Chapter 55 Feng Zhixiao's Old Wife Makes Her Appearance
After learning the purpose and activation method of the jade ring, Qiao Yanshen finally handed it over to Shen Lixia.
"Li Xia often captures some precious moments."
She looked into those golden, sharp eyes and spoke earnestly.
Such sincerity was irresistible to Shen Lixia, who carefully put it into her storage bag.
After looking around the stall, they found nothing particularly appealing. Looking up, they realized it was getting late, so they decided to stroll around a bit longer before going to find Qin Shiying and returning to the inn together.
A moment later, they reached the other end of the night market. This area was less bustling than the previous streets and more of a dedicated commercial zone, with many shops that operated during the day. Only a few shops remained lit. Qiao Yanshen suddenly felt a familiar presence, both warm and gentle, like fingers probing into the heart of a flame. The sensation wasn't scalding, but rather a deliberately restrained, weak temperature.
She looked towards the source of the aura and saw an invisible spiritual force, like a ribbon, connecting with it and drawing Qiao Yanshen closer.
She secretly made a hand seal, ready to summon Yu Feng at any moment, and whispered, "Someone is watching us. Come with me."
The other two immediately fell silent and followed Qiao Yanshen. Strangely, they didn't sense any fluctuations and could only believe Qiao Yanshen's words. Connecting this to the matter of colluding with demonic cultivators in this place, they prepared for a fierce battle.
Guided by spiritual energy, Qiao Yanshen finally stepped into a shop. The shop was sparsely decorated, with calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, clothes of unknown age carefully protected on display, a few utensils and ancient books in the cabinets, and some things on the table that she could not identify.
There was no signboard outside, but behind the counter inside hung one that read "Fu Hua Xuan" (Floating Splendor Pavilion), inlaid with gold. Below, a woman in a deep red dress sat, reading an ancient book in one hand, while her other hand reached for the unlit incense burner beside the table. Hearing footsteps, she ignored them, her fingers lightly touching the incense, and a flame lit up.
Only then did the woman raise her head, her eyes, unlike those of ordinary people, like the vibrant peach blossoms in full bloom during the height of spring, soft yet passionate. A touch of rouge adorned the corners of her eyes and lips, making her stand out even more brightly against her fair face and dark hair.
"welcome."
The woman smiled, closed the book in her hands, and nodded to them. Qiao Yan knew the aura emanated from her, his brows furrowing slightly as he asked in a deep voice, "Are you a cultivator?"
"I was invited here because the owner of this shop has some business to attend to recently and asked me to look after it. I heard that the city in the South is currently closed, and only those with special documents and invitations are allowed to enter. I wonder which category you three young friends belong to?"
She casually touched a ring on her hand, revealing a cultivation level that none of the three could discern. If she wasn't concealing it with a magical artifact, then she must have at least reached the Golden Core stage.
Simmons quickly replied, "Of course, we were invited. You seem to have intentionally led us here; what is the purpose?"
The woman narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly. "What if I just want to see you all?"
As she spoke, she suddenly stood up. Before Qiao Yanshen could react, a force grabbed her and pulled her over, causing Shen Lixia to stumble and almost knock over several pieces of porcelain on the table next to her.
A hand caressed his cheek, its warmth lingering, gently tracing his features. The woman leaned closer, and in an instant, Qiao Yanshen was only a hair's breadth away from her. If it weren't for the table between them, they would probably be leaning against each other by now.
"Dignified, elegant..." His fingers traced the eyebrows and eyes of the person before him, then touched the tip of the nose. "He has the demeanor of a Sword Master. It's a pity that your cultivation is not high enough. If you go any deeper, you will probably only perish here."
Just as she was about to touch his lips with her fingertips, a hand suddenly appeared between them, pushing her back and protecting Qiao Yanshen, taking several steps back.
Shen Lixia distanced herself from the woman, bringing Qiao Yanshen with her. She released Qiao Yanshen without making a move, but her eyes held a complex mix of emotions, mostly sharp hostility and anger, which made the woman chuckle.
She withdrew her hand, sat back down in her chair, and said lazily, "I was just curious because you two are unfamiliar faces. But I wasn't lying. The deeper we go into the Southern Kingdom, the more dangerous it becomes. We should leave as soon as possible while we're still on the edge of the Three Domains."
To avoid situations where, if circumstances change, it will be difficult to even protect oneself.
She spoke very softly, but Qiao Yanshen heard her. She shook her head, thinking how unfortunate it was; they would probably be involved in this change, and might even have to fuel it.
Shen Lixia and Simmons ignored her advice, and the latter even started looking at the many antiques in the store.
Qiao Yanshen sighed and said, "You are really suspicious, and we can hardly believe the truth in what you said. Moreover, if there is really something strange here, then as cultivators of the sect, we should investigate carefully and not be afraid of evil spirits. The contract formation ceremony is imminent, and since we have been invited, we have the obligation to ensure its smooth progress."
"Alright, alright, since I can't persuade you, I won't say any more."
The incense wafted through the air, and the fine, white smoke, like strands of sugar, drifted out, its sweet aroma making one want to take a deep breath.
After saying this, the woman seemed to remember something and said, "You fellow Daoists are quite admirable in your courage. Many things here are only for display, but since I have already lured you here, it would be a shame to leave empty-handed. So I will give you something."
She raised her hand, and used her spiritual power to collect more than a dozen items, which she then displayed on a small table in the center of the hall.
"Choose one."
"Fellow Daoist is truly generous. May I ask your name?" Upon seeing these antiques, Xi Mengsi couldn't hide her love of money. Although she didn't understand the patterns on the upper parts, she could tell that they were all old items, and the materials were of good quality; any one of them would be worth a high price.
I wonder what this shopkeeper is thinking. He's so unpredictable and has a fiery heat about him. Could he be a fire spirit root cultivator?
She glanced at Shen Lixia without leaving a trace, thinking that the two did indeed have some similarities, even though the boy was crossing his arms and snorting coldly, not hiding his hostility.
"Just call me Spring Sleep."
Hearing this, Shen Lixia blinked and said with a mischievous smile, "Then you and our Fellow Daoist Mengsi are quite a good match, you could be considered destined for each other?"
Chunmian waved her hand and replied, "Fate does not come from fame, nor is it disturbed by anything else. If there is a wish in one's heart, even if we are worlds apart, there will eventually be a time when we are connected."
These words sounded ambiguous, but Shen Lixia didn't understand their meaning. She just took it as a denial, shrugged, and looked at things with Qiao Yanshen.
Simmons felt these items were valuable, but couldn't find anything that truly interested her, so she gave up on choosing. Shen Lixia showed little interest in them, picked up two items, looked at them, and was certain she didn't need any. Only Qiao Yanshen's gaze quickly swept over the items, and finally he reached out and picked one up.
This is a disc-shaped object made of ancient bronze, gleaming with a faint, cold light, unaffected by lamplight, and with a subtle, earthy smell.
When Chunmian saw her pick up the round plate, her eyes widened slightly, as if she was very surprised, and she put down the ancient book she was about to pick up.
Are you taking this with you?
"What, have you changed your mind?" Shen Lixia asked, noticing the strange tone in her voice. "Did you accidentally grab the wrong one and let the treasure slip in?"
Chunmian's serious expression crumbled at her words, and she couldn't help but laugh, saying, "So, in your eyes, I am this kind of person? It's truly heartbreaking. This is not a treasure; in fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it's the most useless thing of all."
She gestured for Qiao Yanshen to bring the disc over and place it on the table in front of her. She touched the center with her fingertip and infused it with spiritual energy, but there was no reaction. Its surface was dull, with a weak cold light, and if you touched it carefully, you could feel dense cracks, as if it had been hit.
"Look, this is not a valuable item. I thought it might be a magical artifact, but I didn't feel any resonance after the spiritual power was injected into it."
Chunmian sighed and patted the round plate again.
"It seems to be just... an ordinary natal chart."
On the edge of the night market, on a deserted street.
The dashing young man, draped in a feather cloak, walked slowly forward, glancing around from time to time with a furrowed brow.
Her boots stomped on the ground, the sound clearly audible. The noise had subsided considerably by this point, emanating from afar behind her.
"So much has changed..."
Qin Shiying sighed softly, stopped, and sat on the steps in front of a house, her gaze fixed on the darkness ahead. The dim light could barely reach them, but fortunately, she was already used to the darkness.
After a moment, she reached into her cloak and pulled out a letter. The letter was yellowed, and the paper bore the marks of repeated handling, the ink slightly roughened by the touch.
Someone in the palace plotted to usurp the throne, even going so far as to let evil spirits in. My mother discovered this too late; she could only hide me. That day, blood flowed like a river in the palace. I hid in a corner, and perhaps by divine intervention, I survived. However, the dynasty crumbled, power shifted, and now countless years have passed. I am under house arrest, and I only hear that they used human sacrifices to appease evil spirits in exchange for immortality—in the past, in the past, it was a means to seize power.
The boy closed his eyes, unconsciously crumpling the letter again, his mind a jumbled mess. So much time had passed; she would never cry again. He didn't know how many twists and turns the letter had gone through to reach her, revealing that astonishing secret.
She couldn't bring herself to talk to Shen Lixia and the others.
Knowing nothing will make it easier to extricate oneself later. Once safely reaching the capital, if the situation turns unfavorable, they can be sent back to the waterside between the two regions, and the accompanying soldiers can be ordered to retreat.
evil spirits...
Qin Shiying put away the letter, pulled his cloak tighter, and got up to return along the way, but heard a soft sound under his feet and couldn't help but look down.
A broken statue came into view. She picked it up and examined it closely. The statue was not the familiar masked woman from her memory, but a man with an exceptionally sinister and unfamiliar face. If there was anything that could overlap with her memory, it was probably only the bright red cinnabar mark between his brows.
She instinctively let go, and the statue fell to the ground with a dull thud. Qin Shiying hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist, and kicked it away forcefully.
The statue rolled a few times and stopped. Qin Shiying, who was about to turn around, paused.
The cold touch pressed against her back, and she froze, immediately afraid to move. Suppressing her momentary panic, she raised her voice and shouted, "Who goes there! I am an official returning home with important business. If I encounter any misfortune, the court will send people to investigate. Please think twice before you act!"
While carefully watching the person behind her, Qin Shiying quietly moved her hands, intending to crush the jade pendant hanging on the bracelet.
The person behind him chuckled, "Next time, find a better excuse."
Oh no, could it be...?
Qin Shiying closed her eyes and hurriedly reached for the jade stone, about to crush it, when suddenly she felt a lightness behind her. The cold object was withdrawn, and instead, a hand was placed on her shoulder, turning her around.
A tall woman looked at her, her black hair tied up high, dressed in green, and sheathed her long sword at her waist.
Seeing the doubt on the young man's face, she withdrew her hand, bowed slightly, and said with a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness. My name is Yue Qifeng. I have been entrusted by the rebels in the country to deliver this letter to you."
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Author's Note: This is a transitional chapter! The southern part is longer than I expected; it will explain some settings and develop the romantic subplot…
I drew some pictures related to the two people on Weibo; you can check them out if you're interested!
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