Chapter 126 Completely Clueless The little maid, seeing no men outside, then…

Seeing that there were no men outside, the young maidservant boldly let them in.

The first courtyard was a nunnery, where several Taoist nuns were indeed performing their evening prayers. Lu Qing glanced around; they were all ordinary people, none of them practitioners.

The maid led them to a side courtyard, which served as the kitchen and chores area. There was a stone table in the courtyard. The maid had just invited them to sit down.

Just then, someone came out of the kitchen.

The maidservant called out, "Third Miss."

Lu Qing turned around and glanced back.

The girl, referred to as the Third Miss, appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years old. She wore a simple cloth dress, the same material as the maid's clothes. Although neat and tidy, she wore no hairpins or jewelry. She had a smiling face and seemed very kind.

"These two are here for a boat trip on the lake, but they're a bit seasick, so they'd like to stay here for the night," the maid explained crisply.

Upon hearing this, the third young lady gave Lu Qing a reassuring smile, "Is that so? Seasickness is no fun. Please wait a moment, I'll go pour you a bowl of plum juice, it'll make you feel better." With that, she actually went into the kitchen herself, poured two bowls, and came out.

Old Black is a doll, so naturally he doesn't eat or drink. So he shook his head and said, "I'm fine, you can drink it all."

Lu Qing glanced at the dark green liquid and said expressionlessly, "Thank you."

The liquid looked unappetizing, but it wasn't too bad to drink. Lu Qing gave Lao Hei a look, and Lao Hei began to probe for information. "Are you also disciples practicing in this temple? Why aren't you doing your evening prayers?"

The maid brought over a bowl of wild vegetables and squatted down to help the third young lady pick them. "No, my young lady is staying here temporarily. She's not a disciple and doesn't have to do homework. We have nothing to do, so we help the nuns with chores."

The third young lady raised her head and said with a smile, "I have no talent for cultivation, so I'm looking for things to do to pass the time. Where did you all come from, and why did you come to the island in the middle of the lake?"

Lu Qing observed her silently for a while, then sighed and said, "We came to Fuxian Lake to look for someone. But we've been searching for so long without finding a single clue, and we're really frustrated. This afternoon, the boat rocked us so much that we felt nauseous and couldn't stand sitting on the boat for even a second longer, so we shamelessly came to bother you."

The third young lady hurriedly said, "The nuns are very kind. Besides, no one usually comes here. I'll talk to the nuns for you in a bit, and they'll definitely agree. It's just that the conditions here are a bit simple, so please don't mind."

Old Hei quickly thanked him with a smile.

The third young lady asked curiously, "Who are you looking for?"

Old Hei then copied the same line that Lu Qing used to fool Fang Lansheng.

The third young lady looked sympathetic. "Your aunt must be heartbroken."

Lu Qing looked gloomy. "Not only is she heartbroken, but I'm also extremely anxious. I just don't know when we'll get any clues."

The four chatted for a while, then the third young lady went into the kitchen with her maid to start a fire and cook. They made a porridge of wild vegetables and grains for dinner. It wasn't particularly delicious, but it was certainly authentic. After dinner, the nuns arranged a side room for Lu Qing and Lao Hei, and they were free to do as they pleased.

After dark, to save on fuel costs, no lights were lit in the temple except for the ever-burning lamp. Everyone went back to their rooms to sleep. The entire temple was dark, blending seamlessly with the trees on the deserted island. It hardly looked like a place where anyone lived.

Lu Qing and Lao Hei landed on the roof of the Third Miss's and the little maid's house.

The two people inside were still awake, lying on the bed talking.

"Miss, do you think the person those two young ladies were looking for today could be you?"

The third young lady turned over in bed without saying a word, but it was clear that she had something on her mind.

"Oh, Miss, I'm serious. That girl today really does look a bit like you. And the fabric she's wearing clearly indicates she's not from an ordinary family..." the maid kept muttering, "...If it really were you, that would be great. It would save us from being stuck on this deserted island like we're in prison."

"Don't talk nonsense. I'm here because the master said I would face a major calamity before I turned twenty, and I must stay far away from the mortal world to have any chance of escaping it. My parents are only doing this for my own good."

"I don't believe it. They're all young ladies of the family. The second young lady is the daughter of the madam, yet she lives a life of luxury in the mansion and acts arrogantly outside. But you, her own daughter, are locked up on this island, doing laundry, cooking, growing vegetables, raising silkworms, and having to do everything yourself."

The third young lady sighed, "Who told me I don't have the talent for cultivation?"

"Is it that they don't have the talent, or that they won't allow it?" the maid muttered. "Some people cultivate for decades and only achieve a little success. Yet they only let a female cultivator teach you for two days, and then said you don't have the talent, and that's it. Miss, really, I just feel like this isn't so simple. You are the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Fang family. The Fang family is a family of cultivators, there's no reason for them to leave you here, ignoring you, as if they're letting you fend for yourself. I never thought about it this way before, but today when I heard that young lady talking about finding her relatives, I just felt... I just felt..." The maid started to say it, but then hesitated to say it directly, "Anyway, something just doesn't feel right."

The third young lady tossed and turned, not making a sound, and couldn't sleep soundly.

Old Hei on the roof gently nudged Lu Qing.

Lu Qing immediately flew away on his sword.

The two returned to the house, and Old Hei clicked his tongue twice. "Tell me, isn't this like finding something you've been searching for but couldn't find, only to have it come to you effortlessly?"

"What?" Lu Qing was lost in her own thoughts and didn't notice her words.

"I say, could this third young lady be the person you're looking for?"

"How so?"

"She said she's the eldest daughter of the Fang family. But what kind of eldest daughter of a cultivation family would be abandoned in such a desolate place? If something happens here, there's no way to even send a message. It seems to me that she's an eyesore to keep here, but I don't dare to deal with her, so I just leave her far away to fend for herself." Old Hei's old tricks for scheming in the inner palace finally had a chance to be used, and he couldn't contain his excitement. "Otherwise, I'll go to the Fang family and inquire for you."

Lu Qing didn't think highly of her. "You?" This girl is more likely to cause trouble than anything else. If she goes, she'll probably just make things worse.

Old Hei could easily see the meaning in her gaze, and he was a little annoyed. "Don't worry, I'll just look and not say anything when I go to the Fang family, is that alright?"

Lu Qing thought for a moment, "Alright, then you go ahead. While you're at it, tell Qi Ying and the others to go back to the ship and rest. I'll go find them myself tomorrow."

Old Hei left overnight.

Lu Qing lay on the bamboo bed, tossing and turning, deep in thought. The woman from Fuxian Lake had died at the hands of the Zou family, yet none of the notes mentioned the whereabouts of her child. Lu Qing guessed that the Zou family likely felt the original mother was useless, so a child with only half her bloodline must be even less so. But since the Fang family had betrayed her, why would they treat her child well? Leaving the child to fend for themselves was already quite generous. If the child truly didn't know her origins, and had married and had children, after all these years, her descendants would likely be no different from ordinary people. If that were the case, Lu Qing could accept it.

But what if the Fang family had some ulterior motives? What would become of her descendants?

Old Hei's words lingered in Lu Qing's mind. If the Fang family dared not or were unwilling to let her child leave, then the Third Miss's situation could indeed be one of the Fang family's methods of dealing with her. But why would she be given the title of legitimate daughter, instead of just any concubine's or maid's daughter? Wouldn't that have been more logical and less conspicuous?

Lu Qing's mind was a jumbled mess of thoughts. After drifting off to sleep, she dreamt of Zou Gaoyang, wearing Zou Buming's face, gripping the Third Miss's neck and snarling, "If I can't drink the blood of the Spirit Fruit, I'll drink the blood of her child. That should have at least half the effect. Drinking it generation after generation will eventually have some effect..."

Lu Qing was startled awake; the sky was already beginning to lighten...

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2020-10-15 21:02:46 and 2020-10-18 11:11:29!

Thank you to the little angel who irrigated with nutrient solution: Liushui Linyin (28 bottles);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!