Chapter 49: The Hidden Mechanism Part 2

Reaching the top floor, they were greeted by emerald screens and crimson pillars. Gauze curtains fluttered in the breeze, creating an atmosphere entirely different from the meeting hall below.

Feng Yun’ai had hoped to find some trace of Feng Rong, but she was disappointed. Whether it was the tea set on the table, the books on the desk, or the bedding on the couch—none of it belonged to her Master. Even the patterns on the screens and curtains were not to Feng Rong’s taste, and the handwriting on the stationery was not her Master’s.

“It looks like all of Feng Rong’s things were moved out,” Sang Chencao said, looking around. Her movements were more cautious now, less reckless than before.

Feng Yun’ai scanned the room and shook her head. “I don’t know where they would have been discarded.”

“Where is the storage area for miscellaneous goods in the Alliance? And where is the kitchen?” Sang Chencao asked.

Feng Yun’ai thought for a moment, then walked to the window and pointed. “The kitchen should be over there. If you cross the bridge and follow the corridor, that’s likely where the storage rooms are.”

“You know the layout so well, Xiuxiu,” Sang Chencao said meaningfully. “How many times did you have to look to memorize it so perfectly?”

In her idle time on the mountain, Feng Yun’ai would often look down at Cloud City. Though she had rarely entered it, she had memorized the general layout of the city and the Alliance.

“Let’s go look before the knockout incense wears off.” Sang Chencao made to climb out the window but paused for a moment. “I wonder when Zhou Gui will return.”

Feng Yun’ai shook her head. “Let’s check the storage first.”

Feng Rong had many belongings. If they were to be discarded, they should have been thrown out at Jade-Fall Heights along with her body. But since there was nothing at the heights except the straw mat used to wrap the corpse, the items were likely still within the Alliance.

However, most of Feng Yun’ai’s knowledge of the Alliance’s internal layout came from her Master’s descriptions. She had no idea if there were secret tunnels or hidden rooms.

Feng Yun’ai felt a pang of uncertainty. After all, Feng Rong had never even told her clearly about the hidden room in the Archive. Her Master was always so taciturn, as if she wanted Feng Yun’ai to guess everything. But Feng Yun’ai didn’t consider herself exceptionally brilliant; how was she supposed to guess?

Thinking of this, she glanced sideways at the woman beside her. She felt that if it were this person, perhaps she really could figure it all out.

“It seems the junk is indeed piled here,” Sang Chencao said, pushing open the door to a side chamber. She took a quick look and scoffed. “Everything here has been gathering dust for ages. Let’s try somewhere else.”

Feng Yun’ai stopped in front of another side room and noticed a few fingerprints on the door. It seemed someone had been here recently. She struck the door open with her palm to avoid leaving her own prints. When the door swung open, she was startled to see a relatively clean wooden crate.

It had clearly been placed here recently, as there was no dust on it at all.

She crouched down and carefully opened the crate. Inside were all of Feng Rong’s daily necessities. Tea sets, vases, bowls, and chopsticks—everything was there.

“Found it?” Sang Chencao asked, walking over.

Feng Yun’ai picked up a teacup and examined it closely but couldn’t see anything unusual. If the Thousand Machinations Sect had indeed swapped it, it was no surprise she couldn’t tell.

Sang Chencao leaned over, resting her hands on her knees. She tapped the back of Feng Yun’ai’s hand. “Test it with the umbrella sword first.”

Feng Yun’ai held the umbrella sword over the crate. Not only did the sword begin to hum, but the contents of the crate began to vibrate as well. The porcelain and silver clinked against each other in a melodic chime.

“Indeed,” Sang Chencao sneered. “They really do treat people like fools.”

Feng Yun’ai began pulling the items out one by one. A cold chill spread through her body as she realized that almost every single item had been replaced.

Sang Chencao stood up. “Why don’t we take them all back to the meeting hall and test them one by one?”

Feng Yun’ai wanted to take the entire crate, but that would be too conspicuous. After some deliberation, she chose a few items she knew Feng Rong used most frequently.

Seeing her struggle to carry them, Sang Chencao took some of the items and held them casually. “If you wanted, we could carry the whole crate away. But since we still need to stay hidden, a large box like that would be a liability.”

“We’ll deal with it later,” Feng Yun’ai said, giving the crate one last look before turning away.

The Alliance headquarters remained eerily quiet. The people lying on the ground looked like corpses, sleeping soundly and completely unaware of the intruders passing by.

Back in the meeting hall, Sang Chencao sat in the Alliance Leader’s chair and held out her hand. “Pick one for me. Which one did Feng Rong like to use for her tea?”

Feng Yun’ai selected a cup with a cloud-crane pattern. Feng Rong had always been fond of that design.

Sang Chencao took it and brushed back her sleeve, allowing the small black snake coiled around her wrist to poke its head out. The snake flicked its tongue, licking the rim of the cup.

Though the cup appeared to be made of silver, it didn’t change color despite being coated in poison.

Feng Yun’ai had expected as much, but seeing it with her own eyes was still shocking. “How is this even possible?”

Sang Chencao pulled her sleeve back down and leaned in to inspect the cup, arching an eyebrow. “Perhaps there’s an invisible coating on the surface?”

She wiped the venom from the rim and set the silver cup casually on the desk. Then, she pulled a small porcelain bottle from her waist and poured a bit of medicinal wine into the cup.

“What are you doing now?” Feng Yun’ai asked.

“Since the silver can’t detect the poison, I’ll use something else to test it,” Sang Chencao replied.

Perhaps the Earthstone inside the cup was different from the one in the umbrella sword; when placed on the desk, neither the desk nor the cup vibrated.

Sang Chencao’s expression didn’t change. She remained as intrigued as ever, lazily extending a finger to slowly push the teacup across the surface.

The bottom of the cup ground against the desk, making a long, grating sound. Both objects seemed perfectly normal.

Sang Chencao chuckled. “It seems that umbrella sword is special. The entire blade might be forged from Earthstone.”

The teacup moved slowly. When it reached a certain spot, the pale medicinal wine suddenly turned as black as ink.