Chapter 15: The Worry-Forgetting Wine-Seller Reveals Her True Form

Lingxiang sat motionless in the grand armchair. Ever since returning from the study, she had maintained this posture. Lu Ying, having come from outside and seeing her like this, was just about to ask for the reason, when unexpectedly, she suddenly stood up, walked to Long Qi's side, and stared at him unceasingly, her hand stroking her chin as she nodded or shook her head from time to time.

Long Qi felt his skin crawl under her gaze and defended himself with a guilty conscience: "It... it's just that I was mesmerized by Lady Zhuang, what of it? She is born with peerless beauty, unlike some people who are like tigresses..."

This time, Lingxiang changed her usual ways and did not hit him, instead lost in thought.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ying was slightly surprised. Could this Lady Zhuang truly be as stunning as the rumors claimed?

Just as Lingxiang was deep in thought, a yamen runner came from outside, stating that someone had come to report a case and the Assistant Prefect requested their presence.

Although it was said that someone was reporting a case, the runner did not take them to the courtroom, but to the office in the back courtyard of the yamen.

As soon as they entered the room, they saw the old Assistant Prefect sitting behind the official desk with his brows deeply furrowed, and the person reporting the case was none other than the stranger who had been drinking at the same table as Long Qi that day!

This man called himself Wei Chang, a tutor hired by the household of the wealthy Mr. Gao in the West City.

Seeing him, Long Qi hurried forward to ask what had happened.

It turned out that he had originally arranged to drink with Lu Zheng the day before yesterday, but he had not seen him even until the tavern closed. Lu was a man of the pugilistic world who valued his word above all else; even if he could not keep an appointment, he would have notified him in advance. Thus, the next day, he went to the escort agency where Lu Zheng worked to inquire, only to be told that no such person existed there.

Yet, he had indeed visited Lu Zheng there before and had even entrusted him with a family letter to be delivered along with an escort mission.

The more Wei Chang thought about it, the more he felt the matter was exceptionally suspicious. Could Brother Lu have met with foul play? Thinking of this, he hurriedly asked for leave from his employer and ran to the yamen to report the case.

Hearing him finish, Long Qi wore a look of sorrow and hurriedly turned his head to the side to hide it.

Brother Lu had been harmed by someone, and the two of them, Lu and Wei, were very close friends. How could he tell Brother Wei this!

At this moment, Lingxiang pulled Long Qi away, performed a salute to Wei Chang, and said: "Mr. Wei, the three of us are disciples of the Taishang Sect." As she spoke, she gave Lu Ying a wink. Lu Ying immediately understood, took out his Waist Token, and handed it to Wei Chang.

"The matter regarding Brother Lu this time does indeed have a reason. Entrusted by the three of us, he is urgently delivering an item to Guyang. It is just that this escort mission is exceptionally valuable and involves the government, so to avoid complications, we requested the escort agency to say it that way. We never imagined it would cause you to misunderstand, sir."

Hearing her say this, the old Assistant Prefect knew she had a plan in mind, so he followed along and agreed.

"Is this true?" Wei Chang was half-believing and half-doubting, flipping over Lu Ying's Waist Token to verify its authenticity.

"It is certainly true. If you do not believe it, sir, just wait two days for Brother Lu to return from his escort mission, and you will know upon asking."

Long Qi did not expect that this tigress could spout lies so easily, but he did not show it on his face and hurriedly nodded in agreement.

"In that case, it was Wei who was being abrupt. I wonder if my presence here might hinder official business? I was brought here by the yamen runner just now and thought some major disaster had befallen Brother Lu, so I was feeling quite anxious." Wei Chang bowed to apologize and returned the Waist Token to Lu Ying.

Lu Ying took the Waist Token and said: "Mr. Wei and Escort Lu have a friendship as deep as high mountains and flowing water; having such concerns is only natural, and it does not hinder anything."

"Exactly, the goods have been sent, and Brother Lu will be back in a few days. Brother Wei, please set your heart at ease. When the time comes, the three of us will go and have a good drink." Fearing that Wei Chang would not believe him, Long Qi hurried forward, grasped his hand, and promised.

After seeing Wei Chang off, Long Qi hurried back to the back courtyard and complained to Lingxiang: "The excuse you used to fob off Brother Wei might work for a moment, but Brother Lu's condition is not something that can be fixed in a short time."

Lingxiang ignored him, bowed to Assistant Prefect Zhao, and said: "I wonder if you could allow me to examine the case files?"

"Has Miss Lingxiang discovered something?"

"I have some thoughts, but I cannot be certain yet; I still need to verify them."

Hearing this, the old Assistant Prefect hurriedly ordered someone to bring the relevant files of the case for her to review.

It was another full moon night. Just past the third watch, Long Qi, who had long since fallen asleep, sat up abruptly. With half-closed eyes and a strange expression, he put on his boots and went out.

He was seen with his arms hanging down, walking with a steady gait, as if sleepwalking.

The street was empty, making the sound of his boots particularly clear.

"Thump... thump... thump..."

He walked slowly and leisurely, and before long, he arrived at the back door of Mr. Zhuang's study, where two people were already standing outside the door.

After he stood still with the two of them for about a quarter of an hour, the study door opened with a "creak." There was no one inside, and after the three of them entered, the door closed by itself.

"Hehehehe... come quickly~"

Someone kept calling out to Long Qi, the voice exceptionally bewitching.

"Come quickly~ over here~"

That person seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with Long Qi; no matter how he searched, he could not find a trace.

Who exactly is it...

"Forget your worries, come and have fun~"

This voice was soft and seductive to the bone, making Long Qi feel that everything else was unimportant; in his heart, he only wanted to find the person calling him.

In the chaos, his eyes suddenly brightened. He did not know when he had arrived at a small courtyard. On the wooden veranda in the courtyard, a beauty lay half-reclined, her eyes flowing with charm, her fragrant arms like lotus roots, her jade fingers like scallions. She was so alluring that it made him unable to help but feel feverish and restless.

She sighed softly, seemingly sorrowful, yet also seemingly helpless. She raised a delicate hand and beckoned to Long Qi.

Looking at such a beauty, Long Qi did not doubt her and walked straight over.

When he reached her, he lay down beside the woman, as if there were no more worries in the world, closing his eyes in intoxication.

The woman propped her head with one hand and gently stroked Long Qi's face with the other.

"What a handsome young man, and he is actually a Chuyang zhi ti~" She sighed and brought her face close to Long Qi's.

Suddenly, the woman's face became ferocious, and in an instant, her appearance changed. She was seen with a fox head and a human body—she was actually a red fox that had cultivated into a spirit!

Just as she was about to kiss Long Qi, a Yellow Talisman flew toward her face. The red fox was greatly alarmed and hurriedly threw Long Qi aside, retreating to the side.

The talisman was seen suspended above Long Qi, and in a snap of the fingers, it exploded. The talisman ash formed a shield, wrapping around him.

"Clear Heart Talisman!" The red fox was shocked. Who was it that ruined her good deed?

"We meet again, Lady Zhuang."

Lingxiang walked out from the shadows, one hand twisting the Wave-Breaking Formula, and the other throwing a Calm Spirit Talisman toward Long Qi.

Long Qi's mind had been in chaos, but when the Clear Heart Talisman exploded, his vision cleared and his mind became bright. It was just that his limbs were weak and he could not move. Once the Calm Spirit Talisman touched his body, the bewitching restraint was suddenly broken.

He looked around and saw two people standing there in a daze, just like the previous victims, and behind them was actually a fox-headed monster. Terrified, he hurriedly retreated to Lingxiang's side.

"What is that thing? How did I get here?"

"Isn't that the Lady Zhuang you were longing for in your heart?" Lingxiang mocked.

"Who are you! Why did you ruin my great plan!" The fox retracted her witchcraft and revealed her human form; it was indeed the wine-seller Liu Yaoyi.

"If I am not mistaken, Madam, you have infused a method of enchantment into the wine. All who have drunk the Qionghua Dew fall under your spell. Firstly, you can probe whether their physical constitutions are robust, and secondly, you can lure them into your lair to perform Soul Seizure. Is that so, or not?" Lingxiang asked instead of answering.

"Hehe~ You are indeed ice-and-snow clever. Since things have reached this point, there is no need to hide it. As you have seen, it is all my doing." Liu Yaoyi did not argue, admitting it frankly.

"It is only a pity that your cultivation is still shallow, Madam. The fragrance of that Qionghua Dew can only spread around the tavern, so you cannot enchant everyone who has drunk the Qionghua Dew, otherwise, you would reveal your tracks," Lingxiang mocked.

"What do you mean by this?" Long Qi was somewhat confused.

"By also enchanting the neighbors of those who are under the spell, you can, on one hand, cover up the reality of your harming others, and on the other, select those whose souls you will seize later."

"What if you do know these things? Although you can use talismans, you are ultimately nothing special. Today, I shall take your entire cultivation; it will be better than the essences of these mere mortals!" Liu Yaoyi said, revealing her demon form.

One could see four tails fluttering behind her! She actually possessed the abilities of a demon enchantress!