Chapter 72: Questioning the Truth, It's Closer Than You Think.
The familiar face didn't particularly shock Shen Mi. Her expression remained calm, with no obvious panic in her eyes. Perhaps she had already prepared herself mentally before the event occurred, and this was merely the confirmation of her suspicions.
What she really found puzzling was Bai Qi's motives.
She stared silently at that fair and delicate face, a thought flashing through her mind: Did Bai Qi really harbor such deep malice towards her that she would be willing to take such a risk to do something like this?
Bai Qi, standing outside the window, seemed to notice her gaze, but never looked back, as if she were avoiding something. She simply placed the bowl of rice back on the window and said in a gentle tone, "Eat it while it's hot."
Shen Mi stared at the bowl of rice, dragging the heavy iron chain step by step towards the window. As she crouched down, a hint of emotion finally surfaced in her eyes. She raised her head, gazing intently at Bai Qi's profile, and suddenly asked softly, "When can I leave?"
His tone was unhurried, as if asking about the afternoon weather, as if he knew the outcome with certainty. But the moment those words fell in the empty room, they were like a pebble dropped into stagnant water, creating ripples that were far from insignificant.
This seemingly calm question startled both people in the room.
Not only Bai Qi, but also Ren, who was curled up against the corner of the wall, slowly raised his head and listened carefully to their conversation.
Unfortunately, Shen Mi had his back to him at the moment and could not see his movements.
Bai Qi glanced in the direction of the blade, then suddenly laughed: "Why do you think I'll let you go? Or rather, why do you think you can leave alive?"
Shen Mi did not respond, but his eyes suddenly brightened as he looked at Bai Qi and silently replied in his mind.
Because I have the protagonist's halo.
Bai Qi, however, did not notice Shen Mi's subtle change. Her gaze remained fixed on the person leaning against the corner of the wall, the one who was the most dangerous person there.
However, Bai Qi was unaware of the relationship between Shen Mi and Ren. For her, the danger of keeping a powerless immortal short-lived creature and someone who had been trapped in the demonic body for hundreds of years together was self-evident. Anyone with even a little knowledge of the demonic body could sense the danger of being in such a situation.
The man whose very breath exuded death was once the most dazzling craftsman on the Immortal Ship.
What she didn't know was that those bloodshot eyes, brimming with destruction and slaughter, had once briefly gazed upon a short-lived creature lost in an illusion on another afternoon.
What she didn't know was that in this world, for some madmen, the only thing that can calm them down is not chains or suppression, but the gentle memories that are triggered little by little.
Putting aside the danger he was in, Uncle Bai Xuan had spent a lot of effort just to capture him, planning for a hundred years just to wipe them both out in one fell swoop. And now, he needed to use Shen Mi to lure out another person.
Let her stay here for now.
Bai Qi said nothing more and gently closed the small window.
Shen Mi stared at the bowl of rice, not touching it for a long time.
The rice was still steaming, its heat seeming particularly striking in the cold, damp environment. Yet, this warmth couldn't reach her heart. Her fingertips remained pressed against the cold ground, her palms damp with a fine layer of sweat. Though she wasn't moving, it felt as if she had endured a long and protracted standoff.
She didn't speak, but sat quietly thinking, as silent as a stone, her breathing so light it was almost inaudible.
Dim light shone through a crack in the corner of the wall, obscuring the entire room. Dust seemed to float in the air, weighing heavily on every thought.
In the midst of this silence, an utterly absurd idea suddenly popped into her head.
—Do you think Master Bai Xuan knows what Bai Qi has done?
Would that usually calm, reliable elder, who always values rationality and principles, really allow his adopted daughter to do such a thing?
Shen Mi suddenly remembered the death notice he had seen in the Shence Mansion, which was classified as a confidential document—
Although she didn't know the specific contents of the classified documents, as someone who came from the real world into the game world with a god-like perspective, she could determine what had happened based on the year the event occurred.
Shen Mi closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if trying to shake off the unacceptable speculations in her mind.
But the more she tried to distance herself, the more chills ran down her spine.
What's missing now is evidence to support her hypothesis.
She once trusted Bai Xuan completely. This trust extended beyond the most basic bond between master and disciple; it also extended to Jing Yuan…
But now... she's really not sure anymore.
Shen Mi slowly raised his head, his gaze falling on the bowl of rice that had begun to cool. The aroma of the rice was still there, but it was mixed with the smells of rust, damp grass, and decay, making it impossible to swallow a single bite.
If what she thinks is true, then Jingyuan will have one less friend or relative by his side.
Although she didn't have anything to say, the person sitting or lying somewhere in the corner overheard most of the conversation between Shen Mi and Bai Qi.
Ren slowly opened his eyes—of course, it couldn't really be called "opening his eyes" anymore; his blood-stained eye sockets looked like dried-up pools of blood, and he stared blankly in her direction for a moment. His hearing was extremely sharp; during the time that Shen Mi was deep in thought, he didn't make a sound, but he never truly "slept."
His voice was low and hoarse, as if grit was rubbing against his throat: "You two know each other?"
Shen Mi nodded slightly. A brief silence fell over the air. After more than ten seconds, Ren still did not speak.
She turned her head to look and realized that his empty, bloodshot eyes couldn't see her movements at all, so she added, "I know him... but I wouldn't say we're close."
Ren chuckled softly, a smile that, though hidden beneath his scarred face, was more chilling than a sob. He turned his head slightly, his tone unhurried yet carrying a chill that seemed to creep up from his feet: "Little girl, aren't you a water carrier from Suiyuan? How do you know the flying family of Xianzhou?"
Shen Mi was speechless for a moment, his throat felt blocked, and even his breathing became unnatural.
She knew, of course, that her identity in Suiyuan was nothing but a disguise, but hearing it pointed out by Ren still gave her the illusion that a sharp blade had pierced through her disguise. Not to mention, Ren's phrase "flying family" directly pointed to Bai Qi's identity.
A family of pilots? Shen Mi chewed on these words, as if he had seen them in some text of Beng Tie.
However, the current situation did not allow her to think too much. Shen Mi originally thought that Ren would not notice such details in his seriously injured state, but he was indeed very perceptive, which also included her wishful thinking.
"...I'm sorry, the identity of the water carrier was a lie. I'm actually just an ordinary person from the Immortal Boat. I only entered Suiyuan to find someone." She replied softly, her eyes flickering slightly, not daring to look into his eyes that seemed to see through everything.
If I don't tell the truth now, and someone exposes me, not to mention the strategy, I might not even be able to save my own life. After all, who would let a liar stay by their side when they are seriously injured?
However, if it's a mix of truth and falsehood, it might be possible to get away with it.
Shen Mi lowered his head, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if trying to gain some trust for himself: "I am indeed a person from the Immortal Ship, but I have no background, am not from a noble family, and am a short-lived species. The reason I know Bai Qi is because I studied at the Star Chariot Driving Academy opened by the Bai family."
Ren's voice rang out in a low tone, revealing neither joy nor anger, but carrying an unfathomable chill: "If your identity is really as simple as you say... then why did you, an ordinary civilian from the Immortal Ship, have been captured and imprisoned here with a vicious madman like me?"
He slowly sat up, the crimson bloodstains in his eyes still slowly seeping out, like obsession flowing from a wound. His tone wasn't loud, but it was like a rusty knife slowly pulling at Chen Mi's ear, carrying both questions and probing.
Chen Mi's heart suddenly tightened.
She knew he wasn't just asking a casual question, but was peeling back the layers to find out how much she was hiding. Despite his injuries, he still maintained a clear judgment and was alarmed by the situation—he could sense something was wrong even from the slightest hint of ambiguity in her words.
Shen Mi knew that there was no time for ambiguity. If they continued to conceal the truth, it wouldn't just be a matter of trust, but a matter of survival.
She took a deep breath, looked up at those eyes that were still sharp as blades even though they were injured, and spoke in a steady but no longer roundabout way: "Because I am also an employee of the Shence Mansion, and a direct subordinate of General Shence. Bai Qi and I are rivals in love."
I'm sorry, Jingyuan. If I don't get you out of here soon, I'm afraid I'll kick the bucket.
After hearing Shen Mi's words, Ren did not respond immediately, but tilted his head slightly, as if trying to discern the truth or falsehood in her words.
Those bloodied and mangled eyes, still terrifying, seemed to see right through people's hearts. Shen Mi suppressed the urge to meet their gaze, but his heart was pounding, and even his palms were sweating.
After a long while, he let out a soft "chuckle," a strange smile curving his lips: "General Shence's direct subordinate? You?"
His tone was as if he was laughing at her, or as if he was pondering the information.
"It seems that over the past few hundred years... Jingyuan has lived a more comfortable life than his old friends..."
After he finished speaking, he sneered, as if responding to Shen Mi's words with an instinctive mockery, but he did not question further, nor did he show much hostility. He simply leaned against the cold stone wall, staring blankly at a certain spot.
“Jingyuan…”
His voice was low and hoarse, like sand being squeezed out from the depths of his throat. The name had just been uttered when the words suddenly stopped at the tip of his tongue, lingering in the air for three seconds before he finally swallowed them back.
Ren closed his eyes briefly, leaning his head against the wall, the withered black blood still slowly seeping from between his empty eye sockets. He didn't wipe it away, but simply leaned against the wall quietly, like a statue weathered by time, feeling no pain whatsoever.
Ren leaned his head against the wall, feeling that there was no point in asking any more questions now. They were no longer the friends they used to be, and no one could go back to the way things were.
Fortunately, Ren put away his hostility, which was obviously due to the "love rival relationship" that Shen Mi mentioned. He managed to get through this hurdle for the time being.
Just as Shen Mi breathed a sigh of relief and was about to relax his tense nerves, the sound of a blade pierced the silence again, cold and heavy, like a sword dug from an extremely cold place, instantly bringing the temperature in the room to freezing point.
"Since you are working in the Shence Prefecture... do you know anything about the sinner Yin Yue?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: July 22nd Update: Oh my god! Oh my god!!! I posted the wrong chapter!!! I put the content of chapter 73 in chapter 72!!!
Thank you so much to my number one fan! Gan Tang!!! [Kiss][Kiss][Kiss]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
