Chapter 507: Ye Shengxiao¹

The shadow seemed quite pleased. It extended fair, delicate hands toward the innkeeper. Seeing this, the innkeeper immediately handed over a list. From Ye Wenxin’s angle, she couldn’t make out many of the names on it. The shadow glanced at the list before speaking again, “Why are there so few?”

“I’ve done my best. The children in the city…”

“I don’t care what you think. I care about what I think!” The shadow interrupted sharply. After throwing out a few harsh words, it quickly departed. The innkeeper smiled bitterly and then walked over to the bed. He sat there in a daze as if contemplating something…

The water surface returned to normal. Ye Wenxin reflected on the conversation and the misleading information the innkeeper had deliberately fed them. She had the nagging feeling that the story behind all this differed from what she envisioned.

“It looks like Cosmos Academy is the scapegoat.”

Ye Wenxin considered the innkeeper’s natural expression and the crowd’s reaction. The shadow was probably shifting all the blame onto Cosmos Academy. The fabricated story spread through various people diverted attention away from the connection to the children’s disappearances.

With a conclusion forming in her mind, Ye Wenxin pushed open the door. Immediately, a foul smell hit her. It was revolting. She instinctively pinched her nose while tracking the lingering scent to where the shadow had disappeared.

However, as Ye Wenxin followed it halfway, the odor quickly dissipated. There were numerous buildings in the area. They made it difficult for her to determine the correct location. With the clues ending there, Ye Wenxin decided to head back. But then she suddenly noticed a figure in the distance.

The figure perched high on a rooftop. Gazing up at the moon with evident melancholy in her eyes. Ye Wenxin first thought it was just some troubled girl contemplating suicide. She didn’t pay her much attention and intended to head straight back to sleep.

Ye Wenxin just took a few steps when an acute pain abruptly shot through her back.

It was several times more intense than before. Ye Wenxin collapsed to the ground. She couldn’t comprehend the reason for this strong reaction. All she felt was suffering and a deep resentment toward the troublemaking peach blossom demon.

If she could find a way to get it off her back, she would gladly become a peach blossom demon herself a million times over to soothe her suffering.

Ye Wenxin continued to silently curse the peach blossom demon. As if it sensed Ye Wenxin’s thoughts, the pain intensified. Ye Wenxin rolled on the ground in agony. Perhaps her display was so dramatic that it had drawn the girl down from the roof.

The girl climbed down a ladder but suddenly stumbled over flat ground. She seemed like someone who had just learned how to walk. Ye Wenxin had intended to hold back her laughter but seeing the girl’s clumsy fall made it impossible not to chuckle.

The girl’s face flushed darker at the sound of her laughter. She timidly withdrew her hand, seeming reluctant to help Ye Wenxin up.

“Ah, I don’t have the strength to get up,” Ye Wenxin exclaimed exaggeratedly. The girl before her looked ordinary yet had something special about her. She radiated a scholarly aura, appearing weak but very intelligent.

The girl also seemed to be very naive. She walked over but offered no helping hand. So, Ye Wenxin reached out, intending to grab the girl for support. She also wanted to use the peach blossom chains to extract information from her.

Just before she made contact, the girl became frightened. She stepped back as if wanting to run away. Ye Wenxin was about to reassure her when the girl tripped over nothing again.

Ye Wenxin noticed that the girl walked like a toddler. It wasn’t that she wanted to fall but rather that she struggled with walking.

Unfortunately, Ye Wenxin didn’t possess Southern Dipper Temple’s Discerning Eyes. Her special ability could only perceive luck, which this girl didn’t seem to have. To Ye Wenxin, she appeared to be just another passerby.

To ease her boredom, Ye Wenxin got up and moved closer to the girl, who was having more trouble than her. “Do you need me to help you up?”

The girl looked at Ye Wenxin. She shook her head and got up with effort. She seemed unaccustomed to walking. There were several tears in her clothing that revealed her fair skin. Yet her eyes radiated intelligence as if no problem in existence could stump her.

This mysterious feeling compelled Ye Wenxin to glance at her several times. However, the girl seemed only focused on escaping as if Ye Wenxin were a ferocious beast. They maintained a slight distance. Ye Wenxin decided to speak first. “Miss, can’t you speak?”

This finally elicited a response from the girl. She shook her head and said, “I can.”

Her soft voice perfectly matched her appearance. The vulnerability she gave off evoked protectiveness in others. Unlike with Madam Yu, this protectiveness was more towards a younger sister. It inspired an inclination to treat her well.

Ye Wenxin realized she had lost track of the shadow. She glanced again at where the girl had appeared and decided to continue the conversation. “Miss, I am Ye Shengxiao. May I know your name?”

Ye Wenxin was still dressed like a matron. To maintain her mature persona, she adopted the name Ye Shengxiao.  It followed the trend of her previous aliases, Ye Liangchen and Ye Meijing. To stay in character, she tried to appear wise and composed.

“I… can I not tell you?” The girl appeared reluctant to share more. There was nothing but wariness and fear in her eyes. Ye Wenxin found this odd. Even without Charm, her special ability was usually enough to make women feel close to her. But this girl seemed entirely unaffected.

Ye Wenxin grew more intrigued and released some of her aura. She hoped the peach blossom chains would capture the girl so she could get information from her.

The girl trembled violently. It seemed her body and mind had fallen under Ye Wenxin’s control. Ye Wenxin asked her many questions about Liu City. But the girl’s responses were no different from what others had said.

Finding this pointless and suspecting she was overthinking things, Ye Wenxin quickly released her. She searched the area again for anyone who might resonate with the peach blossom chains.

The girl, who should have remained under control for an incense stick’s turn, suddenly shuddered. Her eyes briefly flashed with golden light before regaining clarity. She exhaled softly as she watched Ye Wenxin leave but still felt uneasy.

She muttered to herself, “I finally go out for once and end up encountering Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng?”

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Footnotes:

1. 1. Shengxiao, 笙箫,  is two different wind instruments.
   Xiao: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiao_(flute)
   Sheng: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheng_(instrument) ↩︎