**Chapter 146: Faking d*ath**
Looking at the scene that emerged before her, Luxianbei’s movements froze as she lowered her head, widening her eyes to stare at her own hands. It felt like a ringing in her ears, with the sounds around her fading away, plunging her into a dead silence where all she could hear was the chaotic beating of her own heart.
Could it be that my actions just now truly affected her fate? Luxianbei thought.
In fact, when she first noticed that one of the embroidered shoes on the woman’s feet had inexplicably vanished, she felt a sense of confusion. Later, upon seeing the woman’s tongue disappear and many scars suddenly appear on her body, she had already harbored some vague suspicions in this regard.
However, the idea that a person’s actions could influence the past was simply too absurd for her to accept, even after experiencing numerous large-scale urban legend events. She couldn’t believe it.
But now, accompanied by the pain in her eyes, images from a distant past flashed before her, and she witnessed with her own eyes how the woman, who was supposed to hang herself, seemed to be pushed down to the ground by an invisible hand… any disbelief at that point felt somewhat self-deceiving.
This situation was like when evidence is conclusive; no matter how absurd the identity of the suspect may be, they must be the criminal.
Upon realizing this, Luxianbei’s first thought was, “Is it really possible for such a thing to happen?” Her second thought was, “Is there any way to tell the winning number of the grand prize in the fifth anniversary celebration of ‘Love and Magical Girls’ to the past Luxianbei?”
Just as Luxianbei was lost in her untimely fantasies, the woman who fell from the white silk lay on the ground, gazing blankly at the white silk hanging from the beam, her eyes devoid of life.
Although she was still alive, perhaps the moment the white silk crossed the beam, she was already dead.
After an unknown amount of time, a sound of the door opening broke the silence, followed by a gasp that pulled Luxianbei’s attention away from her inappropriate fantasies.
“Ah—!”
Turning towards the direction of the scream, she saw a girl around fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed like a maid, standing helplessly at the door with a pale face.
She seemed to be frightened by the woman who lay motionless on the ground and the white silk fluttering from the beam. Her body trembled, and the white porridge and small dishes she was holding spilled onto the tray.
The girl stood there for a moment before hurriedly rushing over, placing the tray on the ground, and helping the fallen woman sit up by the bed, stammering, “Sister Lianqing, what… what are you doing?”
The woman leaned against the bedpost, staring vacantly at the white silk hanging from the beam, her breath unsteady as she murmured, “Willing to d*e together like autumn grass, not to be a flying flower… Yumen Pass has lost its general’s protection, the Shaman Queen’s Army is about to invade the city; this is all my fault. How can I face the world?”
“But…” the girl wanted to say something but hesitated, nervously glancing outside before leaning closer to the woman’s ear.
Are they whispering again? Why do these people love to whisper so much? Luxianbei thought, stealthily moving closer to eavesdrop, catching the girl’s voice barely above a whisper.
“…They came before dawn, about seventeen or eighteen armored soldiers. They said the general is still alive. Oh, and Long Duyi was with them, gravely injured…”
Long Duyi? Could that be the boy who came looking for the woman earlier, who shares the same surname as the Nanling County King? Luxianbei wondered.
That boy resembled the Nanling County King, Long Xiang, quite a bit, shared the same surname, and had attained the rank of Duyi at such a young age. He must have a close relationship with the Nanling County King, and should be someone deeply trusted by him. If he brought the message, it should be credible.
But…
Based on the boy’s earlier demeanor, the Nanling County King should have died on the battlefield, shouldn’t he?
How could he suddenly show up alive?
Could this little girl be lying? But why would she lie? Just to try to keep the woman alive?
Luxianbei felt her mind become a tangled mess from the girl’s words, unable to sort through the confusion, so she temporarily stopped thinking and continued to observe the two.
After hearing the girl’s whisper, the woman’s vacant eyes suddenly regained their luster, widening as she sat up to look at the girl in surprise, “Really?”
“Really,” the girl nodded earnestly.
“I knew it! I knew it! Everyone says the Nanling County King is immortal; how could he d*e so easily?” The woman murmured, “He has deceived me so cruelly…”
As her words fell, she appeared deep in thought, and then as if having made an important decision, she shook her pale lips, her eyes flashing with determination, stood up, slightly tidying her messy hair and clothes, and walked toward the door.
Just a few steps out, her figure swayed and nearly fell.
Seeing this, the girl hurriedly went up to support the woman, concerned, “Sister Lianqing, you should eat something first before going to see them. Since that day Long Duyi came, you haven’t eaten anything for four or five days.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve already found a place to hide them; those barbarians won’t find them for a while.”
Saying that, the girl stood up, lifted the tray from a nearby table, and brought over the white porridge and small dishes she had prepared for the woman.
The woman hesitated for a moment after glancing at the porridge and small dishes before taking them into her hands and eating them hungrily.
As she ate, she mumbled, “Now the city is full of people from various tribes; it’s not an easy task to send them away. We’ll have to plan carefully…”
Luxianbei hadn’t heard the full contents of the girl’s whisper earlier. Now listening to the woman’s mumblings and making some deductions, she slowly pieced together what she hadn’t caught before.
“…”
From the sound of it, did the Longxiang Army that came seeking the woman intend to exit the city?
If the assumption that the Nanling County King is still alive holds, then they must be planning to meet up with him and then…
A coordinated attack against the Shaman Queen’s forces, forming a two-pronged pincer movement?
Upon thinking of this, Luxianbei suddenly had a suspicion in her heart. Although she wasn’t sure if it was right, she felt that if she were the Nanling County King, she would likely do just that.
The Yumen Pass is not only a city pass but also a large God Realm. It was built to suppress the urban legends and hostile spiritual ability users that attempted to infiltrate the Central Plains. According to the legends passed down through generations, the Shaman Queen was indeed suppressed within the Yumen Pass.
But the problem is, the Shaman Queen is not an ordinary urban legend; suppressing her is not an easy task. Only when she is close enough to the Yumen Pass or even enters it, could it succeed.
Luxianbei thought that the most essential prerequisite for getting the Shaman Queen close to the Yumen Pass would have to be to k*ll the Nanling County King.
The Nanling County King, being a Disaster-Class Spiritual Energy Manipulator, also holds control over a large God Realm…
With him present, the difficulty of breaching the Yumen Pass is no less than breaking into the Dachunyang Palace where Zhang Hainan and Zixiao Terrace are present.
The reason the Nanling County King chose to fake his d*ath through this woman named Lianqing was to “invite the enemy into the trap,” to trick the Shaman Queen into coming into the city, thus suppressing her and completely cutting off the crisis she created.
Just as Luxianbei was pondering this, the woman finished her porridge and small dishes, turned to the girl, and asked, “By the way, I heard that monk isn’t supposed to have a way to resolve the predicament. Now that the Shaman Queen’s army is at our doorstep, why has he suddenly become silent?”
“Saint… uh, that one? Ever since the rumors spread that His Highness the County King was ambushed and killed in battle, he’s been hiding in that dilapidated temple and hasn’t come out,” the girl said with an unusual expression.
Many people in Yumen Pass saw that Hong Bian Monk as a divine figure, and she was one of them. But now, at such a critical moment for survival, the monk was hiding away, which made her waver.
“Then hasn’t he just been talking without action?” The woman frowned, “It seems the general’s suspicions about him are not unfounded…”
With that, she put down her bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and said, “Let’s go; I want to meet with the Longxiang Army.”
“Sister Lianqing, you…” The girl looked at the woman’s still weak appearance, her face showing concern, “How about we rest a bit more?”
“No resting; we go now!”
With that, the woman quickly walked toward the door, and the girl hurriedly followed.
Seeing this, Luxianbei was taken aback for a moment and then jogged to catch up.
She passed through the corridor, descended the long stairs, and walked through the deserted hall.
When Luxianbei followed the woman to the entrance of the Hook Column, she suddenly stopped, looking at the woman’s departing figure, lost in thought.
What should she do? Should she follow them?
Although she was also curious about what would happen next, did she really have to leave this place?
Even though she was seeing illusions, she was still in a safe spot. If she stepped out of this building, who knows what she would encounter? Luxianbei contemplated.
