Broken Linglong (14)
Ye Yingying's smile vanished: "It's you!"
"Why can't it be me?" Wu Yue clasped her hands in front of her chest. "I heard from Zhao Yuxiao that you want to take back the Azure Nether True Fire, so you have to come to me. Now that I've come to see you on my own initiative, you should be happy."
Good heavens, in the blink of an eye, Zhao Yuxiao had already betrayed her to avoid Wu Yue. Ye Yingying was speechless. She did need to find the Azure Nether True Fire, but she had even less desire to deal with this strange witch.
Ye Yingying looked at Wu Yue warily: "What do you want with me?"
"Of course I'll help you find the Azure Nether True Fire. See how good I am?" Wu Yue shrugged. "I have a deal with Yun Yanqiu, and helping him find all the Azure Nether True Fire is part of that deal."
"Now that the Azure Nether True Fire is only one level away from completion, I naturally want to do it myself."
Wu Yue spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, but Ye Yingying asked in confusion, "What did he promise you?"
"Hmm?" Wu Yue raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. "He didn't tell you?"
What does she mean? Ye Yingying shrank her neck, looking confused.
Seeing her somewhat dazed expression, Wu Yue rolled her eyes and couldn't help but tease her, "Didn't he tell you why he was rolling around on the floor in pain?"
Wu Yue's smile was blinding, and her words struck Ye Yingying's heart like a dagger. Yun Yanqiu had been honest with her and given her so much, yet he hadn't mentioned a word about the pain he felt for her. She guessed that Yun Yanqiu's behavior was related to her, but what exactly caused it?
Ye Yingying stared intently at Wu Yue. Judging from her words, this person clearly knew the answer. So Ye Yingying asked, "Do you know why?"
"Of course I know," Wu Yue said frankly. "But he didn't tell you, so why should I?"
Hiss… Ye Yingying gritted her teeth, suppressing the urge to explode in anger. What's wrong with this person? Always playing hard to get!
"What's your relationship? He can say it if he wants to. Is it my place to interfere?"
"What do you mean by 'what kind of relationship do we have'?" Ye Yingying asked in surprise. "How much do you actually know?"
"Alright, none of that matters." Wu Yue waved her hand, changing the subject. "You already know the approximate location of the Azure Nether True Fire. Tonight, you lead the way, and we'll go there and put out the fire."
Ye Yingying was taken aback, then hesitated: "I just promised someone, I have to wait for their reply before I can take action..."
Wu Yue's eyes widened suddenly as she stared at Ye Yingying as if she'd seen a ghost: "When did you become so rule-abiding? Didn't you once boast that you would uproot all the trees in our clan?"
Ye Yingying was a little embarrassed: "The situation is different. This is also a transaction for me, so naturally I have to keep my word."
"Besides, there are demonic beasts guarding that place, it would be unwise for the two of us to go there rashly."
“Oh—” Wu Yue stroked her chin, “Then it seems we still have to have Yun Yanqiu take action.”
Wu Yue turned to leave in resignation, but suddenly she stopped, turned back, and said with a somber look in her eyes, "Be careful these days."
As she spoke, she gestured across her neck with her hand. Ye Yingying was stunned by this gesture. What did she mean? Was she saying she might lose her head? But before Ye Yingying could ask, Wu Yue decisively closed the door. Ye Yingying quickly pushed the door open and looked around, only to find that she had already disappeared.
Is this guy deliberately trying to ruin her sleep? Ye Yingying gritted her teeth, reluctantly returned to the room, and lay down on the bed, but she was no longer sleepy. She turned over, lying on her side facing inward, and her gaze fell on the wrist that Yun Yan had kissed. There were no marks left on her wrist, but she could still remember the unique touch and warmth.
Thinking of these things, Ye Yingying suddenly calmed down, and drowsiness rose up, silently brushing past her eyelids, and she slowly closed her eyes.
"Finally, I can sleep."
Next door, in Yun Yanqiu's room, Wu Yue leaned against the door, confirming that Ye Yingying was truly asleep. Witches always possessed unexpected methods to observe others' actions through numerous obstacles, and Wu Yue was no exception. She then glanced at Yun Yanqiu inside the room. He had completely shed his previous weakness, standing calmly by the window, gazing at the bustling crowd outside.
"You're quite the actor," Wu Yue teased. "So even a dignified master of the Xuanming Realm has to resort to playing the victim to win people's favor."
Yun Yanqiu ignored her teasing and remained calm: "What are you doing here again?"
"Ye Yingying said that the place where the Azure Nether True Fire is located is guarded by demonic beasts, and she can't defeat them, so you have to step in." Wu Yue tilted her head. "Now that you're done, don't waste time. Hurry up and go help her put the flames back."
After saying that, Wu Yue's gaze darkened, and she said seriously, "Don't forget our deal. My time is also limited."
"Is this why you came to Yuancheng in person?" Yun Yanqiu asked unhurriedly.
Wu Yue couldn't help but click her tongue and said impatiently, "Otherwise what? Who knows how long we'll have to wait if you keep dawdling like this? Xuanzhou is going to have another blizzard soon. This is my last chance, and I absolutely can't miss it."
Yun Yanqiu glanced at her indifferently, her voice steady: "Don't worry, I will never go back on my promise."
"But this matter involves powerful families, so we can't rush it."
Upon hearing this, Wu Yue scoffed disdainfully. Aristocratic families, with their many rules and obsession with saving face—she hated these kinds of people the most. But since Yun Yanqiu had spoken, she had no choice but to be patient and wait a little longer; after all, she couldn't do without Yun Yanqiu, her capable assistant, once she got there.
"I'll wait five more days. If you're still not done, I'll have to take matters into my own hands."
After speaking, Wu Yue left the room without looking back. Yun Yanqiu withdrew his gaze and looked out the window, lost in thought.
That night, in Qin Zhiqing's residence, the pond in the courtyard was as still as a mirror, with only the occasional fish leaping out of the water, splashing ripples. Exquisite lilies swayed in the night breeze, releasing a faint fragrance. The scent wafted into Qin Zhiqing's room, where she lay on her bed, eyes closed, hands folded at her waist, seemingly fast asleep. Since arriving in Yuancheng, tonight was one of the few nights she hadn't gone out.
But she wasn't really asleep; she was just closing her eyes, contemplating her next move. She had been thinking about it for almost a whole day, still unable to bring herself to commit murder and robbery. But if she couldn't get the real fire, how would she explain herself to the other side? Qin Zhiqing suddenly opened her eyes. She sat up and took out a flawless, transparent glass bead from under her pillow. This bead was supposed to be the magical artifact she would use to communicate after she got the fire, but she couldn't worry about that now.
Qin Zhiqing infused some spiritual power into it, and the glass bead immediately emitted a faint blue light. This scene unconsciously reminded people of Lin Shiyou, who had activated the communication bead in the same way.
The glass bead flickered twice, and the female voice that came from it was exactly the same as the one Lin Shiyou had heard from her bead. The voice was high-pitched yet powerful, with a hint of flirtatiousness. As soon as she spoke, she asked, "What, Miss Qin, have you finally gotten your hands on it?"
"Things have changed." Qin Zhiqing didn't waste any words with her and went straight to the point, "Someone named Ye Yingying took away the True Fire before I did."
"What?" The person on the other end was taken aback, then pondered the name. "Ye Yingying... are you sure her name is Ye Yingying?"
"I'm sure." Qin Zhiqing answered decisively, "She was with people from the Lingyun Alliance, and I saw her manipulate the Azure Nether True Fire with my own eyes."
"Lingyun Alliance..." The voice paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "I forgot to tell you, the Azure Nether True Fire is spread out in three layers. Have you confirmed how many layers she has?"
These words stunned Qin Zhiqing: "Scattered? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Ordinary true fire always clusters together, and although there may be layers, it doesn't disperse. She originally thought the Azure Nether True Fire was the same. But now she's suddenly saying it has three layers, and that it's dispersed—hasn't she been fooled?
"Gu Wusi!" Qin Zhiqing shouted the name of the person on the other end of the line, unable to bear it any longer. "I'm helping you with something, but you can't even give me accurate information. How much of my time has this wasted!"
"Don't rush, whether you have this news or not won't affect your search for the fire. How was I supposed to know that Ye Yingying would suddenly appear?" Gu Wusi's tone was very innocent. "But you, have you figured out the exact location yet? Time is running out, don't make the guests laugh at you at the wedding."
Mentioning Qi Shuojun, Qin Zhiqing frowned, her anger rising, and she no longer held back: "Shut up! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have..."
“How can you blame me?” Gu Wusi interrupted. “You made the choice; I merely fulfilled your wish.”
"Everything comes at a price, and you should understand that better than anyone else."
Gu Wusi's words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing Qin Zhiqing's newly ignited anger. Every word she said was true, and Qin Zhiqing was speechless.
After a while, she calmed herself down and spoke again: "I have explored the ancestral land thoroughly, and there is only the ancestral altar that I have not yet entered. However, there are strict traps set up around it, and there are also demonic beasts guarding it. It is not allowed to enter except for important matters within the Qi family."
"Oh? So, is your marriage to Young Master Qi considered a big deal?"
Qin Zhiqing gritted her teeth and replied, "Fine..."
"That makes things easier, doesn't it? We can use some tricks to get them to tell us how to get in there." Gu Wusi chuckled. "As for the bride's request, the groom probably won't refuse, right?"
After saying that, Gu Wusi pretended to be worried: "Oh dear, it's hard to say. What if they're not interested in you and don't want to tell you? That would be troublesome."
"There's no need to worry about that," Qin Zhiqing said in a deep voice. "I will give you the real fire as promised, so don't do anything unnecessary."
Gu Wusi got the answer he wanted and smiled with satisfaction: "It would be best if I didn't have to take action. Then I'll await Miss Qin's good news."
"Don't disappoint me, or I can't guarantee you'll be able to marry into the Qi family smoothly."
As soon as she finished speaking, the light on the glass bead faded, and cracks appeared inside and out. Qin Zhiqing stared at the broken glass bead in her hand, her gaze gloomy.
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