**Chapter 148: Pouch**
In her limited life, Shen Baiwei had never experienced any romance, but she had felt the "joy" of wanting to break up while being continuously entangled by Fang Ji.
When she tried to leave Fang Ji behind to search for that bastard who had somehow touched the past and was then stealthily followed by Fang Ji, she suddenly understood why Fang Ji wouldn't let her go and how much trouble he could bring her.
Imagine, while you're going out to do something, you are being stalked by a creep for some special reason...
And this creep could summon terrifying monsters just by casually touching an inconspicuous stone by the roadside, could trigger mechanisms that change the terrain while seemingly walking nonchalantly on the street, turning streets into rivers and raising hills dozens of meters high, from which roaring mudslides would surge...
Can anything be accomplished? It would be impossible!
Whether she could safely reach her destination was uncertain.
It was quite annoying!
One must admit that the current Miracle Saint, Fang Ji, had reached a profound level of understanding regarding miracles.
When a person understands what situations, opportunities, and preconditions can trigger miracles, they can also deduce, through reverse thinking, when misfortune is liable to strike.
"Can this™ even die?" and "This™ won't die no matter what?" Aren't both miracles?
Therefore, even without the fragrance of the Miracle Flower to support him, entangled by misfortune, he could still make use of it in a short period.
Of course, this was just Shen Baiwei's personal opinion; she had no idea what kind of hellish training Fang Ji had undergone at the hands of calamity to master this skill...
Practice makes perfect, as they say.
The only comforting thing was that Fang Ji could still communicate normally and had not yet shown tendencies toward becoming a yandere.
“Ahem…” Shen Baiwei looked at Fang Ji, slightly adjusted her breathing, and conceded, “Let’s make it clear first: if I help you find the elders of the Miracle Cult, I will leave immediately and won't stay a moment longer.”
“Actually, I’m doing this for you and your Miracle Cult's plan, you know? Didn’t I explain it to you before? It’s because someone touched the past and disrupted my powers that I experienced discomfort.”
“Now, I don’t even know what that person's intention in touching the past was. If I don't stop them, Yumen Pass may undergo unimaginable changes. And at that time, whether you can successfully awaken the Hong Bian Monk or whether he can fulfill his wishes would be uncertain.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Ji’s eyelids twitched slightly, and his mood suddenly became serious.
Although he had once envisioned influencing the present by touching the past to prevent the first-generation Miracle Saint from reappearing...
He indeed overlooked an important point: if someone used the past to help the first generation Miracle Saint eliminate the only flaw in his arrival ritual, perhaps no one in this world could stop the first Miracle Saint from reappearing time and again.
Thinking of this, Fang Ji nodded solemnly at Shen Baiwei, “No problem. Once I meet with the elders, you can leave anytime. If you need assistance, I’m even willing to offer what help I can.”
“That sounds nice, but…” Shen Baiwei rolled her eyes and then glanced down at Fang Ji's hand tightly gripping her wrist, “If you could let go of my hand before you said that, it would be much more credible.”
You even used a sealing spell; do you think my spiritual perception system is broken? Is there really no trust left between people? Shen Baiwei thought to herself, rubbing her slightly swollen temples.
“Uh… heh heh, it’s just a misunderstanding,” Fang Ji said with a wry smile. As he spoke, he released the sealing spell and let go of Shen Baiwei’s hand, quietly stepping back behind her, his alluring eyes locked onto her back.
That creepy gaze, like a malevolent spirit or a perverted killer fixating on an unfortunate supporting character in a horror movie, would be fatal if accompanied by a sinister, malicious smile!
Feeling as if she could sense the intense gaze scanning her back, Shen Baiwei shivered slightly, then shook her head helplessly and took a step forward.
Honestly, how could someone so exceptionally attractive, appealing to both genders, be such a creep?
As she thought this, she adjusted her glasses and casually took out her portable notebook and feather pen.
Using her body to block Fang Ji’s prying gaze, she opened the notebook, flipping through it for a while. After finding the relevant records on Fang Ji, she added the tags “stalker,” “clingy,” and “talkative” to the descriptions “androgynous,” “charm comparable to a witch,” and “slightly scheming.”
————
Meanwhile, about two kilometers away from the Hook Column small building, in a secluded courtyard surrounded by houses, two figures with serious expressions were helping a dozen men clad in black armor tend to their injuries, which ranged from light to heavy.
This small courtyard once belonged to a good friend that Xia Lianqing had made while in the Dai Mu Institute.
When she first infiltrated the Dai Mu Institute, that woman treated her with kindness, thinking she was an unfortunate girl who had fallen into disrepute. Later, that woman was ransomed by a wealthy merchant passing through Yumen Pass and went to Luoyang.
When she left, that woman had secretly purchased this small courtyard and asked Xia Lianqing to look after it, saying, “If he wrongs me, I will return.”
Since that woman left, Xia Lianqing would send someone to clean this place every ten days or so. It had already been over three years, and that woman still hadn’t returned. She must be doing quite well in Luoyang.
Earlier, the Longxiang Army Armor Soldiers, seeking to join the Nanling County King, unexpectedly encountered the main forces of one of the strongest tribes under the Shaman Queen, the Aluslan tribe.
After a fierce battle, from a team of over fifty, only twenty-one were left, and those who barely escaped were injured.
When they sought help from Xia Lianqing’s maid, A Yun, who often replaced Xia Lianqing to clean this small courtyard, A Yun decisively placed them here temporarily.
...
Upon arriving at the small courtyard, after busying herself alongside A Yun and assisting the injured Longxiang Army Armor Soldiers, Xia Lianqing approached the team leader for a brief understanding of the situation and couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“Brother Qin, since you’re back within the city walls, why not return to the camp?”
Beside them, secretly observing for a long time, Luxianbei nodded, looking the picture of an ideal bystander, except she was missing a bag of sunflower seeds.
But she did have spicy strips.
When she secretly hid a piece of spicy strip in her palm and began to enjoy it as if she were sneaking snacks in class, she completely transformed into a qualified bystander.
“......”
Delicious!
EMMM, what this girl says does make sense!
Having narrowly escaped death, why not return to the camp for help and instead run to a weak woman like her, who is… not very strong? Luxianbei thought.
She felt that the Longxiang Army’s decision to approach Xia Lianqing was very strange. If it were her, after escaping from an attempted ambush by hostile forces, the first thing she would do would surely be to seek out Jumeng or the Siye Society.
After all, they had the numbers.
Seated opposite Xia Lianqing was a dark-skinned man with a square face. Upon hearing Xia Lianqing's words, he furrowed his brows and sighed deeply, “Sigh, Miss Xia, you don't know. It's not that we don't want to go back, it’s just...”
As he spoke halfway, he paused, glanced towards a direction outside the small courtyard, and then lowered his voice, “Miss Xia, you should know that the demon monk’s prestige in the city has been rising in recent years, even subtly rivaling the General…”
“Is that demon monk preventing you from returning?” Xia Lianqing asked in surprise.
She only knew that the Hong Bian Monk was doing some underhanded dealings behind the scenes but hadn't realized that he had begun to openly meddle in city affairs.
How bold!
“It’s not like that.” Lao Qin explained. “Since the news of the General’s murder spread, that demon monk has insisted that no one leaves the city gates, claiming that he has his own methods to resolve the crisis. Not only do the civilians in the city believe him, but even some brothers in the army do.”
“You have no idea; the atmosphere in the camp is so strange right now that I, Lao Qin, can barely stand it. But we came to find you mainly because Long Duyi instructed us not to let that demon monk know our whereabouts.”
“Long Duyi also mentioned that this encounter with the main forces of the Aluslan tribe doesn’t seem like an accident…”
Upon hearing this, Xia Lianqing nodded, turned to glance deep into the small courtyard at the room where Long Bang was being accommodated, and whispered, “He’s worried that the demon monk has already colluded with the Shaman Queen, isn’t he?”
Hearing this, Lao Qin's face brightened with excitement as he slapped his thigh with his uninjured hand, “That’s exactly the point!”
“Ha, that kid is indeed interesting. Just a few days ago, he said that even if he died, he would loathe me. Now he comes looking for me, not afraid that I’ll leak the message to the Shaman Queen?” Xia Lianqing sneered.
It was clearly because he knew that you, this traitor, aren’t professional. After the last incident, you would undoubtedly side with the Nanling County King! Luxianbei rolled her eyes at Xia Lianqing in her heart.
“In fact…” Lao Qin chuckled awkwardly, hesitatingly pulling out a black silk pouch embroidered with a dragon's kiss totem from his clothes and handing it to Xia Lianqing. “This was ordered by the General for Du Yi to do; this pouch was given to Du Yi by the General.”
Seeing the pouch, Luxianbei crossed her arms, shaking her head expressionlessly.
It’s over! If this girl was still somewhat hesitant before, she would likely completely lean toward the Nanling County King now.
Not only did she utilize this girl to pull off a fake death scheme, but now, through emotional appeals, they wanted her to help with other matters…
Who would have thought that our County King is quite the player? Luxianbei thought.
In her opinion, if she betrayed someone she had feelings for, and that person unconditionally believed her words, she would do everything she could to help him when she had the chance.
And not just her, she could say that a large portion of people are so...
While Luxianbei was pondering this, Xia Lianqing had already finished reading the note inside the pouch. Her hands slowly fell, and a bitter smile appeared on her face.
What was written on that note? Why did her expression suddenly change to something unsettling? Luxianbei frowned slightly.
She tried to lean forward, wanting to see the contents of the note clearly, but after Xia Lianqing finished reading it, she tightly clutched the note in her palm, and Luxianbei didn’t dare to initiate physical contact with Xia Lianqing and could only give up.
“Mn.” Xia Lianqing responded. “Don’t worry. I will find a way to ensure they safely rendezvous with the General.”
Like discovering someone gossiping but being unable to hear the content of the discussion, Luxianbei was feeling as if ants were crawling all over her body when she suddenly heard Xia Lianqing's words. She glanced at Xia Lianqing, pinched her chin, and nodded thoughtfully.
It seems likely that the Nanling County King asked this girl to help with something, ensuring the remaining subordinates within Yumen Pass could meet up smoothly, but without fully revealing his plans to her...
Is this girl feeling that she is no longer trusted by her beloved, hence feeling sad?
However, trust, once fractured, is inherently difficult to repair, and one can only say it's self-inflicted...
After attempting to analyze Xia Lianqing's mentality, Luxianbei looked again at Xia Lianqing, who was glum, and pursed her lips.
Sister, at such a time, you should really learn a thing or two from the mindset of those obsessive fans.
Looking at it from another perspective, one could understand it as your beloved being worried that you have too much burden, which is why he entrusted you with a relatively light task.
Just think like that, and you’ll realize “he still loves me!”
“Lao Qin, you make sure everyone heals properly. I need to step out for a bit; this matter is very important, and I need to prepare well.” After a brief silence, Xia Lianqing spoke again, her voice pulling Luxianbei’s disjointed thoughts back on track.
With those fleeting thoughts recalled, Luxianbei watched Xia Lianqing’s departing figure as she left the small courtyard, tilting her head and lowering it.
“DUANG! DUANG, DUANG!”
As soon as her gaze touched her palm, a metallic buzzing sound that resembled a bell suddenly exploded in her ears, and the next moment, the scene before her began to blur and then dissipate.
Is someone tapping my helmet?! A thought flashed through Luxianbei's mind.
After a moment, when her vision became clear again, she found herself staring at the face of the disappointing guardian maiden.
“You finally woke up. Weren't you just in the same room as me last night? How did you fall asleep on this floor over here?”
Luxianbei frowned, looking around. Upon seeing the empty room shrouded in darkness, she suddenly realized that she had left the past images and returned to reality.
Reflecting on the series of images she had seen before, she fell into a daze.
From the time that Xia Lianqing had turned into an urban legend, the terrifying scars on her body, and the black-armored urban legends gathering nearby, her mission had most likely failed...
So, did she approach me because she successfully prevented her from hanging herself through me, realizing that I could influence past events and hoping I could help her complete her task?
If I could truly accomplish this task, would those residents in the city, the merchants passing through, and the literati... have a greater chance to survive? Luxianbei pondered heavily.
