Chapter 5

Chapter 5 Shanyulai Inn (III): Suspecting Me? By the time Qiao Ying reached Cen Yunyu, the first floor had already descended into chaos. “I heard someone died just now.” She lowered her voice, her eyes fixed intently on his expression. “What happened?” Cen Yunyu stood holding an umbrella, his red robes startlingly still amid the panicked crowd. He turned his head toward her and answered casually, “A cook surnamed Zhang died in the back kitchen. I heard that by the time he was found, he had already become a dried corpse.” “You know that much?” Qiao Ying first glanced toward the source of the commotion, then turned her gaze back to him, her eyes burning with meaning. “Young Master Cen certainly has excellent sources.” She did not say it outright, but her eyes were practically spelling out the question: Lord Evil Spirit, was this your doing? Cen Yunyu met her gaze, one brow lifting slightly. “A Ying, are you suspecting me?” Qiao Ying herself was not sure. This was a side plot the original novel had never clearly described, so she knew nothing about it. But Cen Yunyu was the number-one villain in the entire story. Wasn’t it perfectly normal to suspect him first whenever something bad happened? Though she thought that way, a smile blossomed across her face. “Of course not. I’m just a little scared.” She reached out and gripped his sleeve, her fingertips trembling faintly as she put on a thoroughly frightened expression. “Young Master Cen will protect me, right? How about… we take advantage of the chaos and leave first?” Whether the killer was Cen Yunyu or not was actually unimportant to Qiao Ying. What mattered was that if it really was him, then as a grasshopper tied to the same rope, she would inevitably be implicated. And if it was not him, remaining here might still drag her into trouble. The best course of action was to get far away as quickly as possible. Heartless? Selfish? She had always been this kind of self-serving nocturnal creature. She was no innocent little ray of sunshine. What did fairness and justice matter when compared to her own life? She merely relied on this harmless-looking exterior to make people misjudge her. Cen Yunyu lowered his eyes to look at her. The young woman’s fear was far from convincing. Her lashes trembled with deliberate exaggeration, while the hand clutching his sleeve remained perfectly steady. He had assumed that if she grew suspicious of him, she might question him righteously or secretly plot to expose him. He had never expected her first reaction to be to drag him away and escape. A trace of surprise flashed through Cen Yunyu’s eyes before transforming into an even deeper smile. Looking at that bright, expectant face, he felt that this little “bird” was becoming more and more interesting. He was just about to speak when a clear female voice suddenly overpowered the clamor filling the inn. “Everyone, be quiet!” Everyone turned toward the voice. Standing on a long bench beside the counter was a young woman in blue-and-white martial attire. Her hair was bound in a man’s style, and a small wooden chest hung diagonally across her back. Her features were delicate and lovely, but her brows held a stern, heroic air. At that moment, she swept her eyes over the entire room from her elevated position, her voice ringing out clearly: “I am Lu Ningxiang, a cultivator from Shennong Valley. I have just examined the scene. This case appears to involve demonic forces. My companions and I have already set up a sealing formation outside the inn. The demon cannot escape, and none of you may leave until the true culprit has been apprehended.” When the word “cultivator” fell, the uproar throughout the inn briefly subsided. To ordinary mortals, cultivators were equivalent to immortals. Someone immediately began pleading in a trembling voice. “Immortal Master, please, protect us!” “That’s right, Immortal Master. This is already the seventh one this month.” The innkeeper wept bitterly as he fell to his knees. “This humble inn truly can’t withstand any more trouble… Please uphold justice and make certain the true culprit is caught.” Lu Ningxiang raised a hand and gestured for him to rise. “Please get up, old sir. Since I am here, I will naturally do my utmost.” However, not everyone was willing to accept her authority. A sardonic voice suddenly rang out from the corner. “Shennong Valley? Isn’t that merely a medical cultivation sect? Since when did it start handling demon hunts and criminal investigations?” The speaker was a tall, thin man dressed in black, a sword in his arms. Beside him stood a short, stout companion holding a pair of hammers. He joined in with a mocking laugh. “Exactly. Since demons are responsible, what right do you have to lock all of us in here? We have important business to attend to.” Lu Ningxiang swept them a cold glance. “Are the two of you cultivators as well?” The two men puffed out their chests. “Disciples of Night Owl Tower!” “Night Owl Tower…” Lu Ningxiang gave a light scoff. “Never heard of it. Some tiny sect, I assume.” “You—” The tall man’s expression changed furiously. “So what if it’s a small sect? We’re still better than a medical cultivator who only knows how to stick needles in people. How about a contest? Don’t worry, the two of us are experts at cherishing delicate women…” The two men exchanged glances. Their lecherous laughter had barely faded when— Clang. A note from a qin shot through the air. Its tone was clear and pure as a mountain spring, yet upon entering the ears, it transformed into sharp needles that stabbed straight into the brain. The two Night Owl Tower disciples abruptly clutched their heads and howled in agony. Their weapons clattered to the floor as they curled up and rolled about, their faces twisted in pain. The qin music continued, accompanied by a clear male voice. “If you wish to leave the inn, you will first have to get past me.” Everyone looked over. At some point, a young man in silver robes and a jade crown had taken a seat beside the inn’s entrance. A zither rested on his knees. His ten fingers brushed the strings, his bearing as elegant as an exiled immortal. To everyone else, the music sounded like heavenly melodies drifting through the air. To those two men, it was no different from torture. “Sword cultivator and body cultivator, a medical cultivator from Shennong Valley, and a sound cultivator from Tianyin Pavilion.” The words came in a low murmur from beside her. Qiao Ying turned around in astonishment and looked at Cen Yunyu. He had not yet entered the cultivation world, so how did he know so much? Cen Yunyu met her gaze, the corners of his lips curving upward. “Don’t you find it interesting, A Ying? This little mortal inn has unexpectedly gathered all kinds of cultivators.” Qiao Ying gave a dry laugh. “Ha… hahaha, it is pretty interesting.” And there was also a World-Destroying Evil Spirit. What did these cultivators amount to compared with him? The moment she finished speaking, a blue figure suddenly swept past her eyes. The figure moved as swiftly as a ghost. In the blink of an eye, it had seized two men who were trying to climb out the window by the backs of their necks and flung them back onto the floor like chickens. Only after the figure came to a stop did everyone see that it was a Little Monk who looked about seven or eight years old. The Little Monk had delicate, doll-like features, while his monastic robes were covered in patches. A vermilion-red gourd hung from his waist. With one hand, he lifted two burly men several times his size, tossed them aside without changing expression, and pressed his palms together in salute. “Amitabha. Until the true culprit is caught, it would be best for all of you to behave yourselves, benefactors.” Qiao Ying looked left at the medical cultivator girl standing on the bench, holding silver needles and sneering coldly. Then she looked right at the sound cultivator gentleman, who played his qin with elegance but struck with merciless force. Finally, she glanced at the Little Monk with his terrifying martial prowess. She felt her entire worldview collapsing. What kind of strange combination was this? They looked rather formidable, but why couldn’t she remember them appearing in the original novel? As she pondered, someone suddenly took her wrist and gave it a gentle squeeze. When she turned her head, she saw Cen Yunyu’s warm, smiling eyes. “Don’t be afraid, A Ying. Those cultivators are presumably only here to capture the culprit. They won’t harm the innocent.” The corner of Qiao Ying’s eye twitched. With a walking time bomb like you beside me, what kind of innocent am I supposed to be? She wailed inwardly: Stop acting, Lord Evil Spirit! Hurry up and think of a way to escape this inescapable net! The inn’s main entrance had already been sealed off by the sound cultivator. Faint traces of a formation, its golden light flowing like water, could be seen outside the windows. The medical cultivator girl leaped down from the bench and began methodically arranging for everyone to return to their rooms while recording their names and backgrounds one by one. Qiao Ying watched the encircling net tighten step by step, then glanced at Cen Yunyu beside her, whose smile had not changed in the slightest. This time, they really were trapped with no way out. Once the door closed, cutting off the noise outside, Qiao Ying immediately released Cen Yunyu’s sleeve and began pacing back and forth across the cramped room. Her soles tapped against the wooden floor in quick, tiny bursts, like those of an anxious little beast. Cen Yunyu, however, simply walked over to the table and sat down. He picked up the teapot and poured himself half a cup of cold tea. After taking an unhurried sip, he looked up at her. “Why are you so flustered, A Ying?” Qiao Ying’s footsteps halted. She turned to stare at him speechlessly. How could she not panic? Although she did not know exactly where those cultivators came from, judging by their bearing and methods, they were clearly from a prestigious orthodox sect. And the person beside her was the future World-Destroying Evil Spirit. She herself could now be considered half an “accomplice.” When a villainous duo ran into the forces of justice, shouldn’t she be worried about getting apprehended on the spot? She had not realized that she had unconsciously placed herself in the “villain camp”—and accepted it as entirely natural. “No.” Qiao Ying suddenly turned toward the window, her eyes lighting up. “We should jump out the window before they come looking for us.” Before she had even finished speaking, she had already placed both hands on the window lattice and shoved hard— Bang! A powerful force rebounded from outside the window. Golden light flashed like a net, sending her flying backward. In the split second between lightning and flint, Cen Yunyu set down his teacup, rose, and reached out. Before she could hit the ground, he caught her securely in his arms. Qiao Ying crashed into a chill, austere presence and blinked dazedly. “There’s a formation around the inn.” Cen Yunyu helped her stand, sounding somewhat helpless. “You can’t get out.” Of course, that only meant she could not get out. Cen Yunyu had no intention of telling her that leaving would actually be effortless for him. Qiao Ying looked at the wooden window, which had not budged in the slightest, then lowered her head to examine her tingling palm. Her face fell. “What do we do, then? What if they discover something…” “Discover what?” Cen Yunyu raised a brow, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “The culprit isn’t either of us. What are you afraid of, A Ying?” Qiao Ying raised her face, opened her round, honey-colored eyes, and blinked at him. Her gaze was clearly asking: It really wasn’t you? Cen Yunyu laughed despite himself. “You really do suspect me, A Ying.” He bent down and leaned closer, his dark eyes staring straight into hers. “Aren’t you my future wife? How could you suspect me like this? Could it be that in the future, I become an utterly irredeemable villain?” Sorry, but you guessed right. Not only were you utterly irredeemable, you nearly accomplished the feat of destroying the world. Naturally, Qiao Ying would never say that aloud. What if it triggered some strange mechanism and caused him to enter World-Destroying mode ahead of schedule? At that thought, Qiao Ying’s heart tightened. She hurriedly shook her head. “How could that be? I was just… just…” She could not come up with anything. Cen Yunyu quietly watched her. Those beautiful eyes of his seemed capable of piercing through her outer shell and looking directly into her heart. “Just what?” Qiao Ying opened and closed her mouth. Just then— Knock, knock-knock. Someone knocked on the door.