Chapter 175: The Unexpected Stalker (2)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Eldest Miss, that guy is still looking at us,” Ye Yu said softly.
“It’s alright. We’ll leave him hanging. After all, he should be more anxious than us.” Ye Jiuge was unconcerned.
If she showed Ouyang Sen that she needed him, he would probably be conceited.
So, she had to show him that she didn’t care. Because he was unsure where things stood, he would seriously consider cooperating with them.
“Should I go spy on him?” Ye Jiuge was a little worried.
There were only two Level Two Alchemists left in Medicine Refinery City. If Ouyang Sen were murdered too, their predicament would worsen.
“That’s fine, but you be careful. If you encounter Liu Yunfei again, then you should eat more Medicinal Pills. Your elder sister has nothing but medicinal pills.” Ye Jiuge shoved a few bottles of Mind-clearing Pills and Desire Snuffing Pills toward Ye Yu.
Ye Yu’s concealment abilities were top-notch. However, Liu Yunfei’s Seduction was still too strong. As a young and vigorous youth, it would be easy for him to succ.u.mb to her wiles.
Ye Yu received the Medicinal Pills awkwardly.
Previously, he had been a little reluctant to waste pills and would only take them when he was in a pinch. Had he downed them beforehand, he wouldn’t have fallen for Liu Yunfei’s seduction.
After Ye Jiuge split up from Ye Yu again, they both went around in circles. In between, they even changed their disguises before heading back to the hideout. When they arrived, they saw that Luo Tian and Jun Yichen had already returned.
“Was Eldest Miss followed?” Luo Tian guessed after looking at Ye Jiuge’s disguise. She had on a pale-yellow dress and looked like an innocent young girl.
“Yeah, we were followed. What about you guys? How did your mission go?” Ye Jiuge asked.
“We went to the Medicine Refinery Complex. After going around, we only saw the rough-looking Level Two Alchemist, Xiong Yunhu. We didn’t see Ouyang Sen. It seems that he went out for a drink.
“We also got some intel on Guo Yingxi. Apparently, after the end of the Pill Production Tournament, she left the Medicine Refinery Complex and went into the mountains to harvest herbs. She only came back once, not too long ago, then went out again after organizing the herbs she’d harvested.
“Based on the timing, we can conclude that this person returned specifically to set the trap for Ye Yu,” Luo Tian reported his findings in detail.
“The one called Xiong Yunhu has the appearance of a bear but is actually a scaredy-cat. He cried and demanded that the guards from Medicine Refinery City protect him. He also insisted on moving into Dongfang Yao’s private residence. When rejected, he even acted shamelessly to try getting his way,” Jun Yichen laughed.
“Oh? Did that really happen?” Ye Jiuge had an impression of Xiong Yunhu as a formidable and strong person. He didn’t look like a wimp.
“Yes, indeed. He even wanted to get Ouyang Sen to join him in creating a fuss but was ignored,” Luo Tian nodded and said. “I heard that he has become very sullen recently. He often frequents the bars to drink.”
Although Sorcerers were running amuck in Medicine Refinery City and the atmosphere was tense, most of the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners had been murdered outside of the city. Accordingly, no one dared to leave the city.
“I see. By the way, where is Bai Songling? Weren’t you guys together?” Ye Jiuge continued.
She had been planning to wait until Bai Songling returned to tell them about the incident with Ouyang Sen so that she wouldn’t have to repeat herself.
“After searching the Medicine Refinery Complex with us, he said he was going to look for Wan Ziyang and left.”
Although he had never met Wan Ziyang, Luo Tian had heard of him through Little Master.
It seemed like he was more reliable than the big-mouthed and gossipy Bai Songling. And he was a serious and careful person with formidable cultivation.
Just as Luo Tian finished speaking, Bai Songling came through the doors followed by an elderly man with greying hair at his temples. He had an awe-inspiring and dignified aura around him.
Luo Tian and Jun Yichen looked at the old man guardedly.
Ye Jiuge also glanced at the elder repeatedly in confusion. “Brother Bai, who is this uncle?”
Bai Songling and the rest had profiled most of the people in Medicine Refinery City. There was no mention of a man with such an imposing aura.
“Haha! Even Eldest Miss does not recognize you. Wan Ziyang, your Disguising Technique has improved!” Bai Songling laughed loudly, slapping the old man on the shoulders.
The old man swiped his face, revealing a chiseled, handsome appearance. It was Wan Ziyang.
“How did you come here, Brother Wan?” Ye Jiuge was a little surprised.
She thought the Crown Prince was watching Wan Ziyang like a hawk so he couldn’t come out.
“I found a stand-in.” Wan Ziyang did not elaborate much.
Having worked in the Justice Department for so long, he too had picked up quite a few tricks.
In the past, he couldn’t be bothered to use them, but the situation was different now. He couldn’t care too much about it.
“How is my little sister and the rest? Does she know what’s happened to Fifth Concubine?” Ye Jiuge asked.
Ye Ruyi had been implicated by her sister. She had been held in Medicine Refinery City all this while and hadn’t been able to go back to see Fifth Concubine for the last time. Ye Jiuge felt a little guilty and sorry.
“Fourth Miss Ye and your servants have been placed under Li Zijun’s protection. They are safe, for now. I feared that Fourth Miss would become agitated by her mother’s death, so I kept the news from her.
“As for the servant, Hua Die, she was missing for quite a while.
“Then, Li Zijun found her corpse outside the city. Like Gong Hongyu, she was flayed, and her blood had been sucked dry. Her death was tragic. I saw her corpse and it didn’t look like she’d died recently; it had been quite a while since she was killed,” Wan Ziyang related in a subdued tone.
Although his military authority had been stripped, Great Master Dongfang and Li Zijun did not restrict his freedom. If an incident occurred, they would inform him too.
“When did Hua Die disappear?” Ye Jiuge asked.
She had already guessed that Hua Die was dead.
That ‘Hua Die’ who had made accusations against her was most probably the Sorcerer, who was adept in disguise.
She had to admit, this Sorcerer was very capable.
Although she’d had her suspicions then, she had not been able to find any clues to prove that this supposed Hua Die was a fake.
“It was the same night that Liu Yunfei injured Ye Yu.” Wan Ziyang’s reply confirmed Ye Jiuge’s suspicion.
She related the incident with Ouyang Sen, then continued, “Based on the clues we have at hand, I believe that the Sorcerer first disguised himself as Hua Die to accuse me of the crimes, then disguised as Guo Yingxi to lure Ye Yu away. Now, he’s trying to harm Ouyang Sen as well.”
“Ouyang Sen seems like he does not know good from bad. Even at death’s door, he was still hesitating and dragging his feet. If it were me, I would have brought him back by force.” Bai Songling smacked his fists together.
“Our ident.i.ties cannot be mentioned, after all. If you had brought him back forcefully, and he’d escaped angry and suspicious, wouldn’t that just have exposed us to danger?” If it had been feasible, Ye Jiuge wouldn’t have let Ouyang Sen go free either.
“Eldest Miss is right. In such a situation, it’s only a matter of time. Ouyang Sen will cooperate with us. What we must do now is figure out how to use him as a bait to capture the Sorcerers,” Wan Ziyang said gravely.
“This Sorcerer, who is adept in disguise, won’t be too difficult to deal with. I’m only afraid that capturing him will lead Liu Yunfei to us. With just a few of us, it will be difficult to stop them from working together!” Bai Songling sighed.
If they were in the Capital, he would request dozens of Spiritual Pract.i.tioners from Dongfang Que. Even the Sorcerers couldn’t defeat so many Spiritual Pract.i.tioners at the same time.
But, unfortunately, they were the scapegoats now. They had to be careful when moving around. If they mobilized too many people at once, they wouldn’t have to wait for Liu Yunfei to strike, and the Crown Prince would immediately send his troops to annihilate them.