Free Web NovelIt took Lu Yibei a few minutes to fully process the fact that the people around her could see her.
It wasn't just the young girl who was touching her that could see her.
In the few minutes she stood there stunned, people constantly entered and exited the room, which was filled with various military supplies. They included burly men, beautiful women, and even some familiar faces—the merchants who had appeared in the market outside Daimu Courtyard.
They bustled about like worker ants, continuously moving military supplies, packed into wooden crates, out of the room. They occasionally bumped into doorframes or corners but never stopped, immersing the entire Daimu Courtyard in a heart-pounding, tense atmosphere.
Yet, this same group of people, upon passing Lu Yibei, noticed the unfamiliar, “dazed” Miss and did not hesitate to pause briefly, casting meaningful glances at her.
Their eyes seemed to say, “What a pretty Miss, why is she so silly? How pitiful!”
Lu Yibei was indeed a bit stunned.
Although it wasn't the first time she had glimpsed past images, and the last time she had successfully saved Xia Lianqing from attempting to hang herself, before this, she had always viewed glimpsing the past with a mindset similar to watching a movie.
Even if she could touch people and things from the past, at most, it was like changing a regular movie into a 4D immersive one.
But now...
It felt like watching a movie, and suddenly, a character from the movie jumped out of the big screen and punched her.
It suddenly became ridiculous!
Why was this happening?
What exactly went wrong? Lu Yibei wondered blankly.
After waiting for a moment and seeing that she was still sitting there “slacking off,” the maid-dressed girl clenched her fists, ready to give her another rap on the head. Just then, a crisp, clear call came from the side.
“A Yun, stop, you can’t!”
Following the sound, a woman wearing a collared, narrow-sleeved robe on top and striped, narrow-legged pants on the bottom appeared in her sight.
It was Xia Lianqing.
In fact, like everyone else entering and exiting the room, she had noticed this unfamiliar Miss long ago, but she had been busy until now, only just finding a moment to approach Lu Yibei.
At this moment, she had changed into a practical Hufu, her long hair tied into a simple bun, abandoning her usual elaborate makeup. Her face was bare, and her entire demeanor exuded an air of competence.
She looked as if she had stepped out of those paintings depicting Tang Dynasty women playing polo.
“Miss...” The girl called A Yun turned to Xia Lianqing, pouting with a wronged expression, “At a time like this, she's still slacking off here. I just wanted to teach her a lesson to get her moving quickly.”
Xia Lianqing looked at A Yun, then at Lu Yibei, waved her hand, signaling A Yun to step aside, and then walked forward, stopping in front of Lu Yibei.
She scrutinized the unfamiliar Miss in front of her, her brows slightly furrowed.
Lu Yibei’s completely expressionless face and her somewhat dazed eyes, due to being suddenly seen by people from the past, were interpreted by Xia Lianqing as the fear and helplessness of a young Miss who had never seen the world, suddenly learning that war was imminent.
Although the situation was chaotic, and it was not impossible for the major tribes under the Shaman King to send spies, Xia Lianqing also suspected the unfamiliar Miss in front of her. However, the Miss's appearance reminded her of the situation many years ago when she suddenly learned of her father's death and that her entire tribe would have to go into exile, which made her feel pity.
Moreover, she did not detect any Spiritual Energy flow from the Miss, which proved that the Miss, apart from her exceptionally outstanding appearance, had nothing special about her, just like the other Sisters in Daimu Courtyard.
She was merely a weak woman.
So far, the only beings she had encountered from whom she could not detect Spiritual Energy flow, besides the Nangling Commander, were Hong Bian Monk.
So, was it possible that this Miss was actually very powerful, so powerful that she was approaching legendary figures like the Nangling Commander and Hong Bian Monk?
Of course, it was possible, but the probability was so small as to be negligible.
How could people with such power be sent as spies by the major tribes? Wouldn't it be better to deploy them on the front lines?
Even if there was that one-in-ten-thousand chance of sending such terrifying figures as spies, they wouldn't target her, Xia Lianqing.
It should be known that there were a total of five righteous individuals from various trades within Yumen City Pass, who received the Nangling Commander’s brocade pouch and secretly assisted the Longxiang Army Armored Soldier in the city. She, Xia Lianqing, was merely the relatively least important and most inconspicuous link among them.
Even if the major tribes sent spies to sabotage, they wouldn't choose her as their target.
Recalling her thoughts, Xia Lianqing again scrutinized the Miss in front of her, sighing silently.
“......”
Judging by her appearance, she was probably not yet of age. What kind of storms had she ever seen? freewёbnoνel.com
Hearing the news that the Shaman King's vanguard had already entered the city pass, she was probably terrified, wasn't she?
Xia Lianqing thought, then gently shook her head, stepped forward, and lightly placed her hand on Lu Yibei's shoulder, saying softly, “Sister, don’t be afraid, it’s very safe here.”
“Mm, mm...” Lu Yibei glanced at Xia Lianqing, quickly averted her gaze, and nodded.
“Sister looks unfamiliar, you didn't live near here before, did you?” Xia Lianqing asked again.
“Ah, yes...” Lu Yibei collected herself and, thinking quickly, said, “I, I fled here during the recent chaos.”
With her previous experience of glimpsing the past, she could roughly guess that the tense atmosphere in Daimu Courtyard at this moment was mostly because the flames of war had already reached the vicinity of Yumen Pass. At such a time, her unfamiliar face suddenly appearing before everyone could easily lead to her being mistaken for a traitor.
Although Lu Yibei was already accustomed to being a traitor, it had always been her who actively chose to be one; others never suspected her.
Therefore, her answer was somewhat perfunctory, yet without obvious flaws.
She didn't want to be suspected.
If Lu Yibei had approached her previous immersion in the “past” with a playful mindset, this time, she only felt that her situation was perilous.
Who knew when she would be able to escape from the “past”? If she couldn't return for a while and was mistaken for a traitor, would she even survive?
The situation this time was different from last time; everyone could see her. She dared not act as recklessly as before. She had to lie low first and act according to the circumstances.
“What’s your name, Sister?” Xia Lianqing asked again, “Where are your family members?”
Is this my karma? I just finished asking Shen Baiwei, and now someone else is asking me? Lu Yibei muttered under her breath, glanced at Xia Lianqing, and slowly lowered her head, saying with a hint of a sob, “My family...”
“They, they are all... gone.”
This could be considered speaking the truth. The Ancestor was not a living person, Shui Ge was not related by blood, and although there were many fiancées, none had married into the family... Even if Xia Lianqing had some means of discerning lies, she should not find any problems.
After waiting for a moment, she timidly added, “Oh, by the way, to answer Sister, my humble self is called Shen Baiwei, from Jian Province. I came here half a year ago with my father for business.”
Upon hearing this, Xia Lianqing frowned and patted Lu Yibei’s shoulder, saying, “I’m sorry, Shen Baiwei, please accept my condolences...”
She paused, as if something occurred to her, her eyes lit up, and she said to Lu Yibei, “How about this! If you are really scared, why don’t you stay by my side for now? That way, I can look after you.”
Xia Lianqing’s decision was by no means impulsive.
Part of her decision was seeing “Shen Baiwei” in a similar plight, but another part was her distrust of “Shen Baiwei.”
Although the possibility of “Shen Baiwei” being a spy sent by the major tribes was extremely low, it was not entirely impossible.
In fact, before approaching “Shen Baiwei” under the guise of reprimanding her through A Yun, Xia Lianqing had already quietly communicated with the Sisters in Daimu Courtyard, a group of Longxiang Army Armored Soldier, and the neighbors in the nearby market.
After communicating, she received the answer that no one had any impression of “Shen Baiwei.”
This was very strange.
Even though this “Shen Baiwei” was still young, her appearance was already considered peerless.
If a few more years passed, she would undoubtedly grow into a beauty capable of toppling cities and nations, with a subtle air of grace and elegance about her. If she hadn't appeared at Yumen Pass with war imminent, people would have speculated whether she was some runaway Princess, or even...
It seemed there hadn't been any rumors of a Princess running away recently, had there?
In short, it was impossible for people to have no impression of a Miss like this if they had seen her in their daily lives.
So, the answer was obvious: “Shen Baiwei” had appeared near Daimu Courtyard recently, perhaps even just today.
Although this matched “Shen Baiwei’s” earlier answer, and based solely on this, one couldn't determine if “Shen Baiwei” was an enemy, only by keeping “Shen Baiwei” close, closely monitoring her every move, and preventing her from accessing the core of their operations, could Xia Lianqing feel at ease.
It was Xia Lianqing’s soft heart; anyone else might have already had this “Shen Baiwei” dragged away and imprisoned, or even cut down with a sword on the spot.
“......”
If she truly made any improper moves, it wouldn't be too late to eliminate her then!
Anyway, she's so weak, she couldn't possibly cause any trouble... Xia Lianqing thought.
“Okay, okay!” Lu Yibei nodded like a pounding garlic upon hearing Xia Lianqing’s words, “Then I’ll be troubling Sister.”
Since she didn't want to cause trouble anyway, why not cling to a strong leg?
Although this strong leg was admittedly a bit slender...
—
Just as Lu Yibei happily clung to Xia Lianqing’s leg, Shen Baiwei, whose identity she had usurped, was far from happy.
Almost the instant Lu Yibei claimed to be “Shen Baiwei,” her Spirit Mark loss of control symptoms and the degree of nighttime erosion within her body suddenly intensified, like a roller coaster leaving the station and rushing to its highest point.
Her body violently shook as if struck by a heavy hammer. She only managed to let out a low growl, “Disaster, you...” before spitting out a large pool of black blood and then immediately losing consciousness, leaving Lord Huaiyuan, who had not yet departed, utterly bewildered.
“???”
What the heck? What happened? Why did her injuries suddenly worsen?
Was this also Lu Qingyi’s doing? Did she beat her so badly she almost became a urban legend? And...
What did her phrase “Disaster” mean? Lord Huaiyuan wondered in confusion.
Just then, Nanling Yaohua quietly appeared outside the door...
