Chapter 196: You Can’t Be This Quick! (Third Update)

Huang Hanyan seemed to have already grown accustomed to being labeled as the Demon Lord’s runaway disciple. She was carrying her tray, preparing to find a place to sit, when she spotted “Ye Wenxin” in the distance.

Of course, “Ye Wenxin” was still Fairy Fengya in disguise, and with her personality, she couldn’t possibly be interested in gossip like this. “Ye Meijing” wanted to ask about Huang Hanyan, but she saw Huang Hanyan already approaching, so she immediately shut her mouth.

“May I sit here?” Huang Hanyan asked “Ye Meijing”, not “Ye Wenxin”, which surprised “Ye Meijing” greatly.

“Of course.”

Although she found this strange, “Ye Meijing” still politely responded, then watched as Huang Hanyan took a seat and quietly ate without further interaction.

“Ye Meijing” rarely encountered Huang Hanyan during meals. Remembering the incident when she asked Huang Hanyan to use the Essence Cleansing Pills several days prior, “Ye Meijing” used her Divine Sense to check on Huang Hanyan’s progress in cultivation and was quite surprised.

With the help of the Essence Cleansing Pills, Huang Hanyan not only stabilized her base but also advanced to the second-stage Foundation Establishment. This progress amazed “Ye Meijing”, and she sincerely felt happy for Huang Hanyan’s improvement.

However, when she thought about how Huang Hanyan was the disciple who instigated her to run away, “Ye Meijing’s” mood became even more complicated.

As they continued their meal, Huang Hanyan still showed no intention of talking to Ye Wenxin, as if she were only here to eat for the sake of eating.

Fairy Fengya naturally had no idea the two knew each other; she ate her meal slowly and mindfully, as if everything around her was irrelevant. Seeing this, “Ye Meijing” didn’t say much and continued eating her breakfast.

The breakfast was quite simple, consisting of spirit porridge and steamed buns. “Ye Meijing” ate quickly, and as soon as she finished, she found that Fairy Fengya had already cleaned up her tray, seemingly waiting for her for quite some time.

Looking around, “Ye Meijing” noticed that the dining hall was getting more crowded, and more people were paying attention to their table. Realizing that she had been drawing too much attention lately, “Ye Meijing” called out to Fairy Fengya to leave together.

Fairy Fengya nodded and stood up. As the two of them prepared to leave, they saw that Huang Hanyan, who had just started eating, also put down her bowl and chopsticks and followed them, keeping a distance of about ten meters.

Fairy Fengya naturally noticed Huang Hanyan following them; even though she had learned about something called the “Peach Blossom Curse” from Great-Grandma, seeing Ye Wenxin seemingly entangled emotionally with yet another person, finally made Fairy Fengya furrow her brows.

“Do you know her?”

“Don’t you?” countered “Ye Meijing”, only to see Fairy Fengya shake her head and reply, “Should I know her?”

The two of them fell into a cryptic conversation, as if neither understood why the other’s attitude seemed so strange.

“By rights, you should.”

“Ye Meijing” didn’t want to explain the convoluted dog-blooded story. She even suspected that the rumor was being perpetuated by her dear adopted daughter, Liu Churan, to confuse “Ye Meijing” into believing that her disciples’ running away was entirely due to Fairy Fengya.

Thinking back, if she hadn’t left abruptly, she might have ended up being completely devoured by Liu Churan. “Ye Meijing” involuntarily shuddered at the thought, just as Huang Hanyan approached.

“Forget it, she’s coming over. I’ll explain things to her.” Given that everyone could perceive the changes in “Ye Wenxin”, and since Huang Hanyan was quite close to her, she would surely notice the difference. Thus, “Ye Meijing” planned to directly tell her the prepared excuse when she arrived.

However, Huang Hanyan seemed to be even more direct. She didn’t go to “Ye Wenxin” but approached “Ye Meijing” instead.

“Junior Sister Wenxin.”

“You can’t be this quick!”

“Ye Meijing” felt somewhat speechless. When Xiao Zhang had impersonated her previously, no one suspected a thing. However, with Fairy Fengya, everyone just observed and immediately realized that “Ye Wenxin” was a fake, without her even saying anything.

“Quick? Do you think I approached you too quickly? But I already avoided other people.” Huang Hanyan was slightly confused, wondering why “Ye Meijing” thought she was quick.

“That’s not what I meant. How did you immediately realize she was a fake?”

“Ye Meijing” was even more puzzled, watching as Huang Hanyan stared at “Ye Wenxin” in the distance for a few beats before continuing, “You don’t have that cold aura around you, and then there’s the look in your eyes…”

Huang Hanyan’s detailed observations—from her mannerisms while eating and walking to her overall demeanor—unnerved “Ye Meijing”.

If it weren’t for Huang Hanyan’s thorough explanations, “Ye Meijing” wouldn’t have known she had so many distinct habits. Reflecting on the possibility that she might one day have to appear as the Demon Lord, “Ye Meijing” suddenly realized that her disguise might not be as foolproof as she had hoped.

The small habits were one thing, but what should she do about her Iceborn Constitution?

And last night, did Fairy Fengya actually sense something off but choose not to mention it out of disinterest? The more “Ye Meijing” thought about it, the more her head hurt. At the same time, she felt relieved that Fairy Fengya’s disinterest in her surroundings allowed her to get away despite such a glaring flaw.

But now, the issue of the Iceborn Constitution needed an effective solution. “Ye Meijing” frowned deeply, only to feel a gentle touch smoothing out her furrowed brows.

“What’s suddenly troubling you, Junior Sister Wenxin?”

“It’s nothing, just hearing you say all that makes me worry that others might easily see through that I’ve hired a stand-in.”

“Ye Meijing” found a suitable excuse. Huang Hanyan’s face also showed a hint of concern.

“You must’ve heard about the killings, right? There’s already evidence of demon sect members infiltrating the Azure Wings Sect. If you continue like this, you might attract their attention.” Thinking of today’s rumors, Huang Hanyan had specifically come to the dining hall to find “Ye Meijing”, not expecting to discover that Ye Wenxin had hired a stand-in.

The matter of the demon sects’ killings had been mentioned numerous times, so “Ye Meijing” wasn’t surprised to hear it again from Huang Hanyan. However, with the most formidable person in the Azure Wings Sect, Fairy Fengya, guarding her, she wasn’t concerned about these minor issues.

“Don’t worry, even if the Demon Lord herself came, I wouldn’t be afraid. This mercenary of mine is incredibly powerful.”

“Ye Meijing” reassured Huang Hanyan with a smile. The joke about Fairy Fengya had become tiresome, so she opted to emphasize the unfathomable depths of her mercenary’s skills.

“Not afraid even if the Demon Lord came? I still hope you’d show a little fear—that’s the Demon Lord we’re talking about.” Huang Hanyan was both confounded and amused by “Ye Meijing’s” humor.

Due to Liu Churan’s machinations, which led her to the Azure Wings Sect, the Demon Lord and Fairy Fengya had always cast a shadow over Huang Hanyan’s heart, but “Ye Meijing’s” playful remark still elicited a laugh from her.