Chapter 391: Long Qingyue’s Reemergence

Ghost Mother huffed, angrily saying, “You said the exact same thing to Xiao Ri Ri the other day!”

Ye Wenxin felt a bit awkward, only to see Ghost Mother return to normal before hugging her neck, continuing, “But even if you’re lying, I still like it.”

Ghost Mother tried once more to use sweet talk to capture Ye Wenxin’s attention, while her sharp ghostly claws were always ready to rip Ye Wenxin’s heart out of her chest. It was the same trick every time, yet she never got tired of it.

Ye Wenxin chuckled and swiftly grabbed Ghost Mother’s hands. She tied them with a red cord inscribed with binding spells. Ghost Mother was utterly dumbfounded, unable to comprehend how she had encountered such a cunning human.

Now, she could only watch helplessly as she was pinned on the floor once again, while Ye Wenxin, grinning brightly, teased, “Such a naughty child… You know, in this world, naughty children must be properly punished.”

Ghost Mother’s body trembled, and she frantically shook her head. “No, no, no, I’m a good child.”

Ye Wenxin paused for a moment, as if acknowledging Ghost Mother’s words. 

“That’s right, and a good child… deserves a reward.” 

Ghost Mother’s eyes lit up instantly, and she eagerly exclaimed, “Reward! Can I kill you then!?” 

Ye Wenxin laughed even harder. “No, but I can go a few rounds less with you tonight.” 

Ghost Mother’s expression darkened even more, as if she was once again caught in a familiar scenario that she was powerless to resist.

Again, as the saying went—

When Zhang’s words press, he stands supreme, each character’s worth a thousand gold, it seems.

He paints autumn scenes with skill so keen, unmoved by the allure of worldly dreams.

The winds and clouds are full of endless change, while the days of spring are fleeting and constrained.

Tonight we meet, flowers damp with rain, as tears fall on our sleeves, the bed stained.

……

As dawn approached, Ye Wenxin glanced at the peach blossoms on her back again, and noticed only a slight change. If not for her sharp eyes, it would have been impossible to detect the subtle shift.

It seemed as though the peach blossoms on her back were a reminder that she could never truly conquer the Yin-Yang ghosts. Yet, to her surprise, three new branches had sprouted beneath the twin peach blossoms, as if hinting that her fate was about to diverge.

She looked towards the bed, where Ghost Mother lay still tightly bound, and Sword Ghost had curled up into a ball. It appeared that even if she couldn’t fully subdue the Yin-Yang ghosts, she could bypass them and move on to the next steps.

However, the tattoo gave her no clue as to who the next peach blossom might be, but it did suggest that more candidates would soon emerge. With this thought, she opened the window and saw the faint light of dawn, with the shoreline just barely visible in the distance.

Glancing back at the Yin-Yang ghosts on the bed, Ye Wenxin couldn’t help but mutter to herself, “I wonder how long it’ll take to improve my proficiency this time on shore… Maybe a few more rounds will do.”

With that, she closed the window and resumed playing with pearls…

At noon, the ship docked at a deserted shore. To show her gratitude for the crew’s assistance, Ye Wenxin was helping them unload the cargo. Gu Xiangsi and Wang Cuihua were also busy, carrying several bags of rice, leaving the men who admired them utterly astonished.

Ye Wenxin, having only moved a few bags as a token gesture, noticed a group of people approaching from a distance. Dressed in the officer uniforms of the Golden Age Dynasty, it seemed they had specifically come to inspect the ship.

“Routine inspection. Everyone, stand over there,” barked the leader, a stocky, tough-looking man. When the crowd voiced their protests, he brandished a waist badge belonging to the Golden Age Dynasty’s Secret Guards, indicating he was part of the dynasty’s direct authority.

Everyone could only set down their tasks and comply, while Ye Wenxin didn’t remain idle. She subtly used her peach blossom chains to charm one of the women, inquiring about the true situation in Yangzhou City.

The woman leaned in ever closer, and eventually revealed the current state of affairs in Yangzhou City to Ye Wenxin.

Yangzhou City had been completely sealed off, the surrounding villages evacuated. However, just a few days ago, a large hole appeared in the city wall, allowing jiangshi to escape and bite numerous people.

“The worst part is that those bitten didn’t understand the gravity of the situation, and they fled in panic. In such a short time, the entire dynasty plunged into chaos,” the woman said with indignation. Ye Wenxin nodded slightly, then released the peach blossom chains’ charm effect.

The woman immediately regained her senses, seemingly confused about what she had just said. She began inspecting Ye Wenxin, ensuring there were no visible injuries on her body.

“Please take out the contents of your bag of holding.”

Noticing the bag on Ye Wenxin, the woman added a few more words. Ye Wenxin, growing a bit impatient, questioned further, “Do you have to check everything?”

The woman nodded and continued to explain, “Yes, to ensure you’re not carrying any meat that jiangshi have bitten.”

Ye Wenxin was speechless, but she still opened the bag of holding that contained her scriptures. The woman meticulously examined them using a rather strange device that resembled a detector.

While this world was full of wonders, it had rather rudimentary technology. Seeing the foreign object in the woman’s hand, Ye Wenxin’s eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Excuse me, ma’am, what is that thing you’re holding?”

“Oh, this is a jiangshi detector made from spirit stones.”

Hearing that familiar term, Ye Wenxin immediately thought of various instruments from Earth. The name also suggested that the device’s creator might have been someone from Earth.

She couldn’t hide her excitement. “May I ask who made this device?”

Just as the woman was about to answer, a voice came gently floating in.

“It was me.” The voice was clear and melodious. Ye Wenxin instinctively turned around to see a woman approaching.

“Greetings, Your Highness, the Eldest Princess!”

“Your Highness, the Eldest Princess!”

The people around seemed startled, wondering what reason had brought the esteemed Eldest Princess Long Qingyue here. While Ye Wenxin was equally shocked, she felt someone pulling her to kneel. However, Ye Wenxin found it awkward to kneel to her best friend, so she remained standing.

Long Qingyue didn’t seem to mind, and offered Ye Wenxin a faint smile. “Miss Wenxin, we meet again.”

Ye Wenxin responded, then noticed a hint of lingering resentment in Long Qingyue’s eyes. After reflecting, it appeared that Long Qingyue had come to her once more. Ye Wenxin smiled back apologetically, and lightly bowed to Long Qingyue.

Her mind was filled with numerous questions, particularly about the jiangshi detector, which overshadowed her joy at seeing her best friend. She wondered what questions to ask Long Qingyue once they were alone.

However, Long Qingyue didn’t seem to be there for her. Apart from the initial greeting, she said nothing more, and was directed toward the shore. She appeared to be carefully inspecting the scene, as if confirming something.

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TL: Pretty sure that poem is original, so no reference.