Broken Linglong (21)
"Dead?"
This news came like a bolt from the blue, instantly making the situation even more confusing.
"How did you die?" Ye Yingying pressed.
"I'm not too sure either, I only heard her mention it once before." Qi Shuojun sighed and rubbed her forehead. "She doesn't like to talk about this, so I didn't ask any further."
Ye Yingying's intuition told her that something was definitely fishy. But no one present knew anything about it, and the trail remained cold.
"Compared to that, you still have another problem to solve, right?" Wu Yue tilted her head back and said lazily, "What if Miss Qin doesn't show up on the wedding day?"
Oh right, Qin Zhiqing is missing now, and nobody knows where she is. If the bride is gone on the wedding day, how can the wedding be held? Will the groom be performing a one-man show?
The most troubled person present was Qi Shuojun, who rubbed the soft flesh on the bridge of his nose and sighed with worry.
Zhao Yuxiao didn't know how to comfort his brother, and even felt that he deserved it. "Serves you right for not listening to me; now you've really lost your wife."
Everyone looked at each other, and for a moment no one could come up with a solution.
Suddenly, Wu Yue, who had raised the question, spoke up: "How about this, let's pick someone to impersonate Qin Zhiqing for the next few days to appease her, and then focus on finding the real person after the wedding."
Wu Yue made it sound so easy, but there were only five people present. Three of them were men, broad-shouldered and muscular; even if they dressed as brides, it would look odd to anyone. The two women seemed like a possibility, but Ye Yingying was clearly taken, and Qi Shuojun would never dare to ask her to dress as a bride. That left only Wu Yue, but Wu Yue…
"Are you planning to recommend yourself?" Ye Yingying looked at Wu Yue with a complicated expression.
Wu Yue waved her hand: "How could it be me? I'm much shorter, and that wedding dress would obviously not fit me."
"You even saw the wedding dress?" She didn't even see it!
“Yes, I took a look with Zhao Yuxiao today,” Wu Yue revealed her accomplice.
His accomplice, Zhao Yuxiao, chuckled and said, "I didn't pay much attention, but that room was quite dazzling." He had never seen so much gold and silver jewelry in his life.
So, the only one who can play the bride is Ye Yingying.
In an instant, several pairs of eyes turned to Ye Yingying. The men stared at her silently, making her feel a little embarrassed: "W-what's wrong? Just because she doesn't look good in that wedding dress, does that mean I do?"
"Don't say it, you really shouldn't say it..." Qi Shuojun looked Ye Yingying up and down, "If you look closely, you really are not much different from Zhiqing."
Zhao Yuxiao nodded repeatedly in affirmation: "You two are the same height when you stand together."
"Besides, it's definitely too late to change the wedding dress now..."
“It can only be you. We can’t let outsiders know about this. Anyway, you already have Yunyanqiu, so you’re not afraid of gossip afterward.” Wu Yue made a quick decision.
"What do you mean I already have...!" Ye Yingying was too embarrassed to repeat herself in front of everyone. How could Wu Yue speak so bluntly? She didn't remember ever saying that she was with Yun Yanqiu, so why was everyone acting so matter-of-factly?
"Don't you have one?" Wu Yue cast a scrutinizing glance at her.
Ye Yingying was now in a dilemma. She cautiously looked at Yun Yanqiu and found that the other party was also staring intently at her, waiting for a reply.
The more hesitant Ye Yingying became, the more intense the gazes around her grew, almost as if they wanted to bore a hole through her. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Her face flushed red, and she whispered a single word through her lips: "Yes."
Oh—those around him withdrew their gazes with satisfaction, wearing smiles that said, "I knew it." Yun Yanqiu's mood had clearly improved as well, and his gaze toward Ye Yingying had become even more profound.
Wu Yue, who was standing to the side, made the decision: "Then that's settled. I don't think Yun Yanqiu has any objections, right? You can pretend to be Qin Zhiqing for a few days, either until the end of the wedding or until you find her in person. It'll only take a few days, very quickly."
"But isn't your wedding process very complicated? I'm not sure I can handle it..." Ye Yingying still wanted to struggle a bit more.
Qi Shuojun's smile was like an iron wall: "It's alright, Miss Ye. I'll arrange for a reliable nanny to accompany you throughout the process. Just listen to her."
Damn it! Ye Yingying cursed inwardly.
"Don't be afraid," Yun Yanqiu suddenly comforted him from the side, "With me here, he wouldn't dare to do anything to you."
As he spoke, he gave Qi Shuojun a sharp look as a warning.
"Of course I wouldn't dare!" Qi Shuojun raised her hand and swore, "May I be struck by lightning if I even touch you!"
How ruthless! He actually dared to swear an oath with heavenly lightning. Seeing Qi Shuojun's determination, Ye Yingying finally sighed and agreed.
"But don't get too excited. Even if you can cover your face with a veil on the wedding day, what will you do in the days leading up to it?" Ye Yingying said seriously. "I don't know any disguise techniques."
"What's so difficult about that?" Wu Yue smiled mysteriously. "I'll make sure you look exactly like Miss Qin."
After saying that, Ye Yingying was dragged to Wu Yue's room and tinkered with for the whole night.
The next day, in Qin Zhiqing's villa. Zhi Que opened her eyes groggily. Yesterday, she had been tricked by that witch using some unknown scheme, and after muttering a lot of things in a daze, she fainted.
Now that she had finally regained consciousness, she quickly checked herself over to make sure that all her limbs were intact and that she wasn't missing any flesh before she relaxed.
But her relief didn't last long; a sense of unease crept into Zhique's heart again. Where had her young mistress gone? Yesterday, she had been coerced and ordered around by Young Master Qi, and dared not tell the master and madam that the young mistress was missing. But the wedding was just around the corner, and the truth couldn't be hidden forever. If the bride wasn't found on the wedding day, wouldn't she still be doomed...?
"Miss, what are you doing..." Zhique murmured sadly, her voice trembling with a hint of tears.
"Of course I came to see you."
"Whoa!!" Zhique was startled by the sudden sound. She looked at the source of the voice in terror, as if she had seen a ghost. "Y-you...who are you?"
Qin Zhiqing squinted and said with a smile, "Your most beloved young lady."
"Miss?!" Zhi Que stared blankly at the woman before her. She had a face almost identical to Qin Zhiqing's, and her figure was exactly the same. But her voice was noticeably clearer and crisper than her young mistress's. How could she possibly be Qin Zhiqing!
Zhique was terrified, but since it concerned Qin Zhiqing, she mustered her courage and asked, "You're not Miss! Who are you?!"
"Oh dear, it's not taking the bait?" Ye Yingying clicked her tongue, stroking her chin thoughtfully, "Are our voices really that different?"
"You are..." Zhi Que gradually calmed down and suddenly felt that the actions of the "Qin Zhiqing" in front of her were somewhat familiar.
“Me? I am 'Qin Zhiqing'.” Ye Yingying smiled smugly, “until the wedding is over.”
"Huh?"
Ye Yingying leaned closer to the dazed Zhi Que, half negotiating and half threatening, "You're so obedient, you should know what to do, right?"
Do you know what? Do you know you should pretend with her? Zhique didn't dare to ask, and just kept nodding.
"That's right." Ye Yingying straightened up with satisfaction. "I'll pretend to have a high fever and be mute for the next few days. You'll be in charge of dealing with Qin Zhiqing's parents."
"Ah, this..."
"What? Is there a problem?"
Zhi Que looked conflicted and stammered, "It's alright with the madam, but the master... I dare not."
"Why wouldn't I dare? Is he going to eat you?" Ye Yingying asked, puzzled.
It's not that exaggerated, but he could really kill me... Zhi Que swallowed hard. The fear of Qin Chaofeng was almost etched in the hearts of every servant in the Qin family. Even if these people had ten thousand times the courage, no one would dare to deceive or disobey the head of the family.
Looking at the panicked Zhi Que, Ye Yingying suddenly realized that this was a good opportunity to find out about Qin Zhiqing's family, so she asked, "Is your husband good to your young lady?"
"Hmm?" Zhique said slowly, "Master treats Miss...quite well."
"How is it good?" Ye Yingying tilted her head, looking puzzled.
“When Miss was young, the master arranged for her to study, practice martial arts, learn music and tea ceremony, and also gave her a life of luxury…” Recalling the past, Zhique couldn’t help but lower her head, her mood gradually becoming depressed.
"So Qin Zhiqing has never been punished since she was a child?"
"Punishment is punishment, but at most it'll just be making Miss kneel in the ancestral hall to reflect on her actions." Saying this, Zhique couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. "What terrible mistake did she make? It's us servants who get whipped. Aside from being a bit strict, Master treats Miss very well in every way..."
Ye Yingying fell silent; the inside story of the Qin family seemed to be more cruel than she had imagined.
"Have you ever thought about switching to another company?" Ye Yingying asked.
Zhi Que was slightly taken aback, then chuckled and said, "I'm just a mortal who signed a contract to sell myself into servitude. I only came to work for the immortals in the hope of earning more money so that I can pay off my family's debts as soon as possible."
"Once I sign the indenture, I can't decide where I work; it depends on how the spirits sell me."
To cultivators, mortals are like mayflies, insignificant and fragile, utterly unworthy of mention.
Ye Yingying rarely interacted with mortals without spiritual power, and for a moment she was filled with mixed emotions and didn't know what to say.
Just as the room fell silent, a voice suddenly called out from outside: "Zhique, where are you?"
The two people inside the room suddenly looked at each other, and then Zhique exclaimed in surprise, "It's Madam!"
Ye Yingying was also taken aback, not expecting Qin's mother to visit at this time. She quickly slipped into bed and waved to Zhi Que, "Go and deal with her!"
"Ah?!" Zhi Que hurriedly stood up and ran outside. When she opened the door, she saw that the madam was about to come inside, so she quickly closed the door, blocking the way. "Madam! What brings you here?"
Qin's mother looked at Zhi Que with a strange expression and frowned: "I came to see if Zhi Qing is feeling better. Why are you in such a hurry?"
"This, that..." Zhique's mind was a complete mess, and she didn't know what to say at all.
"Has her fever subsided? Did she take her medicine on time?"
"I...I..." Zhique was caught in a dilemma, so she simply closed her eyes and blurted out, "Miss just fell asleep and said she didn't want to be disturbed!"
Qin's mother hadn't seen Zhique so excited in a long time, and her intuition kicked in. She asked suspiciously, "Is Miss inside?"
"Oh no!" Zhi Que exclaimed in alarm as soon as she opened her eyes. Qin's mother knew she had guessed correctly at a glance. She pushed Zhi Que away and went into the room on her own. The room still smelled of herbs. A slender figure lay on the wooden bed with her back to the door, her body rising and falling, her breathing even, as if she were really asleep.
Qin's mother walked forward suspiciously, and Zhi Que dared not stop her, only praying that Ye Yingying would not be discovered.
Qin's mother sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes slightly narrowed, scrutinizing "Qin Zhiqing" from head to toe, not missing a single detail. Ye Yingying forced herself to remain calm, rhythmically counting her breaths, afraid of giving herself away.
Qin's mother's gaze swept over her back again and again, seemingly without noticing anything amiss. Finally, Qin's mother reached out and touched her forehead, finding it wasn't as hot as she had imagined, and only then did she feel relieved.
"It's good that the fever has subsided." Qin's mother sighed softly, "Don't forget to remind her to take her medicine."
After saying that, Qin's mother got up and left the room. Ye Yingying, having escaped a disaster, rolled over on the bed and breathed a sigh of relief.
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