Chapter 245: Plain Satin Pouch, Orchid Face, Mulberry Intent

Xiaobai fell into a dilemma for a moment; he did not know how to choose, only knitting his brows and biting his fingernails—this was a habit from when he was alive, and even after becoming a Grudge Demon, he still could not change it.

Lingxiang did not urge him either; she knew well the dangers of this method, and for Xiaobai, who only had one chance, it truly required careful deliberation.

Yet how could Lingxiang know that Xiaobai was not afraid of these things at all? He was desperate for this method to allow Lingxiang to break away from the path of falling into demonhood, but he found it difficult to let go of the affection in his heart and could not speak of it to anyone.

Only now did Xiaobai feel that the loss of Ajin was not as simple as just losing a friend.

In the past, when they were at the Yuanqing Sect, the two could occasionally drink, talk, and tease each other, but now only he was left alone, with no one left to confide his worries to.

This friend was truly lacking in loyalty!

Just at this moment, Xinyi turned in from the moon gate; he glanced at Lingxiang but did not speak.

It was strange to say, although the relationship between Lingxiang and Xinyi was merely that of new friends, they often had an inexplicable tacit understanding between them.

"Xiaobai is not an outsider; there is no need to conceal anything."

Upon hearing this, Xinyi nodded, and then spoke of the matter regarding Wolf-Head.

It turned out that Xinyi had been trained by the Demon Race since he was young, and although he was trained separately by Guihua at the time, he still had a group of people who could be called his fellow disciples.

Later, one year, another person was sent over; at that time, that person was severely injured and it was thought he would not live long, yet he miraculously survived.

After his wounds healed, he began to cultivate alongside those people, but in just two years, that person transformed from a mortal with no cultivation into a general with profound cultivation.

"In that case, has he fallen into the demonic path?" Lingxiang was greatly puzzled; otherwise, how could a dying person suddenly get better? And how could he possess such cultivation in just a short two years?

But Xinyi shook his head and said firmly, "He is human."

"Human!?" Lingxiang was so shocked she stood up.

How tenacious must one's will be to escape the brink of death, and how much perseverance must one have to become a general of the Demon Race in just two years, and all while in a mortal body?

A Demon General's cultivation is not shallow!

Moreover, that person was able to hold off Xinyi, Liu Xia, and Zhao Wuyang all by himself, and could even dodge the Talismans secretly cast by Banxia, which showed his cultivation was profound.

It seems this person cannot be underestimated!

"Since you cultivated alongside him, do you know his name, what he looks like, or his background?" Lingxiang always felt that things were not that simple.

But Xinyi shook his head again: "He rarely spoke to anyone, so it was impossible to know his background. Bai Wuchang only called him Wolf-Head and never mentioned his name, so everyone just followed suit. Besides, that person covered his face with black gold year-round; one could only see his brows and eyes, but never his full appearance."

Lingxiang had forgotten that Xinyi knew nothing of physiognomy. However, after hearing Xinyi say this, her idea was further solidified—when things are abnormal, there must be a demon at work!

How could a mortal catch the eye of the Demon Race? Since that person could appear alongside Bai Wuchang, there must be something unknown hidden within.

Bai Wuchang is a crafty old fox; he must be plotting something to allow a mortal to stay by his side.

This matter truly must be guarded against!

Lingxiang looked back at the room behind her: the Demon Race has been acting repeatedly of late; once Senior Brother Chengxin leaves seclusion, she must discuss it with him.

"Right!"

Just as Lingxiang was pondering, Xinyi suddenly remembered Liu Xia's reaction outside Fufeng County and hurriedly said, "At that time, Wolf-Head dropped a Pouch, and Liu Xia seemed to recognize the object."

A Pouch?

"A Pouch!" Upon hearing this, Xiaobai suddenly remembered something and hurriedly took a Pouch out from his robes, "Is it similar to this one?"

Xiaobai held a Pouch with a moon-white pleated opening and sage-green cords, as if a thin leaf were threaded through them. On the turmeric-colored body of the bag, a mulberry branch was embroidered, with green leaves and pale fruit, looking quite beautiful. Lingxiang took the Pouch and flipped it over to look; on the back, a character was embroidered with mulberry-colored silk thread.

The character looked very delicate; it was the character "Sang" (Mulberry).

The Pouch looked plain, but the fabric was special; it felt like...

"Silk?" Lingxiang was not quite sure.

Although she muttered it softly, the courtyard was only so big, and the three of them were not far apart, so they heard it clearly.

Lingxiang had been immersed in pharmacology since she was young and knew nothing of needlework or textiles; she only knew roughly that such things existed but had never delved into them. It would not be an exaggeration to say she was completely ignorant. In her view, linen was the most comfortable to wear, and since she often tended to Spirit Plants, linen was the cheapest.

Xiaobai let out a "pfft" of laughter, but when Lingxiang shot him a sharp look, he hurriedly clenched his fist to his mouth and feigned a cough to cover it up, though he could not hide the smile in his eyes. He suppressed his laughter, stepped forward with his hands behind his back, and said with a straight face:

"This is plain soft twill satin, which daughters of families often use to make clothes." As he spoke, he pointed to the pattern on the Pouch, "Look at this pattern; it is much more complex than silk."

But as soon as he finished speaking, he heard Lingxiang tease, "Oh~ Master Bai is quite clear about such feminine matters; I suppose you haven't spent little time frequenting the flower and willow lanes over the years!"

Xiaobai naturally understood Lingxiang's teasing words; he just gave a "hehe" laugh, took out a fan from somewhere, assumed the appearance of an upright gentleman, and kept saying humble things like "It's nothing, it's nothing."

"Satin? That's not something an ordinary family can afford," Xinyi took the Pouch Lingxiang handed over, and after seeing the "Sang" character on the back, he spoke again: "It is indeed similar to the Pouch in Liu Xia's hand, only the one embroidered on that Pouch seemed to be the character 'Lan' (Orchid)."

Lan?

Lingxiang suddenly understood something; she hurriedly asked Xiaobai, "Is this Pouch the Eldest Miss Liu's?"

Xiaobai nodded upon hearing this.

It turned out that Xiaobai had talked with Liu Lan, which resolved the resentment in her heart, and the two had confided in each other. At that time, Xiaobai saw that Liu Lan was trapped in the suffering of love, so he offered to help and thus obtained this Pouch.

And this Pouch was a token of love between the Eldest Miss Liu and her lover; the two each held one.

"No wonder Liu Xia helped the Eldest Miss Liu deceive Liu Cishi back then; I suppose he knew the inside story," Lingxiang realized with a start.

Xinyi did not know these details, which was why he had intentionally hidden it when Liu Xia asked, and since it concerned the Demon Race, he did not want Liu Xia to be overly involved and fall into danger, but it seemed now that he could not escape it either.

It was hard to tell if this was a coincidence of fate or if Bai Wuchang had arranged it intentionally.

Xinyi was somewhat worried, and just at this moment, he saw Zhao Wuyang rushing over in a panic.

"Big Brother Liu Xia is gone; he only left a letter in the room, and Sister Banxia is not in her room either!"

Hearing this, Lingxiang looked at Xiaobai: "I'm afraid he has returned to the Inspector's Mansion in Cangzhou to look for the Eldest Miss Liu."

Xiaobai nodded, understanding in his heart, and with a turn, he disappeared.

After Xiaobai left, Lingxiang hurriedly comforted Zhao Wuyang: "This is the territory of Cangzhou; I imagine Liu Xia just wanted to go home and take a look, he will be fine. You stay here obediently and wait for Daoist Chiyanzi and Senior Brother Hanyang, so they don't find no one here when they arrive. I am going out for a while with your Big Brother Xinyi."

"But..." Zhao Wuyang was just about to speak, but Lingxiang and Xinyi had already hurried away, leaving him alone holding the letter in his hand.