IVYSCP - Chapter 59
Chapter 59
The three of them sat back down. Ling Qingyue thought it over carefully. She could not recklessly go to her Senior Sister now. Even if they acknowledged each other, what could she do in her current state? Everything since her resurrection had shown that not all things would develop as she expected.
Too many suspicious points surrounded her, and her Master was still injured. The last thing she wanted was to make her Master worry about her. She would wait a little longer, until she had resolved these matters and her cultivation had recovered, then she would go ask her Senior Sister for the truth.
"I only want to know who harmed Qingtang, and for you to have appeared in Linshui Town... that is no coincidence. I believe the Immortal Venerable and you must have already considered this." Nie Wenxiao looked at Ling Qingyue.
Nie Wenxiao had already sworn a soul oath, so Ling Qingyue was not afraid of her speaking out. She nodded at the words. "Yes. My resurrection was deliberately orchestrated by someone. She drew me and Pei Yin into the game. But we still do not know what she truly wants."
A trace of surprise crossed Nie Wenxiao's expression. She had not expected that the Immortal Venerable had also been pulled into this scheme.
"However, the one who resurrected me and the one who plotted against Liu Qingtang behind the scenes are definitely not the same person." Ling Qingyue narrowed her eyes. "It seems more like deliberate targeting."
Pei Yin nodded in agreement. She then reached out from a nearby pool and retrieved two pebbles of different colors, one white and one black. She pinched the white stone. "Let this be the one plotting behind the scenes."
Then she pinched the black stone and placed it opposite the white stone. "Let this be the one who resurrected you from the shadows."
"One operates in the open, one in the dark. The one who resurrected you certainly knows what the plotter is doing. She hides in the shadows, borrowing strength to stir up trouble. The Linshui Town incident was a declaration of war. Ling Qingyue and I are her exposed pieces on the board."
Ling Qingyue's face darkened when she heard this. "How is that any different from roasting someone over a fire?"
Pei Yin curved the corner of her lips. "I probably know why she wanted to draw me into this."
Ling Qingyue glanced at her.
Pei Yin tapped the table with her fingertip. "To protect you."
Ling Qingyue let out a small laugh and reached out to poke her arm. "The Immortal Venerable is that confident? Couldn't she have pulled me in because she saw I was formidable? If I'm so formidable, do I still need someone..."
Halfway through her words, Ling Qingyue paused. After her resurrection, she needed to cultivate all over again. She had nothing to do with being formidable. Looking at it this way, drawing Pei Yin into the game seemed exactly as she had said, to protect her.
If it was truly about confronting an opponent, why not find a more powerful person directly? Why go to the trouble of resurrecting someone who had been dead for a hundred years?
And how did she know that she had not truly died and could be resurrected again? And how could she hide it from her Master and Senior Sister to let her secretly resurrect in Linshui Town?
Pei Yin saw her deep in thought and did not disturb her.
Nie Wenxiao looked at the black and white stones on the table and suddenly spoke. "Could Cui Heng be the exposed piece of the one plotting behind the scenes?"
"What?"
Ling Qingyue looked up in shock.
Nie Wenxiao's expression was solemn. "Regarding the Linshui Town incident, I received a message, but the Immortal Alliance's people arrived before me. The one who went at that time was Cui Heng. If I had arrived a step later, Qingtang would have been taken away. If Cui Heng is the exposed piece, what was her true purpose in going at that time? Less than a day later, everyone in Linshui Town was soul-searched. Was it the one behind this wanting to know who was responsible? After that, Cui Heng brought the Sun-Chasing Crossbow and tried to force entry into Piaomiao Sect. If not for you two, Piaomiao Sect would likely no longer exist. Then the only ones who knew of the Linshui Town affair would be Cui Heng and the Immortal Alliance. Searching for evil spirits was a pretense; silencing the witnesses was the truth."
Ling Qingyue's face went pale. She had considered this. Compared to revenge, silencing described that day's events more accurately. But if Cui Heng was the exposed piece, then who was the one behind them?
She dared not think deeply on it.
"There is one more matter." Nie Wenxiao took a sip of tea and continued. "Yesterday I asked Chi Que and Ying Ying. They knew nothing about Linshui Town. I examined the rotting corpses from Linshui Town. Among them were cultivators from Wushi Sect and Lingxu Immortal Palace. After the Immortal Alliance took the corpses back, they did not inform the other immortal sects. They concealed it."
The one who could make everyone keep silent that day could only be Cui Heng.
Now, the suspicion of silencing witnesses was nearly confirmed.
Ling Qingyue took a deep breath, her voice low and cold. "The Ancient Yao Forest Realm is an opportunity."
An ominous premonition rose in Pei Yin's heart. "What are you planning to do?"
Ling Qingyue's hand hanging at her side trembled slightly. She clenched it abruptly. "Soul searching."
"She won't admit anything if we ask directly. Soul searching leaves no room for lies. If she truly is the exposed piece, we can also learn who is behind her."
"Unacceptable." Pei Yin pressed her brows down, her voice heavy. "Her cultivation surpasses yours. Soul searching can easily lead to backlash."
Nie Wenxiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief at these words. Thank goodness the Immortal Venerable was stopping her.
"If you want to soul-search, I will do it."
Nie Wenxiao. "..."
Her face wooden, she drank her tea. "Cui Heng is highly valued by the Sword Venerable. She will undoubtedly carry the Sword Venerable's protective sword qi."
The implication: even if you are the Immortal Venerable, soul searching won't be that easy.
Ling Qingyue frowned, annoyed at her earlier impulsiveness, which had even made Pei Yin lose her calm.
"Senior Sister treats her so well. Could it really be like the rumors say, that she thinks Cui Heng resembles me?" Ling Qingyue felt sick just saying it.
Indulging and protecting her, giving her protective sword qi, even planning to give her Jiuge.
Nie Wenxiao said, "The rumors say so."
A sullen anger rose in Ling Qingyue's heart. She looked at the two stones on the table and struck out with a palm, instantly turning them to dust.
"Not a single good one among them."
Medicine Peak.
A faintly glowing insect drifted with the wind into the treehouse.
Gu Huai reached out her hand and watched it land on her fingertip. A moment later, she murmured softly, "Man proposes, heaven disposes. I've planned every step to this point. There is no turning back now."
A clear, cold aura suddenly landed in front of the treehouse. Gu Huai's eyes sharpened in an instant. Upon sensing who it was, she returned to her lazy demeanor, stretched, and stood up, muttering, "Guests even in the middle of the night."
Opening the door and seeing the person standing outside with hands clasped behind her back, Gu Huai lifted the corner of her mouth. "So it's the Immortal Venerable gracing us with her presence. Truly, I've failed to welcome you from afar."
Pei Yin cast her a faint glance, then looked at Lin Zhao and Xue Zizai lying on a haystack nearby. The two were deep in sleep, completely unaware that several long, segmented bugs were crawling on their faces.
"They just sleep like this?"
Gu Huai blinked innocently. "My Medicine Peak only has this one treehouse. Nie Wenxiao shoved two people at me without a word. I can't even fit them here."
Pei Yin raised a hand and opened a separate cave dwelling nearby. After sending the two into the cave, she said to Gu Huai, "Let's talk inside."
Once inside, Gu Huai rummaged through cabinets, seemingly wanting to find something to entertain this honored guest.
Pei Yin came straight to the point. "I need medicinal pills for meridian reforging."
Gu Huai's mouth twitched as she kept her head lowered.
When she straightened up, her expression was rather troubled. "Meridian reforging? That's difficult, Immortal Venerable. I've been in Piaomiao Sect for a hundred years now. I don't have those precious materials."
"What is needed?"
Gu Huai smiled so wide her eyes disappeared, leaving only two dark circles. She pulled a slip of paper from the pile of medical texts beside her and handed it over.
Pei Yin gave a cold laugh. "It seems you prepared this long ago, knowing I would come find you."
Gu Huai said, "I did prepare it, but who knew the one who would come would be the Immortal Venerable?"
Pei Yin lowered her gaze to the list in her hand. All were heavenly treasures extremely difficult to find, but not impossible to gather. Only, in addition to those supreme treasures that could aid in meridian reforging, there were two extra items.
Nirvana Flower and Bai Ze's Tear.
The former could extend a cultivator's lifespan. The latter could purge demonic qi.
These were Gu Huai's price, her compensation for helping refine the meridian reforging pills.
Bai Ze's Tear was unique to the Ancient Yao Forest Realm.
Pei Yin glanced at her pitch-black eye circles, nodded, and put the list away. "Agreed."
Gu Huai curved her eyes. "The Immortal Venerable is indeed so decisive."
Pei Yin asked again, "Once the materials are ready, how many days to refine the pill?"
Gu Huai extended a hand. "Nine days."
Pei Yin nodded, said nothing more, and left.
Gu Huai watched the distant streak of light, her smile gradually fading. "Immortal Venerable, ah, you truly are a perilous move."
When Pei Yin returned to Water Cloud Dwelling, she sent a copy of the list of required items to Chu Qianshan via message. After that, no matter how the jade token flashed, she stuffed it directly into her Qiankun Pouch.
Stepping into West Courtyard, she lifted her gaze. Ling Qingyue was leaning against the doorframe, watching her. "Where did you go?"
Pei Yin paused slightly.
Hadn't she already gone to sleep?
Seeing her like this, Ling Qingyue let out a huff, walked over, and leaned in close to sniff her. She caught a faint, bitter medicinal scent.
"You went to Medicine Peak?" Ling Qingyue was surprised. Then her expression turned worried. "Is your spiritual energy unstable again?"
She was afraid I would worry, so she waited until I was asleep and sneaked off.
"No."
Ling Qingyue was unconvinced. "Really?"
This person always pretended everything was fine.
Pei Yin lowered her head and pressed her forehead against hers, her tone soft and suggestive. "If you don't believe me, you can come inside and see for yourself."
The two had experienced spiritual communion before, so Ling Qingyue naturally understood what she meant.
Her eyes widened slightly. She quickly stepped back, face red as she looked at her. "You... how can you say things like that?"
Pei Yin remained perfectly composed. "Why can't I? Haven't we already..."
"Pei Yin!" Ling Qingyue hurriedly cut her off and yanked her into the house.
Still in the courtyard and already speaking without restraint, and there were people next door! Tonight Nie Wenxiao was in East Courtyard accompanying Liu Qingtang.
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