Chapter 58

Chapter 58: Title

The next night, Qiu Huayi returned to the sect, and Ye Qingshang’s long-held worry finally eased. But she accidentally saw a flash of sadness on Qiu Huayi’s face, not knowing what caused it.

Ye Qingshang knew she hadn’t misjudged, so she stopped and asked, “Huayi, did something happen on your trip down the mountain?”

A trace of panic crossed Qiu Huayi’s face. She forced her usual smile and said, “It’s nothing. I overreacted; my family is fine, so don’t worry, Qingshang.”

Ye Qingshang replied, “But you don’t look well…”

“Oh…” Qiu Huayi looked up at her, her gaze bright as ever, the tiredness gone. She added, “Maybe flying my sword wore me out these past days. I’ll rest tonight and be fine tomorrow.”

Since Qiu Huayi’s tone was firm, Ye Qingshang couldn’t press further and said, “Then rest well tonight. I’ll go now.”

“Alright,” Qiu Huayi acknowledged.

Back in her room, Ye Qingshang had many doubts she couldn’t share, so she turned her thoughts to Mu Huaiyun.

He frowned in confusion. “Down the mountain?”

Ye Qingshang nodded and explained her worries, saying, “In my past life, my death was tied to Huayi. If she hadn’t drugged my drink, I wouldn’t have been helpless. But after all this, I believe Huayi didn’t act on her own will; there might be more to it.”

“Since I joined the sect, we’ve been close. I trust her and never doubted her. But maybe because of that, others see Huayi as a way to get to me.”

Mu Huaiyun asked, “Do you think someone is using her?”

“Possibly. And her sudden trip feels off…” Like fate was pulling strings, with someone scheming behind the scenes, trapping her just like in my past life…

Mu Huaiyun held her gently and said, “Alright, we’ll go your way. We’ll leave early tomorrow.”

To get answers faster, Ye Qingshang and Mu Huaiyun used extra spiritual power flying, reaching Ningchuan as dusk fell.

The restaurant was about to close when the two guests walked in under dim light. The waiter smiled and said, “Sorry, but our shop is closing. Try somewhere else.”

This place belonged to the Qiu family, so Ye Qingshang and Mu Huaiyun went there first.

Ye Qingshang asked, “Isn’t it too early to close now?” She’d seen other restaurants busy; closing early seemed wasteful.

The waiter explained, “You see, our manager’s been away lately. It’s inconvenient, so we don’t dare stay open long. We close at dusk.”

Ye Qingshang caught the key point and asked, “The manager’s gone? Why?”

“Well… he went on a trip. We don’t know details. If that’s all, I need to lock up.”

The waiter was shooing them out, so Ye Qingshang showed her token and lied, “Wait. I’m Huayi’s senior sister. I’m here to get something for her.”

Seeing the token, the waiter’s eyes narrowed, and he said respectfully, “Ah, the Immortal Lord. Where is Miss Huayi’s item? I’ll take you.”

“Thanks,” Ye Qingshang said, following the waiter. She glanced back at Mu Huaiyun, who nodded and vanished with a spell.

The waiter led Ye Qingshang eagerly to the kitchen, muttering: What could Miss Huayi want from the kitchen?

As he wondered, he couldn’t help asking.

Ye Qingshang said very seriously, “Huayi mentioned that a few days ago, she returned to Ningchuan and accidentally left a treasure from the immortal sect here. She had been busy lately, so she asked me to come and retrieve it for her.”

Upon hearing this, the waiter looked puzzled and replied, “Miss hasn’t visited the restaurant in a long time. When was this? I remember the last time she came was six months ago.”

“Really?” Ye Qingshang calmly lied, “Maybe you remembered it wrong? Huayi told me the same thing. This treasure was very important to us, and we couldn’t overlook any clues. It would be better for me to look for it here. If I didn’t find it, we could consider other plans. What do you think?”

Seeing Ye Qingshang’s fine manners and elegant speech, the waiter didn’t question her further and simply said, “Immortal Lord, please.”

Ye Qingshang nodded and pretended to cast spells while searching. In reality, there was nothing unusual there, nor any treasure; besides her and the waiter, she sensed no other presence.

After closing her eyes for a moment, she opened them when a familiar voice echoed in her mind.

The waiter had seen Ye Qingshang casting spells and stayed away to avoid trouble. Now, he came forward cautiously and asked, “What was the result? Did you find the treasure, Immortal Lord?”

Ye Qingshang sighed with feigned disappointment, “No, I didn’t.” After a pause, she added, “This restaurant has no treasure. Huayi may have left it at the Qiu family.”

The waiter said as if it was obvious, “I kept saying Miss hadn’t visited in a long time. Most likely, she made a mistake. But I don’t go to the manor often, and it’s late now…”

In truth, he needed to finish his chores at the restaurant and couldn’t spare time to accompany Ye Qingshang to the Qiu family, so he suggested a practical solution, “How about this? I’ll show you a shortcut to the manor. You can go by yourself. How does that sound?”

Ye Qingshang had been wondering how to get rid of the waiter. Since he suggested it, she was glad to agree, saying, “Thank you.”

After returning from the kitchen, Ye Qingshang found Mu Huaiyun waiting at the restaurant entrance. She said goodbye to the waiter and led Mu Huaiyun to a quiet spot.

Ye Qingshang asked, “What did you find?”

Mu Huaiyun shook his head and replied, “I searched the whole restaurant, and there was nothing unusual.”

“Then the problem is at the Qiu family,” Ye Qingshang remembered what the waiter had said about Qiu Huayi’s parents going on a trip.

Although the waiter’s words might not be exact, she had seen that restaurants in Ningchuan were busy, much better than others she’d seen. It was strange that they weren’t at the restaurant during such a busy time, no matter the reason.

A thought suddenly occurred to her, and she looked toward the southeast.

At the end of that direction was the Qiu family.