Yin Yin and Sang Ze really did find a place to sit down, looking as if they were just waiting to enjoy the show.

Bai Wenwu frowned and shot them a glare before turning to Ling Long. “Leader, this concerns the secrets of our Zhuwang. It’s not appropriate to disclose this to outsiders.”

Ling Long replied nonchalantly, “It doesn’t matter.”

Yin Yin immediately gave Bai Wenwu a smug look. Bai Wenwu bit her lower lip and chose to ignore her.

“Leader, Jifeng’s^[1]Ichneumon Wasps Right Protector was killed by Mo Lingya.”

Ling Long’s brows twitched slightly. “Why?”

“He sold false intelligence to Mo Lingya.” Bai Wenwu paused, then added, “In truth, his death wasn’t entirely fair. Gu Chenyan’s escape from the wedding was meticulously planned. She released no less than ten decoys, and that Right Protector followed the wrong lead. But it’s also his fault for being too eager for success. Before confirming the person was really Gu Chenyan, he passed the information to Mo Lingya.”

Yin Yin listened quietly by the side. She hadn’t expected Gu Chenyan to be such a cunning person. That organization called Jifeng has also been mentioned in 《All Splendor Fades》. Just hearing the name, one could tell it was Zhuwang’s arch-rival.

Seeing Ling Long remain silent, Bai Wenwu continued, “Leader, Mo Lingya is clearly making an example. He’s already declared that if there’s no news of Gu Chenyan within five days, he’ll massacre all intelligence organizations.”

Ling Long finally reacted a bit. He raised his right eyebrow and sneered. “Massacre all intelligence organizations? Hah. Pass a message to him— I’ll be watching.”

“Leader!” Bai Wenwu became slightly anxious. “There’s no benefit to offending Mo Lingya, and more importantly, that woman just now was clearly Gu Chenyan! This is truly a case of ‘wore out iron shoes in vain pursuit, only to obtain it effortlessly^[2]a situation where someone has been searching long and hard for something without success, only to unexpectedly find it with no effort at all in the end.'”

Yin Yin’s heart immediately tightened. She hadn’t expected things to escalate like this.

She looked at Ling Long somewhat at a loss.

Sensing Yin Yin’s gaze, Ling Long also glanced at her. Though his expression remained unchanged, that faint look from him instantly calmed Yin Yin’s nerves.

“I’ve already promised Miss Gu not to reveal her whereabouts.”

Ling Long’s words caused Bai Wenwu to frown. “Why?”

“None of your business.”

Ling Long’s offhand response choked Bai Wenwu, leaving her speechless for a long moment.

Yin Yin quietly shed a tear of sympathy for Bai Wenwu. Just now, she had clearly heard the sound of a girl’s heart shattering into pieces.

Bai Wenwu felt an intense sense of grievance. Although she could secretly leak the news about Gu Chenyan, she had a strong feeling that Ling Long’s decision had something to do with the young lady sitting off to the side watching the show.

She clenched her fists tightly. If she backed down here, wouldn’t that mean she’d lost to this foolish rich girl?

Why should this Yin Yin, who appeared out of nowhere, receive such special treatment from the leader?

Bai Wenwu took a deep breath and lifted her head. “Leader, this concerns the life and death of Zhuwang. I cannot obey this order.”

“Life and death?” Ling Long’s tone remained as cold as ever. “Mo Lingya is not that capable.”

Bai Wenwu steeled herself and drew the short blade from her waist, placing it against her neck. “If Leader insists on this course, then I can only express my resolve with death!”

Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! It’s happening!!!

In Yin Yin’s heart, a herd of wild horses was stampeding.

At that moment, in the neighboring room where Du Qianqian was eavesdropping, her lips curled up uncontrollably.

She remembered clearly how things had gone in her past life.

Using tricks like crying, making a fuss, and threatening suicide to deal with Ling Long had only earned his disdain. She’d been a fool to get involved with the other two women back then. But now, with them fighting like crabs in a barrel, she could remain completely uninvolved.

Sure enough, Ling Long looked displeased. He stared coldly at Bai Wenwu without saying a word.

Seeing Ling Long unmoved, Bai Wenwu made a show of slitting her throat with the knife.

“Wait!” Yin Yin shouted, interrupting her next move.

Bai Wenwu glanced at Yin Yin impatiently. “My mind is made up. Don’t try to stop me.”

“I’m not trying to stop you. I just think you might not succeed in dying this way.”

Every word made sense to Bai Wenwu, but together they left her confused. “What are you saying?”

“Your suicide method already has a low success rate. Plus, with Physician Jia right here, he could probably save you in a flash. People who try to die but get saved— it’s like being woken up from a nap. Absolutely infuriating! So, I recommend the secret poison pill from our Yin Manor. It grants instant death on contact with blood, no antidote whatsoever!”

Bai Wenwu stared blankly at the black pill Yin Yin held out. She couldn’t believe humanity had degenerated to this level.

Seeing Bai Wenwu’s incredulous expression, Yin Yin added, “What? You doubt the potency of my pill? Don’t worry. Plenty of people have tested it. Forget Physician Jia, even an immortal couldn’t save you. Guaranteed success!”

Bai Wenwu remained stunned and unmoving.

Yin Yin curled her lips into a smirk and tossed the pill into her own mouth, swallowing it. “It was just the blood-invigorating pill Physician Jia gave me earlier.”

Bai Wenwu: “……”

At that moment, Bai Wenwu felt like lightning had struck her squarely in the head.

Yin Yin winked at her and then turned to Sang Ze. “Heiwa, didn’t you say you wanted to learn trickery?”

“Yes, Master!” Sang Ze stood up straight at once, eyes gleaming.

Yin Yin nodded and said, “Today I’ll teach you your first lesson. A good scheme doesn’t have to be novel, what matters is that it works. The ruse of self-injury may be old-fashioned, but it’s always effective.”

“Understood, Master!”

Bai Wenwu’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. The dagger she had held to her own neck— whether she lowered it or kept it up— felt equally awkward now.

“Of course, sometimes technique matters. It also depends on who you’re dealing with.” Yin Yin glanced at Bai Wenwu meaningfully and added, “With someone like Ling Long, if you use the self-injury ruse improperly, it could backfire.”

“Yes, Master!”

Yin Yin nodded in satisfaction.

Ling Long let out a nearly inaudible chuckle, then looked at Bai Wenwu and asked, “Do you have anything else to say?”

Bai Wenwu bit her lip, sheathed her dagger, and bowed to Ling Long. “This subordinate will take my leave.”

She departed as quickly as she had arrived.

Yin Yin had just begun to feel relieved when Ling Long’s voice echoed clearly in the empty room, firm and sharp, “What kind of person am I?”

Yin Yin swallowed the words ‘cold-blooded and heartless’ that had been on the tip of her tongue and replaced them with an ingratiating smile. “Resourceful and intelligent.”

Ling Long raised his brows noncommittally, then he turned toward the wall on the right. “You can come out now.”

Du Qianqian’s heart skipped a beat, while Jia Qing remained calm as he pushed open a hidden door in front of him and strolled in as if nothing had happened, showing no sign of guilt from being caught eavesdropping.

Du Qianqian and Gu Chenyan followed behind him out of the hidden passage, though their expressions were clearly less composed than Jia Qing’s.

Yin Yin’s mouth dropped open in shock. “There’s a secret door here?!”

Jia Qing replied, “It was built back when my master and I used to play cat and mouse.”

Yin Yin’s brow twitched. “You and your master sure know how to have fun.”

Ling Long’s gaze shifted to Gu Chenyan, who looked rather solemn.

“Miss Gu, I suppose you heard everything just now. Even if I don’t say anything, word of your presence here will soon reach Mo Lingya.”

Gu Chenyan pressed her lips together and remained silent.

Yin Yin looked at her, her expression serious. “Miss Gu, hiding like this isn’t a solution. Some things must be faced eventually.”

Gu Chenyan’s gaze flickered. She exhaled softly, as if making a decision, and said, “I’ll handle this myself. No need to trouble the rest of you.”

With that, she quickly said her farewells and headed down the mountain, returning to Shigu Town.

She had just left when a hearty, booming laugh rang out from afar.

Jia Qing’s brow lifted slightly. “My master’s here.”

A snow-white figure swiftly floated in from outside and landed lightly on the floor of Yinyue Pavilion.

Yin Yin saw the figure and instinctively forced a smile. “Ah Piao^[3]Ghost, hello.”

Ah Piao turned to look at her and grinned. “Ah Dai^[4]Simpleton, hello to you too.”

Yin Yin frowned at the name and asked, “Who’s Ah Dai?”

Jia Renyi retorted, “Then who’s Ah Piao?”

Yin Yin: “……”

Whoever said Jia Renyi was aloof and reclusive? Drag them out and behead them!

“Senior Jia, I came to Qingmang Mountain this time because I have a few questions I’d like to ask you.” Ling Long’s words were polite, but his tone remained indifferent.

Jia Renyi looked at him and raised his brows. “I remember you. You’re the kid who sparred with me the other night.” He circled Ling Long once and nodded. “Not bad. Want to go a few rounds?”

“No.”

Yin Yin: “……”

Why be so honest now of all times? You should’ve gone along with it and said yes!

Sure enough, Jia Renyi looked at Ling Long with disappointment. “Then I’m not interested in answering your questions either.”

Yin Yin: “……”

See?  o(╯□╰)o

Ling Long stiffened slightly, then gestured politely. “Then I humbly ask for your guidance, Senior.”

Jia Renyi’s lips curled as he launched at him like a ghost.

Despite his many years in the Jianghu, Ling Long had never seen such a strange and elusive form of qinggong. As they exchanged moves, he quietly analyzed Jia Renyi’s fighting style.

Suddenly, Jia Renyi chuckled. “Even while fighting, you’re so aloof. Your future wife is going to be very lonely.”

Yin Yin: “……”

She swore she absolutely had no idea what Jia Renyi meant by ‘lonely’.

Though clearly being teased, Ling Long remained unfazed.

Jia Renyi murmured, “Interesting”, then suddenly shifted from fists to claws. Ling Long was slightly caught off guard and prepared to counter, only to realize the claw wasn’t aimed at him.

Yin Yin suddenly felt a gust of wind rushing toward her face. She instinctively tried to dodge, but Jia Renyi’s movement was far too swift. Before she even had time to scream, she felt her neck firmly seized in his grip.