No. 008 Scapegoat

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Chapter 8

Sending Qiu Jinling to the Heavenly Sun Sect had been Madam Qiu's idea. She had made the decision while sending people to investigate the Lan Family, Lan Yezhou, and the Heavenly Martial Sect.

Qiu Jinling could not understand it at all.

Everything had been fine before. How had it all changed overnight?

And it had all changed after Wen Que arrived. Qiu Jinling was certain she had done or said something.

[I have to admit, that logic gets full marks. But why do I want to beat him up?]

[Forget it. I'll leave this to Madam Qiu!]

Wen Que gave up so quickly that Luo Mingxi, who had been hoping for a good show, was disappointed. Still, she also wanted this oblivious young Qiu brother gone as soon as possible. Then she could find a way to hear what Wen Que had been about to say about her.

She had a feeling it was important.

Wen Que's inner voice spouted plenty of nonsense every day, and picking useful information out of it was no easy task. Wen Jiujiu only rushed to the front row when there was gossip or drama to watch. That was when her inner voice was loudest and clearest.

Deafening, in fact.

So Luo Mingxi offered a rare word of advice. "Young Qiu, there's no point asking Wen Jiujiu about this. It's your family's business, after all. You can't pin it on her, can you? Besides, I don't think she has enough influence to sway your parents' decision."

Qiu Jinling muttered, "You haven't seen how highly my parents think of her. It feels like she's their real child and I'm the one they picked up somewhere."

Wen Que: Pfft.

Luo Mingxi: "..." If the boy insisted on believing that, there was nothing she could do!

But the way Qiu Jinling drooped and cowered in front of Luo Mingxi surprised Wen Que.

[He's never this well-behaved in front of his parents. Even when his father comes at him with a whip, he sticks his neck out and argues. Why does he back down in front of Little Junior Sister? Has her presence really grown that powerful?]

Luo Mingxi: Well, I'll take that as a compliment.

[Aaaaah, Little Junior Sister has exactly the commanding presence I want. What a shame. Tsk...]

Luo Mingxi: I hate how you stop halfway through a sentence! Can't you even finish complaining in your own head?

Luo Mingxi folded her arms and, with the help of that commanding presence, talked Qiu Jinling into leaving in a few words. She sent him to argue with the right people—his parents. Whether he got beaten and locked up afterward was none of her business.

Once Qiu Jinling was gone, Luo Mingxi quickly steered the conversation elsewhere. "Wen Jiujiu, are you staying here for Second Senior Sister's wedding?"

If she remembered correctly, given how much Qiu Jinyou valued Lan Yezhou and how eager the Lan Family had been, most of the wedding preparations were already done. Several auspicious dates were coming up, so the ceremony would be soon.

"That was my original plan, but..."

[But whether there'll even be a wedding to attend is another question! No, it isn't a question. This wedding absolutely cannot happen! That scumbag and his Heartless Sword—he wants to sacrifice Second Senior Sister to his sword, Slay-Wife Dao-Proving? Not a chance!]

Luo Mingxi: Wait. What did I just hear?

She had only wanted to find a topic of conversation, then slowly guide Wen Que's wandering thoughts toward the story concerning herself. Instead, this enormous piece of gossip had dropped on her and nearly knocked her senseless.

Good heavens. Poor Second Senior Sister—how much had she suffered these past few days under the torment of Wen Jiujiu's inner voice?

Scumbag? Heartless Sword? A sacrifice to the sword? Slay-Wife Dao-Proving!?

Put those together, and they made a story even a novelist would not dare write.

What kind of cursed Heartless Sword technique required Lan Yezhou to Slay-Wife Dao-Proving and sacrifice her to the sword? Where had such a heretical cultivator come from? If a technique like that appeared in the Heavenly Sun Sect, it would be burned to ashes, and anyone who dared cultivate it would be torn limb from limb.

Where had Lan Yezhou found the nerve to make a move against Qiu Jinyou?

"But something seems to have gone wrong on Second Senior Sister's end. I think she's even cried these past few days, and Madam Qiu seems to be investigating something. I have a feeling this wedding might hit a snag."

"I see..." Luo Mingxi grew thoughtful.

In that case, this was hardly the time to coax Wen Que into coming with her.

For now, Qiu Jinyou's situation was more important. Having Wen Que here meant putting up with a lot of noise—Wen Jiujiu had now developed the ability to be noisy without opening her mouth—but the information she provided at crucial moments could help Qiu Jinyou. At the very least, it could keep her from being fooled by appearances when she made her decision.

Wen Jiujiu was noisy, no question. But the complaints in her heart often struck right at the heart of a problem, helping others see what they had missed while caught up in it. It was enough to make Luo Mingxi laugh and sigh at once.

"I was thinking that, since we've come down the mountain and you've gone home with Second Senior Sister, perhaps I should take you to my home for a visit too."

But it seemed that trip would have to wait.

Luo Mingxi's regret was genuine.

So was the surprise in Wen Que's inner voice.

[That's not right! It sounds like Little Junior Sister wants to stay for the wedding. Leaving aside whether the wedding can even happen, shouldn't she be going home about now?]

Luo Mingxi's heart gave a leap. Here it comes!

[I understand that Little Junior Sister's taken a huge blow this time. It's impressive she hasn't shut herself away, and getting out to clear her head would be even better. But if she doesn't go back, how is the story at her home supposed to unfold? That's a whole big drama. Won't it be strange without her?]

Luo Mingxi: So could you just tell me what happens already?

Before she realized it, her frustration had shown on her face. Her expression looked rather twisted.

"Little Junior Sister, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Were you hurt?"

Watching Luo Mingxi's expression change, Wen Que's first thought was that she had been injured. Her second was: "Is it a stomachache? Did you eat something bad? Did Little Junior Brother get you to test another pill? You know he's always getting sudden ideas and refining strange pills. You can't just eat them. One of these days, you might see little mushrooms dancing..."

As Wen Que's muttering overlapped with her inner voice, Luo Mingxi grimaced as though she had a toothache. "I'm fine. I'm not hurt, and I haven't taken the wrong pill."

[Huh. With that face, Little Junior Sister looks even more like she ate something bad. She'd never admit it, with how much she cares about her image. Should I just take her to the privy?]

Luo Mingxi could not hold back. Through clenched teeth, she said, "I don't have a stomachache either, and I don't need the privy!"

After reaching Foundation Establishment, cultivators could abstain from food, leaving the cycle of eating and excretion behind and absorbing only the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They could also eat spiritual food with relatively few impurities, but ordinary spiritual food contained little spiritual energy, and removing its impurities took extra time. Swallowing a few Grain-Avoidance Pills was far more convenient. The time saved could be spent cultivating.

On the path of cultivation, countless cultivators drove themselves to the brink. They wished each day had twenty-four double-hours.