Broken Linglong (16)
"..." Ye Yingying was speechless. She hadn't seen him for a day, but she had figured everything out.
It's all Qi Shuojun's fault for bringing her here. Ye Yingying struggled and said, "So what if it is? You're not going to marry him? Young Master Qi has both good looks and a fortune. Such a good catch is hard to come by."
"And I don't understand, why are you looking for the Azure Nether True Fire? Do you really need it?" Ye Yingying scratched her head in frustration. "Or are you doing someone else's bidding?"
Seeing Qin Zhiqing remain silent, Ye Yingying realized she had guessed correctly and quickly asked, "What kind of deal did you make with that person? Why would you take such a big risk to get a fire for him?"
“If I don’t do this for her, I’ll be in danger,” Qin Zhiqing said in a deep voice.
So she was being threatened? Ye Yingying fell into thought. If that was the case, perhaps there was still room for negotiation between them.
Before she could even extend an invitation, Qin Zhiqing spoke up first: "Let's make a bet."
"A bet?" Ye Yingying was surprised, not expecting her to be so proactive. "How do you want to bet?"
"If we work together to solve the traps and the Azure Lion, and enter the ancestral altar, whoever discovers the real fire first will get it."
Ye Yingying raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with doubt: "Are you so confident that you can find the true fire before me?"
"How will I know if I don't try?" Qin Zhiqing's expression was resolute, as if she were facing death. This was a high-stakes gamble, and she had no choice but to risk everything and take a desperate gamble.
Ye Yingying was stunned by the other person's gaze; Qin Zhiqing's determination far exceeded her expectations.
"What, you're afraid you can't beat me?" Qin Zhiqing provocatively asked.
Ye Yingying's competitive spirit surged, and she couldn't help but sneer, "I didn't expect you to be a gambler."
Qin Zhiqing took this as a compliment: "You flatter me."
"In that case, I'll play a game with you." Ye Yingying said seriously, "Don't regret it if you lose."
"You are."
The two stood facing each other, a tense atmosphere thick with tension. Suddenly, Qin Zhiqing asked, "Will you tell Qi Shuojun about our bet?"
"What do you think? He's my employer, after all."
“That’s true.” Qin Zhiqing lowered her eyes. “Then don’t tell him that I already know about this.”
Ye Yingying hesitated for a moment, then tentatively said, "Young Master Qi didn't do this because he was wary of you; he just cares about you."
Seeing that Qin Zhiqing's expression wavered, she continued, "Perhaps you could talk to him yourself?"
Qin Zhiqing shook her head: "No need. There are some things he's better off not knowing."
"I don't know, but it's good for both Qi Shuojun and myself," Qin Zhiqing thought.
Seeing that she couldn't persuade her, Ye Yingying didn't waste any more words and simply accompanied her downstairs.
Downstairs, Zhao Yuxiao was nowhere to be seen, leaving Qi Shuojun alone sitting in a chair drinking tea. Seeing Ye Yingying and Qin Zhiqing come downstairs, he immediately stood up and asked, "How was it? Did you two get along well?"
Ye Yingying chuckled twice: "We hit it off, we really hit it off, it's like we've known each other for ages."
"Miss Ye is very knowledgeable and well-traveled; it's truly enviable," Qin Zhiqing replied, feigning concern.
"Then why don't we chat more?"
Qin Zhiqing bowed slightly and said, "My parents may be having some trouble adjusting to Yuancheng now. I should go back and take care of them as soon as possible, so I won't bother you any longer."
"Then I'll take you back," Qi Shuojun said, and then went back with Qin Zhiqing.
Upon seeing this, Qin Zhiqing immediately declined, saying, "Young Master Qi, you don't need to accompany me. I can go back by myself."
“Yes, don’t rush off, we haven’t talked yet,” Ye Yingying said, trying to stop him, and winked at Qi Shuojun.
Qi Shuojun understood immediately, knowing that Ye Yingying had something to tell him, so he didn't dwell on it. After watching Qin Zhiqing's carriage disappear into the distance, Qi Shuojun turned to Ye Yingying and asked, "Is there any new development?"
“Of course.” Ye Yingying nodded. “We agreed to go explore our ancestral homeland together again.”
"You two suddenly became so close?" Qi Shuojun asked in surprise.
Ye Yingying coughed awkwardly twice and made up an excuse: "She just won't give up and wants to drag me to take another look. Don't worry, with me watching over her, she won't get away with anything."
"As for Young Master Qi, has things been settled with your father yet?"
"Hmm? Well..." Qi Shuojun put his hands behind his back and casually waved his folding fan. "I made some inquiries indirectly and found out that the monster in the mountains is a spirit beast that guards the ancestral land and generally does not attack people on its own."
"Are you sure? The monster in your ancestral land is a Qingjinhou, which, as far as I know, eats people." Ye Yingying frowned.
“That Azure-Golden Hou has long been tamed by my family ancestors, so there’s no need to worry,” Qi Shuojun explained. “At most, it will just see that you are not of the Qi family bloodline and drive you away.”
Ye Yingying pondered for a moment and remembered that the Azure Golden Hou had indeed not chased after them after they left the forest.
"Is there a way to solve the mechanisms around the ancestral altar? The real fire is probably inside the ancestral altar."
Qi Shuojun shook her head: "Only the current head of the family knows the solution to the mechanism. Even if I am qualified, I will not be told until the eve of the wedding."
It was quite late on the eve of the wedding.
Ye Yingying let out a heavy sigh: "We must take action today."
Why the rush?
"Who knows? Miss Qin is determined to fulfill this wish before the wedding, and I can't stop her," Ye Yingying shrugged. "Why don't you try to persuade her?"
"Me?" Qi Shuojun raised an eyebrow, her face showing suspicion. "You betrayed me?"
Ye Yingying suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "How is that possible!"
She didn't say it herself; Qin Zhiqing discovered it on her own!
"Alright, alright." Qi Shuojun didn't press further, simply waving her hand and saying, "How about this, you keep her occupied tonight and prevent her from getting close to the ancestral altar to avoid being accidentally injured by the traps. I'll tell you how to solve the traps once I figure it out, okay?"
"Hmm...that works too."
She wasn't in a hurry, but she couldn't guarantee that Qin Zhiqing would be able to solve the mechanism ahead of time.
"Speaking of which, where did Zhao Yuxiao go?" Ye Yingying looked around but couldn't find Zhao Yuxiao anywhere.
"He was just called away by a short girl, and I don't know where they went."
A short girl? Ye Yingying immediately thought of Wu Yue, and Qi Shuojun suddenly asked, "That girl just came downstairs, do you know her?"
"We wouldn't call ourselves acquaintances..." Ye Yingying pouted, "Why are you asking this?"
"Oh my, what a question." Qi Shuojun flicked her fan and waved it casually, her face full of excitement for gossip. "Don't be fooled by the fact that Brother Xiao doesn't have many women around him. There are at least fifty or a hundred who want to pursue him. But this guy is so single-minded and doesn't pay attention to anyone. Unlike me, he's not engaged at home. The old leader has been worrying about his marriage for ages."
“When that girl came downstairs and greeted him, Brother Xiao went with her. There’s definitely something fishy going on here. I’ve never seen him so obedient to any girl before.”
Ye Yingying's expression was subtle. No wonder Zhao Yuxiao and Qi Shuojun could hang out together; they were both so gossipy. Qi Shuojun nudged her with his elbow, a sly grin on his face: "What's that girl's name?"
“Wu Yue,” Ye Yingying replied.
Qi Shuojun's expression changed drastically, and her smile vanished instantly: "Surname Wu? From Wuren Valley?"
Seeing Ye Yingying nod, Qi Shuojun was immediately displeased. He had thought she had overheard his brother's gossip, but it turned out that the girl was actually from the Wu tribe.
"That wouldn't be fun," Qi Shuojun said disappointedly.
Ye Yingying asked, puzzled, "Why is it not interesting?"
“The girls in Witch Valley are no pushovers. If you piss them off, they’ll make sure you get what’s coming to you.” Qi Shuojun shook his head and sighed, feeling sorry for his brother. “Brother Xiao is really bold, daring to provoke even the girls in Witch Valley.”
Ye Yingying didn't see any sparks flying between Wu Yue and Zhao Yuxiao. Rather, Zhao Yuxiao wished he could stay far away from Wu Yue. Only Qi Shuojun himself was enjoying this as a brother's romantic encounter.
People about to get married are different; they see something interesting in everything. Ye Yingying rolled her eyes at Qi Shuojun inwardly, casually dismissed him, and went upstairs. Unexpectedly, she bumped into Yun Yanqiu on the way upstairs.
Ye Yingying froze on the spot, her heart pounding. The events of yesterday were still vivid in her mind; now he suddenly appeared in the hallway, staring intently at her. How could she possibly withstand this?
Ye Yingying wasn't sure how much of what Yun Yanqiu had said when he was weak yesterday was still fresh in his mind. She was afraid that if she opened her mouth and said something he didn't remember, she would ruin their relationship again.
Just as Ye Yingying was hesitating, Yun Yanqiu suddenly asked, "What are you planning to do next?"
"Huh?" Ye Yingying was taken aback. What do you mean by "how to do it"? What does he mean by this? How much of what does he actually remember?
"Azure Nether True Fire." Yun Yanqiu seemed to see through her inner doubts and said, "Have you found its exact location?"
"Oh!" Ye Yingying suddenly realized and quickly replied, "Found it, it's in the ancestral altar at the Qi family's ancestral land."
"That's key territory for the Qi family. Have you discussed it with Qi Shuojun?"
"It's all been agreed upon, and Young Master Qi is aware of it."
When do you plan to go?
"Let's go tonight."
As they went through the question and answer, Ye Yingying gradually relaxed and was no longer as nervous as she had been at the beginning.
Yun Yanqiu nodded, then said, "Then I..."
"Miss Qin will be going with me."
The two spoke almost simultaneously, but Ye Yingying spoke faster, her voice drowning out Yun Yanqiu's. Seeing that Yun Yanqiu had spoken but hadn't heard him, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Senior, what did you say?"
"It's nothing... I was going to say that if no one was around, I would go with you."
As he spoke, his expression was somewhat forlorn, and his eyes drooped listlessly. Ye Yingying suddenly felt a subtle sense of guilt, as if she had abandoned some long-suffering wife. But Yun Yanqiu's offer to accompany her made Ye Yingying's heart flutter with joy.
She quickly explained, "Today I'm just accompanying Miss Qin to go through the motions; I don't intend to actually go and get the fire."
Fearing that Yun Yanqiu wouldn't believe her, Ye Yingying even raised her hand and swore, "It's true! I only want to be with Senior Yun! No one else will do!"
Seeing her like this, Yun Yanqiu couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips and let out a soft chuckle. Ye Yingying blinked in disbelief, and the smile vanished.
What a pity... Ye Yingying felt regretful. If only he had smiled a little longer.
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