Chapter 1071: Chapter 115: The Ever-Growing Party
The waiting time wasn’t particularly long… It didn’t feel like much time had passed before Luo Qiu and Su Zijun emerged from the small grove ahead, one after the other.
Luo Qiu was still using the same formula, while Su Zijun had a consistently dark expression.
“Master.” The maid quickly approached, glancing at Su Zijun—though Su Zijun seemed unaware of the gaze.
“Has Miss Qin woken up yet?”
“Not yet, but she should be soon.”
Luo Qiu nodded, noticing that since they returned, Jessica’s gaze had been fixed on him, never leaving.
He looked at Jessica and saw her lips move slightly, as if she wanted to say something. Luo Qiu gently shook his head, causing Jessica’s expression to freeze momentarily before she slightly nodded and silently walked over to Su Zijun’s side.
Unexpectedly, Su Zijun suddenly said, “I’m going to act alone for a while. During this time, follow this guy… Don’t worry, you’ll be absolutely safe. Moreover, your role is to locate me, so even if you’re about to die, make sure not to lose yourself!”
“Master?” Jessica was again momentarily stunned.
But Su Zijun didn’t say anything more, leaping several times and disappearing into the vast Tree Sea.
Luo Qiu then came to Jessica’s side and softly said, “May we talk for a moment, Ms. Jessica.”
Jessica hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded—this time, they did not retreat into the grove but rather casually stood beneath a tree.
Jessica spoke first, looking at Luo Qiu with an odd mix of curiosity and relief. She smiled faintly, and the plex emotions in her eyes seemed to fade, leaving only a hint of nostalgia.
She said, “Speaking of which, the last time I saw you, the last time I saw you, you were still wearing a clown mask.”
“At the time, it was merely to avoid unnecessary trouble,” Luo Qiu said calmly. “Now there’s no need for it… So, when did you find out?”
Jessica showed a puzzled expression.
Luo Qiu recalled, “Remember, you first handed me two letters… Of course, the transaction terms for those letters changed later. But what puzzled me was, how were you certain I would fulfill the contents of the second letter? At the time, you shouldn’t have been able to discern the mask’s concealing abilities… Yet, you already knew it was me?”
“So, there are things you don’t know?” Jessica blinked.
Luo Qiu shook his head and said, “There are many things I don’t know… Besides, if you knew everything, there would be far less anticipation, wouldn’t there?”
“You know, Ye used to say the same,” Jessica suddenly said wistfully.
Luo Qiu said nothing, as the man Jessica spoke of had indeed had a significant influence on his journey.
“Can you tell me, is he… Is he okay?” Jessica looked at Luo Qiu expectantly. “Perhaps, I can buy…”
But before Jessica could finish, Luo Qiu interrupted her, “He’s fine now, don’t worry.”
“I see…” Jessica murmured thoughtfully, lost in herself, leaning against the tree trunk in deep contemplation.
Luo Qiu did not disturb her, especially since he was known for his patience.
“The scent of perfume.” Jessica suddenly raised her head, meeting Luo Qiu’s confused gaze, and smiled. “Weren’t you curious about how I discovered you? It was because of the perfume you wore.”
“Perfume?”
Jessica nodded, saying, “Men usually aren’t adept at this, but for women, it’s quite evident. To be honest, I snuck into your room and installed a bug… I think you already know why. At that time, I smelled the perfume in your room, and later, when I encountered you at the club, I recognized the same scent.”
Luo Qiu was startled, “Just from this one point?”
Jessica glanced, intentionally or otherwise, at the maid behind Luo Qiu, smiling with pursed lips: “Men, you see… The perfume is called ‘Blackberry Muse,’ produced by a French pany. Your version is the rare ‘Special Edition,’ with fewer than a hundred bottles worldwide… This scent is unique, and I remembered it from a case I worked on in the past. Encountering such a rare perfume twice in your city, you can’t blame me for having some suspicions… Though I was shocked by such thoughts myself.”
Luo Qiu, who wasn’t in the habit of wearing perfume… Then there was only one possibility: the scent had likely e from You Ye.
“I see.” Luo Qiu smiled—a flaw that wasn’t really a flaw.
“However,” Jessica blinked and said, “speaking of perfume, it’s like a mark. A man stained with a woman’s perfume seems to be claimed, and smart women won’t easily approach. That lady suits you well.”
“Ms. Su Zijun has entrusted us to protect you well before leaving.” Luo Qiu smoothly changed the topic, so naturally that Jessica even felt as if the previous discussion had never happened.
Jessica sighed, chuckling bitterly, “You really have Ye Yan’s knack for changing the topic. He’s… He’s like that too. No matter, though. It seems I’ll really have to bother you in the future.”
“No bother at all.” Luo Qiu shook his head.
Jessica recalled the maid treating her earlier and said, “Rest assured, I won’t tell Ye Yan about your matters, nor will I ask any questions… Everyone has secrets they’d rather keep to themselves.”
“Thank you very much.” Luo Qiu nodded.
Jessica murmured, “It’s really me who should thank you… Although it’s a bit late, thank you for the Christmas gift.”
But Luo Qiu unexpectedly said, “You’ve undergone some changes, allowing your original abilities to develop further while your body can withstand them… Which might be a good thing.”
Jessica opened her mouth.
Yet, Luo Qiu, as if he hadn’t said anything, turned and walked away… Because Qin Chuyu had just e back to her senses.
Jessica lowered her head, pondering Luo Qiu’s words with a plex expression. “A good thing… But I’m no longer human…”
…
Qin Chuyu might have already learned some things from You Ye.
This woman could truly be cold to the bone—she mentioned nothing of her unconscious experience nor her change of clothes.
She merely looked at Luo Qiu, raised the Green Lotus Sword Song beside her, and directly said, “Tell me the method to awaken the Sword Spirit within this Green Lotus Sword Song. What kind of price do I have to pay?”
Luo Qiu replied, “Is it very important to you?”
“It’s connected to the whereabouts of my master,” Qin Chuyu nodded, hiding nothing—aware that hiding wouldn’t serve any purpose, as the other party could discern the truth.
As a customer who had previously made a transaction, she was well aware of the other’s abilities.
Luo Qiu thought for a moment and suddenly said, “Then why doesn’t Miss Qin just purchase information about your master? I think that would be more efficient.”
“Being able to awaken the Sword Spirit is enough.” Qin Chuyu looked at Luo Qiu, neither humble nor arrogant, but her gaze trembled slightly.
“I understand.” Luo Qiu nodded, then reached out his hand.
Qin Chuyu seemed to have acted according to Luo Qiu’s intention. She hesitated for a moment, then finally grabbed the hilt of the Green Lotus Sword Song, lifting it up, “Be careful, it…”
But to her surprise, Luo Qiu easily took the Green Lotus Sword Song, and the sword remained quiet without any movement, leaving Qin Chuyu a bit stunned.
“Miss Qin, rest assured, I won’t damage it.” Luo Qiu casually mentioned, then began to examine the obedient sword once more.
Qin Chuyu apparently did not mean that; she wanted to remind this proprietor that the Green Lotus Sword Song could harm people. But to her surprise, it was so quiet at this moment.
“There is indeed a slumbering soul inside.” Luo Qiu stroked the body of the Green Lotus Sword Song, and after a while, he continued, “Based on Miss Qin’s current situation, there are two methods to wake it. One is for us to awaken it directly, the other is for Miss Qin to awaken it herself.”
“What do I need to do?” Qin Chuyu seemed more inclined to wake the Green Lotus Sword Song herself.
Luo Qiu looked at Qin Chuyu and slowly said, “Miss Qin, you understand our rules.”
Qin Chuyu said nothing, nodding directly, then reaching for her ear—she had always worn pearl earrings, but only on one side.
Taking out the earring from her ear, Qin Chuyu calmly stated, “Inside it are items I’ve collected over the years, see if they’re enough.”
The earring was placed in Luo Qiu’s palm, and after feeling it, Luo Qiu said, “Indeed, it’s quite rich… the contents within should suffice. What does Miss Qin intend to trade with?”
“Anything.”
“In that case, I’ll take something at random.” Luo Qiu nodded.
At this point, an ancient goatskin scroll appeared in front of Qin Chuyu, and she pressed her handprint on it without hesitation.
“The soul inside this sword is inplete.” Luo Qiu then said, “If Miss Qin wants to awaken it, our proposal is: First, you need to cultivate your Green Lotus Sword Tome to the ninth layer; second, you need to find the other part of its soul. Once these two are achieved, it will awaken.”
“Inplete?” Qin Chuyu’s expression slightly changed, then it dawned on her, “No wonder, no matter how I tried to municate, I couldn’t connect with it…”
Luo Qiu merely handed the earring back to Qin Chuyu.
After taking it back, Qin Chuyu carefully inspected it and found that nearly a fifth of the collected items inside the earring were missing… She couldn’t help but glance at Luo Qiu; those missing items were mostly duplicates, and he hadn’t taken any of the unique items.
Silently, she put the earring back on her ear, holding the Green Lotus Sword Song, she moved to the side—she sat down cross-legged and placed the Green Lotus Sword Song on her lap, then closed her eyes, slipping into a state of oblivion before long.
“Why doesn’t she choose a more direct approach?”
Ms. Jessica walked over at this point, curiously asking Luo Qiu.
Luo Qiu looked at Qin Chuyu, a falling leaf landed on her shoulder but did not disturb her focus. Luo Qiu flicked his fingers, letting the leaf move to the ground, then whispered, “Perhaps, she’s afraid.”
“Afraid?”
“Afraid to know the truth.”
…
Not long after, Da Zhe, who went to meet them, brought back Daoist Bai Jie and Wang Hu without any hindrance.
Luo Qiu found it somewhat troublesome that Daoist Bai Jie, the requester of this service, insisted on being the last to leave—while Wang Hu also claimed to stay by Daoist Bai Jie’s side.
Su Zijun went on his own, leaving Ms. Jessica as the point of contact.
Looking at Qin Chuyu’s situation, it seemed she wouldn’t leave immediately either, probably still looking for more clues about her master here.
Due to the nature of non-pulsion and only time-bound relation, Luo Qiu realized… the transaction progress up to this point was still zero.
“This is a bit tricky, huh.”
Luo Qiu couldn’t help but frown at the suddenly enlarged group.
There was a constant feeling of being deceived for a free meal and drink…
…
…
The journey seemed aimless—and the group remained largely silent.
Aside from Luo Pianqian occasionally speaking, the others barely said a word.
The City Lord of Ghost City, as his name suggests, hardly spoke along the way.
Long Xiruo, like a guide, would stop walking suddenly, stand still for a long while, then continue forward—with each pause and move forward, Long Xiruo’s expression grew more solemn.
Luo Pianqian thought Sister Long seemed tired, and her face unknowingly turned pale.
Unknowingly, the towering peak they thought was distant was almost reached—and at this moment, Long Xiruo once again stopped.
She looked down at the front—a group was standing at a high point on a small hill.
Seeing Long Xiruo frowning in silence, unlike any expression before, Luo Pianqian couldn’t help but curiously ask, “Sister Long, what’s wrong?”
“No… this is not right here.” Long Xiruo muttered as if to herself, “There should be a crack here, leading straight underground.”
“Crack?” Luo Pianqian was puzzled, looking down, only to see a flat area below the hill.
“There should be?” Surprisingly, the City Lord of Ghost City, Xiao Shengmo, spoke suddenly, “From Lord Long’s words, have you been here before? What else do you know?”
Long Xiruo instinctively glanced at Xiao Shengmo, this man with a bloodless face, his eyes sinisterly scrutinizing.
[Discovery]
Just at this moment, a beam of light suddenly shot from above towards Long Xiruo and the others.
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