As Bai Ci's seemingly natural words fell, a brief silence filled the air.
Ming Yi's red-clothed phantom floating by the window stiffened slightly, falling into a thoughtful silence.
He did not respond or move, merely gazing quietly at his lively, warm half before him, who had just acquired a human form.
While Ming Yi remained silent, Bai Ci's face appeared calm, though her heart was not nearly as placid as her expression.
When she woke up this morning, she had subconsciously washed up and tidied herself out of human habit.
Halfway through, she suddenly realized she didn't need any of this.
She was merely a slightly solidified soul, not a real human. A soul body was free of impurities; it required no cleansing or grooming. What was the point of her getting up to wash?
But since she had already started, it would be awkward to stop halfway, so she could only brace herself and carry on. In the end, she had asked with a smile if she looked like a real, ordinary human.
In essence, those words were merely a way to make up for her irrational actions, finding a logical cover for her behavior.
As for her subsequent statement about “reuniting to become whole together,” it was simply Bai Ci responding in accordance with her character persona.
How would she leave this instance once it ended? Even she didn't know.
Ming Ci was a derivative split soul, existing only by depending on Ming Yi.
Once the instance concluded, would she sink into silence, dissipate entirely, or shrink back into the depths of his divine soul to become a wisp of unconscious benevolent intent once more?
If the split soul that had gained consciousness fell silent once more, knowing Ming Yi's character, he would definitely wait.
He would wait quietly, stubbornly, and silently.
Waiting for a response that, in all likelihood, would never come again.
At this thought, a wave of melancholy and bitterness welled up in Bai Ci's heart.
Those who betrayed another's sincere heart deserved to be hacked into a thousand pieces.
She deserved it too.
She had deserved it long ago.
However, she could not let even a fraction of these emotions show, let alone let Ming Yi find out.
Bai Ci suppressed all the fragmented emotions churning in her heart, looked up at him with feigned confusion, and took the initiative to break the silence, asking softly,
“Why did you suddenly stop speaking? Did I say something wrong?”
By speaking first, she seized control of the conversation. Even if he wanted to ask something, he wouldn't find an immediate opportunity to do so.
Ming Yi snapped back from his thoughts at her voice. He looked down at her, all the gloom in his eyes completely receding, leaving only gentleness.
“No.”
He shook his head slightly, his tone earnest.
“You spoke very well.”
A new day arrived. As the sun rose above the horizon, the sounds of people moving about and the aroma of cooking from the kitchen thoroughly awakened this ancient manor on Fog Mountain.
Compared to the previous day, everyone's goals today were clearer than ever before.
To put it simply, they were going to take the Zhao family's genealogy book and comb through the vast sea of historical records to find traces of the Li family's existence.
The group gathered early, ate a hearty breakfast, and prepared to set off.
Equipped with the complete genealogy book and various ancient manuscript copies obtained from the Zhao family, they got ready to head to the city library once more to dig deep into the source of the century-old feud between the two families.
Before the players set off for the library, Ming Yi pulled Bai Ci aside to explain his whereabouts, stating that he would be gone for perhaps half a day or a full day.
“I am going to visit an old friend.”
As for how long it would take, that depended on where this old friend had hidden himself.
Whether it was an easily accessible place, or if he would have to spend some effort unraveling the messy illusions the man had set up just to see him.
“The soul-stitched shadow we saw last night, along with the artificially altered traces of soul aura, utilized methods that are far too obscure and bizarre.”
“This old friend of mine understands the world's karma and excels at divining past secrets. He might be able to spot some clues and trace the origin of this evil technique.”
Bai Ci nodded. From Ming Yi's tone, she knew he had no intention of bringing her along.
She didn't plan on pressing him for details.
Ming Yi was not the type of person to act recklessly; he surely had his reasons for doing this.
Although Bai Ci didn't ask, Ming Yi was someone who communicated openly and would volunteer information.
“I won't be bringing you with me this time, but this doesn't mean I am abandoning you.”
“First, that old friend has a wicked temperament and loves testing people. There are too many variables along the way, making it inconvenient to bring you, and I do not want you to face any danger.”
“Second, I need you to stay here and protect our tribute-giver.”
“Though you have not mastered any spells or divine abilities, you are my benevolent soul and my most stable anchor.”
“If any mishap occurs on your end, I will sense it and can use your aura to pinpoint your location and rush back immediately.”
“Only with you remaining here can I leave with peace of mind.”
This was the most solid backup plan, one that no one else could replace.
“Mhm, go ahead with peace of mind. Leave this place to me,” Bai Ci replied softly.
Ming Yi took a deep look at her, and his red-clothed phantom vanished in an instant. Given his speed, it would take no more than a few blinks of an eye for him to leave the bounds of Fog Mountain.
The group set off as scheduled, heading once more to the ancient books section of the library.
No one else noticed Ming Yi's departure, except for Ou Li, who possessed Yin-Yang Eyes.
But the only one who knew was far too thick-headed to realize that Ming Yi had actually departed.
In due time, the group arrived at the library.
Inside the massive reading room, the only sound was the rustling of turning pages, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
The players divided the work clearly, with each person responsible for a specific time period. Each carrying out their duties, they quickly spread out to compare and gather all the materials, beginning their first round of tracing and verification.
The first to capture an anomalous clue was Zheng Gang, whose skill cooldown had ended, restoring his ability to deduce clues.
His gaze quickly swept across the words of an ancient book. When it brushed past a certain spot, the chain of clues lit up.
Zheng Gang's eyes instantly brightened, but as he examined the content more closely, his expression inevitably turned to one of disbelief and shock.
“This isn't right... The dates don't match.”
Zheng Gang muttered under his breath, his brow furrowed as he repeatedly compared the historical timeline of the ancient book with the records in the Zhao family's genealogy book, verifying it over and over.
The more he verified, the more absurd the conclusion seemed.
Originally, Ou Li had been slacking off and reading, feeling drowsy as her head nodded up and down.
Hearing his unusual remark, she instantly perked up, rubbing her eyes as she asked, “What doesn't match? What did you find? Is it a major clue?”
Zheng Gang pushed up his glasses. “Yes, a massive discovery.”
“We always assumed that the feud between the Zhao and Li families originated from that corruption case of relief grain in the Ji Dynasty that shook the imperial court.”
“In truth, that isn't the case at all. I was too quick to jump to conclusions.”
“Take this passage I just read, for example. It was the Li family who took the initiative to report the Zhao family for embezzling public property and colluding with local bandits, which ultimately led to the entire Zhao clan being sentenced to execution.”
Rate on N.U.
