Chapter 141: The Beauty as a Source of Disaster
Upon realizing that the man in front of her might be the legendary King Longxiang of Nanling, Luxianbei instinctively touched the Ling Tai Purification that she held in her arms.
The token she found in the dilapidated small Taoist temple was stored within the Ling Tai Purification.
Previously, she had shown that token to Professor Ma, who analyzed that it was not just a token; it was also a token similar to the Dan Book Iron Covenant, rumored to be a life-saving medal.
Although having a Dan Book Iron Covenant did not equate to being “immune to d*ath” in the true sense—otherwise, the noblemen and favored officials in history who held such covenants would not have died—it did give King Longxiang some capital to act on.
Even if the emperor was angry with him for killing the envoy sent, as long as he could think of a reasonable excuse, he might just get away with it, or at least not face any apparent punishment.
This reminded Luxianbei of a time when she had unwrapped her father’s cherished collectible card pack, using it for a game, only for her father to pull out his belt to punish her. However, she countered by revealing her perfect score from her final exam, thus escaping any apparent punishment.
Of course, she couldn’t avoid the secret punishment; after seeing her perfect score, her father forced a smile, praised her for her academic talent, and then signed her up for three summer tutoring classes. After being in those classes for over a week, she realized it might have been a form of punishment.
…
The woman finished dressing the injured man, wrapping him up with clean cotton cloth, and after putting on his clothes, she spoke again, “Regardless of the circumstances, what you did was still too impulsive.”
“Even if the sage won’t punish you, you must consider your wife and children far away in Chang’an, and your family in Xiaoxiang… They will inevitably be implicated.”
Hearing this, the man turned around, stared at the woman for a few seconds, and nodded, somewhat perfunctorily saying, “Hmm, understood.” He then stood up.
“There are still matters to handle in the camp, so I’ll leave first. I won’t have time to come over for a while, so take care of yourself.”
Pausing as if he felt the need to inform the woman of his whereabouts, he added, “In about ten days, it will be the start of winter. Food supplies are running low, so I plan to take some people to help the Shaman Queen procure some cattle, sheep, and wine.”
“This…,” the woman’s expression changed, surprised, “Isn’t there the Hong Bian Holy Monk? Why does the general need to take such a risk?”
Upon hearing the mention of the Hong Bian Monk, the man’s expression darkened, and he furrowed his brows. “There are some things I cannot explain to you, but I can tell you that the food he provided has… problems! Eating it once or twice in desperation is fine, but it is definitely not a long-term solution.”
“Problems?” The woman was taken aback, disbelief written on her face. “How could that be? The Holy Monk has been helping everyone since he arrived at Yumen Pass! How could he harm us?”
“Hmm…” The man hesitated before giving a vague explanation, “Perhaps he also has his own difficulties and is forced into such actions!”
Upon hearing this, Luxianbei contemplated the conversation between them and formed a rough guess.
The man mentioned going to “trade” with the Shaman Queen. Given that both sides are hostile forces who fought to the d*ath, how could one possibly negotiate? It must be a raid.
From the woman’s perspective, if it were a raid, it would definitely involve real weapons and combat against the shaman’s tribes, which was dangerous enough. Given the man’s current severe injuries, it was a case of danger upon danger; he might not make it back.
Moreover, within Yumen Pass, the capable Hong Bian Monk could conjure food and drink out of thin air, which meant the man could have avoided taking risks.
Yet, it was almost certain that the food and drink conjured from nothing were somehow related to a certain power…
Food created through such powers would inevitably carry residual spirit energy fluctuations, and the presence of such fluctuations indicated the existence of Night Corruption.
Eating such food too often made it hard not to turn into an urban legend! Luxianbei thought.
She had seen Oujinbang turn anything he touched into gold; she herself was still in a state of gold poisoning caused by him, her body shimmering with a metallic sheen. Without a spell formula like the Fixed Face Mask to alter her appearance, she would be utterly unrecognizable.
She had also heard Fang Ji muttering about power when opening the gates of Yumen Pass, describing things like gold, fine wine, and swords. It occurred to her that they likely corresponded to several other items similar to Oujinbang’s.
Furthermore, the Siye Society’s records indicated that the Hong Bian Monk had had close contact with the predecessor of the Miracle Cult—the Zoroastrian sect—which meant that the supplies he brought to the Nanling King and Yumen Pass were likely produced with items similar to Oujinbang’s.
Could the food provided by the Miracle Cult be eaten without concern?
What about the red tea brewed from calamity?
After all, consuming it could lead to severe consequences…
The man, presumably the King of Nanling, likely realized that eating the food provided by the Hong Bian Monk would pose problems, which is why he was willing to take the risk of raiding those tribes to resolve the supply shortage. However, he could not share this with the woman.
After all, judging from her reaction, the Hong Bian Monk must have a good reputation in the Yumen Pass area…
Perhaps he was trying to gather faith to complete his powers and advance himself?
Thus, even if the man discovered the issues with the Hong Bian Monk, without having concrete evidence, no one would believe him.
“…”
No, even if there were solid evidence, some wouldn’t believe the man.
It’s like some people who, lost in their self-created world, refuse to accept that “God is a fabrication.”
They don’t have to do anything themselves and can live a life where food and clothing come easily, relying on “miracles” created by others. Who wouldn’t like that? Even if it requires paying some less obvious price… Luxianbei thought.
After thinking for a moment, when she brought herself back to the present, the man, who was presumably the King of Nanling, had already left. After seeing him off, the woman extinguished the majority of the lights in the room, leaving only a single candle lit.
In the dim yellow light of the candle, the woman leaned against the window, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.
Suddenly, the room was left with just her and the woman. Remembering the embroidered shoe hanging above her head that she had seen in the mirror earlier, Luxianbei furrowed her brow.
In the middle of the night, sharing a space with a “cat demon” was something she’d experienced before, but it still made her feel uneasy.
It wasn’t that she was worried the “cat demon” would do something to her; it just felt like being locked in a room with a gray old rat. Even though she knew it couldn’t k*ll her and that one kick could easily send it flying, she still couldn’t shake the discomfort.
In short, urban legends were something she never feared when she should, yet feared when she shouldn’t, just like some people who only wanted to sleep when it was time to be awake.
A living person can’t d*e from being too uncomfortable; if one feels uneasy in one place, moving to another should be fine.
Luxianbei felt she should leave and let this “cat demon” enjoy her late-night emo time alone. She would first check next door to see if the couple on top of the girl had finished; if not, she’d go downstairs to continue causing trouble.
At that moment, a gust of fierce wind suddenly blew in from the window, causing the bead curtains in the room to sway and produce a gentle sound. The candle in the woman’s hand flickered and went out, plunging the entire room into darkness.
With her keen eyesight, Luxianbei clearly saw a shadow flying in from the window, landing behind the woman, revealing its form.
The newcomer wore a tight black outfit; judging by the contours of the body, it appeared to be a woman. She had a wide-brimmed hat with black netting over her face. Beneath the black net, her eyes glinted with a faint green light, reminiscent of a nocturnal animal.
The wind ceased, and the woman turned around, looking at the figure in black behind her, her expression darkening. “Why are you here? Aren’t you afraid of being caught by the Longxiang Army?”
“Ha!” The figure in black sneered, “Afraid? Of course, I am! But I’m more afraid that you, dear sister, have genuinely fallen for that surname Long, forgetting why you’re here.”
“…” The woman fell silent for several seconds, taking two steps forward, lowering her voice, “Did Xiangxiong send you, or is this your own idea? I’ve already transmitted all the intelligence I have…”
Luxianbei followed the woman’s footsteps, sneaking close to eavesdrop, with her ear barely ten centimeters from them, and upon hearing the woman’s words, her pupils quivered slightly.
Long ago, she had accessed files related to Yumen Pass within the Siye Society’s inner network and remembered clearly that the high-level urban legend behind the Tibeto people that the Nanling King repelled was called “Xiangxiong Spabon.”
“…”
Goodness! While wary of everyone, one must guard against the person closest to them; I didn’t expect you to be a double agent too?
Since she was a pawn planted by Xiangxiong, she must deeply resent the Hong Bian Monk, who helped the Nanling King repel the Tibetans. How ironic that you had just played that role so well.
Luxianbei thought, as the figure in black spoke again, interrupting her thoughts.
“I came on my own,” the figure said, “Sister, I hope you can wake up a bit. Although every time that surname Long has any movements, you report it to Xiangxiong, do you think that by deliberately waiting until he takes action before you report it, you’re helping him buy time and that Xiangxiong wouldn’t notice?”
“Once or twice, I could explain your delay due to the heavy defenses of Yumen Pass, not being able to send the news promptly. But if it happens too many times, both Xiangxiong and the Shaman King are beginning to grow dissatisfied with you.”
Upon hearing this, the woman showed hesitation, wanting to say something but falling silent several times before lowering her head.
“At this rate, they will sooner or later think about replacing you. Wake up, you and that surname Long have no future. He has a wife and children in Chang’an; with you, it’s merely a passing fling.”
Seeing the woman’s indecisiveness, the figure in black became visibly anxious, raising her voice slightly.
“Sister, he must have said something to you just now, right? Tell me, and I’ll bring the news out immediately, making it up for my past mistakes. Perhaps the two lords will still remember past friendships and give you some leniency.”
Upon hearing this, Luxianbei glanced at the “cat demon” girl, then at the figure in black, folding her arms across her chest, and pouted.
Wasn’t it just delaying a little time for the Nanling King?
That was already quite good. If it were me, if I could help the one I liked, I would have sent out false information long ago…
I hope it doesn’t backfire on you! Luxianbei thought inwardly.
While she was pondering, the figure in black spoke again, trying a different tactic. “Sister, you might not know, but just a few days ago, the two lords sent envoys to Chang’an. They might be negotiating soon.”
“So, even if you report the movements of that surname Long to the two lords now, they wouldn’t seek his life. At most, they would let him suffer some minor injuries, allowing him to win a few battles, so there’s more leverage when the negotiations begin.”
Hearing the figure in black say this, the woman visibly wavered, her eyes trembling as she looked up. “Really? Are they really going to negotiate?”
“I’m your own sister; would I lie to you?” the figure in black said, patting her chest. “I heard Xiangxiong say it with my own ears!”
“Alright…” It was as if she finally made up her mind. The woman bit her lip and said solemnly, “Go back and report to Xiangxiong that the general will be leaving the pass tomorrow to find trouble with various tribes, and also to address the winter supply issues at Yumen Pass. I’m not sure about the departure time, so have them prepare early.”
Oh no, this double agent is going to cause trouble! Luxianbei felt her heart clench, turning to look at the “cat demon” girl with a frown.
In most cases, one could trust a real sister, but her information was just hearsay; she wasn’t the executor. How could she verify its truth?
Hearing it directly makes it true? I also personally claimed that I’m Gu Qiqi wanting to consume little urban legends!
In warfare, deception is essential; what if Xiangxiong intentionally let her hear this?
This is a problem; truly, a hero is no match for the charms of beauty. I wonder if I can wring some disaster out of this beauty… Luxianbei thought anxiously.
Unlike Luxianbei’s worries, the figure in black seemed to be greatly relieved by the woman’s words, as if she had seen a relative lost on the wrong path finally returning to the right one, and excitedly said, “That’s more like it! I’ll go back and report this, then help my sister seek credit!”
Saying this, she swiftly slipped out the window, transforming again into a black wind, flying off into the distance.
She doesn’t look that strong!
She can actually fly?
Watching the figure in black depart, Luxianbei’s eyes held a hint of resentment.
Then, as the figure in black disappeared from view, a wave of warmth quietly rose in her eyes, which then became scorching.
The things in front of her began to blur, the flow of time accelerated, the moon set, and the sun rose outside the window, the sky changing several times. Yet the woman remained leaning by the window, gazing into the distance as if waiting for something, as if she had been petrified.
After an unknown amount of time, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open. A young boy, clad in tattered armor and covered in bl**d, stumbled into the room, approaching the woman. Before he could speak, he fell to the ground.
“Long Bang, what… what happened to you? Why are you injured like this? Where is the general? Is he okay?” The woman spoke, her expression panicked as she hurried to help the boy up.
“Get away! I have a message for you from him.” The boy brusquely shoved her hand aside and sat up, his bloodshot eyes staring at the woman, trembling with cracked, pale lips, and breathlessly said, “He told you to escape quickly, and… he said he doesn’t blame you.”
As if understanding the meaning of the boy’s words, the woman’s eyes reddened, her lips parted to speak, but no words came out.
“Don’t be too happy! All of us—five thousand Longxiang soldiers—will hold you responsible. Even in d*ath, we will curse you to a bad end!”
As the boy finished speaking, the scene in front of Luxianbei suddenly plunged into darkness. After waiting a few seconds for her sight to clear, she saw the woman draping the Three Feet White Ribbon over the beam…
