Chapter 409: Volunteer Bait (3^rd Update)

Xiao Zhang wanted to follow, but Long Qingyue stopped her.

“Let her go.”

Long Qingyue was also curious about what Ye Wenxin was up to. Xiao Zhang hesitated but didn’t dare to go against Long Qingyue’s wishes. She nodded lightly and returned to Long Qingyue’s side.

After a short while, Ye Wenxin reappeared, holding several fresh flowers.

It was rare to find flowers in a forest devoid of sunlight. Xiao Zhang looked at the flowers in Ye Wenxin’s hand with a puzzled expression but patiently observed.

Ye Wenxin paid no attention to anyone else. She found a spot to sit, slowly took out a piece of white cloth from her bag of holding, spread it out, and arranged the flowers on it. Even the experienced and knowledgeable Xiao Zhang couldn’t understand the significance behind this. Long Qingyue, however, showed a hint of surprise.

“Interesting, it’s actually flower divination.”

Flower divination, as the name would suggest, used flowers for divination. It was a technique passed down from Celestial Master Zhong and recorded in the One Short book, utilizing what one was skilled at as a primer for drawing out an omen.

Petals fell one by one onto the white cloth, appearing striking and vibrant. Each time Ye Wenxin plucked a petal, she chanted some incantation. The flowers lay quietly on the cloth, without any apparent changes.

Ye Wenxin’s movements were meticulous, as she continued to pluck petals. Soon, all the petals were collected, and scattered messily on the cloth. Ye Wenxin’s face showed a trace of distress, indicating that this seemingly useless task was actually quite taxing on her mental energy.

After completing this, she took out a jar of rice wine from her bag of holding, poured it over the white cloth, and bowed respectfully to the cloth. The petals on the cloth seemed to sense something; they moved without wind, creating an eerie spectacle.

Ye Wenxin was overjoyed and continued, “Please tell me, what is the surname of the person the Jiangshi King is searching for?”

The petals began to arrange themselves, forming the character ‘Long’.

Ye Wenxin was particularly sensitive to this character. She was momentarily stunned but continued, “Then, what is this person’s full name?”

The petals trembled more vigorously and began to rearrange into another character. Ye Wenxin waited patiently, expecting to get the answer easily. However, before the petals could complete the arrangement, they suddenly stopped and burned to ashes.

Ye Wenxin stared in shock and immediately began to calculate. “Has a chosen one appeared again? Is another male lead going to show up?” Realizing this possibility, Ye Wenxin’s expression turned grim as she muttered to herself about the omen.

Behind her, Long Qingyue exhaled softly, and discreetly put away the talisman in her hand. She smiled as usual, pleased that Ye Wenxin was only a novice, and hadn’t discovered her manipulations.

However, after hearing Ye Wenxin’s involuntary mutterings, Long Qingyue suddenly had an idea. Since Ye Wenxin was already mistaken, why not use this opportunity to make her suffer?

What Long Qingyue couldn’t accomplish, another person could easily achieve. Moreover, she hadn’t had the chance to observe the changes in the Martial World for a long time, which made her feel a bit of anticipation.

“Ah, if this plan won’t work, perhaps I should just let Ye Liangchen come out to help.” Ye Wenxin was still pondering over a poor idea. Since she couldn’t find the person the Jiangshi King favored, why not create a new one? As long as she could get close enough to kill the Jiangshi King, she could resolve this inexplicable grudge.

Unaware that Long Qingyue was the source of this grudge, Ye Wenxin continued to rack her brain for a solution. Long Qingyue, noticing that Ye Wenxin’s thoughts were starting to go astray, turned to Xiao Zhang and asked, “Have you found out anything about the matter I asked you to investigate last time?”

Xiao Zhang was puzzled, but Long Qingyue smoothly continued, “About the Jiangshi King’s so-called husband.”

Hearing this, Xiao Zhang frowned and quickly apologized, “Your subordinate regrets to inform you, I haven’t uncovered anything.”

Long Qingyue, still smiling, replied, “I suddenly remembered that there was a similar incident involving jiangshi several decades ago. If you follow that lead, you might be able to identify the man.”

Xiao Zhang became even more confused, but Long Qingyue had already started mentioning specific locations. She made it seem like she was instructing Xiao Zhang, but in reality, she was guiding Ye Wenxin toward her next move.

“Yes, I will give the orders immediately,” Xiao Zhang responded without any suspicion. She bowed to Long Qingyue, and quickly sent a message via carrier pigeon to inform the Secret Guards still on watch to follow this new lead.

If Long Qingyue’s judgment was correct, the Jiangshi King would likely intercept the carrier pigeon, and undoubtedly pursue this lead. At the same time, Ye Wenxin would be tricked into searching for the so-called chosen son.

Long Qingyue intended to use this opportunity to uncover the secrets Ye Wenxin was truly hiding, and meticulously plotted her next steps. Ye Wenxin, having overheard key parts of the conversation, guessed that Long Qingyue was trying to lure out the Jiangshi King. However, she had no idea that Long Qingyue’s real target was her…

Night gave way to the following day, and the search in the valley yielded nothing. The large group was forced to return empty-handed and contemplate other strategies. Although Ye Wenxin wanted to visit the locations Long Qingyue had mentioned to see if the chosen son still existed, she ultimately decided against it, fearing it might alert the Jiangshi King. Instead, she returned with the main group.

After returning, Ye Wenxin used the peach blossom chains to charm a female Secret Guard, and learned that the carrier pigeon had indeed reached its destination without interception. This raised doubts in her mind—had the Jiangshi King grown clever enough to set the pigeon back on its course, or was there some discrepancy between their assumptions and reality?

Sensing Ye Wenxin’s lingering suspicions, Long Qingyue arranged for a Secret Guard deputy commander to personally investigate the village. After various hints and suggestions, Ye Wenxin finally lost patience. On the third day, she suggested to Priest Wang that they go in search of the Jiangshi King’s beloved.

Priest Wang was deeply concerned, but there was truly no one else available to accompany Ye Wenxin. In the end, he could only allow Xiao Zhang to escort her to the village. Meanwhile, Gu Xiangsi, who had been communicating with Jin Xiaoqin via carrier pigeon, had to stay behind and await further reinforcements from the Azure Wings Sect.

Thus, Ye Wenxin and Xiao Zhang rushed to the village, traveling the whole night without sleep. Only after confirming their departure did Long Qingyue slowly rise from her wheelchair.

Even though she managed to stand, there was still a lingering discomfort, but Long Qingyue’s body had improved significantly compared to a year ago. She gazed into the mirror, and gradually, her facial features and physique began to shift. Within moments, she had transformed into a strikingly handsome man, appearing around forty years old, with bright and expressive eyes.

However, as she was still dressed in women’s clothing, the sight was somewhat incongruous. Long Qingyue opened her storage ring, pulled out a set of men’s attire, and quickly changed into it.

Once she was fully dressed, a dashing young man stood before the mirror. A serene smile graced Long Qingyue’s face as she anticipated the stories that would unfold from this carefully crafted encounter.