Chapter 173 Shen Baiwei, About to d*e
Nanling Yaohua was very angry.
She was angrier than when she suddenly found out as a child that the chocolate beans Lu Ming brought her every time he returned from outside were actually sheep droppings he had picked up casually along the Gobi Desert road.
Despite enduring pain as if her arm was being crushed, she still tried to wake Lu Xibei, only to receive that kind of response?
Lu Xibei, you have no heart!
For a moment, the furious Nanling Yaohua wished she could immediately leave her hiding place and throw the unconscious Lu Xibei out into the street.
Then…
She heard Lu Xibei softly talking to himself.
“Tsk, I don’t know where this d*mn thing came from, daring to impersonate my Xiao Hua? I swear if I catch you, you’ll know what a grave price it costs to try to deceive me using someone important to me!”
My Xiao Hua… important person…
Hearing these words vaguely made Nanling Yaohua’s heart race.
DOKI! DOKI!
The sound grew louder, like thunder.
After the thunder, a sudden downpour washed away the raging fire in her heart, and then, after the rain, the sky cleared up, a rainbow arched across the sky, and the earth was filled with fragrant wildflowers.
Even her once dark and angry eyes sparkled and became clear like freshly washed black pearls.
Nanling Yaohua, “……”
Thinking carefully, Lu Xibei’s words weren’t directed at me; she was just being cautious, right?
In such an environment, being cautious upon hearing a voice with no apparent source isn’t wrong… perhaps… I should take another look? Nanling Yaohua thought.
So, at an astonishing speed, she betrayed her previous self from a minute ago.
Just like a player who says, “This game is trash, I’ll uninstall as soon as I finish this last ten-spin!” but suddenly hits a double jackpot on the ten-spin and immediately changes their tune to, “Since you’re showing such sincerity in keeping me, I don’t mind playing a little longer!”
In fact, Nanling Yaohua’s thought was at least partially correct; Lu Xibei was indeed very cautious, and it was precisely that caution that led him to reassure her with those words.
Although Lu Xibei believed the voice echoing in his ears was most likely not Nanling Yaohua, what if it was?
Even if there was a one in ten thousand chance that the voice wasn’t lying, it could still offend Nanling Yaohua.
So, after a moment of contemplation, Lu Xibei added a few words of “sweet talk” for safety, to placate the hypothetical Nanling Yaohua who might be lurking in the dark.
One must always leave themselves a way out!
At such times, saying a few insincere words wouldn’t cost him anything…
Clearly, these words were very effective for Nanling Yaohua, and her mood quickly calmed down as she continued to surveil Lu Xibei’s actions in the “illusion,” listening to the conversation between Lu Xibei and that woman.
But as she listened, she sensed something was off, a look of confusion appearing on her face.
“Strange, this isn’t her style?” Nanling Yaohua muttered.
She was not at all surprised that Lu Xibei would help Xia Lianqing come up with plans and find the people they were looking for, as one of Lu Xibei’s favorite things to do was torment others.
What truly felt off to her was that, typically, such matters should be conducted in a private place to prevent leaks, right?
Yet Lu Xibei was discussing it with that woman in public.
If someone overheard and turned the tables on them, wouldn’t that be disastrous? Nanling Yaohua thought in confusion.
————
Lu Xibei and Xia Lianqing’s group headed back towards Dai Mu Institute, and Lu Xibei talked amiably with Xia Lianqing along the way.
“Are you suggesting I pretend to go out alone to find the infiltrators in the city, while having a bunch of Longxiang Army Armor Soldiers lie in ambush, and then luring them out to take them down all at once?” Xia Lianqing leaned closer to Lu Xibei and quietly asked.
Although “Shen Baiwei” had no intention of avoiding suspicion, she was still worried about eavesdroppers.
After all, any plan, once known by the other side in advance, could not possibly achieve the desired effect.
“That’s roughly the idea,” Lu Xibei nodded, “but that’s still not enough!”
“Not enough?” Xia Lianqing furrowed her brow and leaned forward slightly, “I hope you can enlighten me.”
“It’s quite simple!” Lu Xibei shrugged, “I have a friend who really loves fishing. To be precise, she loves to fish for turtles. She once told me that just having a hook and bait doesn’t guarantee success in catching fish. To increase the success rate, you need to create a feeding spot to draw the fish in.”
“Our situation, in a way, is similar to fishing. Just having you as bait doesn’t guarantee we can lure them out…”
At this point, Lu Xibei finally bore a semblance of the secrecy his “conspiracy” should have, lowering his voice and leaning towards Xia Lianqing to say, “From what I’ve observed, your connections within Yumen Pass should be quite extensive, right?”
Although she had only known Xia Lianqing was a spy from the Huihu tribe, she could not deduce from that alone that Xia Lianqing had broad connections and an extensive intelligence network.
However, earlier at Dai Mu Institute, she had noted that there were thirty-one different faces that appeared in Xia Lianqing’s room, of which seventeen were merchants from the nearby market that she had seen before and remembered their appearances…
Among the remaining fourteen, besides Long Bang, there were ten with robust physiques and callused hands and chins, as if they had spent a long time handling weapons and wearing helmets. They must be Longxiang Army Armor Soldiers, while the other two had strong smells of alcohol and fresh fruit, presumably a liquor merchant and a fruit merchant.
The fact that people from such various industries came to help Xia Lianqing indicated that her connections were indeed extensive.
Seeing that “Shen Baiwei” had finally become cautious, Xia Lianqing’s mood also grew serious, and she asked earnestly, “Do you want everyone to help?”
Lu Xibei nodded, “Exactly! Those guys who infiltrated the city can’t afford to be seen; they are likely hiding, so it’s probably impossible for them to know that you’re acting alone right away. We need to find a way to get that information to them.”
“If everyone helps spread the news, they should be able to learn quickly about your solo action. But when you ask them to spread the news, remember not to specify an exact time, just a rough estimate will do, otherwise it’ll seem too fake and might raise suspicions.”
So, when Shen senior talked to me without caution, it was intentional, to let the hidden enemies overhear? Xia Lianqing nodded thoughtfully and replied quietly, “I understand, senior; once we return to Dai Mu Institute, I’ll…”
Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly felt someone grasping her right hand, which made her pause and stop talking.
She saw “Shen Baiwei” unexpectedly take her hand, her steps suddenly lightening up, and she innocently said, “Wow, finally resolved this matter! I’m so tired, let’s hurry and go back; I want to take a hot bath and then have a bowl of chilled plum drink.”
Xia Lianqing, “???”
What’s wrong with the senior?
She had already revealed her identity to me; there was no need to keep pretending, right?
Could it be she practiced some sinister technique that made her personality intermittently turn into that of a little girl?
As Xia Lianqing pondered this, she glanced at Lu Xibei in confusion, suddenly feeling a tickling sensation in her palm, as if “Shen Baiwei” had slipped something into her hand.
She froze for a moment and instinctively wanted to check, but “Shen Baiwei” held tightly to her arm, stopping her, and when she looked back at “Shen Baiwei,” she saw “Shen Baiwei” shake her head slightly and quickly gave her a knowing glance…
————
The scene in her mind came to an abrupt end, and as her vision plunged briefly into darkness, Nanling Yaohua swiftly pulled away from that peculiar state.
Opening her eyes and steadying herself, she turned to look at the sleeping Lu Xibei on the bed, then lowered her gaze to her right hand, her expression growing dark.
Her right arm still throbbed with pain; the cloth that had wrapped around it had completely burst, turning into tiny powder scattered by the bedside.
On the exposed skin of her arm were wounds that resembled cuts made by blades, thin as hair, yet deeply etched, weaving together to form a fractured, twisted pattern…
As if trying to convey a warning message, but it was obscure and complex, making it hard to understand.
In any case, Nanling Yaohua couldn’t see any clues; those patterns to her eyes were like a membership expiration reminder.
Reminding her that the preview was over, and to continue watching the next contents, she would need to renew her subscription.
“Haah—!” Nanling Yaohua exhaled a breath of foul air, withdrew her injured right hand, clenched it into a fist, slowly extended her left hand, and once again grasped Lu Xibei’s wrist, waiting a moment, and then…
Nothing happened.
“Huh? What’s going on…” Nanling Yaohua sounded confused as she released Lu Xibei’s wrist, grasped it again, then released it, repeatedly trying a few times, and then switched back to her injured right hand, trying again, yet still produced no effect.
After blanking for two seconds, she suddenly realized that the worst situation had occurred; she seemed unable to surveil Lu Xibei’s actions in the illusion anymore.
It was like some TV shows or novels that abruptly stop right at the critical moment; even if you recharge, you can’t watch the subsequent content.
d*mn, I hate cliffhangers! Nanling Yaohua cursed silently and reached out, wanting to try a few more times, when suddenly a voice called from outside.
“Yaohua, Yaohua, where are you? Come quickly! Your treatment seems to have had no effect! Shen Baiwei is about to d*e!”
Nanling Yaohua, “……”
