Chapter 51: Strike the Heart, Not the Man
Luxianbei really has a talent for becoming a criminal; knocking someone out, searching them, and tying them up was done with such skill it was like he had been a highwayman for years.
A white porcelain dish, a uniquely-shaped bone flute, a notebook with a deer skin cover, a couple of bottles of unknown alchemical potions, a phone, and a room card were all that Hu Yue had on him.
As for clothing…
Professor Hu was still somewhat dignified, so it was better to leave him with a pair of shorts.
After laying out the items he found on Hu Yue on the ground, Luxianbei cupped his chin in one hand and examined them for a while before raising his Ling Tai Purification and smashing the white porcelain dish into pieces. He supplemented it with several spell formulas until the dish was completely unrecognizable, only then could he barely set his mind at ease.
The white porcelain dish found on Hu Yue might not necessarily be related to Zigu, but that possibility couldn’t be ruled out.
Ever since that life-threatening incident at Shihhekou Middle School, every time she saw a white porcelain dish, she thought of Zigu; it was almost PTSD.
After dealing with the white porcelain dish, Luxianbei finally picked up the notebook and cautiously began to break the sealing spell placed on it.
Although the spell on the notebook was not particularly complex and only reached the standard spell level, she did not dare to recklessly destroy it with spirit energy.
During her time as an acting agent, she had come into contact with copper boxes used by the Siye Society to store files.
The surfaces of those copper boxes also had similar sealing spells, and inside were a series of alchemical mechanisms that would trigger. If the mechanisms sensed a surge of spirit energy from forced destruction of the spell, they would incinerate the documents inside with high temperatures.
Though Hu Yue’s notebook might not have similar mechanisms, to be safe, Luxianbei felt it was better to take her time and slowly break the seal.
After spending several times longer than it would take for a brute force approach, an hour later, the sealing spell on the notebook finally dissipated due to Luxianbei’s painstaking efforts.
With a soft “click!” from the lock, a faint purple glow swirled across the cover of the notebook, and the spell gradually dimmed.
Luxianbei opened the notebook and saw the contents recorded on the first page.
“The woman Qin Nanzhu drove the master out of Huacheng. We have been ordered to remain hidden, waiting for the master to return.
I hope that day will come for a grand Hundred Demons Walk.”
Who is Qin Nanzhu?
She actually drove Hu Yue’s master out of Huacheng?
From the spirit energy fluctuations exhibited by this traitorous professor earlier, he could be considered of above average capability among spiritual ability users, so his master should definitely be at least one or two levels above him.
Luxianbei thought as she examined the first page of the notebook, frowning.
Perhaps because a long time has passed since then, the paper on the first page was somewhat aging, yellowed, and with slight signs of wear. There were only two lines written in blue-black ink, with no date.
Upon seeing this, Luxianbei glanced at the unconscious Hu Yue and shot him a piercing glare.
You say you want to be serious, so be serious! Don’t write this kind of nonsense. If you’re not serious, at least write a proper diary; what kind of nonsense is it to only record events without noting dates?
After inwardly cursing for a bit, Luxianbei continued to flip through.
The third page.
“Three Cataclysm-grade beings have unexpectedly arrived.
Qin Nanzhu is dead; that’s great news.”
Dead? Luxianbei paused. She had thought that the supposedly powerful spiritual ability user or urban legend would be prominent in Huacheng for a while, but it turned out they didn’t last even three pages.
After the first and third pages, there were a dozen pages of trivial daily notes until the eighteenth page, where content that piqued Luxianbei’s interest appeared.
“Today, the aristocratic school built on the site of the master’s former residence has finally been completed. Following the master’s instructions, I have hidden the master’s token within the school.
Waiting for a fated person.”
The twenty-second page.
“The kid named Zhao Ke seems to have sensed the existence of the master’s token.
Perhaps I should lend him a hand?”
Zhao Ke? The aristocratic school mentioned earlier must be Shihhekou Middle School!
Upon reading this, Luxianbei turned to look at the now-powdered white porcelain dish not far away, a layer of goosebumps rising on her arm.
What did I say? Who the hell carries a white porcelain dish around!?
When I get back, I’ll replace all the dishes at home with glass and stainless steel! Luxianbei thought.
The twenty-eighth page.
“Unexpectedly, Zhao Ke is dead, and the girl who should have been sacrificed to the master has become the master’s kin; how interesting.”
“d*mn it, what’s interesting about this!” Luxianbei couldn’t help but curse.
She had interacted with Lin Yiqi, who, despite her haughty temperament, at least deserved a relatively normal life if it weren’t for this guy Hu Yue getting in the way.
Now she was constantly plagued by a ghost baby and had to serve a sinister entity like Zigu—her life was essentially ruined. How could that be considered interesting?
The thirty-third page.
“Jumeng has finally left Huacheng. It’s time to discuss organizing the Hundred Demons Walk for the master.”
He even secretly organized a Hundred Demons Walk? Luxianbei flipped ahead two more pages and froze when she saw the writing in red ink on the thirty-fifth page.
“Pestilence Taijie! You dared to deceive me!? I swear I won’t stop until I take revenge!”
The thirty-seventh page.
“Calamity…”
“???”
Looking at how Hu Yue had drawn dozens of large X’s on her alias, Luxianbei had a series of little question marks appear in her mind.
What the hell?
Zigu is fine, but Calamity isn’t, huh?
When Mu Se was indiscriminately killing in Huacheng, why didn’t you come out and draw a few X’s on her face?
Luxianbei thought furiously, pulling out her phone and taking several pictures of the unconscious Hu Yue, pixelating his face, and uploading them to the Urban Legends Chat Group’s bounty site.
After all, Hu Yue was a living person, and Luxianbei couldn’t bring herself to k*ll him.
However, she vaguely recalled that Gu Qiqi had previously used the Urban Legends Chat Group’s bounty site’s attached live streaming platform to sell two men in black sent by Pestilence Taijie to a research institute under the Solar Eclipse Society, and she decided Hu Yue could also be disposed of through this channel, letting him suffer a bit in the process.
“A B-grade spiritual ability user, a member of a mythological urban legend, possessing ominous spirit patterns, physically strong, good-looking. For details, please DM. [Image][Image][Image]”
Having spent so many times with Gu Qiqi, Luxianbei didn’t learn her hardworking and simple good qualities at all. Instead, she quickly picked up this strange operation after hearing about it only once.
After editing the bounty note, Luxianbei put away her phone and continued flipping through the notebook.
The forty-first page.
“Unexpectedly, Jumeng from the Peach Source is about to fall?
This is truly great news.
It is rumored that Jumeng and Qunyang are twin siblings; if Jumeng falls, then Qunyang will likely also face misfortune. If handled well, might it not be possible to gain powers from two different mythological species?”
But what about the source of this information…?
Isn’t Qunyang Mao Sanyou’s father? Stinky Sister is actually his twin sibling? So Stinky Sister is Mao Sanyou’s aunt?
Luxianbei cleared up the relationship between Jumeng and Mao Sanyou, vaguely sensing that some hidden truth was surfacing, and finally her gaze landed on a line of text, behind which was a hand-drawn emblem.
The drawing depicted a grotesque beast of an indeterminate species, looking like a hairless thin cat or a lizard arching its back.
Along its spine grew dense scales, and upon closer inspection, those scales were different shapes: cat ears, human eyes, snake tongues… all manner of bizarre and eerie features.
Is there something wrong with the source of this news?
What does this emblem represent?
Forget it, now is not the time to delve into this. Besides, who knows what dangers lie in wait when probing into such eerie things?
As her strength continued to increase and her understanding of urban legends and spiritual ability users deepened, Luxianbei increasingly felt that living in this world was incredibly difficult.
Theoretically, the more one knows and understands the special skills carried by various urban legends and spirit patterns, the higher the chance of winning when encountering enemies.
However, many times, in the process of studying and learning various knowledge, one could inadvertently provoke unknown existences, potentially leading to madness or sudden d*ath—no, sometimes dying even felt like relief.
The forty-third page.
“The atmosphere within the Peach Source has felt somewhat off recently, with various factions stirring.
It seems I cannot handle the impending changes alone.
It looks like it’s time to consider that woman’s suggestion and collaborate with them.”
The forty-fourth page.
“Those guys also seem quite interested in the Peach Source and agreed to the invitation right away, preparing to infiltrate Tangcheng.
But that woman seems very resistant to cooperating with strangers.
I hope there won’t be any issues.”
The forty-fourth page.
“Two thirty PM, Furong Street, meet at the old place.”
Luxianbei looked at the last page’s text, lost in thought.
The old place… should be the small building she saw in the illusion earlier.
From what Hu Yue said and the writings in the notebook, it was evident that there was more than one person meeting with him…
Luxianbei thought, glancing at the time; it was still early for two thirty.
After a brief contemplation, a bold idea gradually took shape in her mind.
After all, having been a double agent for the Siye Society so many times, what was the harm in being a double agent for a dark force just once? As long as she could follow those guys and safely sneak into the Peach Source, that would be fine.
After all, this job was something she was very familiar with!
Thus, half an hour later, a comatose woman was heavily thrown beside Hu Yue.
After surveying the woman, Luxianbei quietly took out her phone, snapped a couple of pictures, and then uploaded them onto the Urban Legends Chat Group’s bounty site, adding a supplemental note.
“[Image][Image][Image] Buy one, get one free; more new products are coming soon…]”
Clicking to submit the supplemental note, she put away her phone, rubbed her forehead, and sighed, “Sigh, why do I feel like I’ve unknowingly embarked on an extraordinary path? What a sin, what a sin.”
While speaking, she gently stroked the broken sword in her hand. After having the Ling Tai Purification for so long, today she truly experienced the oppressive force of the equipment.
In fact, Luxianbei realized that when Fu Xinyi’s coat had knocked Hu Yue’s head, it created a similar effect to an awareness shock. That’s why last night when she sank into a dream, she specially inquired with her ancestor.
To her surprise, Qing Ji was astonished that she had only now discovered the special effect of Ling Tai Purification after all this time.
…
Last night, on the dilapidated rooftop.
After hearing Luxianbei’s question, Qing Ji exclaimed, “Then how did you use this sword before?!”
“Well…” Luxianbei demonstrated the posture of drawing the sword, “Just holding the sword and chopping it!”
How else could you wound an urban legend of Jumeng’s caliber?
Just chopping is enough to greatly enhance combat power, okay!
“Tsk!” Qing Ji spat, hesitating, a look of disapproval on his face. After a few seconds of contemplation, it seemed he understood something and nodded thoughtfully.
“I see. This sword has been reforged for many years. Although it has been restored, it is not complete; thus, it has only gradually revealed its original extraordinary qualities after so long.”
It really does have a special effect!? Luxianbei felt a lift in her spirits and eagerly asked, “Ancestor, please tell me, what special effects does this sword have?”
Qing Ji shot her a glare, turned away, clasping his hands behind his back, and said meaningfully, “Ling Tai user is called heart; Purification means compassionate heart without killing. Ling Tai Purification is the heart sword, naturally able to strike at the heart without killing people.”
“…” Luxianbei mulled over this and her eyes lit up, “Oh~! I understand now, Ancestor!”
You little nuisance, what do you understand now! Qing Ji frowned.
“It means Ling Tai Purification can both k*ll and strike at the heart, right? A true essential artifact for ambushes and surprises!”
Qing Ji, “…”
Although this interpretation wasn’t entirely wrong, there was a lingering feeling that she would use this characteristic to do something strange. Qing Ji thought to himself, not knowing he had unwittingly spoken a prophetic statement.
——
Luxianbei meandered a while on Furong Old Street, returning to the three-story building where she and Hu Yue’s companion had arranged to meet just before two twenty.
She had a coat tailored to mimic the outfit of the comatose woman and styled her long hair in a similar manner, inserting her hairpin.
Then she brought a chair to the center of the small courtyard, waiting quietly.
After about five minutes of waiting in the chair, a sudden cold wind swept through the small courtyard. The light around darkened, and an ominous aura approached, triggering her spiritual awareness.
In the next moment, the door of the small courtyard creaked open, and three shadowy figures flickered in front of her.
The three of them were nearly identical, bald without hair, their skin pale as though coated with a layer of wall putty, their lips exaggeratedly large and bl**d-red as if they had just drunk bl**d, dressed in dark green burial clothing resembling Tang suits, with the only difference being the embroidered patterns on their foreheads.
After such a long time, it’s the first time I’ve seen someone with spirit patterns drawn on their forehead… Luxianbei thought, maintaining her composure and calmly said, “You three must be the reinforcements that scoundrel Hu Yue called?”
The three exchanged glances, then looked at the black-dressed girl facing them who radiated frost. They cautiously asked in child-like voices, “You are the Golden Girl that little brother mentioned?”
“That’s right.” Luxianbei replied blandly, subtly releasing her weak charm ability.
“…” The three of them scrutinized her again and inquired, “Where is that scoundrel Hu Yue now? Why are you the only one here?”
“He has already gone ahead to the Peach Source; some changes occurred over there. For some reason, Qunyang’s powers have truly been awakened by the Crow Slave.”
Luxianbei recounted in accordance with the phrases she heard from Hu Yue.
The three furrowed their brows, pressing on, “How do you prove that what you say is true?”
Luxianbei shot a sideways glance at the three, slowly drew out Hu Yue’s bone flute from her collar, and coldly stated, “This is the token he left behind. He said that when you arrived, you would take a look at it. If you still don’t believe me, you can just leave.”
The three looked at the bone flute, then at Luxianbei, exchanging glances before nodding…
