Chapter 819: Side Story 4: 56

Bai Shulan uttered one sentence after another, bombarding Guyun Que like a string of cannon fire.

After speaking, she didn't give Guyun Que a chance to speak; having missed the boy, she was about to go out.

How could Guyun Que let Bai Shulan leave so easily? He still wanted to stop her.

But Bai Shulan's cultivation was obviously far above Guyun Que's; with a tap of her toe she had already left the pawnshop and landed on the street.

Guyun Que immediately gave chase.

The two clashed on the street, and in a moment they had exchanged dozens of moves.

Li Qingying lifted her leg to go break up the fight, but Xiao Jiu grabbed her.

Xiao Jiu shook his head at Li Qingying, signaling her not to intervene.

The fight didn't last long before it ended.

Guyun Que couldn't possibly beat Bai Shulan, and Bai Shulan couldn't really land a killing blow.

After dozens of exchanges, Bai Shulan distanced herself from Guyun Que, she lifted the silver box in her hand toward the boy and said, "All right, no more fighting. However you put it, I am a close friend of Wu Ling, an elder. Since you claim to be Wu Ling's disciple, produce proof of your identity. I'll wait five days; if after five days you still can't prove who you are, don't blame me, as your elder, for taking what you love."

As her words fell, Bai Shulan's figure had already reached the east end of the street.

Guyun Que glanced back at Xiao Jiu, gritted his teeth, and still pursued.

Only after both figures disappeared from sight did Li Qingying wonder aloud, "Xiao Jiu, why did you stop me just now?"

Xiao Jiu countered, "Who were you planning to help?"

Li Qingying blinked, then admitted, "Yeah, this fight seems awkward to break up."

"If I tried to stop Bai Shulan, Guyun Que would still try to seize the worm seed—stopping her would be pointless."

"If I tried to stop Guyun Que, it wouldn't be fair to the junior either."

Li Qingying pondered, then added, "Tonight Shulan is acting strange, like a different person. She's usually cool outside but warm inside, and she never likes to pester strangers like this. It seems she's especially fond of this worm seed; otherwise, under normal circumstances she would have just handed it over."

While closing the door, Xiao Jiu said, "Shulan is doing this for my sake."

Li Qingying exclaimed, "Ah? For you?"

"Yeah, to keep me from being embarrassed and to protect our Yin Dang Hang's reputation." Xiao Jiu explained, "What Guyun Que said is correct: even though Wu Ling's will stated that if no disciple or grand-disciple came to redeem after ten years, the worm seed would go to me, but our Yin Dang Hang's rule indeed is that after the active period ends, there is a five‑day grace period."

"Just after midnight tonight I gave the worm seed to Shulan; if this gets out, too many people will latch onto my braid to gossip. Even if I ultimately decided to give the worm seed to Guyun Que tonight, I couldn't escape the rumors."

"But if Shulan forcibly seized the worm seed before I made my final decision, that's another matter. Sis Li Qingying, just wait and see—at the latest five days from now, Shulan will definitely return the worm seed to Guyun Que."

Li Qingying thought it over and felt that made sense.

But she still felt something was off: "Xiao Jiu, you're acting strange tonight; the Xiao Jiu I know has never feared gossip."

Xiao Jiu had already locked the door, bolted it, turned his head, gave Li Qingying a playful wink, and smiled, "Sis Li Qingying still knows me best."

Having said that, she turned and went back to her room to wash up and sleep.

Li Qingying thought, "That must be because I know Xiao Jiu best."

But after Xiao Jiu closed his room door, Li Qingying realized he had never answered her last question.

She went to knock on Xiao Jiu's door, wanting to get to the bottom of it, but Xiao Jiu just yawned and said he was tired.

Li Qingying then stopped asking.

Xiao Jiu is pregnant and needs extra rest.

But Li Qingying kept this in mind, and over the next few days she watched Bai Shulan's side for any movement, waiting to see whether, as Xiao Jiu said, on the fifth day when the grace period ended, Bai Shulan would return the worm seed to Guyun Que.

Of course, Li Qingying also privately investigated Guyun Que's identity.

Guyun Que comes from Xiangxi, and he is indeed a disciple of Wu Ling; this boy has inherited some true teachings, and it's said his skills in planting and dispelling worm seeds are top‑notch among the younger generation.

But Li Qingying never expected that before the fifth day arrived, something would happen on Bai Shulan's side.

That morning, before Xiao Jiu had even gotten up, Bai Jingmo arrived.

Bai Jingmo is usually busy; his medical expertise is renowned throughout China.

Normally he not only has to work at the provincial people's hospital, but often has to go on business trips, being assigned to other hospitals for consultations or giving lectures, and sometimes months pass before he can return to Wufu Town once.

This time he rushed back after hastily taking leave.

An employee of the Bai Family Medical Clinic called him and said Bai Shulan seemed to have been abducted.

Hearing Bai Jingmo say that, Li Qingying didn't believe it: "Jingmo, are you confused? With Bai Shulan's high cultivation and her skill in acupuncture, who in the world could silently abduct her from the Bai Family Medical Clinic?"

"That's exactly where the problem lies," Bai Jingmo lamented. "I questioned the staff in detail; from what they said, it seems our Immortal Clan… seems to have had their souls hooked… and pulled out…"

"Hooked?"

Li Qingying felt her mind go blank.

She found it hard to picture the scene Bai Jingmo described.

At that moment, Xiao Jiu came out of his room.

Bai Jingmo hurriedly repeated the whole story about Bai Shulan to Xiao Jiu.

As a result, Xiao Jiu wasn't worried at all, saying, "It's fine; Shulan isn't a little kid, she won't get lost easily, and she'll come back on her own after a while."

Bai Jingmo eyed her suspiciously and asked, "Xiao Jiu, do you know who hooked our Immortal Clan away?"

Li Qingying snapped, "Hey, Bai Jingmo, watch your mouth—don't go around ruining Shulan's reputation; she hasn't even started dating yet."

Bai Jingmo's face flushed instantly: "Oh oh, I used the wrong word. Xiao Jiu, do you know where our Immortal Clan is now?"

Xiao Jiu shook his head: "I don't know, but I guess if she's fast, she's probably in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains by now."

Bai Jingmo and Li Qingying exclaimed in unison, "The Ten Thousand Great Mountains?!"

"Probably," Xiao Jiu said. "Anyway, stop looking—Shulan won't leave any clues for us to find her."

On his way back to the hospital, Bai Jingmo felt utterly dazed—what on earth is going on!

What the hell is his Immortal Clan up to!

In the Yin Dang Hang, Xiao Jiu was eating breakfast while Li Qingying sat opposite her, staring.

That gaze seemed like it wanted to bore a hole in Xiao Jiu's face.

Xiao Jiu got goosebumps from being stared at, put down his bowl and chopsticks, and compromised, saying: "All right, all right, Sister Qingying, stop staring at me; I'll be honest with you. Actually, the night Guyun Que appeared, I saw a red glow shimmering at Sister Shulan's forehead—that's the sign of the Red Lark Star moving."

"Red Lark Star moving?" Li Qingying's eyes widened instantly. "You mean, Shulan… her true love has appeared?"

"Whether it's truly her destined match or not is still uncertain," Xiao Jiu said thoughtfully. "But the matter of Sister Shulan being 'abducted' is still up for debate—who abducted whom isn't clear yet…"