Broken Linglong (22)

Ye Yingying thought that playing Qin Zhiqing would only require her to stay in bed, pretend to be sick, and not speak for the next few days. However, ever since Qin's mother came once, Ye Yingying has been on guard against her "surprise attack" again.

A woman's intuition can sometimes be terrifyingly strong. Qin's mother always came without warning, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, catching Ye Yingying off guard and even startling Zhi Que. But the two of them managed to fool Qin's mother for two whole days by pretending to be asleep.

"I have a feeling that Madam may have guessed something..." Zhi Que fanned the freshly brewed Chinese medicine with a palm leaf fan, letting the aroma of the medicine fill the entire room.

Ye Yingying, however, was completely unfazed, lying on the bed with her legs crossed, looking quite relaxed: "If she doesn't expose me, I'll pretend I don't know anything."

"That makes sense..." Zhi Que was still a little worried, but since Ye Yingying had said so, she could only let it go.

Ye Yingying has been living a very comfortable life these past two days. Qi Shuojun brought her a lot of fruit and pastries under the guise of visiting her. She pretended to be sick in bed, eating and sleeping every day after waking up, and also meditating and cultivating herself. She was living a very happy life.

Qi Shuojun wanted to suggest giving Ye Yingying some emergency lessons on posture and etiquette, but Ye Yingying resolutely refused. Anyway, with the nanny leading the way, even if she made a fool of herself, it wouldn't be her face that was lost. After all, it was Qin Zhiqing's fault for not coming herself.

It's just a pity that she hasn't been able to see Yun Yanqiu lately; they've only just reconciled...

Thinking of this, Ye Yingying pouted in dissatisfaction. It's all Qin Zhiqing's fault! She didn't know what this young lady was thinking, disappearing at such a crucial moment.

She wondered if Yun Yanqiu and the others had found Qin Zhiqing in the past few days; she thought it was unlikely.

"Miss, Miss!" Zhi Que's shouts brought Ye Yingying back to reality. "Madam is here again!"

"Oh my god!" Ye Yingying jumped up and crawled back under the covers, pretending to be asleep.

Zhi Que hurriedly ran to open the door for Qin's mother and greeted her, saying, "Madam."

Qin's mother was dressed a little differently today. She had applied bright lip rouge, wore a wooden hairpin in her hair, and was holding a makeup box in her hands.

Upon seeing this, Zhique quickly took the box and invited the lady into the house.

As soon as Qin's mother entered the room, she asked, "How is Zhiqing?"

"Reporting to Madam, Miss is still the same."

"Did you take your medicine?"

"It's just cooked, I haven't had time to cook it yet..."

"Then I'll do it."

"Huh?" Zhi Que was taken aback, and Ye Yingying, who was lying on the bed pretending to be asleep, also opened her eyes wide.

Why is Qin's mother so proactive today? Usually, she just asks a couple of questions, takes a look, and then leaves. What's she up to?

"You can wait outside," Qin's mother waved to Zhique.

Zhi Que hesitated, then mustered her courage and asked, "Madam, why don't I do it? So you don't get burned."

"It's alright, let it cool down a bit if it gets hot," Qin's mother refused. "Besides, Zhiqing is getting married tomorrow, and according to the customs of my hometown, I, as her mother, should comb her hair today."

No wonder she brought over a dressing case. Zhi Que didn't dare to say anything now and could only obediently bow and leave the room.

After the door closed, Qin's mother stood there and looked around. Her gaze fell on the bowl of steaming Chinese medicine, but she did not pick it up. Instead, she said, "Miss Ye shouldn't need to drink this medicine, right?"

The figure lying on the bed paused for two seconds, then suddenly sat up, bent his legs, and looked at Qin's mother warily.

"When did you see through it, Madam?"

“She has always respected me and would never use the excuse of being bedridden for several days in a row to brush me off.”

Ye Yingying's lips curled into a smile as she asked, "Since Madam already knew, why didn't you expose me?"

Qin's mother paced around the room, saying as she went, "You are Young Master Qi's friend, and Young Master Qi is Zhiqing's husband. You must have your reasons for doing this. I don't understand, but I'm willing to play along with this charade. It's just..."

She stopped and looked up at Ye Yingying: "The wedding is tomorrow. All the prominent families will be gathered together. Are you going to stand in for my son and go to the wedding ceremony in his place?"

Ye Yingying sensed the anger in Qin's mother's words. She got out of bed, stood up, and bowed respectfully to Qin's mother: "Madam, Miss Qin's whereabouts are currently unknown. We have no choice but to do this."

"What did you say?" Qin's mother suddenly turned pale. "She disappeared? When did this happen?"

"On the day Miss Qin had a high fever..."

Upon hearing this, Qin's mother stared blankly, as if she could see through Ye Yingying's disguised face and see Qin Zhiqing again, who was lying on the bed with a fever and could barely speak that day.

"That child is still..." Qin's mother murmured, but then stopped.

Ye Yingying sensed something and quickly asked, "Madam, do you know something?"

Qin's mother suddenly came to her senses, her face showing hesitation and a hint of evasion.

What's going on? Ye Yingying stared at her like this, becoming even more suspicious, so she asked directly, "Madam, I've heard that Miss Qin used to have a maid named Chi He. Do you know how this maid died?"

Upon hearing the name "Chi He," Qin's mother was shocked and instantly lost her previous haughty demeanor as the matriarch of a noble family. She gripped her sleeves tightly, her expression conflicted, as if she had some unspeakable secret.

Seeing this, Ye Yingying continued to press, "Madam, is the death of this first maid inextricably linked to Miss Qin?"

"Insolence!" Qin's mother suddenly roared, "How dare you speak ill of others!"

"I wouldn't dare." Ye Yingying bowed again, but continued without any shame on her face, "Do you know that since Miss Qin came to Yuancheng, she has been traveling back and forth between the city and the Qi family's ancestral land? I asked her why she did this, and she said it was for someone who died because of her. This person must be Chi He, right?"

Qin's mother remained silent, only biting her lip, frowning, and staring intently at Ye Yingying.

"I'm very curious, what exactly happened between them? Why would Miss Qin risk her life to repeatedly travel back to the ancestral homeland? Isn't she afraid that if the Qi family finds out, her marriage to Young Master Qi will fall through?"

"She..." Qin's mother's eyes narrowed suddenly, as if she was hearing about this for the first time. Her lips trembled slightly, and she asked with a complicated look, "Why did she do this to herself..."

As she spoke, Qin's mother found herself unexpectedly overcome with tears. She could no longer stand and slowly sat down, leaning on the round wooden table in the room. This startled Ye Yingying; she was somewhat flustered, but mostly bewildered.

Qin's mother clearly knew something, but given her current tearful appearance, how could Ye Yingying dare to ask any more questions?

The woman's sobs echoed from inside the room, not loud, but still quite noticeable in the quiet. Ye Yingying was at a loss, and could only watch helplessly as she continued to weep.

After a long while, Qin's mother finally calmed down and looked at the dressing table on the table, feeling saddened.

She stroked the square wooden box, opened the top layer, and gazed at the somewhat faded jewelry inside with a nostalgic expression. After a long while, she finally spoke, "This is a dowry passed down in my family. My mother would give this to her children when they got married. It's been four generations since then..."

“Originally, this should have been passed on to her as well.” As Qin’s mother spoke, she choked up again.

Ye Yingying licked her lips awkwardly and comforted her, "Madam, Miss Qin has just gone missing. We haven't found her yet, but after the wedding, Young Master Qi and we will do our best to find her."

Qin's mother was still staring blankly at the jewelry, unable to hide her sorrow.

"Madam, Miss Qin's experiences before the Gathering of Heroes are a key clue in our search for her. If you really know anything, please tell us so we can find her as soon as possible."

Ye Yingying leaned down and continued to coax her gently. Under her persuasion, Qin's mother raised her head blankly and asked, "In your opinion, how does Young Master Qi treat her?"

“Of course, that’s excellent.” Ye Yingying nodded firmly. “With Young Master Qi around, she won’t be bullied in Yuancheng.”

After listening, Qin's mother fell silent again. She was so sad that she seemed to have exhausted all her strength.

She gently closed her vanity case and then slowly removed the wooden hairpin from her hair. The hairpin was simply designed, with only a pure white six-petaled flower adorning the tip. The flower looked fresh and delicate, as if it had just been picked from a branch.

Qin's mother placed the hairpin next to the dressing case and said to Ye Yingying, "If you can see her again, give these two things to her."

Ye Yingying nodded in agreement, and watching Qin's mother get up from her chair to leave, she couldn't help but ask, "Madam, can't you really tell me something about her?"

Qin's mother frowned, her eyes lowered, her face full of hesitation. After a long while, she finally said to Ye Yingying, "I can only tell you that she stayed in Lizhou for a year. That's all I know..."

After saying this, Qin's mother left, leaving Ye Yingying standing there lost in thought.

Lizhou? Ye Yingying was somewhat dazed. Lizhou was once a prosperous place, home to the Yanqing Sect, the number one weapon-refining sect in the world. However, this sect had made a grave mistake, leading to the rampant spread of monsters in Lizhou.

What the Yanqing Sect is most known for now is its ninety-nine Beast Decrees, issued at great expense to atone for its mistakes. Each decree corresponds to a powerful demonic beast, and whoever kills it will receive a top-grade magical artifact exclusively crafted by the Yanqing Sect. It's important to understand that such magical artifacts were previously reserved for elders within the sect. The fact that the Yanqing Sect is now offering such artifacts as bounties speaks volumes about its predicament and the state of Lizhou…

But Ye Yingying's dazed state was not because of this, but because she suddenly remembered the Ghost Calculator—his residence, Michen Mountain, was also in Lizhou.

Azure Netherfire, Lizhou... A bold guess suddenly surged into Ye Yingying's mind: Could it be that Qin Zhiqing got involved with the Ghost Calculator when she was in Lizhou?

The thought quickly spread through Ye Yingying's mind. Qin Zhiqing was threatened by the Ghost Calculator? What was he threatening her with? The maid's life? No, the maid was already dead, meaning Qin Zhiqing had killed her own maid, and the Ghost Calculator knew about it, so he was using it to blackmail her into working for him?

That makes sense! Qin Zhiqing is a daughter of a prestigious family and holds the title of first place in the Heroes' Gathering. She is incredibly successful in the entire cultivation world. A prominent family like the Qi family would definitely value whether the bride has a clean past. If she has a murder on her hands, they would absolutely not agree to let her into the family.

Qin Zhiqing was afraid of being exposed, so even with a persistent high fever, she risked her life to search for the Azure Nether True Fire in the ancestral land time and time again.

But Qin Zhiqing has disappeared. Aside from the markings on the trees, there's no trace of her in the ancestral land. Was it done by the Ghost Calculator's men? The Ghost Calculator's men…

Ye Yingying's eyes widened in surprise. Could the Ghost Calculator's subordinate be the woman Yun Yanqiu had mentioned earlier—the one she first met at the Zhixian Medical Clinic?