Chapter 70
Chapter 70: A Bold Hypothesis
***
“Sooner or later, you’ll get tricked into bed!”
But the voice was very faint, as thin as a wisp of silk, and Lin Muyu couldn’t hear it.
She turned and walked into the Mission Hall, her gaze sweeping over the various colored jade slips hanging inside the room before immediately locking onto the one in the corner that emitted a faint gray light.
It was precisely the mission jade slip marked with the haunted village.
Lin Muyu walked over with light steps, cupping her hands toward the blue-robed senior sister who was bent over registering at the desk:
“Senior Sister, I’d like to take on that haunted village mission.”
The senior sister in charge of registration looked up upon hearing this, her gaze flowing over Lin Muyu for a moment, carrying a few points of gentle reminder:
“Junior Sister, that’s a D-rank mission. Looking at your cultivation aura, you seem to be in the Qi Refining stage? With such a cultivation level taking on a D-rank mission, I’m afraid it might be somewhat difficult.”
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister, I’m not going alone.”
Lin Muyu looked up and smiled, shallow dimples appearing at her cheeks.
“I have help!”
“Oh?” The senior sister put down the mission in her hand, curiosity floating in her eyes.
“I wonder which senior brother or sister is willing to go together?”
“It’s Senior Sister Su Wanqing!”
Upon hearing this name, the senior sister’s hand paused slightly, a flash of surprise quickly crossing her eyes, followed by what seemed like understanding as a knowing smile spread across her lips:
“So you’re the new junior sister that Jade Lotus Peak took in?”
“Senior Sister knows me?”
Lin Muyu blinked, somewhat surprised.
She had only entered the sect for just over half a month, there shouldn’t be many people who knew about her.
The senior sister lightly tapped the desktop with her fingertip, her tone carrying a few points of envy:
“Who in the entire sect doesn’t know? Jade Lotus Peak has always had few people, just you two disciples.”
“Senior Sister Su already has high popularity and can be recognized wherever she goes. You’re her only junior sister, so naturally everyone remembers you too.”
As she spoke, she got up to take down that gray jade slip and placed it in Lin Muyu’s palm:
“With Senior Sister Su accompanying you, this mission will naturally be secure.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister!”
Lin Muyu had just gripped the jade slip and turned around when she was called back by the senior sister.
“Wait, Junior Sister.”
“Is there something else, Senior Sister?”
“Just now, a junior sister asked me to give this letter to any Qi Refining stage junior sister who comes to take this mission.”
The senior sister smiled as she handed over a letter sealed with fire wax.
“I was just wondering earlier how a Qi Refining stage cultivator would dare take a D-rank mission. Turns out Senior Sister Su is bringing you along.”
“Thank you, Senior Sister!”
Lin Muyu carefully received the letter, her fingertips brushing over the seal on the fire wax to confirm there were no signs of damage or tampering before treasuring it and storing it in the storage bead at her waist.
She didn’t plan to tell Su Wanqing about this.
She wanted to get the Extreme Cold Ice first and give Su Wanqing a surprise.
Clutching the jade slip, she had just walked out of the Mission Hall when she saw Luo Chenxi still standing by the stone steps, her dress hem gently swaying in the wind.
Seeing her come out, Luo Chenxi immediately stepped forward, her brows slightly furrowed as she instructed:
“Make sure to protect yourself.”
“I know.”
Lin Muyu teased.
“Why does Your Highness the Princess care so much about this humble one?”
“…”
Luo Chenxi watched her retreating figure, stamped her feet in anger, and muttered under her breath:
“This dummy, if she keeps this up, she’ll be devoured completely sooner or later!”
Meanwhile, on the other side.
With Su Wanqing’s Foundation Establishment stage eyes, she had already clearly seen the interaction between Lin Muyu and Luo Chenxi just now.
Her calm heart lake was like having a small pebble thrown into it, instantly creating rippling circles.
That sinister voice in her mind emerged again, carrying a few points of schadenfreude:
“See, see? I told you if you don’t make a move, she’ll be snatched away by someone else sooner or later~”
“Shut up.”
Su Wanqing remained outwardly calm, but her hand hanging at her side secretly clenched tight, her knuckles turning pale.
“Who she wants to associate with is her freedom. I have no right to interfere.”
“No right to interfere?”
That voice sounded like it had heard the biggest joke, its mocking tone almost overflowing.
“Is it really none of your business? Do you dare to touch your heart and say you don’t regret it, don’t feel sorry?”
“I don’t regret…”
Su Wanqing gritted her teeth, each word seeming to be squeezed out from between her teeth.
“Hehehe…”
The demonic laughter swirled in her mind, making her feel irritated and confused.
“You can deceive others, you can deceive yourself, but can you deceive me? I am you…”
“Enough, be quiet!”
Su Wanqing quickly recited the Clear Heart Mantra in her mind, trying to suppress that inexplicable irritation.
But that voice was like a bone-attached maggot that couldn’t be shaken off, leaving only one final sinister laugh:
“Your Clear Heart Mantra can suppress things for a moment, but can it suppress them for a lifetime? Just you wait, I’ll grow stronger and stronger… hahahaha…”
Only after that laughter completely disappeared did Su Wanqing slowly release her hand. Her palm was already damp with a thin layer of sweat, her brows tightly furrowed.
It seemed this thing was even more troublesome than she had imagined.
“Senior Sister, I got it!”
A clear voice rang out from in front of her. Lin Muyu happily ran to her, offering the warm jade slip in her hand like presenting a treasure.
Sunlight fell on her face, her smile more heart-stirring than the finest glazed tiles.
“Mm.”
Su Wanqing somewhat woodenly accepted the jade slip. The cool jade touching her fingertips finally made her scattered consciousness slowly return.
The smile on Lin Muyu’s face gradually faded.
She looked at the lingering confusion in Su Wanqing’s eyes and carefully called out softly:
“Senior Sister? What’s wrong with you? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“It’s nothing.”
Su Wanqing took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and her eyes finally gradually regained their usual clarity.
“I was just thinking about some cultivation matters and got a bit absorbed.”
“Senior Sister, you’ve been really strange lately.”
Lin Muyu pouted, her eyes full of worry.
“What’s really troubling you? Tell me about it.”
“Nothing…”
Su Wanqing’s gaze flickered slightly.
She had never been good at lying, but now she could only steel herself to make excuses.
“I just encountered a bottleneck in my cultivation and feel a bit anxious.”
“Senior Sister, you call this anxiety?”
Lin Muyu stared with wide, incredulous eyes.
“In less than a month, you’ve rushed from late Foundation Establishment to the peak, just one step away from Golden Core stage. Who in the entire sect doesn’t envy this speed? What’s there to be anxious about?”
In her view, Su Wanqing was indeed worthy of being the female lead, her cultivation speed was ridiculously fast.
Even being anxious about this was too intense…
It seemed she also needed to work harder…
“So… I’ve been improving this quickly?”
Su Wanqing murmured to herself, her fingertips unconsciously caressing the jade slip in her hand.
She had long noticed that her cultivation speed was abnormal, far exceeding her peer disciples, even somewhat defying common sense.
And the only variable she could think of was Lin Muyu.
Ever since she met Lin Muyu, her cultivation had begun to advance.
Regarding this point, she actually had a bold hypothesis in her heart.
“Mm, Senior Sister really didn’t notice herself?”
Lin Muyu blinked her confused eyes, truly unable to understand what Su Wanqing was worrying about.
“I was being impatient.”
Su Wanqing took a deep breath, adjusted her state of mind, then raised her hand to summon her flying sword.
“Get on, let’s go complete the mission first.”
She hadn’t yet proven that hypothesis, and didn’t know if she would ever have the chance to prove it.