Chapter 66 Is the jade pendant yours? Acting

Mingjian woke up very early and, lying in bed, began to worry about how to complete that ridiculous substitute bride mission.

The first step, naturally, is to obtain Xie Linzhao's jade pendant.

When the jade pendant was mentioned, Mingjian suddenly paused, as he remembered something.

Previously, in the merman ruins, in order to feed Xie Linzhao the fake death pill, he deliberately pretended to humiliate the other party, and it seems that he did indeed casually pull a jade pendant off Xie Linzhao's waist?

Mingjian was speechless.

He tried hard to recall, but he couldn't remember why he hadn't returned the jade pendant to Xie Linzhao.

So this was all planned out for him! This lousy plot even prepared the tools for his crime in advance, didn't it?

Mingjian twitched the corner of his mouth, resignedly sat up, and began rummaging through his Qiankun bag.

He rummaged around in a corner of a pile of miscellaneous spirit stones and pills for a long time until his fingertips finally touched a warm, smooth object.

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a jade pendant. Its color was lustrous, and it was carved with exquisite mermaid patterns.

Mingjian: "..."

All the tools for the crime were prepared for him.

Fine, now I'm really forced into this situation; I have no choice but to do it, whether I want to or not.

He certainly didn't intend to openly display the jade pendant now; he needed to find a suitable opportunity to let Yun Hanyi see it "inadvertently."

First of all, he still had to change his clothes. He had to change into clothes that were similar in color to Xie Linzhao's, otherwise it would be difficult to fool him.

Fortunately, Mingjian and Xie Linzhao were not much different in height. He quickly changed out of the iconic moon-white sect robe of Jianming Immortal Mountain and put on a black and red outfit with a slightly sharp style.

She then tied her hair up in a high ponytail. Looking at herself in the water mirror, she realized that it did indeed resemble Xie Linzhao's usual style.

When he walked into the main hall in this outfit, the people who were having breakfast saw his completely different attire and their eyes flashed with surprise, followed by undisguised amazement.

Xie Linzhao frowned almost imperceptibly when he saw Mingjian's clothes.

Gu Zhi looked as if he had seen a ghost. He stared wide-eyed at Ming Jian, then turned to look at the silent Xie Linzhao beside him. He then leaned close to Ming Jian, lowered his voice, and asked incredulously, "Ming Jian! Why are you suddenly dressing like Xie Linzhao?"

Mingjian pretended to just realize it, and put on a look of sudden realization, "Oh? Really? I didn't even notice until you said so."

He then smiled apologetically at Xie Linzhao and the others, explaining, "Senior Brother Xie, I'm sorry, I accidentally got my sect robes dirty, so this is the only one I have to wear for now. You don't mind, do you?"

Xie Linzhao's gaze lingered on him for a moment, but he ultimately shook his head, indicating that he didn't mind.

Mingjian's face immediately broke into a bright smile, "That's good!"

They had already lingered long enough in Qiyun Town, and although they hadn't managed to catch the evil creature that was stealing the livestock, they couldn't stay any longer.

After bidding farewell to Li Huan and the other townspeople, Song Heyu reassured them, "Although we failed to capture that evil creature, we will set up a protective formation for the town before we leave, so please rest assured. This formation was jointly set up by my Jianming Immortal Mountain and the Hehuan Sect, and its power is considerable. I believe that evil creature will not dare to invade again."

Li Huan and the others expressed their deepest gratitude.

After setting up the barrier, Mingjian and his group left Qiyun Town.

Xiao Bumian has not returned.

The group from Jianming Immortal Mountain seemed to have long been accustomed to his elusive nature and didn't ask any further questions. Yun Hanyi, however, noticed that one person was missing and asked softly, "Where is the young master Xie who boarded the cloud boat later?"

Song Heyu explained gently, "Miss Yun will get used to it. Junior Brother Xie often does this."

Yun Hanyi nodded knowingly and didn't ask any further questions.

After the group boarded the cloud boat and left Qiyun Town, they headed towards the Hehuan Sect.

As night falls, the bright moon gradually climbs into the night sky, its cool light spilling onto the calm sea, creating a shimmering, silvery glow.

The cloud boat silently approached the Qiyun Town dock once again.

Mingjian was the first to leap off the cloud boat. Following behind him, Gu Zhi, Song Heyu, and the others, carrying their swords, disembarked one by one, their expressions wary.

On the contrary, the female disciples of the Hehuan Sect were somewhat bewildered.

Wangyou couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Didn't we say we were going to return to Huanzong? How did we end up back here again?"

Song Heyu smiled, and just as he was about to explain, he heard Yun Hanyi's soft yet clear voice answer for them: "It seems that Young Master Song and the others believe that if we stay in the town, the evil creature will not dare to show itself. Only if we pretend to leave, making it think that the danger has been eliminated, will it lower its guard and come out to act again."

Gu Zhi immediately nodded vigorously, praising without reservation, "Miss Yun is indeed intelligent; what you say is absolutely right!"

Wangyou and the other disciples of the Hehuan Sect suddenly realized what was going on and nodded thoughtfully.

Shi Lian added from the side, "I didn't tell you all this before because I was worried that the evil thing might hear us. I hope Miss Yun won't misunderstand."

In fact, they hadn't discussed this plan with each other, but when Mingjian said those comforting words to Li Huan and secretly set up a barrier with a flaw, they tacitly reached this understanding.

Mingjian pointed his sword at a corner of the barrier and said, "When I set up the formation, I deliberately weakened the defenses here. If that evil thing is hiding outside the town and wants to sneak in, this place should be the first choice."

“But now it seems there are no signs of trespassing here.” He glanced at the desolate town. “This means that the thing may have been hiding inside Qiyun Town all along.”

"I don't know why, but I have a bad feeling about this." Gu Zhi said, holding his sword and looking around at the increasingly dark night.

"Let's go in first and talk about it later." As the team leader, Song Heyu made a decisive move and took the lead in stepping into the barrier.

The others followed closely behind and re-entered the eerie town.

The town of Qiyun was even more desolate at night than during the day. In addition to the familiar fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, there was also a faint, almost imperceptible smell of blood in the air.

The streets were deserted, with only their footsteps echoing in the emptiness.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Song Heyu, who was walking at the front, suddenly raised her hand, signaling everyone to stop.

"Did you hear anything?" he asked in a low voice, his brow furrowed.

The group quieted down.

At this moment, in the absolute silence, a faint but clear rustling sound intermittently reached everyone's ears.

The sound was sticky and eerie, as if something was carrying out some unsettling activity in the darkness.

"Crunch—crunch—"

Time seemed to stretch out.

Wangyou suddenly said with a hint of fear, "It seems to be coming from over there."

Her Adam's apple bobbed, her body trembled slightly, and she asked, "Didn't you think it sounded like chewing?"

Gu Zhi hadn't thought much of it at first, but after Wang You described it that way, and considering the eerie and terrifying environment, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He forced a smile and retorted, "You...you must have misheard! It must be the sound of the wind blowing something..."

"Then go and take a look." Wangyou pushed Guzhi forward a little.

Guzhi: "..."

Gu Zhi silently walked behind Song Heyu and said, "Senior Brother Song, it's up to you."

Song Heyu sighed helplessly, but still gripped her sword tightly and walked towards the direction of the sound with Shi Lian and Xie Linzhao.

Their figures quickly disappeared into the shadows at the alley entrance.

Time passed second by second, but no more sounds of fighting or conversation came from the depths of the alley. Only the eerie rustling sound seemed to continue faintly.

Gu Zhi, who remained where he was, began to have doubts. He gripped Ming Jian's arm tightly, his voice trembling, "Ming Jian, do you think Song Heyu and the others were eaten too?"

Seeing that he was being dragged along and unable to move, Ming's steps, which originally wanted to follow and check, were forcibly stopped, and she only managed to move forward a short distance after a long time.

Mingjian: "..."

“So let’s go take a look,” Mingjian said.

“If Song Heyu and the others can’t beat them, wouldn’t the two of us just be throwing our lives away?” Gu Zhi shook her head like a rattle drum. “No, no, absolutely not!”

The two remained silent for a moment. Gu Zhi took a few deep breaths, as if to bolster her courage, "Fine, if Song Heyu really dies, there will be no one to eat with me on Guiyi Peak anymore. I still have to go see him."

After saying that, Gu Zhi released Ming Jian's arm, picked up his sword, and with a look of fearlessness, closed his eyes and rushed into the alley in one go.

Only Mingjian and a few female disciples of the Hehuan Sect remained on the spot.

Mingjian originally intended to leave, but then he paused, pretending to be very "casual," and slipped the mermaid jade pendant from his clothes.

With a soft "thud," it fell onto the bluestone pavement behind them.

He pretended not to notice and continued walking a few steps forward.

Sure enough, Yun Hanyi's soft and melodious voice came from behind, "Young Master Ming, please wait. You've dropped something."

Seeing the puzzled look, Ming turned his head and, after seeing the jade pendant in Yun Hanyi's hand, said, "Thank you, Miss Yun."

He took it from Yun Hanyi's hands.

Yun Hanyi looked at his eyebrows and eyes, but the moment Mingjian took it, Yun Hanyi's gaze was fixed on Mingjian's face, especially between his eyebrows and eyes.

Just as Mingjian's fingers were about to touch the jade pendant, she suddenly asked, "Young Master Ming, is this jade pendant yours?"

Ming remained calm on the surface and said frankly, "It's mine, so what?"

Yun Hanyi's eyes changed subtly in an instant, and her face flushed with an unreadable blush. Just as she was about to say something, Gu Zhi's scream suddenly rang out in the air.

"Aaaaaaahh ...

Gu Zhi's heart-wrenching scream shattered the silence of the night and completely interrupted Yun Hanyi's words.

Mingjian: "..."

He wanted to beat up Gu Zhi.

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Author's Note: Just following the plot [poor thing]