Chapter 169: The Voice in My Ear
As a sharp pain shot through her fingertips, Nanling Yaohua’s vision blurred, like a mist clouding her eyes. Following that, it felt as if a veil was gently lifted, and a clear image flashed through her mind.
It was as if a projection from another world quietly penetrated her mind through some special opportunity, revealing an antique room.
The layout and furnishings of the room were almost identical to the room where Lu Xianbei was sleeping, except that the room was filled with various wooden boxes, bright sunlight streamed through the intricately carved wooden windows, and the handcrafted wool carpet was dirty, marked with footprints from passersby.
In the crowd, “Lu Qingyi” wore a scarlet off-shoulder long dress, topped with a flowing white cloud-patterned blouse, following beside a strikingly beautiful and well-dressed woman, reminiscent of a young lady going out with her personal guard.
Faintly, she could still hear the voices of the two conversing.
“…For now, just stay by my side, it’s good to have someone watching over you.”
“Okay, okay!”
“…” In the silence, Nanling Yaohua’s lips twitched slightly, her gaze deepening.
A similar conversation had occurred between her and Lu Xianbei not long ago when they went to inspect the aftermath of the “Calamity” battle.
At that time, Lu Xianbei clung to her in the same way, as if she were the only support he had on this Gobi Desert.
But now…
Regaining her composure, Nanling Yaohua forced herself to shift her focus from Lu Xianbei’s “human sc*m” behavior to the images in her mind, pondering quietly.
So… what was going on?
Who was the woman by her side, and who were those people occasionally dressed like ancient figures?
Was she still within Yumen Pass?
Why was there sunlight?
A series of questions flooded Nanling Yaohua’s mind, momentarily confusing her thoughts.
If it weren’t for “Lu Qingyi” being among those images, she might have suspected there was some “historical drama urban legend” using strange abilities on her.
But even so, in her daze, she had the illusion of watching Lu Xianbei perform in a historical drama.
It was still the kind of production that meticulously respected and restored history.
But clearly, Lu Xianbei couldn’t possibly be acting…
Someone like Lu Xianbei, who had no expression apart from staring, could act, but if he had to, he would at least need to kneel down and pay respects to dedicated props and costume designers three times.
Most importantly, Nanling Yaohua had previously experienced entering the Dream City, immersed briefly in what could basically be considered a real illusion. So she quickly detached herself from the initial surprise of glimpsing that peculiar scene.
Could it be that Lu Xianbei’s consciousness had become trapped in a dream-like illusion created by the God Realm Yumen, similar to the Dream City?
Did he still have his original memories?
If not, was there any way to wake him up quickly and end the game of pretending to be a young lady?
With this thought, Nanling Yaohua’s gaze sharpened, and she took a deep breath, attempting to call out to Lu Xianbei.
“Lu Qingyi.”
At first, Lu Xianbei showed no reaction.
“Lu Qingyi, Qingyi girl… Calamity!”
On the second call, Lu Xianbei still didn’t respond, his expression undisturbed.
“Lu Qingyi… Calamity… Wang Buliu… Lu Xianbei!”
On the third try, Nanling Yaohua got a little annoyed, and in one breath, shouted all the aliases she knew of Lu Xianbei.
Then.
It was as if the video playback suddenly paused, the screen went dark, and Nanling Yaohua’s surroundings were momentarily engulfed in darkness.
A few seconds later, the darkness faded.
When her vision became clear again, the wooden boxes in the room, the sunlight outside, the people passing by, and that unnamed woman…
Everything that had just appeared in Nanling Yaohua’s mind had disappeared without a trace.
Wait, “Lu Qingyi” was still there, but now he lay on the bed like a corpse, quietly resting.
Nanling Yaohua, “… d*mn! I couldn’t even finish watching in one go?”
This terrible experience reminded her of some awful moments when she had first left the Gobi Desert.
Having lived there her entire life, she seldom had access to various forms of entertainment from the outside world. When she first encountered animated films and dramas, she had been so engrossed that she spent most of her little earnings on them, even more than on food…
Among those, the thing she detested the most was the early access!
One careless moment, and her wallet would be emptied.
After a few seconds of silence, Nanling Yaohua looked down at her bloody fingers. Gritting her teeth, a resolute glimmer flashed in her eyes as she suddenly reached out and firmly gripped Lu Xianbei’s wrist.
In the next moment, a pain so intense it felt like her whole hand was being crushed surged through her, and shortly after, amid a haze of consciousness, new images flashed into her mind…
Recharge complete, early access successful!
What was that saying?
Pay for love, willingly!
————
On the other side.
Currently in the past, Lu Xianbei appeared outwardly calm and composed but internally felt as frenzied as if dozens of fighter jets were rehearsing above her head.
Having inexplicably crossed over with her “physical body” and fortunately received care from Xia Lianqing, she initially planned to hide under Shen Baiwei’s alias until she found a way to return.
At that moment, suddenly, she heard a mysterious and eerie voice calling her name, even revealing much of her alias. How could she not panic?
Heaven knew what the person calling her name wanted?
What if they intended to expose her identity in front of Xia Lianqing?
It felt like encountering a legendary beauty snake urban legend, whispering her name from the wall, making chills run down her spine and her palms sweat.
Noticing that Lu Xianbei’s expression was somewhat off, Xia Lianqing tilted her head and asked, “Baiwei, are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“Thank you for your concern, sister. I’m fine.” Lu Xianbei shook her head. “It’s just that I’ve been in Yumen for a while after coming from Jianzhou, and I’m still not quite used to the climate here.”
Xia Lianqing examined Lu Xianbei and saw her pale complexion and slight sheen of sweat, looking somewhat like she was suffering from heat stroke. Not wanting to pry further, she softly said, “Just hang in there a little longer.”
“Right now, I can’t spare the time to help you find something to cool off. It should be better once it cools down at night.”
“Mm, it’s okay, sister.” Lu Xianbei responded obediently, nodding slightly, then stepped back behind Xia Lianqing. While observing her and the people in the room, eavesdropping on their conversations, she remained vigilant toward the mysterious voice calling her name, gradually falling into deep thought.
Having finished the preliminary examination of Shen Baiwei, when she left that room, she was in a weak, exhausted state, her consciousness in a haze. Now, as her condition began to return to normal, she suddenly noticed that many details during Shen Baiwei’s examination were quite abnormal.
First, she felt inexplicably familiar with all the questions she posed to Shen Baiwei, as if she had rehearsed them many times before somewhere.
Secondly, Shen Baiwei claimed to have become her fan after hearing Uncle Zhang Shan’s radio play based on the Hundred Demons Walk, following her closely. Yet her spiritual perception had never detected Shen Baiwei’s spirit energy fluctuation.
This was unusual; as a core member of the Miracle Cult, Shen Baiwei was relatively formidable among A-Class Spiritual Ability Users. Given Lu Xianbei’s habit of observing her surroundings before any battle, she should have discovered her presence by now.
Could that person be the man’s avatar or some sort of attachment? Lu Xianbei thought anxiously, envisioning that overworked face and feeling her heart seize for a second.
No, this possibility is low!
If that man wanted to lurk around me, he would do so himself, and he wouldn’t be swayed by me.
Most importantly, Shen Baiwei didn’t have dark circles under her eyes… Wait, she couldn’t have used the rumored Asian dark arts, could she?
d*mn! When I took off her glasses earlier, I should have casually wiped her face to check for makeup, Lu Xianbei thought.
Then…
There was also the last and most important point.
Why did she immediately come here after the preliminary examination of Shen Baiwei?
Wasn’t that too coincidental?
Suppose I ended up here because Shen Baiwei was secretly up to no good; would the voice calling me be hers?
As Lu Xianbei pondered, hurried footsteps approached from outside the room, and she soon saw a familiar face rushing toward Xia Lianqing.
It was a young boy of about sixteen or seventeen, dressed like a servant, but at his waist was a beautifully crafted ring pommel kn*fe that didn’t match his attire at all.
He was none other than Long Bang, a junior officer from the same clan as Nanling Prefecture King Longxiang.
“Miss Xia, something has happened.” Long Bang rushed to Xia Lianqing, saying just one sentence before stopping abruptly when he saw her give him a glance.
Noticing Long Bang’s gaze turn toward her, Lu Xianbei smirked, dutifully turning away and stepping back a few meters, and then… perked up her ears.
That distance couldn’t hinder the gossip-loving Miss Calamity; she boldly eavesdropped on their conversation!
Seeing Lu Xianbei move away, Long Bang returned his attention and continued, “Miss Xia, early this morning, the blacksmith who set out first was ambushed. According to those who managed to escape, they encountered a group of enemies who were very familiar with the terrain surrounding Yumen Pass, just less than five miles outside the city, and… and…”
“And what? Just tell me.” Xia Lianqing urged.
Long Bang hesitated for a moment, his expression somewhat grim as he said, “And the leader of that group seems to be your sister.”
“If it really is her, then that group of enemies has probably already entered the city.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xianbei’s eyes brightened slightly.
Good heavens, are we about to have sisters turning against each other? This could get interesting!
