Chapter 38: Invisibility Talisman

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the sound of a woman sobbing could be heard outside the door.

“Second Miss, I failed you. I couldn’t capture the person you wanted me to bring, and I even lost them… Miss, please punish me! Wuu wuu!”

After spending the entire night drawing talismans, although many sheets of paper were wasted, just now, the second invisibility talisman had been successfully completed. With a sigh of relief, Ye Qingning was about to get up to check what was going on outside when she suddenly felt her vision darken and stumbled, nearly falling.

She steadied herself by grabbing the edge of the table and rubbed her temples before reaching into her storage bag to grab a high-grade spiritual stone. She crushed it in her palm and absorbed its spiritual energy. Gradually, her dizziness began to subside.

However, compared to the weakness she felt when her meridians were incomplete, this was nothing—just a minor issue.

System: Ning Ning, you’ve overexerted yourself. You’ve barely rested this month, and now you’ve spent an entire night drawing an invisibility talisman. It’s a miracle you didn’t collapse.

System: Most cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage would take hours or even days to complete a talisman. But you’re doing it in such a short time, so don’t complain. Your spiritual energy is abundant, but the invisibility talisman isn’t an ordinary talisman; it’s complicated and prone to failure. If you’d exhausted yourself and collapsed, no one would consider it a workplace injury.

The system was sarcastic but still seemed genuinely concerned for Ye Qingning.

Still, despite the sarcastic tone, Ye Qingning couldn’t help but feel a little proud. It wasn’t easy to complete two invisibility talismans in such a short time. Most talismans were highly sought after, and for good reason.

After absorbing the spiritual energy from the stone, she opened the door to check what was going on. Just as she stepped out, she saw a figure in green, Luoluo, kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.

The sight made Ye Qingning think of the “demon” identity she had seen in the identity tokens last night. The disciple with the “demon” identity earned points by gaining trust through deception and manipulation, which aligned with the common myth that demons were expert at disguising themselves and tricking others.

“What’s going on? Why are you crying so early in the morning? I’m not dead yet.”

Hearing Ye Qingning’s voice, Luoluo’s sobs grew louder. “Second Miss, I failed you! I couldn’t capture the person you wanted me to bring… I lost them! Wuu wuu wuu!”

Ye Qingning frowned. “Lost them?” Did someone else cause trouble?

“Yes! After the banquet last night, Miss went to the main hall to discuss matters. Then, she sneaked out of the estate. I was looking for Miss’s servant, and I saw him following Miss. He must have escaped, wuu wuu wuu. If Master finds out, he’ll surely punish me!”

“Also, he… he wasn’t human! I saw him leave the estate, and then he… disappeared! Wuu wuu wuu! Miss, could it be that he’s possessed by a ghost?!”

Ye Qingning smiled, already certain that it was Jiang Shaoling.

Ordinary people couldn’t just vanish into thin air like that. The fact that he disappeared after leaving the estate confirmed that he had used an invisibility talisman.

Since he had followed her without her noticing, everything she had done, including where she had gone, was probably seen by him. However, he hadn’t verified her identity or anyone else’s, so he must be an inspector disciple.

It had to be Jiang Shaoling, with his temper. His aim was to monitor her secretly and find flaws to fail her in the assessment, thereby winning the bet with Xuan Yangzi.

“Ghost? You’re seeing things. Go look for him again; maybe you’ll find him.”

“By the way, I’m not feeling well today. My period started, so don’t let anyone disturb me. If anything comes up, we’ll deal with it tomorrow.”

Luoluo nodded repeatedly. “Understood, Miss. The Eldest Miss came to see you last night, but I told her you had gone out. She left early this morning, saying she was going to catch ghosts. She said the city’s yin energy was especially strong today, and evil spirits were excited enough to kill people in broad daylight!”

“Since you’re not leaving, it’s safest for you to stay in your room.”

Ye Qingning nodded, grateful for the information.

It seemed her guess was right—the evil spirits in the city had been restless, and tonight, under the dark moon, was an opportune time to break the seal. The spirits would be released to wreak havoc on the mortal world.

Tonight, a great show was about to unfold.

…

As the hour approached midnight, the entire city of Beilan was covered by a thick, ominous black cloud, creating a disturbing atmosphere.

When Ye Qingning arrived at the outskirts of the city, the area was already engulfed in dark fog.

This was no ordinary mist; it was filled with malevolent energy.

The cold, sharp energy that surged toward her felt like a blade slicing through her chest, leaving her feeling stifled, her scalp tingling, and her body uncomfortable.

Compared to the previous days, this time the evil energy was far stronger, almost reaching its peak.

“Here they come! They’ve all arrived!”

“Too bad, once the hour strikes, the boss will break the seal. Once the thing below comes out, they’ll all die! I’ll get to feast on their flesh, hehehe—”

“Fool! How dare you speak of it like that? Shut your mouth and stay put!”

“Do we really need to wait for the boss to act? Everyone, attack! Kill them! Kill them all!”

Suddenly, the sounds of fighting erupted in all directions.

Ye Qingning, with her identity as a mortal, naturally wouldn’t interfere. Instead, she used the opportunity to activate her invisibility talisman.

Now was the perfect time for her to enter the underground rift.

After using the invisibility talisman, she silently transmitted her voice to Bai Wei, signaling her to act at the right moment.

For now, the seal hadn’t been broken, and no one had entered the fissure yet. Anyone who acted prematurely would only attract suspicion.

Moreover, once the evil spirits were eradicated, the other disciples from the immortal sects would surely rush to the underground. If she managed to find the bottle before them, she would have to avoid confrontation.

Since the invisibility talisman had a time limit, she needed to act quickly and make sure that someone could buy her time if necessary.