Mermaids Weep (3)
Led by Steward Liu, Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu arrived at a spacious courtyard. Steward Liu introduced the two bedrooms on the left and right sides of the courtyard and inquired about their dietary restrictions.
After Manager Liu left, Ye Yingying asked, "Can Han Chengjin still come with us?"
"It's hard to say."
“I also think so. Judging from his brother’s tone, it seemed like he didn’t really want him to take this risk.”
"Do you really want him to go?" Yun Yanqiu looked at the girl beside him, her eyes filled with a slightly scrutinizing gaze.
Ye Yingying pondered and said, "Well... I mainly feel that more people means more help. After all, I am blind and my cultivation is low. If it is just me and Senior going together, I won't be able to help much if a fight breaks out. I will only become a burden to you, Senior."
In fact, after retrieving the Azure Nether True Fire, Ye Yingying also gained some offensive methods, but she absolutely could not display these methods in front of Yun Yanqiu.
Upon hearing this, Yun Yanqiu comforted him, "It's alright, I can still protect you."
“But we really need to bring Han Chengjin along,” Yun Yanqiu added. “That guy is simple-minded. It’s probably true that he saw a merman before. Maybe the merman would recognize the bead around his neck more than us.”
"In that case, we need to persuade that young master." Ye Yingying crossed her arms, already having some ideas in mind.
Yun Yanqiu neither agreed nor disagreed, but instead seriously suggested another direction: "We could also just take Han Chengjin and run away."
Hmm, that's quite convenient. Ye Yingying stroked her chin, thinking that this method wasn't entirely unacceptable.
"Gentlemen!" Speak of the devil, and he appears. Han Chengjin strode into the courtyard with a calm expression. "Are you satisfied with the rooms here?"
"Oh, Young Master Han." Ye Yingying responded with a hint of teasing upon hearing the voice.
Han Chengjin chuckled awkwardly, "Miss Ying'er, you're too formal. Just call me Chengjin."
"Brother Cheng Jin, have you finished talking with the young master?"
"Well, I guess so..."
Knowing the outcome wasn't ideal, Ye Yingying wasn't too bothered. Considering she needed Han Chengjin's help, she asked directly, "Brother Chengjin, are you still planning to come out to sea with us?"
Mentioning this, Han Chengjin paused slightly, then touched the back of his neck sheepishly, speaking somewhat awkwardly, "Well, as you two just saw, my brother doesn't really want me to go to sea..."
“The eldest brother is like a father, so it’s understandable that the young master is worried about you,” Ye Yingying comforted him. But then she changed the subject, “However, this matter is of great importance. If possible, Senior Yun and I would still like you to come along.”
"Really?!" Han Chengjin's dim eyes lit up. "Actually, I wanted to go too!"
"Since you're both willing, why don't we work together to persuade your brother during dinner to let you go?"
"It's possible, but my brother isn't that easy to talk to, I'm worried..."
"What's there to be afraid of? Anyway, with Senior Yun backing us up, your brother will have to give the Lingyun Alliance guest elder some face, right?" Ye Yingying used Yun Yanqiu as a shield.
Yun Yanqiu, who was mentioned, nodded silently in agreement. When dealing with powerful families, the Lingyun Alliance's identity was naturally invaluable, and there was no reason not to use it.
Han Chengjin immediately beamed with joy: "Then I'll hurry to the kitchen to urge them to prepare the food! Tonight's dishes will depend on the two of you!"
Han Chengjin waved to them and walked away briskly.
"Then, Senior Yun, I'll go back to my room and rest for a while." After saying that, Ye Yingying bowed and went back to her room.
Only Yun Yanqiu remained in the courtyard. He took out a communication talisman from his sleeve, which was faintly glowing. While channeling spiritual energy into it, Yun Yanqiu asked the talisman, "What is it?"
Zhao Yuxiao's voice came through the communication talisman: "Senior Yun! The medical clinic has been cleaned up, and we did make some progress."
What is it?
"It's a book that the demonic cultivator hid underground. It records some of the processes he went through in creating living puppets." Zhao Yuxiao held a communication talisman in one hand and an open booklet in the other. The words recorded on it made his expression solemn. "Senior Yun, is Miss Ying'er with you?"
She's not here.
"Senior, this says that Miss Ying'er was the first living puppet he created..."
The creation of a living puppet means that the soul of the body's owner has perished. If that's the case, then who is this Miss Ying'er now? Zhao Yuxiao had a bad feeling, but firstly, the possibility of this guess being true was extremely low, and secondly, the impression this "Miss Ying'er" left on him was not bad, and could even be described as friendly, which made it difficult for him to connect his guess with a living person.
Moreover, how could Senior Yun not have thought of what he could think of? In that case, what is Senior Yun's attitude?
Zhao Yuxiao's heart pounded. He pursed his thin lips, remaining silent, waiting for Yun Yanqiu to give him an answer.
Soon, Yun Yanqiu's calm voice rang out through the communication talisman: "She told me that the demonic cultivator's skills were not refined, and his method of creating the living puppet was flawed. She was lucky enough to deceive the demonic cultivator and survive."
"I see..." Zhao Yuxiao breathed a sigh of relief. Since the knowledgeable Senior Yun had said so, he had nothing to worry about. "Miss Ying'er is clever and quick-witted, very good, very good."
"Does the booklet mention where that demonic cultivator learned this evil art from?" Yun Yanqiu asked again.
“No, not at all.” Zhao Yuxiao flicked the pages of the book and quickly scanned the contents. “This demon cultivator has only been creating living puppets for four or five months. His foundation is still shallow, and he has only fully refined the two maids under his command.”
"On the other hand, senior, I really don't understand. If he didn't have the ability to refine so many people in a short period of time, why did he spread that strange disease on a large scale in the county?"
"That demonic cultivator merely obtained something he couldn't control, and then, thinking himself clever, assumed he could dominate the world with his treasure in a place where cultivators were scarce," Yun Yanqiu explained calmly. "He's nothing more than a frog in a well, arrogant and ignorant."
Xue Jian was undoubtedly unlucky; his worst misfortune was encountering both Yun Yanqiu and Ye Yingying.
"I see, I've learned something new."
Zhao Yuxiao closed the booklet in his hand, looked around at the charred ruins, and felt a sense of emotion.
"Remember to report the situation to Alliance Leader Meng," Yun Yanqiu instructed again.
"Understood. I've already informed my father. I'll go back to see him after I finish work here."
"Yes, is there anything else?"
"I'm done here, Senior Yun. Have you reached the Secret Sea yet?"
"We've arrived." Yun Yanqiu said sparingly.
"Things at sea are unpredictable, I hope you two will be extra careful." As soon as he finished speaking, the communication talisman in Zhao Yuxiao's hand turned to ashes.
This means that the effect of a transmission talisman has been completely exhausted.
Yun Yanqiu, who was in the Secret Sea, spread his hands, letting the breeze scatter the ashes of the burnt talisman in his hand. He stared at the tightly closed door of Ye Yingying's house, lost in thought.
Meanwhile, Ye Yingying was intently absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth inside the room. The spiritual energy in this secret sea was significantly denser than that in Zhi County, which would be perfect for consolidating her foundation. Ye Yingying also wanted to practice the Azure Nether True Fire she had just subdued, but she didn't know if the person outside would notice anything amiss, so she decided it was best to be cautious.
As the sun set, steam rose from the kitchen of the Han family mansion, mingling with the aroma of food that made one's mouth water. Han Chengjin looked at the food on the stove with satisfaction, then turned and instructed Uncle Liu to invite the two guests to eat, while he himself prepared to call his brother for dinner.
Before she could even step out of the kitchen, Han Chengyu walked in from a short distance away, staring intently at Han Chengjin, catching the unprepared Han Chengjin off guard.
"Brother, why are you here for dinner so early today?"
"With such distinguished guests, we naturally need to make sure the meal is prepared." Han Chengyu ignored him and walked aside to examine the food waiting to be served. "Where's Uncle Liu?"
"I saw that the dishes were almost ready, so I asked him to invite the guests over for dinner." Han Chengjin took a step closer and stood next to Han Chengyu.
Compared to his younger brother, Han Chengyu, as the older brother, was slightly shorter, but his aura was much stronger. Han Chengjin looked at his brother's tightly furrowed brows and felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
The two brothers lost their mother at a young age, and their father was often busy with official duties and rarely spent time with them, so Han Chengjin spent most of his childhood with his older brother. The saying "the eldest brother is like a father" couldn't be more fitting for him.
After their father went into seclusion, the burden of the family fell entirely on the shoulders of Han Chengyu, the elder brother. From then on, Han Chengjin often saw his brother with a furrowed brow.
Han Chengjin wanted to reach out and rub his brother's furrowed brows, offering a few words of comfort to prevent him from becoming an old man at such a young age. However, he also knew that the disappearance of cultivators had caused widespread panic in the Secret Sea. Han Chengyu attended meetings at the Sea Discussion Hall almost every day, and while the other aristocratic families had gradually united, his brother was still hesitant and deliberating. The pressure on his brother was not something that could be easily relieved with a few words of comfort.
"elder brother."
"Um?"
"I……"
"If it's about going to sea, then let's not talk about it anymore." Han Chengyu coldly interrupted Han Chengjin, turning his back to him and no longer looking at him. "If you really have nothing better to do, then go to the Absolute Sea Cliff and guard the pass for Father."
Han Chengjin pursed his lips, lowered his eyes in disappointment, and remained silent.
"Young masters, the guests are already on their way to the dining hall." A-Zhuo stood at the door and bowed respectfully.
"Let's go." Following A-Zhuo's words, Han Chengyu took a step and walked out of the house without looking back.
Han Chengjin sighed almost imperceptibly, but still followed his brother's steps. The two walked in silence to the dining hall, where they bumped into Ye Yingying and Yun Yanqiu, who were being led by Steward Liu. Han Chengyu, his previous seriousness gone, smiled and cupped his hands to the two: "You two have come at the right time! The dishes are ready, let's take our seats and we can begin."
After saying that, Han Chengyu gestured for Yun Yanqiu and Ye Yingying to go first. Yun Yanqiu nodded slightly, glancing at Han Chengjin behind Han Chengyu out of the corner of her eye. Seeing that the other party looked listless again, she didn't say anything and led Ye Yingying to her seat.
The Han brothers sat down one after another, and soon several maids placed the dishes on the table.
Ye Yingying slightly twitched her nostrils, smelled the aroma of the dishes in the air, and unconsciously licked her lips.
"Are you two satisfied with your accommodations?" Han Chengyu asked.
"That's wonderful, that's wonderful. Young Master is so thoughtful. He even took care of my eye condition and arranged a spacious place for me." Ye Yingying smiled. "The dinner dishes are so delicious. I want to stay here forever."
Han Chengyu smiled and continued chatting with Ye Yingying about this and that. Han Chengjin, standing to the side, remained silent, only glancing repeatedly at Yun Yanqiu, waiting for him to bring up the matter of the sea.
Yun Yanqiu listened to the conversation between the two people at the table in a leisurely manner, occasionally taking a sip of tea, showing no intention of speaking.
As they chatted, the dishes were served, and the group began to eat dinner. Seeing that the time was right, Han Chengyu dismissed the servants in the house and had Uncle Liu, who was waiting at the door, close the door tightly before speaking: "Regarding the matter of going to sea, I would like to have a proper discussion with you two."
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