Chapter 25: Solidifying Spirit Grass (X)

Qi niang looked at Sui Ning with a flat expression, but for some reason, a chill ran down Sui Ning’s spine.

She had someone she liked, but what was Qi niang’s attitude towards him exactly?

Or was the person she liked Liao Wu?

But Liao Wu was still alive, wasn’t he? Wasn’t the person Qi niang talked about already dead?

Sui Ning stared at Qi Niang in a daze, clutching the armrest with her white jade fingers, her mind a mess.

Some hidden truths seemed to be faintly emerging.

“Haha, little girl, you’re so cute!” Qi niang suddenly laughed before Sui Ning could make sense of it.

She smiled sweetly, covering her red lips with her slender jade fingers, and her gaze toward Sui Ning regained its alluring charm.

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Fbl blze Fwk Lkdt’p byde yde nbwnjzle, “R oyp fwpv fsjkdt. Tl’p fwpv y xyd. Rq bl’p elye, bl’p elye. R’x eskdt fwpv qkdl okvbswv bkx.”

“R oyp vlypkdt usw. Zsw alyzzu clzklhle xl,” Ck dkydt pyke okvb y zywtb.

Fwk Lkdt nswze sdzu dse yojoyaezu, qsankdt blaplzq vs pxkzl cynj yv Ck dkydt.

Ck dkydt zssjle wr yv vbl dktbv pju zygkzu yde pyke, “Rv’p zyvl. Zsw pbswze ts vs pzllr, zkvvzl tkaz.”

“Xjyu, Jspp, usw pbswze tlv psxl alpv vss.” Fwk Lkdt pxkzle yde pyke tssecul vs Ck dkydt, zkqvkdt bla pjkav yde vwadkdt vs zlyhl.

Jwv yp pssd yp pbl vwadle yaswde, bla pxkzl ekpyrrlyale.

Fbl yde Dkl Ubydtgbsw bye sdzu oydvle vs qkde vbl Fszkekqukdt Frkakv Qaypp, cwv dso vblu olal nywtbv wr kd sdl vaswczl yqvla ydsvbla.

Wkapv, kv oyp vbl tbspv tassx, yde dso kv oyp Ck dkydt.

Su Kou was unwilling to leave Liao Wu, but Liao Wu came to investigate the ghost groom. Qi Niang knew Liao Wu, and they even had some sort of relationship.

Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou wanted to find spirit herbs and had to start with Su Kou, which inevitably involved Liao Wu.

One thing after another was interconnected—too coincidental.

It’s like someone deliberately wanted to get them involved.

A hint of darkness flashed through Sui Ning’s clear eyes.

***

Xie Changzhou had just come downstairs in the early morning and saw Su Kou, Liao Wu, and…Sui Ning eating leisurely in the lobby.

He looked over and saw the expected scene.

Sui Ning still had a sleepy look, as if she was about to fall into her bowl.

Xie Changzhou couldn’t help but smile. It was hard work for her to be pulled up so early by Su Kou every day.

When they were in the Limitless Sword Sect, Ah Yan told him that Sui Ning would never get up before the sun was up, but now she had to be dragged up by Su Kou before dawn.

He shook his head helplessly and walked towards Sui Ning.

Sui Ning’s consciousness was a bit fuzzy, and a familiar cold fragrance wafted into her nose, causing her to open her eyes in confusion.

Xie Changzhou’s face was still warm and gentle; he had changed out of yesterday’s groom’s attire, and his white robe was spotless, outlining his slender and tall figure.

His soft eyes fell on Sui Ning’s face, making her feel a little emotional.

The red-clothed Xie Changzhou was only temporarily forced; the white robe was semi-permanent.

But she really thought he looked good in red; the demonic and charming red matched his holy and compassionate face, giving him an inexplicable sense of contrast.

Making her…want to bully him.

When Sui Ning began to see distorted images in her mind, the system quickly reminded her to regain her composure: “[Shut up; I want you to fall in love with him, not ask you to sleep with him.]”

Sui Ning was taken aback and said, “Hmm, why do you have to be so vulgar?”

The system replied, “[… Your mind is dirty, so everything you think about is dirty.]”

Just as Sui Ning was about to argue with the system, Xie Changzhou next to her spoke up: “How is Ningning’s injury? Did you rest well last night?”

Su Kou also asked her worriedly, “Ningning, are you okay?”

Seeing that Sui Ning was about to speak, Su Kou breathed a sigh of relief and said, “That’s good.”

Sui Ning lowered her head to continue drinking her porridge, her beautiful face showing obvious emotions.

Sui Ning noticed that something was off with Su Kou.

In the past, whenever Su Kou saw Liao Wu, she couldn’t wait to cling to him. Why is she so calm and steady now?

Before Sui Ning could ask her, Liao Wu’s clear voice came: “Miss Ningning, Mr. Xie, my mission is completed. It’s time for me to report back to the Jingchan Sect.”

As soon as Liao Wu spoke, the three of them froze in place, and Su Kou looked at him incredulously.

His face was gentle and compassionate, and when he met Su Kou’s slightly red eyes, his gaze was still calm and without any waves.

Su Kou choked up and asked, “Yan Zhang, are you leaving?”

Liao Wu nodded and replied, “Yes, I have completed the mission given to me by the sect, and it is time for me to return and report.”

“What about me? What should I do? Yan Zhang, I have waited for you for twenty years.” Su Kou’s voice trembled, tears streaming down her face.

Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou remained silent, quietly eating their meal.

“Whatever has passed, I have forgotten, Miss Su… Please choose another good man.” Liao Wu clasped his hands together, a hint of guilt in his dark eyes.

Su Kou looked at Liao Wu, tears still streaming down her face. In the end, she disappointedly ran upstairs.

“Su Kou!” Sui Ning was about to get up and chase after her, but Liao Wu stopped her.

“Miss Ningning, I will personally go and settle things with Miss Su later. You don’t have to trouble yourself,” Liao Wu said calmly.

Xie Changzhou also spoke up: “Ningning, the matter between Miss Su and the Daoist Liao needs to be resolved by them. It’s not something we can handle. If the obsession is not removed, no amount of soothing will be useful.”

Sui Ning sighed inwardly and could only sit back down, bowing her head and silently drinking her porridge.

As Liao Wu was about to leave after speaking, Xie Changzhou suddenly called out to him, “Daoist Liao, do you really think the matter has been resolved?”

Liao Wu paused, looking at Xie Changzhou with confusion in his eyes.

The Three-Soul Corpse and the Ghost Groom had already been resolved, and his mission was completed. Was there something that was still not resolved?

Xie Changzhou looked at him with a faint expression and said, “For example, why wasn’t the Daoist Liao letter sent out?”

Sui Ning’s eating motion paused, and her enlightened expression instantly froze.

Yes, Liao Wu had sent a letter to the elder of the Jingchan sect, but no one came to support him.

The elders were highly skilled and unlikely to have any accidents, so there was only one possibility.

The letter was not sent out.

But Liao Wu’s letter was a secret, and only a few of them knew about it. So how did the person intercepting the letter find out?

And who was that person?

The ghost groom’s cultivation was only at the nascent soul stage, and his level was only possible with the help of those artifacts and evil formations. He should not have been able to intercept Liao Wu’s secret letter sent out at the same cultivation level.

So if it wasn’t the ghost groom, who could it be?

Behind this puzzle, could there be another hand?

It seemed that Liao Wu also thought of this point. He clenched the Wugang pearl in his hand, and his emotions were hidden behind his dark lashes.

There was a moment of silence, and a faint fragrance wafted in.

Qi niang came forward with tea and said with a smile, “This is Snow Peak Dan tea that I had someone bring back from the Western Regions. It’s worth a fortune. I’ll give you a pot to taste the flavor.”

Her beautiful eyes were filled with a bewitching smile as she scanned the people sitting around the table.

Even though Qi niang was trying to hide it, Sui Ning could still sense something unusual about her.

Qi niang looked at Sui Ning and Xie Changzhou calmly, but hesitated for a moment when she saw Liao Wu.

Although she quickly covered it up, Sui Ning was close enough to Qi niang that she could vaguely see her facial features behind the veil.

A familiar feeling welled up inside her.

It felt so familiar, as if she had really seen her somewhere before.

Lost in thought, Sui Ning stared at Qi niang’s profile. Qi niang noticed her gaze and turned to look at her.

Their eyes met, and Qi niang’s beautiful eyes flickered for a moment.

She lightly chuckled and said, “Little girl, drink more of this tea. It has a miraculous effect on healing.”

Qi niang raised her eyebrows playfully and looked at Sui Ning with sincere eyes.

Sui Ning also smiled, her voice soft and gentle. “Thank you, boss.”

“No need to thank me. Enjoy your meal.” Qi niang served the tea and left, her figure graceful and charming.

Sui Ning’s smile gradually froze as she met the gazes of Xie Changzhou and Liao Wu. The faces of the three of them became heavy and serious in unison.

How did Qi Niang know she was injured?

Even though she had already healed when she came back, they hadn’t told anyone outside that she was injured.

Xie Changzhou picked up the tea cup and took a sip, then looked at Liao Wu and said, “It seems that Daoist Liao can’t leave for the time being.”

It is still unclear who intercepted Liao Wu’s letter, which means that there is still a real culprit behind the scenes who has not been caught.

That person should be the mastermind behind the entire plan.

Could that person be Qi Niang?

Just an ordinary innkeeper.

***

Sui Ning was meditating in the room when she heard a familiar voice in the corridor.

“Do you really have no feelings for me? Yan Zhang, we have an engagement.”

“Miss Su, I really have no intentions towards you. I have already become a monk.”

“What should I do then? I have never accepted anyone else’s marriage proposal for so many years because of you, Yan Zhang. What should I do?”

“Miss Su…”

Sui Ning shook her head helplessly and sighed.

There was a sound of the door closing, followed by Liao Wu’s call, “Miss Su?”

There was no answer. After a moment of silence, Liao Wu’s voice came again: “Miss Su, then I’ll go back to my room first. Please don’t get sick because of me.”

Then came the sound of footsteps gradually fading away, followed by a faint and restrained cry.

Sui Ning murmured to herself, “Liao Wu, with his personality, would have been left behind in our hometown.”

The system replied with a playful smile, “[Unlike me, I can only empathize with my girl.]”

Sui Ning grinned half-heartedly and said, “How did Dongting Lake produce a green tea bitch like you?”

The suppressed crying outside grew louder, and Sui Ning reluctantly stood up.

There was no one else in the corridor. She was about to turn around and knock on Su Kou’s door when suddenly the entire world seemed to blur.

It was only a fleeting moment, but Sui Ning saw it vividly.

The space in front of her appeared to twist, revealing a faintly dim crack. She could even feel the wind blowing toward her face from within the crevice.

The gust of wind carried an unpleasant odor.

A scent of decay and lifelessness.

In just an instant, the crack closed, and the space returned to tranquility.

Sui Ning’s heart raced. “System, did you see that just now?”

“[Host… it was real.]” The system confirmed this, and Sui Ning finally realized that everything that had just happened wasn’t a dream.

Another dimension emerged just a moment ago.

T/N:Dongting Lake (Chinese: 洞庭湖) is a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan Province, China. Biluochun, also known as “Dongting Biluochun”, is produced in Dongting Mountain, Taihu Lake, which is in Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, and belongs to the green tea category.