Breaking the exquisite (1)
"I knew Ying'er was lost." Han Chengjin raised his chin smugly. His complexion was much better than when Ye Yingying saw him last night. He didn't look like someone who had just come back from the brink of death.
"What are you doing here?..." Ye Yingying was a little confused. How did they know she would be here?
Han Chengyu explained, "When we saw Senior Yun coming alone, we thought you might have fallen behind and gotten lost, so we asked the servants, and they said they saw you walking towards the door."
Ye Yingying nodded blankly, then shifted her gaze to Yun Yanqiu beside her. Their eyes met, and Yun Yanqiu's cold expression softened slightly. He said sullenly, "I thought you had caught up."
Yun Yanqiu was furious at the time and just kept rushing forward, unaware that Ye Yingying was still behind him, stunned by his words. When he calmed down and turned around, he realized that Ye Yingying was nowhere to be seen. Just as he was about to go back to look for her, he ran into the two Han brothers. The three of them then began searching for Ye Yingying together.
"I was spacing out and didn't notice for a moment." Ye Yingying awkwardly tidied the stray hairs at her temples, then suddenly remembered Liao Heng's request, so she said seriously, "Just now, a man named Liao Heng came looking for someone, saying he wanted to invite Yao Yao to watch next year's Heroes' Gathering."
"Liao Heng?" Han Chengjin crossed his arms in front of him, adopting a defensive stance. "Why does that name sound so familiar?"
"It's a rogue cultivator that Yao Yao met at Lin Fang's residence," Ye Yingying reminded her. "However, it's not convenient for Senior Yun and me to pass on the message. You two can handle it yourselves."
Ye Yingying handed the matter over to Han Chengjin, who became so nervous that he stammered, "What... what can I do? I can't see her either."
"How could that be?" Ye Yingying exclaimed in surprise, then teased Han Chengjin, "If you want to see her, you definitely can. Aren't you two 'in sync'?"
Han Chengjin couldn't resist being teased, and his fair face flushed red in an instant. Ye Yingying was quite pleased with his reaction and couldn't help but laugh out loud. In that instant, she felt a cool gaze fixed on her, and she couldn't help but shiver. She glanced nervously at Yun Yanqiu and found that the gaze was coming from him.
What's going on? Ye Yingying felt guilty under Yun Yanqiu's gaze and unconsciously avoided his eyes.
"Alright, we'll handle this later. But since you two are leaving soon, I've had some small gifts prepared as a token of our appreciation." Han Chengyu said, waving his hand to have Azhuo bring over a wooden box about the size of two hands. "Inside is a high-grade spiritual pill. Miss Ying'er's cultivation is still shallow, so I think you might find it useful."
Ye Yingying took the box and opened it. A round, light blue pill was nestled in the silky soft cloth. Judging from its color, it was indeed a good pill. If it were sold on the market, it would be worth at least ten thousand taels of gold. Han Chengyu was quite generous.
"Thank you very much then." Ye Yingying closed the box and bowed to Han Chengyu with a smile.
"It would be great if I could lend you a hand in your cultivation," Han Chengyu replied. "I apologize for the poor hospitality these past few days. Please come to the Secret Sea often in the future, and I will make up for it."
Han Chengjin followed suit, saying to Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu, "I haven't asked you two where you're going yet. I'll arrange a carriage for you and take you directly to the post station!"
“Let’s go to Jinzhou,” Yun Yanqiu said decisively.
Upon hearing this word, Han Chengyu's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Are you two going to Yuancheng?"
Ye Yingying had no idea what Yun Yanqiu was thinking. She silently looked at Yun Yanqiu, only to see him calmly nod and say, "Exactly."
The names Jinzhou and Yuancheng, when linked together, inevitably reminded Ye Yingying of a renowned family—the Qi family of Jinzhou. The Qi family rose to prominence through sword forging and later expanded into commerce, becoming incredibly wealthy in her previous life. The family head at the time was even rumored to have spent vast sums of money to win the favor of a beautiful woman. In terms of wealth, no family in the entire Jinzhou could rival them.
Why go to Jinzhou Yuancheng? Ye Yingying pondered, then suddenly remembered that when she was chatting with Zhao Yuxiao in Zhixian, he seemed to have mentioned going to Jinzhou as well.
"I heard that the young master of the Qi family is getting married soon. Are you two planning to attend the ceremony?" Han Chengyu asked.
Ye Yingying was shocked to see Yun Yanqiu nod. A wedding? What wedding? Yun Yanqiu was going to drag her to a wedding?
"The Qi family and the Lingyun Alliance have been on good terms for generations. I have been entrusted by the young master to go and celebrate with them."
The young master Yun Yanqiu was referring to was naturally Zhao Yuxiao.
"In that case, would you two be so kind as to help me deliver the congratulatory gift?" Han Chengyu continued the conversation.
Seeing Yun Yanqiu hesitate, Han Chengyu added, "The Qi family did send an envoy with an invitation, but I was busy with the Yihaitang matter at the time and felt that I would probably not have time to attend, so I declined the invitation. Now, thanks to the help of the two of you, the situation has been calmed down. Although I cannot attend the ceremony, I still want to send a gift to express my congratulations."
“In that case, give it to me, I’ll deliver it for you,” Ye Yingying volunteered.
She knew what Yun Yanqiu was hesitating about; it was simply that her status as a guest elder of the Lingyun Alliance made it inappropriate for her to deliver gifts for other aristocratic families. But she didn't have that concern, since she wasn't a member of the Lingyun Alliance anyway.
Seeing Ye Yingying's attitude, Yun Yanqiu didn't refuse anymore and had Han Chengyu give the gift to Ye Yingying as well.
"Are you leaving now?" Han Chengjin asked, blinking.
"It's getting late. The journey to Yuancheng is long, so we should set off as soon as possible to make it to the wedding."
After saying that, Yun Yanqiu glanced at Ye Yingying and gestured for her to prepare to leave.
Han Chengjin, who was standing to the side, was still a little reluctant to part, but since things had already come to this point, he couldn't delay their journey, so he said regretfully, "Alright, I'll go arrange the carriage now."
Seeing Han Chengjin walk away, Han Chengyu shrugged helplessly at Ye Yingying and the others: "Chengjin wanted to chat with you two more, but you left in such a hurry that he was a little reluctant to see you go."
"We'll meet again if fate allows," Ye Yingying smiled gently.
"That makes sense." Han Chengyu nodded approvingly, then suddenly asked in a deep voice, "Is Yao Yao being put in solitary confinement?"
Ye Yingying's eyes widened in surprise: "How did you know?"
"She suffered such a severe neck injury; she definitely needs to give the tribe an explanation. The fact that she went ashore can't be kept secret any longer..."
Han Chengyu stared ahead with a solemn expression. He had long guessed this outcome, but when he received confirmation, he still felt a little guilty.
"It's alright, she's fine. Her people all told me that the clan leader is her own mother, and she wouldn't be so cruel as to harm her." Ye Yingying tried to put things in a lighthearted tone, after all, judging from Yao Yao's condition in the dungeon, she would never be defeated by confinement. But if they wanted to see each other again, both Yao Yao and the others would need a long wait and a lot of effort.
Han Chengjin arranged for a carriage and invited Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu to board. After the two were seated, Han Chengjin gave the driver a few instructions and then said to the two inside the carriage, "I originally wanted to personally take you to the post station, but my brother is still worried about me and afraid something might happen to me. I thought about it, and you two also need your own space, so I won't interfere."
After saying that, he waved goodbye to the two somewhat stunned people with a smile, then lowered the curtain and told the driver to whip the whip and set off.
"You rascal Han Chengjin..." Ye Yingying hadn't expected him to tease her before leaving. His comment made the already awkward silence in the car even more uncomfortable. Ye Yingying didn't dare look at Yun Yanqiu, so she turned her head away and pretended to look at the scenery outside the window.
The carriage sped along the road to the post station. Inside, all was quiet except for the rapid hoofbeats and the creaking of the wheels.
After a while, Ye Yingying could no longer bear the eerie atmosphere. She suddenly remembered Yao Yao's words and took the initiative to mention to Yun Yanqiu, "Senior Yun, I remembered something. Yao Yao once told me in the sea that she saw a black sword as the weapon that killed Lin Shiyou."
Yun Yanqiu, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them upon hearing this. He looked at Ye Yingying, waiting for her to continue.
Seeing this, Ye Yingying unconsciously swallowed nervously and continued, "That sword can suck human blood. I think I might know its name."
"explain."
"The Crimson Bone Sword, a demonic sword forged by the Ghost Calculator."
A demon sword is a sword made from the spine of a demon beast. The spine usually carries the beastly nature of the original creature and will act according to its instincts rather than obeying its master's commands. This is why the vast majority of demon swords will eventually kill their masters.
“When I was working for Ghost Calculator, I once took the spine of the Crimson Tiger for him,” Ye Yingying recalled. “The Crimson Tiger is inherently cruel and bloodthirsty, and it loves to drink the blood of its prey. Yao Yao’s description matches the characteristics of this sword very well.”
"So I suspect that it was Ghost Calculator's men who killed Lin Shiyou."
This is not conjecture. The conditions for using the demon sword are harsh, and the characteristics of this sword are so obvious that it almost points directly to the Ghost Calculator.
Ye Yingying just couldn't understand why he wanted to kill Lin Shiyou. Or had he already discovered her movements, and the sword was originally meant to kill her?
After a moment of thought, Yun Yanqiu pondered and said, "That sword probably has an owner, and this person was able to sneak up on Lin Shiyou without my senses, so his strength should not be underestimated."
Based on Ye Yingying's understanding of the Ghost Calculator, he would never personally wield this demonic sword, which meant that there was a master swordsman by his side who could control it. Ye Yingying immediately became alert. When she worked for the Ghost Calculator, she had never seen a third person besides the two of them on Mi Chen Mountain.
"Back in Zhi County, the demonic cultivator's body, along with the clinic, was burned to ashes. Afterwards, Zhao Yuxiao told me that the demonic cultivator had mentioned a name in his hidden notebook: Gu Wusi." Yun Yanqiu raised her eyes, looking at Ye Yingying with a serious expression. "Have you ever heard of this name?"
Gu Wusi? Ye Yingying tried hard to recall for a long time, but she couldn't remember ever hearing this name by the Ghost Calculator's side. She shook her head helplessly: "Never heard of him."
"Are you suspecting that Gu Wusi is the accomplice of the Ghost Calculator?"
Yun Yanqiu nodded: "The woman we first met at the clinic was not the demonic cultivator's maid. She disappeared after the demonic cultivator died."
"In other words, the fact that the demonic cultivator's corpse suddenly returned to the clinic from the inn where we were staying is most likely due to this woman's tampering. If nothing unexpected happens, she is Gu Wusi."
After hearing Yun Yanqiu's analysis, Ye Yingying's heart sank. She had always thought that the Ghost Calculator only had her as a puppet, but now it seemed that the Ghost Calculator had others under his command. When did this person start working for the Ghost Calculator? After her death? Or was it from the very beginning...?
Thinking of this, Ye Yingying suddenly felt a sharp pain in her temples. She quickly pressed and gently rubbed the acupoint, trying to relieve the sudden pain. Whenever she thought of things related to the Ghost Calculator, Ye Yingying inevitably recalled the scene of being ruthlessly killed by him.
Seeing this, Yun Yanqiu frowned with worry and couldn't help but reach out to Ye Yingying: "Are you alright?"
"Hmm?" Ye Yingying's eyes lit up at the unexpected concern. She looked up at Yun Yanqiu with delight and asked with a smile, "Senior Yun, you're concerned about me!"
Yun Yanqiu froze instantly, his hand twitched slightly in mid-air, then slowly withdrew. He turned his face away sullenly, and said sternly, "Be quiet then."
This awkward attitude gave Ye Yingying a glimmer of hope. She leaned forward, propped her chin up with one hand, put on a playful expression, and stared intently at Yun Yanqiu.
Yun Yanqiu knew that his actions just now were somewhat inappropriate, and he felt uneasy under her gaze. However, he still did not want to let her off so easily, so he couldn't help but say defiantly, "Until you figure out what to say, I will not help you anymore."
"Huh?" Ye Yingying didn't understand what he meant. Her eyes had been restored, so what could Yun Yanqiu still do to help her?
Wait a minute, there does seem to be something that can help her… Ye Yingying suddenly realized and asked in surprise, “The final level of the Azure Nether True Fire is in Yuan City?”
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