Shangguan Liqian saw Ling Yin’s shock and gave a small, smiling nod.
Since she had already married Wushuang, she naturally had no intention of hiding their relationship from outsiders. It would also save that girl from overthinking things and letting her imagination run wild all day.
Ling Yin, who had finally managed to accept the fact that the two were a married couple, suddenly furrowed her brows again.
She stole a glance at Luo Wushuang before looking back at Shangguan Liqian. “What did you say her name was just now?”
Seeing the strange look on Ling Yin’s face, Shangguan Liqian’s own brows knitted slightly, though she still replied patiently, “Luo Wushuang. Why? Is something wrong?”
Luo Wushuang? That name sounded somewhat familiar. Had she heard it somewhere before?
Ling Yin racked her brain for a long time, but she still couldn’t recall anything. She could only give up for the time being.
Meeting Shangguan Liqian’s questioning gaze, Ling Yin waved her hand and feigned composure. “No… it’s nothing. I just think it’s a very beautiful name.”
Despite her words, her heart remained unsettled. She was certain she had heard that name somewhere. But where?
From the moment her “Sister” introduced her as her wife, Luo Wushuang had been grinning like a fool.
[Xiaobai: Doesn’t she look exactly like a landlord’s dim-witted daughter?]
Shangguan Liqian glanced at her, shook her head helplessly, and looked back at Ling Yin. She asked in a seemingly casual tone, “I wonder, how did you first meet Master Yujing?”
At the mention of this, Ling Yin let out a long sigh.
“Sigh, that’s a long story. Let me lead you to Spirit Spring Valley first. I’ll explain on the way.”
The two naturally had no objections.
Rather than wandering aimlessly around the island and hitting dead ends at every turn, it was much easier to have a local guide the way.
Under Ling Yin’s lead, the group carefully avoided the numerous guards stationed across the island, moving steadily toward Spirit Spring Valley.
However, the Island of Forgotten Sorrows was simply too large. They traveled for over half a month and still hadn’t caught a glimpse of the valley.
But seeing as they hadn’t encountered any real danger during such a long trek, Shangguan Liqian and Luo Wushuang began to place more trust in this partner who had sought them out.
Along the way, they learned from Ling Yin that Master Yujing had visited Wuyou Island roughly ten years ago.
At that time, a plague had suddenly broken out. Those infected would lose all strength in their limbs and suffer from constant high fevers.
The plague was aggressive. Later, many people suffered from festering sores all over their bodies, literally dying from the excruciating pain.
The island was littered with corpses that no one had time to bury, and the air was thick with the pungent stench of decay.
Children wailed in hunger while the infected—covered in ulcers and boils—struggled and groaned in agony on the ground, yet no one dared to approach them to help.
The islanders’ eyes were filled with terror and despair. Some families were entirely infected, left with nothing to do but wait for death to claim them.
The entire Island of Forgotten Sorrows was shrouded in a veil of grief and hopelessness.
It was during this time that Master Yujing stepped onto the island.
Relying on his profound medical skills and compassionate heart, he traveled across the island, treating and saving countless people.
Ling Yin’s family was among them. Her parents and siblings had all contracted the plague, and it was Master Yujing who had pulled them back from the gates of hell.
Because of this, Ling Yin trusted Master Yujing implicitly.
It wasn’t just Ling Yin; the other islanders were also deeply grateful to him.
Back then, the head of the Li Family had even specifically asked Master Yujing for advice on how to resolve the island’s chaos.
Before leaving the island, Master Yujing had said that ten years later, a person unfit to walk would arrive, and they would be the key to breaking the island’s disaster.
From that moment on, they had been waiting.
This was the tenth year. They had waited through spring and summer, then through autumn. Seeing that the year was almost over, many had begun to lose hope.
Some even suspected that Master Yujing’s words had merely been a form of comfort. Only Ling Yin remained steadfast in her belief, never giving up.
Fortunately, she had finally found the person Master Yujing spoke of—the one who could quell the troubles of the Island of Forgotten Sorrows.
Seeing the look of gratitude and admiration on Ling Yin’s face when she spoke of Master Yujing, Shangguan Liqian and Luo Wushuang exchanged a glance. Their expressions were grave.
Did Master Yujing predict ten years ago that we would come to the Island of Forgotten Sorrows at this exact time?
Shangguan Liqian increasingly felt that things were not as simple as they seemed.
She also had a rough idea of why the Nether Lord had gone through such great lengths to send her here.
She recalled what the Nether Lord had said back in the Nether Realm: to completely eliminate the influence of malicious and vengeful spirits, one needed immense merit.
Master Yujing had said something similar.
Presumably, the “merit” they spoke of involved resolving the crisis on this island.
However, the Island of Forgotten Sorrows was not small, and its population was significant. If they wanted to intervene in the island’s affairs, the thousand secret guards they brought along might not be enough. If things went south, they could end up trapped, which would be incredibly dangerous.
As she was thinking, she felt a gentle pat on her shoulder. Shangguan Liqian looked up in confusion.
Luo Wushuang smiled. Her lips didn’t move, but her voice appeared clearly in Liqian’s mind:
Sister, do not worry. I already ordered Leng Yu to return and mobilize the army yesterday. When the time comes, we will cut off all contact between the island and the outside world. We’ll catch them like turtles in a jar; not a single evildoer will escape.
Hearing that she had already made arrangements, Shangguan Liqian breathed a small sigh of relief and continued her conversation with Ling Yin.
Shangguan Liqian appeared gentle and harmless, so Ling Yin had no guard up against her at all, answering every question she was asked.
Every word Shangguan Liqian spoke seemed casual, but when pieced together, the amount of information she gathered was not small.
Ling Yin remained completely unaware, continuing to answer patiently.
Luo Wushuang noticed her sister was probing for information and, for once, didn’t make a scene.
In just a few days, Shangguan Liqian had quietly learned about the island’s intricate and complex relationships from Ling Yin.
…
While they were talking, they arrived at a small stream. Ling Yin pointed to it and said, “Once we cross this stream, we’ll be out of this region. Further ahead is the Mo Family’s headquarters. They specialize in mechanical traps and hidden weaponry, so presumably—”
Before Ling Yin could finish, a sudden clamor broke out ahead, sounding like a fight.
Ling Yin’s expression tightened. She signaled for them to remain silent and cautiously moved toward the source of the noise.
Upon getting closer, she realized it wasn’t a fight. It was members of the Shang and Mo families unilaterally beating members of the Li Family who had been imprisoned.
Seeing this, Ling Yin’s rage flared, her teeth gritted in fury. But remembering what she had to do, she took a deep breath and forced herself to suppress the anger in her heart.
When Ling Yin returned with a dark face, Luo Wushuang asked curiously, “What happened?”
“Nothing,” Ling Yin shook her head, struggling to push down the rising fire in her chest.
She had wondered how she could lead so many people across the island for so long without the Shang Family catching wind of it.
It turned out that someone had been drawing their attention away on her behalf.
Thinking about how her companions were being treated, Ling Yin couldn’t help but feel her eyes redden.
If they couldn’t deal with the Shang and Mo families soon, she feared her people wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
The more she thought, the more painful it became, until she wanted nothing more than to turn around and fight them to the death.
But she couldn’t. She had a more important mission to fulfill!
Luo Wushuang looked at her—looking like a pitiful, angry little cabbage while still trying to act tough—and felt quite speechless.
Soon, the secret guard who had been hiding behind Ling Yin to scout the situation returned. He gave a brief summary of the scene ahead.
“Master, it’s a group of people putting on airs and a group of sycophants beating up a group of stubborn people.”
The secret guard’s summary was quite apt. Combined with Ling Yin’s reaction, Shangguan Liqian thought for a moment and quickly understood what was happening.
“The ones being beaten… are they your people?”
