Chapter 266: Poisoning
More than an hour ago.
After leaving Zawen Temple, Luxianbei used her special ability to pursue Hong Bian’s past shadow, crossing through a good part of the city gate and arriving at the County Prince’s Mansion.
Stopping in front of the mansion, which resembled a palace, she looked at the giant standing there, slightly taller than the entire County Prince’s Mansion, radiating a notable spirit energy fluctuation. She frowned.
“Is this the place? I can’t believe it really is here…”
In fact, when Luxianbei left Dai Mu Institute and prepared to find a way to communicate with Hong Bian, the first place that came to her mind was not Zawen Temple, but this, the Nanling County Prince’s Mansion.
After the God Realm Yumen was sealed off, this was the only place in the entire God Realm that had arranged for such a giant to guard. One could easily guess that there was something crucial hidden in the County Prince’s Mansion related to the God Realm Yumen.
But…
Isn’t this a bit too obvious!
So obvious that it feels like an attempt at cover-up.
Luxianbei found it hard not to suspect that this was a trap deliberately set up by Hong Bian and Longxiang, and that what was hidden in the County Prince’s Mansion was merely something of relative importance, something that could be sacrificed when necessary, with enough weight to be used as bait.
This was not some “righteous hero versus demon king” kind of game where powerful elite monsters and eerie castles always hid treasures and major bosses.
In any case, Luxianbei felt that if she ever needed to rest somewhere, she definitely would not choose such a conspicuous location…
She would probably find a random gasoline barrel, casually set up a thousand or eight hundred restrictions, then cover it with cement and toss it into the river, while simultaneously building another underground palace filled with traps, solidified spell formulas, and highly toxic alchemical potions a thousand miles away, adding a few urban legends to finish it off.
Of course, a vaguely mentioned map and ambiguous texts about treasures in the underground palace, as well as the legends surrounding them, are also essential. The treasures placed within could be exchanged for dreams to come true, and the Black Peony and Jade Palace Immortals would be very willing to have someone share the world’s malice with them.
“……”
That Hong Bian fellow really isn’t too adept in this aspect of being an old silver coin.
Or perhaps…
The Shaman Queen arrived too quickly and too fiercely, and Hong Bian and Longxiang didn’t actually have enough time and opportunity to set up a trap?
Luxianbei shook her head and silently gathered the spirit energy of the North Spirit Seal to her eyes, reactivating her special ability.
As it stands, there are no numerous traps here, which makes things much easier.
Now she just needed to continue her pursuit of Hong Bian’s past shadow, enter the County Prince’s Mansion, find his true resting place, and then think of a way to communicate with him.
After successfully communicating with the remnants of Hong Bian’s consciousness, she already had a rough idea of how to stop the Shaman Queen’s power from continuing to erode the God Realm Yumen along the way here.
As for the giant guarding the door…
It wouldn’t become an obstacle, okay?
Although she had previously had the shocking achievement of effortlessly defeating the Siye Society’s guardian Huaiyuan Jun, like swatting away some insignificant cannon fodder, now, lacking over a thousand years of spirit energy accumulation, she was by no means that strong anymore.
Of course, this didn’t mean that Luxianbei intended to have a direct confrontation with the giant.
From a certain perspective, the giant was actually on her side!
If possible, she still wanted to avoid any unpleasant happenings.
Miss Calamity has never been someone who bullies others just because she has superior strength.
Although she had often attacked her allies, she didn’t find the idea of doing so enjoyable now…
Luxianbei focused on the enormous figure ahead, secretly devising a plan to burst forth with a speed beyond the giant’s detection range using the North Spirit Seal as a foundation and dash directly into the County Prince’s Mansion.
Just like when you’re late for school, rushing through the school gate and dodging the doorman uncle’s interception.
Or trying to use her charm ability to hypnotize the giant brother and waltz right in.
At that moment, as her special ability activated, Hong Bian’s past shadow reappeared in her sight, and she suddenly froze in place, her eyes wide.
Hong Bian was right in front of her, his figure half-ghostly and half-real, shrouded in the dim yellow light, a smile on his lips as he waved at her, as if he had known all along that she would appear here at this moment, waiting for her.
“……”
No… he just clearly entered the County Prince’s Mansion?
Why did he come back?
Was it just a coincidence?
Luxianbei thought hopefully, then, as if she hadn’t seen Hong Bian’s shadow, expressionless, she took a few steps back, estimating that she had retreated beyond Hong Bian’s line of sight, instantly ramping up her speed to the utmost and turning to run.
Something’s off, the plan has changed!
Anyway, the County Prince’s Mansion is so large, and there’s not just one main entrance; if this doesn’t work, she could always switch to another one…
Spotting Hong Bian’s shadow appearing at a side door, Luxianbei’s eyelids twitched abruptly, her thoughts halted.
Change again!
If that doesn’t work, then climb over the wall!
A few breaths later, Luxianbei saw Hong Bian waiting at the next side door.
Looking at that distant figure waving at her, she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, hair standing on end, as the dignified deity of drought, the wielder of power, surprisingly felt her limbs go cold.
A sense of déjà vu, an inexplicable déjà vu!
Good heavens, it’s almost on par with that man; her PTSD was about to flare up.
In that moment, thoughts of what Hong Bian had once said to her and Shen Baiwei flashed through Luxianbei’s mind.
“In my hometown, dreams are often used by priests for divination. This method of divination is called precognitive dreams, and the priests like to call it signs from heaven or divine revelations. I, lacking in talent, happen to grasp this ability when seeing a glimpse of the secrets of this world…”
Returning to her senses, no longer harboring any delusions, Luxianbei took a couple of deep breaths, closed her eyes, removed the special ability from her eyes, and slowly opened them again.
As expected, Hong Bian’s figure had not vanished and was approaching her.
Now it could be confirmed—Hong Bian was indeed waiting for her…
Perhaps he had seen this moment through the so-called precognitive dream and set a backup plan in advance?
Using the powers of the God Realm, let alone just creating a phantasm, even forming a doppelganger would be no problem; Mrs. Wang Meili could manage it just with a God Realm prototype…
If that’s the case, no matter if I force my way in or take the dog hole, that guy would probably still be there waiting for me, right? Thinking of this, Luxianbei’s brows gradually furrowed.
She suddenly realized that the psychological shadow left by that man had influenced her, resulting in a misjudgment and an overly reactive response.
Since Hong Bian could foresee her arrival through the precognitive dream, he must also know the purpose of her trip.
From a certain point of view, this phantasm could already be considered the remnant soul of Hong Bian…
Facing this phantasm, wasn’t this exactly the opportunity she wanted for communication?
In any case, it was all that man’s fault!
So when exactly did that man d*e?!
Just as Luxianbei was grumbling internally, Hong Bian’s figure had already reached her side and bowed slightly.
“Miss Shen, I didn’t expect you to actually come…”
Hong Bian’s lips moved, but no words were spoken; instead, a voice echoed in Luxianbei’s mind.
“Didn’t expect?” Luxianbei paused, tilting her head to look at Hong Bian, throwing him a puzzled look.
If he didn’t expect it, then why was he here waiting for her?
“Let’s go, Miss Shen.”
As if he hadn’t seen Luxianbei’s confused expression, Hong Bian made a gesture inviting her forward.
“Where to?” Luxianbei said blankly, “Let me tell you, my old man has always told me since I was young that girls (or boys) should be cautious when going out and not to follow unfamiliar people too recklessly.”
“See, we’ve hardly met a few times; we’re not even close. Can’t we just talk here?”
Although she wanted to communicate with Hong Bian and further implement her plan to stop the Shaman Queen’s erosion, Hong Bian wasn’t pure and innocent like Miss Calamity; it would be better to be cautious.
Hearing this, Hong Bian smiled wryly, simply walking toward a nearby side door.
Accompanied by a faint creaking sound, as if someone had opened the door from inside, the wooden door parted to reveal the back garden of the County Prince’s Mansion.
“Miss Shen, weren’t you just trying to enter the County Prince’s Mansion? Why not come in with me? Let’s talk while we walk. To be honest, the core of the God Realm Yumen is right here in the County Prince’s Mansion.”
The core of the God Realm Yumen is in there? Luxianbei frowned, sizing up Hong Bian and then glancing at the garden behind him, hesitantly saying, “If you want me to go in with you, you need to answer my earlier question first.”
While following Hong Bian into the County Prince’s Mansion does pose a certain risk, she needed the core of the God Realm Yumen’s assistance for her plan to stop the Shaman Queen’s erosion, which meant she would have to go in eventually.
“Why didn’t you expect me to really come but still wait here?” Hong Bian seemed to have assumed Luxianbei would follow along, explaining while walking into the County Prince’s Mansion, “Miss Shen might not know, but even precognitive dreams are not infallible…”
Listening to Hong Bian’s explanation, Luxianbei carefully followed him into the County Prince’s Mansion.
During Longxiang’s time alive, he rarely stayed in the County Prince’s Mansion, and the large County Prince’s Mansion had already been somewhat neglected in its management. Now, after Longxiang had been gone for over a hundred days, with the Shaman Queen’s powers infiltrating and eroding, the entire County Prince’s Mansion had become even more desolate and dilapidated.
The vegetation in the back garden had long since withered, peculiar-looking rockeries were covered with foul-smelling dark green moss and unknown mold, while the vaguely visible pavilions and towers in the distance had faded in color, their wall paint peeling off, covered in a layer of dull gray.
Some doors and windows had been broken and shivered in the breeze, making a whimpering “ee-ya” sound, as tattered black cloth and white satin sneaked in through the gaps in the broken doors and windows, likely remnants of clothing left after Longxiang’s funeral, which had yet to be cleaned up.
Luxianbei traversed the County Prince’s Mansion, observing Hong Bian’s half-ghostly, half-real figure ahead, feeling a very subtle sensation.
It felt like those urban legends about accidentally stumbling into a haunted castle or old house, meeting the natives who had already turned into ghosts, about to embark on a terrifying and wondrous journey guided by them.
“The future is hard to control, changing rapidly; precognitive dreams can only provide a few highly probable possibilities,” Hong Bian’s voice echoed in her mind, pulling Luxianbei’s thoughts back from her inexplicable fantasies to reality.
After a pause, he added, “To be honest, among the many omens I’ve glimpsed through my precognitive dreams, the likelihood of you appearing here is actually the lowest.”
Hong Bian was speaking the truth.
Although most of the omens he observed through the precognitive dream had come to fruition in this war, many details that could not completely alter the outcome of the war had gradually changed over time.
Just like he initially didn’t foresee that the Tang Dynasty’s reinforcements would never arrive, or that Shen Baiwei and Luxianbei would bring disaster, nor did he foresee that the Shaman Queen, after being sealed, still had the strength to infiltrate and corrupt the God Realm Yumen.
It was only after that battle outside the southern wall of Yumen Pass that he finally glimpsed a vague omen of Luxianbei and Shen Baiwei bringing salvation to Yumen Pass.
The transformation of disaster into salvation—a contrast so huge that at first, he couldn’t believe it, thinking it was the Shaman Queen’s approach that interfered with his precognitive dreams.
Fortunately, just a short while ago, under the impact of the Shaman Queen’s power, his consciousness, which had originally merged into the God Realm Yumen, had welcomed a brief moment of clarity. Seizing the opportunity, he used the power of the entire God Realm once again to confirm the precognitive dream, and finally made the decision to prepare for Luxianbei’s arrival in advance.
Even if making this preparation would deplete his final bit of consciousness, it was worth the sacrifice…
After listening to Hong Bian’s explanation, Luxianbei’s confusion deepened, “If that’s the lowest, then why are you still…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Hong Bian provided an answer that left her speechless.
“Because I believe miracles will happen! If there is a chance that a miracle could occur and bring salvation to Yumen, then it’s worth making some preparations in advance.”
Luxianbei was rendered speechless.
For a moment, she couldn’t even get out the words, “What if I didn’t come? You’ve already said that the likelihood of me being here is low.”
Don’t ask—just believe in miracles!
Very well, this is very first generation miracle… wait, no!
Has the current first generation Miracle Saint already become Shen Baiwei in Fang Ji’s disguise? Luxianbei thought.
“Miss Shen?” Seeing Luxianbei slightly lost in thought, Hong Bian called out to her again.
“Mm?” Luxianbei snapped back to reality, nodding, “You say, I’m listening!”
Even though I didn’t hear your question just now… Hong Bian sighed helplessly, rephrasing his question, “Since you’ve come here, I presume you’re ready to stop the Shaman Queen; may I ask how you plan to do that?”
“You guess!” Luxianbei pouted, “Didn’t you already glimpse the omen? Why are you asking me?”
Gotcha, that bald donkey finally gave me the opportunity to turn the tables!
If only I could do the same to that man, perhaps my psychological shadow would be able to heal! Luxianbei thought.
“Uh…” Hong Bian looked at Luxianbei, his mouth twitching, and after holding for several seconds, he finally asked, “The precognitive dream only glimpsed the omen of Miss Shen bringing salvation. I did not see the specific process; I hope the young lady can enlighten me.”
“Poisoning.” Luxianbei said expressionlessly.
“Poisoning?” Hong Bian gradually furrowed his brows, a glimmer of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
Where did you get such a despicable thought from?
Thinking of poisoning at a time like this?
Why don’t you say to throw some lime in the Shaman Queen’s eyes?
“Miss Shen, poisoning might be somewhat useful against other enemies, but against the Shaman Queen…”
Before Hong Bian could finish, he noticed Luxianbei squinting her eyes and speaking in a tone that made his back feel a chill, “Oh? How about if it’s highly toxic on the level of spirit energy or even divine power?”
Hong Bian, “…”
