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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 4: A Kind Reminder
The Elder's expression darkened as he said, "Mo Cang, how can you be like Jiang Chun? You need to watch your words."
Jiang Chun chuckled maliciously, "We should make it look like an accident, like falling off a horse and twisting a neck, or accidentally tumbling down a cliff."
The Elder shot Jiang Chun a glare, signaling him to stop talking nonsense. Someone like Ling Xuan would certainly not fall off a horse or tumble down a cliff; if that were the case, no one would believe it.
The Elder reminded them, "You better handle this cleanly. If anyone finds out anything, I know nothing."
Jiang Chun replied, "Got it. We won't put you in a difficult position."
Ji Zichen half-closed her senses and said to Xia Zhou, "This is really strange. Why are they doing this?"
Xia Zhou shrugged, "How would I know? You know them better than I do."
No matter how Ji Zichen tried to speculate, she couldn't come up with any answers. She said, "The Western King has a Ghost Brigade in Western Inferno. Those people might be from there, but why would they want to kill Ling Xuan? I can't figure that out."
Xia Zhou advised Ji Zichen, "If you can't guess, don't overthink it. Let's listen to what they have to say."
Jiang Chun pondered for a moment before asking the Elder, "The Western King treats you well. Why are you doing this?"
Jiang Chun's question didn't surprise the Elder at all. He replied, "The Western King is too ambitious; he wants to steal divine artifacts. This could bring disaster upon us. I cannot allow such things to happen."
Mo Cang looked around; they had already been here too long. He said, "We'll handle the matter, but Elder, have you ever hinted at anything to Ling Xuan? Plans can be tight, but as the saying goes, man proposes while heaven disposes."
The Elder responded, "Ling Xuan is very loyal to the Western King because of her master. If we try to pull her into our ranks, it might ruin everything. We must act according to plan." He looked up at the clear blue sky and added, "If those above have their eyes open, I hope they can grant us some luck."
"Jiang Chun laughed and said, 'Elder, you usually don't worship deities, and now it's too late to start. We are sincerely doing this for you, so don't burn the bridge after crossing it.'
The Elder smiled lightly. 'Don't worry, you will get what you deserve afterward. Let me remind you once more, when you open the rift, don't let your curiosity get the better of you. We only need to connect the passages and know where this rift leads to that one. Just make sure not to go to places you shouldn't.'
With that, the Elder stood up and left.
Mo Cang and Jiang Chun followed suit.
Ji Zichen withdrew her perception and Xia Zhou asked, 'What do they want to connect the passages for?'
Ji Zichen could guess this easily; she recalled the explosive stones from The Divine Alliance Under the Covenant. 'It must be for some kind of warfare,' she said.
Xia Zhou nodded. 'As long as it doesn't threaten the court, then...'
Ji Zichen shot a glance at Xia Zhou. 'So you can just ignore it?'
Xia Zhou didn't respond and said, 'Let's go back; there's nothing for us here anymore.'
Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou returned to the Sanctuary of the Professionals, where Lin Chuyu and Zhang Tangzheng were talking outside in an open area. Upon seeing Ji Zichen return, Lin Chuyu greeted her, 'Brother Ji, you're back.'
Jiang Dahuzi came out from inside the building. Seeing Ji Zichen and Xia Zhou returning together, he smiled and said, 'You really found him.'
Ji Zichen appeared pensive as she slightly nodded at Jiang Dahuzi. He looked at Xia Zhou and pointed at the troubled Ji Zichen. 'What's wrong with her?'
Xia Zhou gave a wry smile and said, 'There's no need to look for Defensive Works anymore.'"
"Not looking anymore?" Jiang the Bearded was taken aback. "Why?"
Xia Zhou smiled lightly and said, "They are having internal strife."
---
Inside the tent, Ling Xuan was approached by a Beautiful Maid holding a basket filled with several clusters of herbs gathered from nearby. The Beautiful Maid asked, "Is this what the Chief Justice needs?" Though her words were spoken, she appeared quite nervous.
Ling Xuan took the basket, picked up a few herbs, and sniffed them. "This is indeed what I need. Thank you for your hard work."
Ling Xuan's politeness made the Beautiful Maid uneasy; she stood frozen, unsure of how to respond.
Ling Xuan placed the herbs back in the basket and instructed, "Go crush these and brew the medicine. The Elder has been breathing unevenly these past few days; he might be exhausted. Once it's ready, take it to the Elder."
The Beautiful Maid hurriedly picked up the basket and left.
---
"Internal strife? How could that be?" This development was too sudden. For them to have internal conflict at this time was excellent news for those in power, but how could it happen so abruptly? Jiang the Bearded was both surprised and delighted as he pressed on, "You’re not joking, are you?"
Xia Zhou glanced at Ji Zichen and replied, "There’s no mistake. They don’t know we’re here, so this can’t be an act to deceive us."
Jiang the Bearded laughed heartily. "This saves us a lot of trouble!"
Lin Chuyu asked in confusion, "Brother Ji, what’s going on? Aren’t they all on the same side?"
The sudden turn of events was a good thing for the divine beings, but if they truly gained complete control over the passage, it could lead to great conflict in the mortal realm.
Ji Zichen expressed her concern, "I'm not sure, but we need to remind Ling Xuan."
Xia Zhou frowned and said, "Remind her? Why would you want to remind her? If I remember correctly, she isn't your friend."
Ji Zichen replied, "She may not be, but this way we can find a way to retrieve the Six Yao Lantern Formation."
Xia Zhou questioned, "Telling her will help us get back the Six Yao Lantern Formation?"
Ji Zichen nodded confidently, "Yes."
Xia Zhou exchanged glances with Jiang Dahuzi. Jiang Dahuzi said, "Brother Ji, since there's a way, let him give it a try. After all, things can't get any worse."
Half an hour later, Ji Zichen arrived outside the camp's cliffside enclosure. This wasn't her first time sneaking in, so she easily avoided the guards. After dodging two waves of patrolling soldiers, she reached a corner behind Ling Xuan's tent. Inside, Ling Xuan was studying the component diagrams at a table.
Ling Xuan felt a gentle breeze and suddenly saw Ji Zichen appear before her. Initially taken aback, Ling Xuan never expected Ji Zichen to show up in her tent again. Realizing this was no illusion, she couldn't help but smile. "Are you reluctant to leave this tent or are you reluctant to leave me?"
Ji Zichen wasn't there for casual conversation; she got straight to the point without urgency in her tone. With a gentle and kind demeanor, she reminded Ling Xuan, "Do you know that Elder wants to harm you?"
Ling Xuan slowly brushed aside her bangs and smiled lightly. "Elder wants to harm me? Or is it you who wants to harm me?"
Ji Zichen knew that Ling Xuan wouldn't simply believe her based on one statement; her reaction was normal since there was no relationship between them.
Whether Ling Xuan believed it or not was her own business. Ji Zichen was only there to convey what needed to be said. Looking at Ling Xuan, she insisted, "What I'm saying is true; I heard it with my own ears—how could it be false?"
Ling Xuan looked at Ji Zichen's determined expression, feeling a slight stir in her heart. However, Ling Xuan remained impassive and said with a strange smile, "Even if Elder wants to harm me, why would you tell me? Our friendship doesn't seem that strong."
Ji Zichen stared at Ling Xuan, falling silent for a moment.
"What? Can't even come up with an excuse before lying?" Although Ling Xuan was mocking Ji Zichen, she wore a smile.
Ji Zichen truly felt helpless. With a bitter smile, she said, "I've really done something thankless."
She continued, "You may not believe me, but there are some things I need to say. Elder and those two people—I don't know who they are. I only know one has a blue lightning-patterned belt around his waist, and the other is dressed in a blue long robe."
After finishing her words, Ji Zichen did not turn away but kept her gaze fixed on Ling Xuan's expression. Upon hearing Ji Zichen's description, Ling Xuan immediately felt a sense of alertness rise within her. She knew who Ji Zichen was referring to. After a long pause, Ling Xuan gritted her teeth and asked, "Are your people Mo Cang and Jiang Chun?"
Seeing Ling Xuan take the initiative to inquire, Ji Zichen realized that even if she wasn't fully convinced, she would likely have some wariness. This was the effect Ji Zichen wanted to achieve. She replied, "I don't know them well; all I know is that they will make your death look like an accident."
Ling Xuan indeed felt ripples in her heart, but she couldn't fathom why they would do such a thing. She said, "They have no reason to kill me."
Ji Zichen responded, "I also have no reason to deceive you."
Ling Xuan stared intently at Ji Zichen and said, "Who says you have no reason to deceive me? You want us to distrust each other so you can reclaim the Six Yao Lantern Formation!"
A hint of disappointment crossed Ji Zichen's face as she replied, "How you think is your business; I won't do anything to incite discord."
Ling Xuan let out a cold laugh. "What you're doing now isn't inciting discord? I've really misjudged you. I thought you were an upright person. Do you think that by saying a few random things I would believe you? You think too highly of yourself."
Ji Zichen also scoffed coldly. "Then just consider that I never came."
Ling Xuan let out a cold snort. "You keep coming before me, yet you think you can easily leave under my nose?"
Ji Zichen smiled. "You won't catch me."
Seeing that Ji Zichen was not intimidated, Ling Xuan smiled back. "Why are you so confident that I won't catch you?"
Ji Zichen replied, "If you wanted to catch me, you wouldn't waste time talking to me."
Ling Xuan's eyes sparkled as she looked at Ji Zichen and smiled charmingly. "You might really be my nemesis."
Ji Zichen's expression turned serious. "Whether you believe it or not, I hope you can pay attention to some things."
At this moment, Ling Xuan's smile faded, and she fixed her gaze on Ji Zichen. "Why do you care about my well-being?" No one had ever cared about Ling Xuan's safety before; Ji Zichen was the first. Ling Xuan felt a slight warmth in her heart, secretly pleased, but this feeling was entirely new to her.
Ji Zichen met Ling Xuan's gaze and gently said, "I don't even know why I'm telling you this."
For some reason, as Ling Xuan held Ji Zichen's gaze, she felt a rush of heat on her face. She blushed and said, "You don't know why you're here? You don't seem like someone who acts on impulse."
Although it wasn't the first time Ji Zichen had seen Ling Xuan, it was the first time she looked at her seriously. Ling Xuan's brows lightly quivered, and her delicate face seemed to take on a rosy hue, with a hint of shyness in her eyes.
Ji Zichen quickly averted her gaze, feeling embarrassed. She turned away and said, "I've said what I needed to say; whether you believe it is up to you."
With that, Ji Zichen stretched her body and slipped out through the side window.
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