Chapter 61: Bluffing People

A person’s first reaction was always the most honest.

Wen Xu was a natural observer. If he had not been face-blind, he would undoubtedly have become an ambitious man skilled at social maneuvering and manipulation. As long as he wished it, he could befriend anyone, then seize every opportunity to climb higher.

Yet even though he could not see anyone’s face clearly, he could still obtain the answers he wanted from them. After becoming a cultivator, observation had grown even easier. Thanks to a cultivator’s extraordinary five senses, he could eavesdrop on someone’s heartbeat, scrutinize changes in their pupils, and sometimes even detect the slightest shift in their breathing.

After all, wind was everywhere. Unhindered by barriers of cultivation, it could bring him every piece of information he wished to know.

Before Wen Xu, Jiang Ying had virtually no “secrets.”

First reactions did not lie.

Her breathing had briefly stopped. Her pupils had contracted slightly. Perhaps even she had failed to notice that the wind around her had grown a little warmer, caused by the brief rise in her body temperature when her emotions tensed.

Everything pointed to one conclusion: she knew about the mission, and it was connected to her.

Once Wen Xu confirmed this, curiosity suddenly arose within him. What excuse would Jiang Ying use to fool them? Would she deny it outright, or admit it and casually brush them off with some lighthearted explanation?

This was the advantage enjoyed by those of higher status. Even though they had arrived rashly and asked their questions carelessly, the Jiang family could not send them away as they had the Yunxia Sect disciples.

During the time Wen Xu spent studying her, “Jiang Ying” completed her frantic brainstorming. For a moment, she wanted to turn to her father for help, but reason told her that this was an extremely simple true-or-false question. As a cultivator, if she could not even make such a judgment, she would be a complete joke.

She could not reveal a flaw, she told herself.

If she admitted it directly, she would need an excuse to support the lie. That excuse would also have to be completely reliable and convincing, which would be extremely difficult. Moreover, the mission had appeared on the wall of Kaiyuan Peak, meaning the shadow-recording stone might not contain everything. Junior Brother Bian might know even more details. The moment her explanation contradicted anything, it would be no different from exposing herself.

That would be terribly unwise.

Therefore—she had to deny it.

After thinking it through, she immediately calmed herself and said, “What cry for help? Is it connected to your mission?”

Hearing this, Wen Xu thought that a person’s mouth could lie, but their body could not. She had deliberately lowered her voice by the slightest degree. It sounded no different from before, but it could not escape his ears.

He could almost conclude that the cry for help recorded in the shadow-recording stone had to belong to Jiang Ying.

So it wasn’t Senior Sister Jiang?

Bian Chunzhou scratched his head but did not hand over the shadow-recording stone in his hand. He knew perfectly well that Wen Xuxu did not possess any shadow-recording stone containing that recording. This one was definitely fake. If he handed it over, wouldn’t their bluff immediately fall apart?

Fortunately, Senior Sister Jiang did not seem interested in taking it and listening.

“Mm. It’s a missing-person mission. May I ask where Senior Sister Jiang was on the fifteenth?”

The fifteenth day of the tenth month was the day she had acted. Naturally, “Jiang Ying” would never forget it.

During that period, she had constantly begged her parents to go to Yonglu Mountain. It was not until the fifteenth that her father finally relented.

She would never forget that day.

“The fifteenth? I went down the mountain and returned home because of a few matters.”

“Jiang Ying” could finally turn openly toward her father, Jiang Fengnian.

“I remember arguing with you that day. Who would have thought…”

Once someone told one lie, they needed countless more to cover it up. Wen Xu could not help marveling at how incisive Chunzhou’s question had been. Had Wen Xu been the one asking, he would also have started there.

Jiang Fengnian, however, sensed that something was wrong. Still, this questioning could indeed be considered a small favor. Between fellow disciples, his daughter could not reasonably refuse them outright.

Even so, he decided to end this conversation as quickly as possible.

“Indeed. In the past, all you knew was how to anger me. Now that your elder sister is gone, you should learn to be more sensible.”

“Jiang Ying” obediently accepted the reprimand at the appropriate moment.

“I will.”

A loving father and a dutiful daughter. There appeared to be no flaws whatsoever.

Yet the three Yunxia Sect disciples found the female cultivator before them increasingly familiar. Could biological sisters truly resemble each other that much?

But Senior Sister Baozhu had never mentioned having a younger sister cultivating at Yonglu Mountain.

Bian Chunzhou, however, was someone who relied on instinct. After hearing their exchange, suspicion instead arose in his heart.

Hadn’t Senior Sister Jiang never once gone down the mountain to return home after joining the sect?

He could not help looking up at her.

“So you didn’t return to the mountain that day, Senior Sister? I heard Senior Brother Chang, who was guarding the mountain gate, say that on that day…”

At this point, he glanced at Jiang Fengnian. Feeling that it would be inappropriate to say the rest in front of him, he simply swallowed the words.

“Jiang Ying” nearly went mad from frustration.

Then finish what you were saying!

Were these people not beyond offending, she would have attacked him already.

“Mm. I didn’t return to the mountain until daybreak. Why? Are you actually suspecting me?”

Daybreak was the correct time, so she spoke with complete confidence.

Bian Chunzhou had not suspected her much before, but now he did.

Could he say that aloud?

Absolutely not.

He reached out and nudged Wen Xuxu, wondering whether they should retreat first and discuss everything else later. Then Wen Xuxu’s voice sounded beside him.

“So Junior Sister Jiang returned home. How strange. We asked Xia Ying to check the records of cultivators entering and leaving Langyuan City on the fifteenth, but your name wasn’t among them. That was why we took the liberty of coming here to ask.”

Bian Chunzhou: Huh?!

When did that happen?

Why didn’t I know about it?!

Still, he would never undermine his friend in public. He simply could not understand why Wen Xuxu could say such a thing with so much certainty.

Then why didn’t you say that earlier?!

Inside her head, “Jiang Ying” unleashed ten thousand words of exquisitely phrased abuse. Her expression nearly twisted.

She could not understand why these three people refused to let the matter go. What relationship did they even have with Jiang Ying that made them press her so aggressively?!

“No wonder. This old man knew the distinguished disciples of Yonglu Mountain would not act so rashly. In truth, this matter… arose from my own foolishness.”

Jiang Fengnian stepped in at just the right moment to rescue the situation.

“At the time, my eldest daughter, Baozhu, was in mortal danger. My wife and I were frantic with worry, yet we had nowhere to seek help. That was why we sent a message to Yonglu Mountain, hoping Ah Ying could ask her teachers for assistance.

“Ah Ying refused, and we began arguing. In truth, I knew that she was only an ordinary outer disciple at Yonglu Mountain. How could she possibly persuade a Venerable of the Soul Transformation Realm to intervene? So that day, she stormed out in anger… Alas. Later, Baozhu passed away.”

“Jiang Ying” promptly raised her voice.

“Yes! I didn’t return home that day, and I didn’t return to the city either. Are you satisfied now? I have a poor relationship with this family. Did you have to expose that in front of everyone? My elder sister is already dead. Even if the person crying for help was me, did you have to come and question me now? May I ask what crime I have committed?”

After saying this, “Jiang Ying” steadied herself.

She told herself that she would not be exposed. She had been able to move freely around Yonglu Mountain, which proved that nothing was wrong with her current state.

She was Jiang Ying.

Jiang Ying was her.

“My apologies. We spoke out of turn.”

Wen Xu immediately backed down and cupped his hands.

“Please do not blame us, Junior Sister Jiang. My condolences. Oh, right. This is the Five Elements spirit sword you ordered from Artifact Refining Peak. I’m close to a senior brother there, so I brought it over for him while I was passing by.”

A Five Elements spirit sword?

She lowered her head and looked. It truly was an unattributed, low-level spirit sword.

Thinking of her own spiritual root, “Jiang Ying” felt a flash of suffocating resentment.

Five spiritual roots were still far too many.

“Thank you, Junior Granduncle-Master, but next time, I will handle such matters myself.”

The sword Wen Xu was holding out suddenly withdrew.

The smile on his face tightened.

“You are not Junior Sister Jiang. Who exactly are you? Junior Sister Jiang does not know the Blazing Fire Incineration Array. She specializes in Five Elements spells, and she never placed an order for a spirit sword at Artifact Refining Peak. You have taken on Junior Sister Jiang’s appearance. What are you plotting?”

The expressions of both Jiang Fengnian and his daughter changed dramatically.

Neither had expected the entire thing to be a trap.

Meanwhile, the Yunxia Sect disciples suddenly cried out.

“The Blazing Fire Incineration Array! That was Senior Sister Baozhu’s signature array!”

Oh?

There was something like that too?!

“Jiang Baozhu? So you’re Jiang Baozhu. You substituted yourself for her?”

In a sense, Wen Xu had uncovered the truth.

What he did not know was how the two sisters had exchanged places, nor how they had successfully deceived so many teachers at Yonglu Mountain.

It would have been good if Master were here. With his eyes, perhaps he could have spotted what was wrong with “Jiang Ying” at a single glance.

“Father, what do we do?”

Jiang Fengnian’s expression also changed drastically.

This was Langyuan City, right at the foot of Yonglu Mountain.

He asked himself—

Run!

He was in the early Foundation Establishment Realm. As long as he escaped Langyuan City, there would be no evidence left behind. Jiang Ying would remain Jiang Ying. Even if the divine dragon of Yonglu Mountain came in person, it would not see through her.

Yet Jiang Fengnian had only just stepped backward when he found a blade pointed at him.

“Early Foundation Establishment Realm. I’m your opponent.”

Chen Zui had never expected this trip down the mountain to bring such an unexpected delight.

So the hotpot had merely been the appetizer for their celebration banquet. The real feast was here.

He had never truly fought a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator one-on-one before.

“Chen Zui of Yonglu Mountain. Please enlighten me with your finest moves, fellow Daoist.”

The three Yunxia Sect disciples nearly leaped out of their own skins.

What was happening?

What in the world was happening?

Why had a fight suddenly broken out?

Since when could someone in the Qi Refining Realm fight a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator and suppress them?!

Was that reasonable?

Indeed, Jiang Fengnian was rather weak.

At least, from Chen Zui’s perspective, this opponent merely possessed somewhat greater spiritual power. His offensive methods were not even comparable to those of the outer disciple Li Anqu, whom Chen Zui had fought that day.

With Jiang Fengnian intercepted, “Jiang Ying” naturally could not escape either.

The sounds of fighting outside inevitably reached the inner hall. Once Madam Jiang learned that her daughter was outside as well, she hurried out at a trot.

“What are you doing?! Let go of my daughter! My daughter is a disciple of Yonglu Mountain! Just you wait—”

Madam Jiang’s voice died in her throat.

No matter how ignorant she was, she still recognized the robes of Yonglu Mountain disciples.

“You must be Madam Jiang. Your own daughter was switched with someone else, yet you didn’t notice?”

It was over.

They had been exposed!

Madam Jiang was not a cultivator. She had no way to judge the cultivation levels of the three young people before her. Hearing this and seeing the situation, she immediately assumed that the soul exchange had been discovered.

As a mother, her first instinct was naturally to protect her daughter.

Before “Jiang Ying” had any chance to silence her, Madam Jiang blurted out, “Let her go! Please, I beg you, let her go! She only wanted to cultivate too badly. Whatever punishment there is, direct it at me instead. This old life of mine isn’t worth anything. You can take it!”

Bian Chunzhou: …

That was overwhelming.

The stench of an unreasonable, overindulgent parent was overwhelming.

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