Chapter 942: A Good Night Talk

“That’s right.” Sister Hong smiled, gesturing for everyone to enter. “Please, come in.”

The group exchanged glances before stepping inside. They hadn’t walked far when the Fang family’s steward came out to greet them.

“The guest rooms are ready. Please follow me,” the steward informed them politely.

Ye Wenxin was about to follow, but Sister Hong called her back.

“Celestial Master Ye, I will take you to your room.”

Smiling, Sister Hong took Ye Wenxin by the arm and led her in the opposite direction. Ghost Mother looked displeased, but after catching Ye Wenxin’s warning glance, she begrudgingly followed the others.

And just like that, Ye Wenxin was finally alone with Sister Hong.

“Sister Hong,” Ye Wenxin could no longer hold back her curiosity, “why go through all this trouble to bring me here? What do you want?”

Sister Hong smiled mysteriously. “What do you think I want, Celestial Master Ye?”

“I’m guessing it has something to do with the Treasure Pavilion.”

“You’re right. But because of the nature of the matter, I’d prefer to keep it between us.”

“I see.”

Ye Wenxin nodded, watching Sister Hong stop in front of a room and open the door. She lit a flame stone, illuminating the entire space within.

It was clean and simple, with a faint rose scent lingering It appeared to be Sister Hong’s sitting room. Ye Wenxin took a seat and waited. Before long, a maid came in to serve tea and snacks and then quietly closed the door behind her.

Sister Hong stepped into her bedroom to change into a casual red outfit, then returned and sat down, pouring tea for Ye Wenxin.

“Celestial Master Ye, don’t be so tense. I’m not going to eat you,” Sister Hong teased.

“You’re still not telling me anything and dragged me into your room. How can I not be tense?” Ye Wenxin awkwardly rubbed her nose. Maybe she’d had too many experiences walking into wolf dens, so her mind defaulted to the worst-case scenario.

“Hehehe, don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.” Sister Hong laughed, but Ye Wenxin remained unmoved. She wanted to get to the point already.

“Enough, Sister Hong. Stop joking around and tell me what this is about.”

“Hm. Well, I want you to write the character on my boss as well,” said Sister Hong, sounding a little sheepish. Ye Wenxin had already said she’d only help Sister Hong. But now, Sister Hong was asking Ye Wenxin to help her and her boss, Qian Duoduo.

“What’s wrong? Priest Wang still hasn’t arrived?” Ye Wenxin didn’t think it was a big deal. She had written the charm only on Sister Hong because dealing with more people felt like a hassle. But the One Short Sect wasn’t far from here, so Priest Wang should’ve arrived by now. Couldn’t Sister Hong have asked him?

“He has, it’s just that…” Sister Hong’s expression turned awkward. Since Ye Wenxin had a connection to the One Short Sect, she wasn’t sure if she should tell the truth.

“Go ahead and say it. Me and Priest Wang aren’t that close,” Ye Wenxin said. She had some idea of Priest Wang’s capabilities. He might be fine handling ordinary spirits, but the situation at the Treasure Pavilion was a bit out of his depth.

The gap in cultivation meant Priest Wang couldn’t carry on Celestial Master Zhong’s legacy.

“After battling the jiangshi in Yangzhou City, Priest Wang’s strength has declined significantly. We had severe casualties last night. If it weren’t for the protective circles you left behind, Celestial Master Ye, I’d be the only one alive today.”

As Sister Hong recalled last night’s hellish ordeal, her expression darkened. Those ghosts had bared their fangs right in front of her, and for a casual cultivator who’d only learned a few superficial techniques, she’d been powerless to do anything.

She had witnessed several greater ghosts pulling at a Nascent Soul–stage cultivator from different directions, tearing him limb from limb. He’d died a gruesome death. At the time, Sister Hong had assumed the character Ye Wenxin had written on her could only ward off lesser spirits, so she hadn’t dared exit the protective circle.

A greater ghost seized Sister Hong’s close friends when the crowd grew too large. Without thinking, she rushed out of the protective circle to save them.

“I never expected it,” she said, “but that charm blasted the greater ghost several meters away, and the other ghosts didn’t dare approach me. By the end, I became the only person standing outside the circles.”

Her expression turned complicated. She didn’t know whether to feel proud or sorrowful.

“So your boss asked if he could have the same character written on him?” Now that she’d heard the full story, Ye Wenxin realized the situation was more complicated than she’d thought.

From what she had seen at the Treasure Pavilion, these evil spirits shouldn’t have been able to evolve so quickly. And yet, their power had surged overnight.

But Ghost Mother had been with her the whole time. She couldn’t have triggered the disturbance. That left Ye Wenxin suspecting something in the entire Golden Age Dynasty’s dark underbelly was at work.

Seeing Sister Hong anxiously awaiting an answer, Ye Wenxin first focused on understanding the situation. “Has the imperial court shown no response?”

Sister Hong gave a strained smile. “How would they dare say anything? They’ve gone to great lengths to cover it up. But I don’t think they can keep the lid on it much longer.”

Ye Wenxin nodded. She figured Long Qingyue had already known about it. Given her temperament, Ye Wenxin wouldn’t be surprised if she’d intentionally allowed the situation to spiral out of control. That way, once internal conflict erupted, Long Qingyue could launch a counterattack to strengthen her grip on the dynasty.

At that point, she would ascend as the true empress—a hegemon with absolute power. As Ye Wenxin weighed Long Qingyue’s likely motives, Sister Hong’s urgent voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Celestial Master Ye, could you help my boss, too? The Treasure Pavilion won’t let your efforts go unrewarded.”

Last time, when Ye Wenxin mentioned that writing a character on someone’s body had a great cost, Sister Hong believed her, especially after witnessing its effects. She assumed it required tremendous effort for Ye Wenxin to inscribe even one word. Hence, she’d treated Ye Wenxin’s group to a meal and offered them a place to stay as an an incentive.

“I can,” Ye Wenxin replied, “but will you guarantee it’s only for your boss? Don’t go asking for him today and someone else tomorrow. I don’t want to be saddled with endless trouble.”

Sister Hong smiled joyfully. “Of course. I’m only asking you this because our boss is important.”

Ye Wenxin raised a brow. “And you’re not?”

She suspected there was more to Qian Duoduo’s identity, or Sister Hong wouldn’t be so eager to make this request.

“The character on me should still be there.” Sister Hong rolled up her sleeve to show Ye Wenxin the golden character she’d written last time but found it had faded by half.

“How? I’ve made sure to avoid rubbing this area.”

She visibly panicked, knowing what would happen if the character disappeared. Ye Wenxin examined it, her brows drawing together.

“No, it’s not your fault,” she said. “Every time the character blocks an attack, it gradually fades. And your sweat will wear it off over time.”