Broken Linglong (25)
Upon hearing this, Ye Yingying immediately showed some disdain.
"What's with that expression?" Qi Shuojun raised an eyebrow. "The Azure Golden Hou in the mountains only recognizes the bloodline of the Qi family. You mentioned earlier that you were almost attacked by it, so you have to find a way to avoid the risk."
"Did your father tell you this too?"
“Of course.” Qi Shuojun nodded. “But he’s not sure what the Azure Golden Hou’s current condition is. If we do see it, we still need to be on guard.”
"Is your father thinking of leaving everything to Yun Yanqiu...?" Ye Yingying muttered to herself, when she suddenly heard a clear female voice: "You're so slow!"
Ye Yingying looked up and discovered that Wu Yue had somehow sneaked out of the nearby woods without anyone noticing.
"Why are you here too?"
"You guys are dragging your feet. I'll lend a hand and get this over with quickly," Wu Yue said bluntly, her sharp gaze sweeping over Yun Yanqiu.
Ye Yingying didn't understand the deeper meaning of Wu Yue's words, and only stared at what was behind Wu Yue: "And Zhao Yuxiao too...?"
“He’s in the city.” Wu Yue put her hands on her hips. “He’s a guest with an invitation, he’s probably drinking with those old men right now.”
"The bride and groom aren't here, so what are we drinking?" Ye Yingying asked, looking completely bewildered.
“Miss Ye, you don’t understand this.” Qi Shuojun pulled out his rocking chair again, looking smug. “The Qi family’s wedding is an occasion for aristocratic families to connect. The bride and groom only appear when they pass through the three gates in the morning and when they have the wedding dinner in the evening. During the time in between, they come to the ancestral home to pay respects to their ancestors.”
Qi Shuojun spoke eloquently about his family's ceremony: "As a representative of the Lingyun Alliance, Brother Xiao naturally cannot escape those social obligations."
Ye Yingying was even more speechless after hearing this: "Are you two really brothers? I feel like Zhao Yuxiao is being constantly tricked by you?"
"Only brothers would dare to do that, Brother Xiao won't be angry with me."
At that moment, Zhao Yuxiao, who was drinking with Qi Shuojun's father in the city, sneezed unintentionally and immediately thought: Hmm, it must be Miss Ye and Senior Yun who are thinking of me.
Ye Yingying had gained a deeper understanding of the brotherly bond between Qi Shuojun and Zhao Yuxiao. She pouted helplessly and then said to the others, "Now that everyone's here, let's hurry up and go upstairs."
Just as they were about to set off, a faint sound suddenly came from the woods not far away. The group turned their heads in unison and looked up into the dense canopy, only to find a figure among the lush leaves!
The man reacted extremely quickly, immediately realizing that he had been exposed. He then leaped backward and fled into the deep forest, ignoring the noise around him.
"Don't chase!"
Qi Shuojun was about to set off when Wu Yue stopped him. He turned to look at Wu Yue and heard her say, "The terrain in the forest is complicated, and it's easy to get lost without guidance. Instead of getting entangled with them in the dark, we should lure them all out into the open."
"You mean the ancestral altar?"
Wu Yue nodded: "They want the same things as us, so naturally they'll gather here."
Qi Shuojun narrowed her eyes slightly and put the fan back at her waist: "Alright, let's go."
His intuition screamed in his head: that person just now was very likely Qin Zhiqing. Qi Shuojun was eager to confirm the figure's identity, and his steps were quick.
The ancestral site has 999 steps from the foot of the mountain to the summit. The four of them strode quickly and arrived at the ancestral altar in the blink of an eye. Although Ye Yingying had been here many times, this was the first time she had seen the ancestral altar clearly in daylight. It was a three-tiered platform that gradually narrowed from bottom to top. Yellow flags with white stripes were planted all around the platform, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
At the main entrance to the altar stands another archway. Unlike the one at the foot of the mountain, this archway is wrapped with countless chains, and in the center is a huge padlock with a red-lettered, yellow-background talisman affixed to it, its wear and tear clearly visible. The outermost edge of the ancestral altar is surrounded by a ring of wooden stakes. The stakes are low and inconspicuous, but each one is covered with talismans, suggesting the tightness of the magical array set up here.
Ye Yingying then realized that the arrow formations she and Qin Zhiqing had encountered earlier were merely the most superficial defensive line around this ancestral altar.
Did Qin Zhiqing find out too? What were her thoughts? Ye Yingying couldn't help but wonder. She watched quietly as Qi Shuojun took out a golden key from her bosom. The key emitted a faint light in Qi Shuojun's hand, seemingly containing some kind of spiritual power.
Then, Qi Shuojun lifted the talisman paper on the lock with his bare hands, inserted the key, and twisted it.
In an instant, the lock opened, and a "click" sound came from several pillars of the archway. The dense chains, like a swarm of snakes, began to writhe, occasionally emitting dull thuds from friction. They systematically followed a predetermined path, layer by layer shedding and retracting into the pillars. Qi Shuojun held the fallen lock in her hands and looked up; the previously sealed opening was now revealed before the four of them.
"That's fine," Qi Shuojun said.
"The Azure Netherfire is inside!" Ye Yingying thought to herself, and stepped inside. She passed through the archway smoothly and searched around the ancestral altar. She first ran around the altar but found no trace of the Azure Netherfire. So she went up to the second level, but still didn't see the flame. She hesitated for a moment, exchanged a glance with Qi Shuojun below, and after receiving his approval, went straight up to the third level.
In the very center of the third floor was a cauldron. Ye Yingying went up to examine it, but still found nothing.
"What's going on?" Ye Yingying stared at the empty cauldron, completely baffled.
The Azure Nether True Fire isn't here? Then where else could it be?
At this moment, the people below also noticed that something was wrong with her. Wu Yue couldn't help but frown and ask loudly, "What's wrong? Didn't you find it?!"
Ye Yingying turned around in confusion, but suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Watch out behind you!"
Upon hearing the sound, the group turned their heads sharply to the side and saw a woman with her black hair half-tied up leaning against a pillar of the archway, holding a delicate lantern in her hand, inside which a bright blue flame was burning!
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, the woman grinned and said mockingly, "Is this what you're looking for?"
Yun Yanqiu's eyes turned cold, and a slender, sharp sword materialized in his hand.
Ye Yingying leaped down from the height and demanded sharply of the woman, "Who are you? What is your relationship with the Ghost Calculator?"
Before the woman could speak, Yun Yanqiu said coldly, "Gu Wusi."
"So you know my name?" Gu Wusi remained calm, even deliberately feigning a flattered expression. "Since you already know, why ask when you already know?"
Gu Wusi straightened up to face the four people, her smile unchanged: "You must be Ye Yingying?"
"What do you want?" Ye Yingying frowned, full of vigilance.
"You took two layers of my Flame, and I want you to return them. Would you be so kind as to do me this favor?"
"What are you dreaming about? This is mine to begin with."
Gu Wusi tilted his head, looking completely innocent: "Don't rush, we can discuss anything properly."
"Alright, let's talk." Upon hearing this, Qi Shuojun immediately stepped forward, her gaze sharp. "Where have you hidden Qin Zhiqing?"
"What are you saying?" Gu Wusi feigned ignorance. "Miss Qin has no grudge against me, why would I hide her? Besides, isn't she watching over there in the woods?"
Gu Wusi raised her chin and nodded towards the woods behind her. Qi Shuojun looked in the direction she indicated and met a panicked gaze from within the trees. The moment their eyes met, Qin Zhiqing turned and fled like a frightened bird. Seeing the situation was bad, Qi Shuojun immediately gave chase.
But the only exit was blocked by Gu Wusi. He frowned, but Gu Wusi stepped aside to make way for him and gestured for him to proceed. Qi Shuojun didn't think much of it and ran straight in the direction Qin Zhiqing had fled.
Wu Yue, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but ask, "What's the meaning of letting him go?"
"I want to discuss this with Miss Ye. It doesn't matter whether he's here or not." Gu Wusi straightened up and explained, "The other two can also leave if they don't want to stay here. I won't stop them."
"No, I'd rather hear what you have to talk about," Wu Yue said with a smile, arms crossed.
“Since you’re not leaving, let’s continue.” Gu Wusi said with a smile, “Miss Ye, have you thought it through? If you’re willing to give me the Azure Nether True Fire, just name whatever you want. As long as I can get it, you can have as many as you want.”
Ye Yingying said with displeasure, "You're one of Ghost Calculator's people, why should I give it to you?"
"Wasn't Miss Ye also one of the fortune tellers before? What's wrong with that?"
"You know?" Ye Yingying's breath hitched, and her brows furrowed even deeper.
Seeing this, Gu Wusi pretended to purse his lips and said, "Hmm... I don't know much, like—you died at his hands?"
In the forest, Qi Shuojun chased Qin Zhiqing, weaving through the trees. Qin Zhiqing was incredibly agile, and her familiarity with the terrain made it extremely difficult for Qi Shuojun to keep up. But Qi Shuojun refused to give up. He stared intently at the slender figure in the distance, not daring to fall behind. He wanted to call out to her, but simply keeping up with her pace had already exhausted almost all his strength, and his rapid breathing was insufficient to utter the words that were on his mind.
Qi Shuojun chased Qin Zhiqing for half a mountain. This perseverance made Qin Zhiqing, who had been avoiding him, unable to help but look back, as if she was worried that he would be exhausted to death.
Suddenly, with a "thud," Qin Zhiqing heard a heavy thud behind her as something fell to the ground. Her heart tightened, and she quickly stopped and turned around to look. She saw Qi Shuojun lying face down on the ground, motionless.
Qin Zhiqing was a little flustered, but she stood there and observed for a while. She waited and waited, but Qi Shuojun didn't move even a finger.
Oh no, could she really have fainted? Qin Zhiqing hesitated whether to go up and check on her, but her fear kept her from moving forward.
What's the use of worrying about him now? A voice in her mind told her, "You can't go back anyway."
The light in Qin Zhiqing's eyes dimmed suddenly, but the deafening pounding of her heart still tugged at her conscience—one last time, just one last time.
She stepped forward, crouched down, and tried to turn Qi Shuojun over to check his breathing. The instant her hands touched him, the man on the ground grabbed her hands and blurted out, "Don't run away anymore, Chi He, I know it's you!"
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