Chapter 979: I Heard You Missed Me?

Ye Wenxin initially assumed the crowd was due to the upcoming recruitment. But after asking around, she learned that the sudden influx of customers had started after the destruction of the largest merchant guild, Treasure Pavilion.

Since then, the Cozy Pavilion launched a fourth line of business—selling rare treasures.

If Ye Wenxin hadn’t known about the Treasure Pavilion or met Sister Hong, she would have thought nothing of it. It was just business and had nothing to do with her. But since she had been to the Treasure Pavilion and knew its manager, the situation now felt delicate.

Ye Wenxin decided to observe the Cozy Pavilion before revealing her identity. The crowd was massive, but most were only browsing. The displayed items were junk weapons and magic items she had gathered from various places. However, many customers appeared hesitant because of the steep prices and the lack of any reputable appraiser to vouch for quality.

Ye Wenxin glanced across the area again and noticed several conspicuous spies secretly cataloging prices and wares. She also spotted a familiar face.

“Celestial Master Ye, fancy meeting you here,” said the man. He was the elder who had helped Ye Wenxin craft Liuli’s bells and the Treasure Pavilion’s chief appraiser.

He wore plain gray robes to conceal his identity.

“Elder, I hope you’ve been well.” Ye Wenxin forced a polite smile. Today might not have been the best time to visit.

She chatted casually with the elder while reading his mind. His thoughts confirmed her suspicion. The emperor had orchestrated this disruption. The Cozy Pavilion had the Secret Guards’ backing and was essentially under Long Qingyue’s control.

The Treasure Pavilion, on the other, had been the emperor’s. With his money-making operation now in literal ruins, he wouldn’t allow the Cozy Pavilion to profit in its place. That explained why the elder had come personally to sabotage operations today, only to run into Ye Wenxin.

However, after witnessing her abilities last time, the elder intended to recruit her into the emperor’s faction.

At present, no one aside from Long Qingyue and Ye Wenxin truly knew why the emperor was opposing his sister. Seeing Ye Wenxin’s awkward expression, the elder gave a faint smile.

“Celestial Master Ye, are you here to buy pills as well?”

“No, just looking around. I’ll be leaving soon,” Ye Wenxin replied vaguely. The elder didn’t press but continued to monitor her movements, worried that another potential talent might be siding with Long Qingyue.

Ye Wenxin felt rather helpless but reminded herself she was only here to deliver a message. She scanned the area and quickly spotted someone who looked like a Secret Guard.

Approaching him, she took out the token Xiao Zhang had given her long ago. The man’s demeanor immediately shifted to respectful.

Ye Wenxin wanted to write a note to Long Qingyue and have Xiao Zhang deliver it. She’d use Earth’s script, which only she and Long Qingyue could read. But what should she write to ensure Long Qingyue would immediately take her seriously?

Ye Wenxin began scribbling. She had to be careful not to reveal her new means of survival while piquing Long Qingyue’s interest.

Eventually, Ye Wenxin finished the message with instructions for Xiao Zhang to deliver it to Long Qingyue. The Secret Guard took the note and departed swiftly.

Ye Wenxin resumed wandering and soon spotted the elder again.

The two exchanged polite smiles before instinctively glancing away, each pretending to be absorbed in the crowd around them. Unable to reveal her identity, Ye Wenxin ultimately gave up on collecting money. She quickly left the Cozy Pavilion and made her way back to the Fang residence, ready to immerse herself in learning Fenghua Xueyue.

……

Long Qingyue sent Xiao Zhang to the Fang residence again in the morning. She had Ye Wenxin to the palace for a private meeting.

The speed of the response left Ye Wenxin stunned.

But the possibility of switching back into her body still made her happy. After all, this current body was frail, unfamiliar, and potentially dangerous if anything went wrong.

“Cultivator Ye, what exactly did you write?” Xiao Zhang couldn’t hold back her curiosity during the carriage ride. “As soon as Her Highness read it, she laughed out loud. I’ve served her for so long, and it’s the first time I’ve ever seen her laugh so freely.”

Ye Wenxin’s cheeks warmed. After much deliberation yesterday, she had written a single romantic line.

[I miss you.]

Even if Long Qingyue could see right through the lie, she would understand her intent. Still, Ye Wenxin was unused to their changing relationship.

But she was desperate to quickly master Fenghua Xueyue and gain another weapon before Immortal Lord Taohua’s arrival. Thus, Ye Wenxin pushed down the guilt stirring in her heart.

Seeing Xiao Zhang waiting for an answer, Ye Wenxin smiled and said, “That’s a secret.”

Most importantly, she couldn’t bring herself to say something unbearably cheesy.

Xiao Zhang still had a thousand questions but courteously didn’t voice them.

The journey into the palace this time was far quieter. Although Ye Wenxin could have sent her furballs to deliver the message instead, she worried that Long Qingyue’s wards might harm them. Hence, she’d let Xiao Zhang handle it.

The two soon arrived at the imperial palace.

Ye Wenxin was already familiar with the procedure. Xiao Zhang swiftly led her to Long Qingyue’s palace. The decor was just as she remembered. Stepping inside, she saw Long Qingyue reclining lazily on the bed.

Long Qingyue gave her a faint smile and beckoned with a curl of her fingers.

As soon as she was within reach, Long Qingyue pulled Ye Wenxin onto the bed and into her arms.

“I heard you missed me?”

“I missed my own body, to be precise.” Ye Wenxin began to inspect her body, making sure Long Qingyue hadn’t carried out any horrifying experiments on it during their time apart.

Thankfully, nothing had changed. Ye Wenxin let out a quiet breath.

Long Qingyue seemed to have anticipated her reason for coming. She stopped messing around and pulled back a bit.

“I’ve got good news and bad news,” Long Qingyue said. “Which one do you want to hear first?”

Ye Wenxin frowned slightly, wondering where this conversation was going. She gave her body another once-over.

“You didn’t actually do anything insane to my body, did you?”

“Hehe, do you think I’m inclined to self-pleasure like you?” Long Qingyue retorted.

Ye Wenxin seriously wondered how she usually spent her weekdays.

Seeing the disbelief on Ye Wenxin’s face, Long Qingyue got straight to the point. “But I did study your body quite thoroughly. Want to know what I discovered?”

“Let’s start with the bad news,” Ye Wenxin said. She figured it’d be better to hear the worst first rather than get her hopes up and have them dashed later.