised by this. No one but Bai Zhanhuang would target the Lin family; he was cautious enough not to leave any evidence easily.

The other party's goal was simply to expose Achan's true identity to him.

"They really haven't given up their evil intentions," Bai Xiuming muttered to himself.

"What?" Feng Yang asked, somewhat puzzled.

Bai Xiuming ignored him and asked, "How did that Taoist priest bewitch the Lin family?"

Feng Yang replied, "The Lin family said that their youngest son and Master Lin had nightmares one after the other, and the dreams were all related to Miss Ji. The Taoist priest was bewitching them and making them believe that Miss Ji's identity was unusual."

"They'll believe whatever others say?"

“The Lin family encountered a demonic calamity on their way back to the capital, and that Taoist priest happened to save them. Therefore, they have great faith in him.” Feng Yang paused and said, “I think that the demonic calamity was probably just a scheme to gain the Lin family’s trust.”

Bai Xiuming remained noncommittal, only instructing, "Search the Lin family thoroughly to make sure there's nothing unclean, and send two more people to keep an eye on them."

"Understood."

Feng Yang accepted the order and left. Not long after, a guard from the Mingjing Division came to report.

"My lord, I discovered that the King of the Northern Wilderness appeared in Changping Ward. When Miss Ji went out for a meal, the King of the Northern Wilderness sat at the same table with her, and the two even exchanged a few words."

This Mingjing Guard was sent by Bai Xiuming to follow Bai Zhanhuang, and his stealth skills were top-notch.

"Understood, keep an eye on things." Bai Xiuming's voice was unreadable, and even after learning that Bai Zhanhuang had gone to see Achan, he didn't reveal any emotion.

He worked in the yamen until late at night, having reviewed all the case files before putting down his pen and leaving the Mingjing Division.

At this moment, Achan had just finished taking a bath.

Today, instead of reading a couple of pages of a storybook before bed as usual, she sat in front of her dressing table, pondering her meeting with Bai Zhanhuang that day.

Bai Zhanhuang's behavior during the day did not dispel Achan's vigilance at all. This person was not the Empress Dowager. If he were so easy to fool, the Northern Wilderness King's sons would not have disappeared one after another.

When this person was in the Northern Wilderness, he always presented himself as approachable and his decrees were mostly beneficial to the people.

But he was indifferent at heart; while he wouldn't treat ordinary people badly, he wasn't truly that kind either.

His attitude towards her today was strange.

Even if this were in the capital, and even if he might know something about his relationship with Bai Xiuming, he wouldn't treat someone who witnessed his mother's death with such gentleness.

Moreover, the questions he asked himself were not very meaningful. If he really wanted to know the details, there should be more detailed records in the government office. Even if the government office did not cooperate, it would not be difficult for him to see them.

Unless his purpose wasn't for the Empress Dowager at all, but rather for himself.

Did Bai Zhanhuang discover her identity?

Achan was still unsure, but her heart was already filled with vigilance.

Bai Zhanhuang was not an easy person to deal with. Unlike the Northern Wilderness King's Consort, he was cautious in everything he did and usually had two Fourth-Rank Guards with him when he went out.

He is deep in thought and has a variety of tricks up his sleeve. At least for now, Achan has not figured out a way to deal with him, unless Bai Xiuming loses his mind and is willing to kill Bai Zhanhuang for her.

That's of course impossible; it's just something Asan is thinking about.

She thought that by staying hidden in the shadows, she would have enough time to come up with a plan, but if her identity were discovered, she wouldn't have much time left.

Faced with absolute power, schemes are useless; she needs to obtain great strength, at least enough to protect herself.

The moment this thought crossed her mind, the inner core hidden within her body seemed to sense what A-Chan was thinking and silently floated in front of her.

In the dimly lit room, the golden inner core seemed to illuminate the entire room.

Achan stared at the inner core. It had been some time since she returned from the wilderness, and a long time since she made the decision to obtain the inner core, but she still hadn't used it.

Why?

Because transformation into a demon is dangerous, and the process of turning from human to demon is fraught with uncertainty, with very few successful cases, she must prioritize her own safety and proceed slowly. Furthermore, she has Hui Niang and friends in the capital, which she cannot ignore; she must arrange everything carefully.

because……

She gave herself too many reasons, but none of them were the most important.

She couldn't deceive herself; what truly made her hesitate was Bai Xiuming.

Once the inner core is successfully used to transform into a demon, the cultivation level will at least recover to its previous level.

Within the Great Xia territory, how could a powerful demon be allowed to roam freely? Once she made her choice, she had to leave this place.

After a long silence, Achan finally reached out and touched the inner core.

With a thought, a wisp of demonic energy leaked from her inner core, coiling around her hand and slowly seeping into her body along her fingertips.

It was just a faint wisp of demonic energy, yet Achan's body was strongly rejecting it.

It wasn't just because of the difference in race, making it impossible to contain demonic power, but also because of the uncertainty in her heart.

Achan's entire attention was focused on the inner core, and she didn't notice that the door behind her had opened silently.