Chapter 394: So I Was Just a Tool!

Considering how Long Qingyue had deliberately made her use her moves to create such a massive commotion, it was clear that she was trying to force something out. However, Ye Wenxin couldn’t understand why, as the Demon Lord’s presence would only be able to force Liu Churan out.

“Yue’er, is Ran’er nearby?” Ye Wenxin, standing on Long Qingyue’s flying magic item, couldn’t help but ask.

Long Qingyue raised an eyebrow slightly and said in a neutral tone, “Why do you ask that?”

Ye Wenxin felt she had misspoken but pressed on. “You forced me to use my real skills, didn’t you? Aren’t you fishing for Ran’er?”

Long Qingyue smiled lightly. “No, I’m fishing for our sins.”

“Our sins?”

Ye Wenxin was even more confused. She thought about the many questionable things she had done with Long Qingyue but didn’t understand where the retribution would come from this time. Long Qingyue, however, didn’t provide a direct answer and mysteriously said, “You’ll know when it arrives.”

Ye Wenxin was even more puzzled, but with the increasing number of jiangshi fish around, she had no time to ask further questions.

She continuously used Flower Burial to attack. In a mere moment, numerous fish corpses floated on the sea, but the awaited person still hadn’t shown up.

Long Qingyue sighed in disappointment and said, “It seems I underestimated it. The karmic cycle is not something so easily broken.”

She spoke with deep meaning, but Ye Wenxin had no recollection of such matters.

“Forget it, let’s go back.” As she spoke, Long Qingyue’s flying magic item reverted to its original form. She beckoned Ye Wenxin to step aboard. Ye Wenxin was still somewhat uneasy, fearing that Long Qingyue might continue probing her memories.

“I was just joking earlier. Come inside.” But Long Qingyue had returned to her usual graceful and composed self. Despite her smile, Ye Wenxin still felt apprehensive.

Although Long Qingyue was smiling now, Ye Wenxin felt that she was serious. That second time, she had nearly been unable to resist. If she hadn’t grabbed Long Qingyue’s arms in warning, perhaps her memories would have been completely exposed by now.

“Yue’er, I really don’t have any memories worth your attention,” Ye Wenxin said with resignation. Long Qingyue, still adjusting her clothes, replied, “Even so, I still want to know.”

She showed no attempt to hide her curiosity about what Ye Wenxin had been through recently, and simultaneously conveyed that she wasn’t willing to give up. Ye Wenxin, not knowing what to say, fell silent.

The palanquin continued to fly through the air. Sensing the change in environment outside, Long Qingyue said, “We’re almost at the shore; you should prepare to return to your original form.”

Ye Wenxin was speechless, as if Long Qingyue had used her like a tool. Now that she had served her purpose, she would be returned to her original place. Long Qingyue’s current mood was too strange, but Ye Wenxin still nodded and transformed back into her younger form before stepping out of the palanquin.

Long Qingyue didn’t follow her out. Now that she was alone inside, and hearing Ye Wenxin’s voice outside, Long Qingyue seemed to be struggling with some emotion, beginning to breathe heavily.

Long Qingyue’s talisman arts originated from the ‘One Short’ school, which required a price. To gain the power to defy fate and walk freely, the forbidden technique had cursed her with tenfold sensitivity.

Originally a person of complete self-control, the tenfold sensitivity caused her considerable distress. Yet she couldn’t reveal this to Ye Wenxin; even in front of her best friend, Long Qingyue was unwilling to show any sign of weakness.

After a brief moment, Long Qingyue emerged from the palanquin, having regained her composure. She intended to continue the earlier conversation with Ye Wenxin, but as soon as she stepped out, she saw that people had surrounded Ye Wenxin.

Long Qingyue was momentarily stunned, mistaking one of them for her younger, more naive self. However, as this illusion faded, she suddenly realized that she and Ye Wenxin no longer shared the same Martial World.

Decades had passed, and they had changed.

Long Qingyue closed her eyes slightly, hiding a hint of sadness within them. She gestured to one of her Secret Guards, who immediately approached and began pushing her in the opposite direction from where Ye Wenxin stood…

Just as Ye Wenxin was about to chase after her, eager to ask the countless questions on her mind, someone stepped in to block her path.

“Grandmaster, you’re finally back.” Priest Wang was visibly excited as he fussed over Ye Wenxin. However, Ye Wenxin seemed distracted, her gaze fixed on Long Qingyue’s figure, steadily moving further away. She wanted to chase after her, but the pressing matters at hand left her no time to do so.

The Jiangshi King was still at the core of everything. Ye Wenxin believed that once it was dealt with, Long Qingyue would return to her usual self. Suppressing her unease, she followed Priest Wang to the One Short Sect’s base.

As night gradually fell outside the gates of Yangzhou City, a group of workers were hurriedly patching up the crack in the walls. Nearby, several groups from the Martial World stood in clusters.

Among them were cultivators from various sects who came after hearing the news, as well as wandering occult practitioners. After learning of the severity of Yangzhou City’s plight, they immediately made their way there.

As Yangzhou City was an important central hub, their enthusiasm was indescribable. While Ye Wenxin felt things should be alright with these many people here, Priest Wang’s words painted a different picture.

“Over a thousand people have already gone into Yangzhou City in search of the Jiangshi King, but none have returned. Just a few days ago, I saw a friend who had already turned into a jiangshi. The feeling…is indescribably painful.”

Things in Yangzhou City had proven to be exceptionally difficult. Even though large numbers of people had been fighting, there were minimal results. Fortunately, only the living could turn, so those who were injured by jiangshi ultimately chose to take their own lives over dragging their companions down.

Even if someone managed to survive the jiangshi horde, the corpse poison has now mutated. Originally, it took three to five days to turn into a jiangshi, but now it only took two hours, making survival even more difficult.

So far, 3,528 people had entered the city, yet none had made it back, only adding to the growing number of jiangshi.

“What are we going to do now? Even the sea is contaminated.” Remembering the changes in the sea today, Priest Wang felt even more troubled. Clearly, this jiangshi incident was the greatest catastrophe this world had ever faced.

Despite everything, Ye Wenxin still doubted that this situation would have drawn Long Qingyue’s attention, unless the Jiangshi King had some connection to her. With this thought in mind, Ye Wenxin asked, “Do you know why the Eldest Princess has come?”

“The dynasty is facing such a grave crisis; of course she would come. But the Eldest Princess is quite remarkable—one of the first things she asked me was whether you were here.”

Ye Wenxin wasn’t surprised by this. After all, Long Qingyue had people keeping track of her movements, so it wasn’t unusual for her to know where she was.

However, the range of emotions Long Qingyue had shown suggested that the birth of the Jiangshi King was somehow intertwined with them. Yet, Ye Wenxin couldn’t figure out which of her past misdeeds had brought about this current evil.