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墨書 Inktalez
Ji Linglong walked through the city, planning to find the Yun Palace cultivator she had encountered the previous day. Suddenly, she bumped into a girl draped in gauze.
The girl quickly turned back to glance at her and hurriedly apologized. "I'm so sorry!" It was as if a flood of beasts were chasing her from behind.
Ji Linglong casually nodded and took a few steps forward when she noticed a round-faced maid rushing toward her with a group of city guards.
The round-faced maid looked anxious. "She must be nearby! Hurry and search! If you can't find the young lady, don’t blame me; each of you will be in trouble!"
The guards immediately scattered, diving into the crowd, scrutinizing any young girl they came across against a portrait.
Though Ji Linglong managed to avoid being caught by the guards, she was stopped by the round-faced maid. The maid looked at her for a moment before dejectedly lowering her head and letting her go.
Ji Linglong smiled at her. "Who are you looking for? I might have seen her before."
Only then did the round-faced maid pull out a portrait to show her, speaking urgently. "This is the daughter of a prominent family. Have you seen her?"
"The daughter of a prominent family," Ji Linglong repeated, savoring the words.
Looking at the girl's delicate and beautiful features in the portrait, Ji Linglong's mind immediately conjured up a face she had just seen.
She stroked her chin, examining it closely. Seeing that she seemed to be deep in thought, the round-faced maid felt hopeful and looked at her eagerly. "Have you seen her?"
"She seems familiar," Ji Linglong replied, "but I can’t quite remember where she went."
"Miss, since your lady is from a prominent family, why did she run away?"
The round-faced maid's expression darkened as she sighed in regret. "Last night, she clearly resisted strongly. If I had been more clever, I should have informed my lady about it to prevent this chaos from happening."
The maid hesitated before continuing, "Haven't you heard? The Xun River has flooded, and all the cities in Jiangling are selecting brides. Our young lady is undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in Jiangling and is naturally a prime candidate."
Ji Linglong felt a moment of clarity wash over her as an unusual expression flickered across her face.
In just a few breaths, she pieced together the logic behind it all. The flood was believed by locals to be caused by the Dragon Lord's mischief; thus, they offered brides to appease him in hopes of ensuring favorable weather for Jiangling.
A spark of inspiration flashed in her mind.
Those cultivators who ventured into the water faced great danger—could it be that they angered the creatures below because they were not brides?
If she could disguise herself as a bride and enter the water, perhaps she could uncover the true nature of those creatures lurking beneath.
Of course, these were merely speculative thoughts based on legends and might not be accurate. However, Ji Linglong felt there was some rationale behind how locals chose to respond this way.
If she tried this method, it might lead to some clues.
The round-faced maid could hardly wait any longer. "Have you seen our young lady or not?"
Ah, I remember now. She went that way.
She pointed in the opposite direction, and the round-faced maid instantly beamed with joy, thanking her profusely.
Thank you.
In a hurry, she found the city guards and instructed them to investigate that direction.
Jiang Xinlian felt a wave of panic; if she stayed here any longer, the guards would surely come looking for her.
She gritted her teeth and turned towards the west of the city.
"Immortal, you’ve come!"
Yingchun heard footsteps and joyfully opened the door, only to find a beautiful older sister standing before her.
The woman was draped in gauze and dressed extravagantly, looking completely out of place here.
She blinked and quietly asked, "Sister, who are you?"
Jiang Xinlian smiled at her and made a shushing gesture, whispering, "Little sister, are you the only one here?"
Yingchun instinctively nodded, but Qi Xiao's warning immediately flashed through her mind.
Don’t open the door to strangers!
Although this sister was beautiful, she could still be a bad person.
Jiang Xinlian glanced inside; the small courtyard was empty and seemed quite small, as if it only housed this one girl.
Her smile grew even gentler. "Little sister, could you let your sister come in for a moment?"
She actually wanted to come in?
This was her house; aside from the immortal and the big yellow dog, no one else could enter!
Yingchun silently closed the door a bit more and cautiously watched through the crack.
"Who are you? What do you want here?"
Jiang Xinlian's smile stiffened slightly. "Little sister, you've misunderstood; I mean no harm. I just want to sit inside for a while."
Hmph, that sounded even more suspicious.
Such a simplistic line wouldn’t fool her!
Just as Jiang Xinlian was about to say more, she heard a loud bang as the door slammed shut right in front of her.
It closed?
It actually closed?
This was Jiang Xinlian's first experience being shut out, and it was by a little girl at that.
The city center was unsafe, and the western part of the city was no better. If she couldn't find a place to stay, what would she do when night fell? The city officials were surely looking for her, likely setting up surveillance at various inns and taverns. Only in the chaotic western district could she be considered somewhat safe. If she could hide here for a few days, perhaps an opportunity to escape would present itself.
However, finding a hiding spot was a problem in itself. Renting a room temporarily would inevitably raise suspicions. If only she could find a suitable place that wouldn’t attract attention, staying there for a few days might help her remain concealed.
After contemplating for a while, Jiang Xinlian bit her lip and leaned against the door, gently knocking. "Little sister, come here. Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Ignoring her calls would be wise; she knew it was just a trick to lure her into opening the door. She wouldn’t fall for it.
Seeing the unfamiliar girl persistently knocking at her door, Yingchun rushed inside, retrieved a communication jade talisman hidden under her pillow, and cautiously activated it according to Qi Xiao's instructions.
When the jade talisman emitted a faint glow, signaling that it was connected, Yingchun mustered her courage and spoke softly. "Immortal, there’s a strange woman outside my door asking me to open it."
Qi Xiao's brow furrowed slightly; he sensed something was amiss. He had been careful to keep his whereabouts secret yesterday—had Yun Palace discovered him? He didn’t have time to think further. "Wait there! Whatever you do, don’t open the door. I’m coming right now."
"Okay, Immortal, don’t worry. I’ll listen to you and won’t open the door," Yingchun replied.
When Qi Xiao arrived in the western district, he concealed his presence under the eaves of a building and spotted the girl outside. His brows knitted together in concern. A Qi Refinement stage cultivator? Was this the best Yun Palace could send as spies?
"Who are you? What do you want here?" he called out suddenly.
Startled by the voice, Jiang Xinlian instinctively turned to flee but was immediately struck by several pebbles aimed at her joints.
Thud.
The pebbles hit the ground as she cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
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