97: Chapter 97: The Moon Princess

Though the person before you concealed her face with a white veil, the impression left on you during those brief few days was still far too profound; merely resembling Wangyue by three parts was enough to throw you into a panic.

Furthermore, those brows and facial contours were unmistakably identical to Master Wangyue.

No!

As the other person gradually drew closer, you keenly perceived something unusual.

Although this person's appearance was extremely similar to Wangyue, her cultivation, demeanor, and the temperament she displayed were vastly different.

If Master Wangyue was a snow lotus on a high mountain, cold and aloof, then the person before you was like a white epiphyllum under the moon; that gentle and soft aura made people feel an involuntary sense of closeness.

Of course, all of this could be disguised, and you did not let down your guard.

Just as the two of you were about to brush past each other, that person suddenly stopped and glanced sideways at you.

"Young lady recognizes me?"

That tone was not a question, but a certainty.

"Who would not recognize Consort Yue, the number one beauty of Xuanhuang Prefecture?"

You smiled slightly, showing no abnormality on your surface, and calmly bowed in a curtsy.

The strength of the other person's aura was at least at the Foundation Establishment peak. Furthermore, because of Master Wangyue, you already harbored wariness toward the cultivators of Tingxue Cliff, so you decided to first pretend to be sweet... pretend to be well-behaved.

Upon hearing this, Consort Yue's expression remained unchanged as she shook her head slightly.

"That is not the kind of recognition I meant."

You were momentarily at a loss for words, but fortunately, the other party had no intention of lingering on it. Seeing you remain silent, Consort Yue lightly stroked her storage bag with her slender hand, and a silver token materialized in her palm.

"This is the guest token of my Tingxue Cliff."

She handed the jade token into your hands, her tone remaining gentle.

"Tomorrow, we will enter the Shuangming Mountain Range to search for treasures. If Young Lady is interested, you may come find me tonight at Heaven-grade A, Room 3."

With that, Consort Yue crossed the threshold, bringing along two Tingxue Cliff female disciples.

Holding the jade token, you looked at the departing backs of the group in utter bewilderment.

"Yuer, why did you give your identity token to a strange woman?"

After walking out of the tavern, a disciple who looked like a young girl beside her spoke, her tone rather mature.

"Uncle-Master Mu, I think she is pretty enough."

At this moment, Consort Yue's demeanor was practically like a completely different person compared to just now.

The gentleness from just now completely vanished, and in every gesture, she actually resembled an elegant and dashing young master.

Hearing this, the young girl fell silent for a moment before asking in puzzlement:

"You said earlier that she recognized you. Is that true or false?"

"Tsk tsk, the look in that young lady's eyes when she first saw me... it was as if she could not wait to tear me apart and devour me alive."

Consort Yue pulled out a folding fan from somewhere and gave it a light flick. With a "swish," the folding fan unfolded, her movements as smooth as flowing water and supremely dashing.

"I am very certain I have never seen her before. That must be a romantic debt incurred by that fellow Wangyue. Surely it could not be the Palace..."

"Bang!"

The young girl exasperatedly slapped her on the back of the head.

"Watch your tongue. You had better mind your image. If the Palace Master finds out you are acting like this, you will be punished again."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Consort Yue put away the folding fan with a helpless expression, recovering her gentle and dignified posture.

"Will she really come?"

The young girl seemed quite curious about this. After all, she admitted that Consort Yue was right; the appearance of that female cultivator from just now was indeed stunning enough. If she chose her, the Palace Master probably would not object.

"This concubine does not know ~"

Consort Yue pursed her lips and smiled, overflowing with feminine charm.

"Bang!"

"Ouch..."

...

Inside the inn, you sat cross-legged on the bed, staring at the token in your hand in deep thought.

Intuition told you that unwarranted displays of courtesy usually meant a hidden agenda—either deceit or theft.

Going there this time would inevitably entail great danger, but you always felt that this person had an inextricable connection with Master Wangyue; perhaps you could use this opportunity to probe out some of the truth.

If you were to just let it go as if nothing happened, you would always feel unreconciled.

Furthermore, the treasure hunting mentioned by the other party must have truly uncovered some treasure; otherwise, how could figures like the young sect master of Tingxue Cliff travel thousands of miles to this ghost of a place?

Alas ~ curiosity killed the cat...

Seeing your solemn expression, Shi Ying, who was sitting by the table, suddenly stood up and said earnestly:

"Sister Shen, you must not trust that person. The way she looks at you is wrong!"

"Oh? How can you tell?"

Seeing her rather agitated emotions, a hint of a smile danced in the depths of your eyes as you asked in return.

Hearing this, the roots of Shi Ying's ears grew hot, fortunately shielded by her wheat-colored skin.

She certainly could not say that it was clearly a gaze of naked covetousness! Because when she looked at you, it was pretty much the same...

Seeing her stammering and unable to speak for a long time, looking at this rare scene of the powerhouse-like girl acting shy, your heart suddenly itched, and the urge to tease her quietly surged up.

You slowly stood up and closed in on Shi Ying step by step, until you cornered her against the window.

Your body lunged abruptly forward, trapping her between the windowsill and your chest with an absolute sense of oppression. Your warm breath brushed against her earlobe, and your voice was low and bewitching:

"Little Shi Ying, if you can defeat me, you can also do whatever you want ~"

Do whatever you want... do whatever you want... do whatever you want...

"Boom!"

Shi Ying only felt a wave of heat rushing straight to the top of her head, her mind completely occupied by "do whatever you want." Even her wheat-colored skin could not cover the blush on her pretty face.

You watched this scene with great interest, preparing to tease her a bit more.

"Bang!"

The door was suddenly shoved open, and Yun Wuji rushed in disheveled. Just as he was about to say something, his pupils abruptly constricted upon seeing the scene inside the room.

"I did not see anything. I will not tell Brother Han."

With that, he prepared to scurry out in a panic.

"Come back!"

Your face darkened. What on earth was going on in his head?

Shi Ying hurriedly ducked her body, drilled out from under your arm, and then fled without looking back, not forgetting to leave behind a parting remark:

"Sister Shen, I will go buy some pastries for you."

Seeing this, the corners of your mouth curved slightly upward. Only by teasing a young girl could you find back a little feeling of happiness ~

Yun Wuji, standing stiffly at the doorway, had his expression changing constantly as he calculated the probability of him being silenced.

You cast your gaze toward him, your face instantly filled with impatience.

"Speak quickly, what is it."

"Ah? Oh..."

After regaining his wits, Yun Wuji hurriedly recounted the information he had investigated over the past two days word for word.

After listening, you suddenly had the feeling of being angered to laughter.

Daring to publicly sell the Silent Emotion Flower, did they truly regard sect rules as nothing, or was their backing strong enough?

"Continue your secret investigation for now; there is no need to make a fuss yet."

You planned to first follow Consort Yue into the Shuangming Mountain Range to take a look; after all, how could sect missions be more important than opportunities?

Even if this trip was a one-way street with no return, you would still be able to probe out some of the truth about this person. Such an opportunity was hard to come by.

Some risks were worth taking, especially since you could return once. After all, in reality, you were very likely to deal with cultivators from Tingxue Cliff, so you could not afford to be completely ignorant.

Your fingertips gently tapped against the tabletop, while the appearances of Consort Yue and Master Wangyue surfaced in your mind from time to time.

What on earth was that sense of incongruity...