Chapter 96: The Current Leader of the Yumen Sands Sea Branch
Suddenly, there was another inexplicable new identity, but Lu Qingbei didn’t mind at all, in fact, she was a little happy about it.
She didn’t consider having too many identities to be a hassle at all.
With more identities, not only do they not cause trouble, but they can also form a nesting doll effect.
You think Wang Buliu’s true identity is Gu Qiqi?
Wrong! It’s actually Lan Yi!
You think Lan Yi’s true identity is Calamity?
Also wrong! It’s actually Lu Qingyi!
You think Lu Qingyi is the final identity?
Hmph, naive!
With this series of nested identities, if there are still people willing to spend a great deal of manpower and resources to investigate all her identities, she isn’t afraid at all.
Using the buffer time created by these identities, she can easily adapt according to the strength of her enemies, create new identities to confuse them, or tactically retreat to a place they can’t reach, or simply take out the troublemaker using one of the identities before all her identities are exposed.
This is simply like the camouflage of a chameleon or octopus, both offensive and defensive!
And what must be done after acquiring a new identity?
Get familiar with the character, seriously embody the role, and switch to a new outfit… In a sense, it’s almost like an actor receiving a new script and starting to act.
Lu Qingbei was too familiar with these tasks!
It was as easy as eating or drinking.
Sometimes, Lu Qingbei even thought that if she wanted to become an actress, she could totally manage it.
Compared to some celebrities who can finish an entire performance with just one expression, although she had a poker face, the drama in her eyes was far too rich.
After receiving the file on “Lu Qingyi” from Xing Yuan, Lu Qingbei quickly started reading.
The background of Lu Qingyi was actually quite simple, her parents were both disciples of the Dachunyang Palace and died by the hands of an urban legend while on a mission, so from the age of seven or eight, she was taken to Zhenwu Mountain by her father’s master.
In this aspect, she was quite similar to Huasang.
Seeing this, Lu Qingbei raised her small hand, “Director…”
“Yes?” Xing Yuan shot her a glare.
“Uh, Godmother.” After modifying her address, Lu Qingbei continued, “What I want to say is, can we change this Lu Qingyi’s master a bit?”
The file stated that Lu Qingyi’s master was Yan Yunzi, whom Lu Qingbei had never seen or recognized during her time at the Dachunyang Palace. She felt that this could become a significant loophole if her identity was exposed in the future.
Xing Yuan scrutinized Lu Qingbei with a sideways glance and asked, “How do you want to change it?”
“For example…” Lu Qingbei thought for a moment and tentatively suggested, “What if we change it to Zhang Hainan?”
If it was that old man Zhang Hainan, there wouldn’t be any worries about exposure; when problems arise, she could just pretend to be his disciple and return to the Dachunyang Palace as long as she didn’t have to look at the main entrance.
When did she become so familiar with Lord Black Emperor that she dared to call him by name? Xing Yuan’s mouth twitched, “You really dare to say that! The Black Emperor’s direct disciple, do you think you’re not eye-catching enough?”
What does it mean for the Black Emperor’s direct disciple to appear at Yumen Pass? It’s like an Olympic champion in a popular sport walking down the street; even if someone isn’t a fan, they would want to take a look.
“Don’t forget, your identity is forged. It absolutely cannot be seen through, so the most important thing is to stay low-key; it’s best to be a small transparent presence.”
“Don’t worry! This master Yan Yunzi isn’t a problem; dead people can’t come back to identify you.”
“Dead? How do you know?” Lu Qingbei tilted her head.
“I used to be teammates with them.” Xing Yuan explained, then paused a bit, feigning a casual shrug, “Died while executing a mission at Shanhaiguan…”
She thought that saying this would make Lu Qingbei feel assured, but unexpectedly, Lu Qingbei not only didn’t feel at ease but frowned and bombarded her with a series of rapid-fire questions.
“Then how dead was he? Did the enemy give him a finishing blow? Is there a complete corpse? If there is a complete corpse, was it cremated? Also, where are his relics stored now?”
Is being dead really safe?
Not at all!
How about a directional soul summoning spell formula?
Moreover, in this world full of urban legends, various strange abilities and spells emerge endlessly, and there are certainly more means to allow deceased spirit energy users to suddenly “attack” people than just directional soul summoning spells.
“You just relax!” Xing Yuan rolled her eyes, “Yan Yunzi is buried in the tomb behind Zhenwu Mountain, and all his relics have been returned to the Dachunyang Palace; no one will disturb his soul.”
Hearing this from Xing Yuan, Lu Qingbei felt slightly reassured and picked up the file to continue reading.
“Lu Qingyi entered the sect at ten years old, reached minor accomplishments in three years, and in the fourth year, her master died…”
“???”
“Godmother! Isn’t this written a bit poorly?” Lu Qingbei pointed at the file and asked, “Wouldn’t it make people think I’m a jinx?”
Xing Yuan shot her a glare, “Isn’t that perfect? That way, others won’t get too close to you, and it will be even harder to expose your identity.”
Lu Qingbei thought for a moment and felt that Xing Yuan had a point; she lowered her head to continue reading until she finished the thick stack of documents and relying on her astonishing memory, remembered about eighty to ninety percent of it before handing it back to Xing Yuan.
“That’s enough, Godmother; I’ve almost memorized it.”
“Almost?” Xing Yuan showed a skeptical expression.
“Yeah!” Lu Qingbei pouted, “About eighty to ninety percent! For the remaining part, if I need it, I’ll improvise.”
“This document is written too detailed; too much is as bad as not enough. Who would remember how many sheets of toilet paper they’ve used in their lifetime? Don’t you think?”
Xing Yuan pondered for a moment, didn’t refute her, and nodded in agreement with Lu Qingbei’s statement.
Thus, the task of giving Lu Qingbei the identity of “Lu Qingyi” moved into the final stage—forging the document.
As the Siye Society is an organization that hunts urban legends and curtails the dangers of spirit energy, in a sense, its influence is all-encompassing.
So, when an inspector uses their authority to help someone forge an identity, the efficiency can be astonishing.
Just like now.
By the time Lu Qingbei donned the Zhu Yan’s modification spell solidification mask, altered her shape, and changed into new clothes, preparing to take a photo to upload, a girl named Lu Qingyi had already materialized in the file of the Siye Society’s southwestern region.
The entire process took just over twenty minutes.
However, after Lu Qingbei uploaded the photo and completely cemented her identity, what Xing Yuan said next made her feel as if she had boarded a pirate ship…
————
“Lu Qingbei…”
“Yes?”
Lu Qingbei was engrossed in studying the newly acquired Siye Society intranet account when she suddenly heard Xing Yuan’s voice, looked up at her, tilted her head, and her long crimson hair fell against her fair cheek.
“Weren’t you saying before that you wanted to act alone?” Xing Yuan asked.
“Yeah!” Lu Qingbei pouted, “But you didn’t allow it, right?”
“My not allowing Lu Qingbei to act alone has nothing to do with Lu Qingyi.” Xing Yuan said seriously, “I now permit it, and you should try to act alone as much as possible.”
“The crisis that recently broke out at Yumen Pass, you might have heard a little about it, but do you know why the Siye Society has spent a great deal of manpower and resources yet hasn’t solved the crisis for a long time?”
After a pause, without waiting for Lu Qingbei to respond, she answered her own question, “It’s because, aside from the Miracle Cult and various illegal spirit energy organizations causing trouble, there have also been several cases of intelligence leaks, and there seems to be an insider.”
“However, the Siye Society operatives stationed at Yumen Pass all know each other well, and the local situation is very complex; there’s no time for us to investigate slowly in the usual manner, we have to win by surprise…”
Lu Qingbei, “???”
What is this about? Why do I smell a hint of conspiracy? Does this mean I’m that “surprise”?
“Uh, Godmother? You aren’t thinking of sending me to investigate, are you? Aren’t you a bit unclear about the difference between a surprise soldier and an oddball?” Lu Qingbei said.
While she was good at stirring trouble, she wasn’t that good at clarifying things.
“What’s wrong with that?” Xing Yuan shrugged, unapologetically saying, “That possible insider could very well be someone from the Solar Eclipse Society, and the one who kidnapped Jiang Li is also from the Solar Eclipse Society.”
“Two groups from the Solar Eclipse Society appearing at Yumen Pass likely have the same objective, so from a certain perspective, investigating the insider is also helping to rescue Jiang Li!”
“…” Lu Qingbei was silent for a moment, expressionless, “Can I refuse?”
Upon hearing this, Xing Yuan straightened her posture, her demeanor suddenly changing, turning from a housewife back into a fierce inspector, then pointed to the phone in Lu Qingbei’s hand that was hovering over the Siye Society intranet interface.
“Do you think you still have the option to refuse?”
Lu Qingbei glanced at her phone and saw the screen showing a girl in a light blue robe with a refined and elegant face, and she suddenly had an impulse to give her a couple of punches.
“It seems you had plotted this out long ago?”
Xing Yuan rolled her eyes back and retorted, “Otherwise, do you think a forged identity as a Siye Society operative could be successfully logged in within twenty minutes?”
Forging an identity of a Siye Society operative from the Dachunyang Palace is relatively easier, but forging an identity that can log into records is not something an inspector could accomplish in just twenty minutes.
After all, the guardian managing the records is no slouch.
“Ah!” Lu Qingbei sighed, lamenting, “I can’t believe I actually believed you when you said that this was an identity prepared for me to escape; I even felt a bit moved!”
“It truly is,” Xing Yuan patiently explained, “However, didn’t I tell you that you used it ahead of time? It’s just that it was a bit earlier than you expected.”
“…” Lu Qingbei opened her mouth, hesitated to say anything a few times, and finally compromised, “Alright, I can take this job, but I must state in advance! I can’t guarantee I can investigate results, and if I find any news about Jiang Li, I will prioritize rescuing her.”
No matter what, Miaomiao Sauce must be the top priority!
“Okay!” Xing Yuan nodded, “Actually, it was just a contingency plan; you are not the only one sent to investigate.”
“Does that mean there are partners, uh, I mean trustworthy companions?” Lu Qingbei squinted and asked.
Having companions means what? It means having tools, and having tools means being able to slack off!
“…” Xing Yuan thought for a moment, furrowing her brows, “At the moment, I also don’t know who else has been dispatched to investigate; after all, they were all personally selected by the inspectors—trustworthy individuals. But if you genuinely need assistance, perhaps you can approach the current leader of the Yumen Sands Sea Branch.”
“She must be reliable.”
In Xing Yuan’s view, the Yumen Sands Sea Branch was a trustworthy ally of the Siye Society, and Nanling Yaohua was Bai Kai’s niece, so she is naturally trustworthy.
Hearing this, Lu Qingbei was a little taken aback and reflexively asked, “Who?”
It was strange; she clearly had not interacted with anyone from the Yumen Sands Sea Branch, but Xing Yuan’s tone made her feel as if she was quite familiar with them.
Should she be quite familiar with them?
“Nanling Yaohua, you should know her, right?” Xing Yuan said.
Lu Qingbei, “…”
But how does Godmother know that I know her?
