After hearing her words, Qi Rong finally understood why she hated the Ding family. Her eyes kept lingering between her and Yuan Xiu, and she said half-jokingly, "I don't know what you two are being so awkward about. You both clearly care about each other, but you just won't admit it."
Upon hearing this, Miao'er lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, and she kicked her feet, shyly saying, "Senior Brother~"
Yuan Xiu stood to the side with a blank expression, but upon closer inspection, his expression was somewhat stiff, and his fingertips were curled up, as if he felt embarrassed that his thoughts had been seen through.
...
Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Even the Great War of the Three Realms couldn't stop people's gossipy nature. In just one afternoon, the news of the Ding family spread throughout the entire Luochuan City.
Li Jiang and Mu Dong even made a special trip to Qi Rong's residence to inquire about this matter from Qing He.
At that moment, Qinghe was in the beautiful room that Qi Rong had meticulously arranged for her, lying on a chaise lounge covered with white velvet, leisurely reading a novel circulating in the market. The writing was witty and humorous, and Qinghe was reading it with great interest.
When Li Jiang and Mu Dong entered, they were almost blinded by the gold, silver, and bronze wares displayed in the room. The scent of incense wafted through the air, calming and soothing, a world apart from the bustling activity outside.
Mu Dong curled her lips: "It's all in an uproar outside, rumors are flying everywhere, and you're here having a good time."
Qinghe's gaze remained fixed on the pages of the book as he lazily said, "This is called 'ignoring everything outside the window and focusing solely on studying the classics.'"
Mu Dong glanced at the notebook in her hand: "A few things about gods and demons and me—is this the book of sages you mentioned?"
Qinghe put down his notebook and changed the subject, saying, "It's nothing more than spreading rumors about the fake divine pearl and Ding Zhaoshan going mad from cultivation."
Li Jiang settled down and said, "You were there that day too. Was Ding Zhaoshan truly possessed by a demonic possession?"
Qinghe countered, "Why do you say that?"
Li Jiang said solemnly, "The power of the divine pearl contains the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Its spiritual energy is the most orthodox. How could it possibly go astray?" She tapped the table lightly with her finger, "Unless the power of the fake divine pearl is impure and clashes with the spiritual energy cultivated through the orthodox path."
Upon hearing this, Qinghe sat up slightly: "You mean, the demons are involved in this matter."
Li Jiang: "I'm afraid so."
Qinghe suddenly remembered that fiery eye and couldn't help but wonder if it came from the demon race.
"By the way, where's Lingyin?" Qinghe asked, as if he hadn't seen the female lead in a long time.
Mu Dong leaned over and told her, "Junior Sister Lingyin is with Mo Junqian. Judging from the way she looks at Junqian, she probably likes him."
Qinghe simply said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.
Mu Dong observed her expression and, seeing that she showed no other emotion and continued reading leisurely, couldn't help but ask, "Don't you want to say anything?"
Qinghe didn't look up, her eyes lowered, making it impossible to read her emotions. "What did you say?"
Mu Dong paused and said, "You know perfectly well in your heart that the person Mo Junqian likes is..."
Qinghe suddenly stood up, interrupting him. She looked outside, stretched, and said, "The weather is so nice today, it would be a shame not to go out for a stroll." With that, she got off the chaise lounge, straightened her clothes, and went out.
Inside the room, Mu Dong and Li Jiang looked at each other for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.
...
In just two days after the Pearl Appreciation Ceremony ended, the rumors about the Divine Pearl and the Ding family became a popular topic of conversation. Some people gloated, some were worried about nothing, but most were indifferent bystanders who didn't care.
In this incident, Qinghe deeply realized that the power of public opinion should never be underestimated; sometimes, even a straw can break the camel's back.
During a meal at a restaurant, Qinghe learned from other diners that the Ding family had suffered a severe blow. Ding Zhaoshan was still unconscious, and the salt transport business had also been affected. The burden had fallen entirely on Ding Mengchao's shoulders. He heard that Ding Mengchao had taken a long leave from Yujing Villa to take care of his father and handle business matters at home.
As the saying goes, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Even though the Ding family has fallen into such a predicament, their status in the martial arts world should not be underestimated. As soon as they heard that the Ding family was in trouble, their former business partners and friends rushed to send them the best medicines and emergency funds, which helped them barely get through the crisis.
This is the power of connections.
Qinghe picked up the tea on the table, about to drink it, when he suddenly heard another piece of news.
"Have you heard? Ever since the fake Divine Pearl was seen at the Pearl Appreciation Festival, some people have been saying that the real Fire Pearl is in Crane Village."
"Really? You believe this kind of rumor?"
"Hey, don't be so skeptical. Sometimes insider information is more accurate. How about we go check it out?"
"Crane Village? Is it far from here?"
"It's not far, just behind Moon Mountain, very close..."
The sound grew fainter and fainter. Qinghe watched as a large group of people, drawn by the gossip, left the restaurant and headed straight for Crane Village.
She looked at Qi Rong, who had come to have tea with her, and said, "There are so many rumors in Luochuan City. I can't help but suspect that someone is behind all of this."
Qi Rong looked up at her, neither confirming nor denying it.
Qinghe thought for a moment, "It can't be the Fire Eye, can it?"
Qi Rong poured her some tea. "It's possible."
Qinghe propped his head up and asked, "But why does it attract so many cultivators to Crane Village?"
She watched Qi Rong's movements. With her slender hands, she held the teapot, pouring water into the teacup, stirring up the tea leaves at the bottom. The tea leaves tumbled, and a delicate fragrance wafted into her nostrils.
Her thoughts were twisted together like a pretzel. Qinghe felt that something was wrong. After thinking for a long time, she finally grasped a point. She suddenly slammed her hand on the table and said, "Fire Spirit Root, it must be for the Fire Spirit Root."
Qi Rong's expression remained unchanged, as if she had already guessed it.
Qinghe frowned: "You knew all along?"
Qi Rong said softly, "Actually, I had guessed before that Fire Eye was behind all of this. I thought it created a fake divine pearl to attract our attention and then take the opportunity to escape. Now it seems that it is much bolder than I thought."
Regardless of the facts, the villagers of Xianhe Village are innocent and should not have suffered this calamity.
Qinghe didn't delay any longer and followed Qirong to Crane Village. On the way, he notified Li Jiang and the others, hoping they could catch up.
Crane Village remained as peaceful as ever, and from the outside, there was nothing suspicious about it.
There were still many people coming and going. Some came to offer incense at the Crane Temple, while others came because of the rumors about the divine pearl. The diners who had been whispering in the restaurant earlier were also among them.
As Qinghe stepped inside, he keenly sensed something different. Upon closer inspection, he noticed it was the faces.
"Don't you think their complexions are sallow and bluish, as if their yang energy has been drained?"
Qi Rong nodded, then casually grabbed a child playing in the street, squatted down, and whispered, "Little friend, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
When the child saw that it was a handsome older brother, he immediately beamed and said, "No, I'm fine. My mother makes me lots of delicious food every day and takes me to the Crane Shrine to burn incense and pray for my safety."
Qi Rong smiled, ruffled his hair, and let him go play.
He stood up and said, "It seems the problem still lies with the Crane Shrine."
Qinghe nodded in agreement, but then suddenly felt something was off. "Why did you say 'or'? Did you go to the Crane Shrine before?"
Under Qinghe's suspicious gaze, Qi Rong calmly said, "Didn't you get injured at the Crane Shrine before? Li Jiang told me everything."
Qinghe thought about it and agreed, so he stopped thinking about it.
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