Chapter 64: Soul-Shattering Jade Banquet (Part 2): Do You Have Proof That I’m a Fake? Part 2

But enlightenment came too late.

Wen Yu reached out and hugged the woman, sobbing: “I’m sorry… Silver Snake… I’m sorry.”

Sunlight spilled down generously. The willow branches encircling the house swayed in the gentle breeze, tearing at everything.

Shang Shan held the overly soft woman, her gaze trembling ceaselessly. She couldn’t imagine that this fierce corpse’s origins and cause of death were so absurd!

She couldn’t help saying: “You…”

Her language faculties failed her momentarily. She struggled to process such chaotic information and got stuck, unable to utter a single word.

Jiang Yuanqi was silent for a moment before climbing back into the room through the window. He came to the bedside, pulled out a chest from underneath, twisted off the lock, and opened it. On top lay that tattered set of black combat attire, with a coiling silver coiled snake on the chest.

A heavy hatred appeared in his brows and eyes, fixed on the little snake. The lock had already been twisted into a scrap of iron in his palm. He took a deep breath, suppressed his rage, grabbed the clothes, and walked out.

Mu Qian Tan figured the time was about right, put away the book, and walked out from under the tree’s shadow.

At that moment, two shadows drifted from under the eaves, shaking out long sabers and stabbing straight at Shang Shan, who sat on the stone steps. The little paper figure, which had been resting in the corner, sprang into action upon hearing the disturbance, intercepting them midway. The two tumbled to the ground and rolled away warily. They were Ji Ce and Cong Rong.

Wen Yu seemed to have had her soul drawn out, her gaze vacant, drifting hazily back onto the woman. Mu Qian Tan walked up to her, blocking her line of sight, and said: “Let her go.”

Shang Shan was still in shock and didn’t react. Mu Qian Tan kicked her lightly: “Shang Shan? Snap out of it.”

Shang Shan subconsciously reached for her boot but grabbed air. Only then did she look up, her lips trembling: “Master, you’re here?”

“Have I not always been here?” Mu Qian Tan glanced at the two guards itching to snatch the person and said: “Give her to them.”

Shang Shan grabbed her hair, looked back at the two, helped Wen Yu to her feet, and seemed somewhat at a loss.

Cong Rong gripped her long saber, nerves taut, and slowly approached. Seeing that though the two had varying expressions and seemed hard to deal with, they showed no intent to act, she rushed forward in one go, scooping Wen Yu into her arms with one hand before retreating.

Jiang Yuanqi walked out from the room, his face again wearing that light smile: “I want to take that fierce corpse. No problem, right?”

He spoke to Wen Yu, but she clearly had no capacity to respond. Ji Ce stepped forward to block him and asked: “What do you want her for?”

Jiang Yuanqi said: “Are you sure you want to ask so clearly? If we dig into it, wouldn’t hiding a fierce corpse that harms people be more worth investigating? Especially your family’s young miss, she…”

“It wasn’t my master who harmed people outside. She was the one controlling the silver snake to keep it from randomly killing! Otherwise, the outside would have been in chaos long ago!” Ji Ce interrupted him, his chest heaving violently, emotions running high. He must have suffered a lot during this time.

The man before him remained composed. Ji Ce calmed his mood and turned his head: “No, that’s no longer the silver snake. Take her away.”

Jiang Yuanqi said: “Good. Be so kind as to find me a horse.”

Ji Ce’s throat moved as he looked at the ground.

That eerie little paper figure that had knocked them down was still crawling, seemingly wanting to grab the speaking man’s boot. Even the dimmest could tell these people before them were no mortals—likely immortals drawn by the murder case at last.

If they were immortals, they absolutely couldn’t be provoked. Forget punishment; just asking for a horse was letting them off lightly. Ji Ce turned and instructed Cong Rong something before going to fetch the horse.

Cong Rong reversed her grip on the saber, propping it on the ground. She knelt on one knee and gently supported Wen Yu against her thigh, letting her lie more comfortably. But Wen Yu’s eyes were unfocused, allowing herself to be maneuvered, only staring blankly at the woman in the formation, her eyes a uniform gray-black.

While Ji Ce fetched the horse, Jiang Yuanqi turned to face Mu Qian Tan and asked with a light smile: “Yao’e Immortal, might I trouble you to step aside for a little chat?”

This instance was just missing its tail end, so why was the male protagonist coming to chat with her now? And what was there to talk about between them? Still needing to avoid the female protagonist. Mu Qian Tan glanced at him and replied: “Where to?”

Jiang Yuanqi opened his palm, pointing toward the shade of the trees outside the courtyard, then took the lead. Mu Qian Tan told them not to move here and followed.

Shang Shan stood in place. She looked at the silver snake—no need for her. She looked at her master’s back—no need there either. Over at Wen Yu, only wariness. She wasn’t needed anywhere and couldn’t go anywhere!

But who could tell her what was going on right now?

Over there, Jiang Yuanqi walked under the shade of the trees and got straight to the point. “Yao’e Immortal, I’ve always been curious. Why do you follow Lady Shang around but never make a move? If it’s to train your disciple, why don’t you ever offer any guidance? From my perspective as an outsider, it doesn’t look like you’re teaching her at all. It looks more like you’re surveilling her.”

She hadn’t expected any kind words from him anyway. Sure enough, it was just a subtle questioning. Mu Qian Tan said, “You know you’re just an outsider, so why do you stick your nose in so much? Are all master-disciple relationships in the world supposed to follow the same template?”

Jiang Yuanqi took a deep breath and sighed. “Yao’e Immortal, let’s be frank. No more evasive words. I still remember your performance at Flying Dragon Abyss last time. I looked into it afterward—one body with two souls could mean a guardian spirit, possession, or maybe a little ghost you keep by your side, and so on. So which one is that Li Biyuan?”

Suddenly called out by name, Li Biyuan held back a curse: ‘Fuck…’ and immediately covered her mouth.

Whenever the Male Protagonist showed up, she made sure to stay silent, not even daring to slurp her instant noodles lest she give herself away. But it was useless. Even if she stayed as quiet as a mouse, someone still had her in their sights.

The fact that he could hear heart voices was a ticking time bomb. That it had held off exploding until now was what surprised Mu Qian Tan. She slightly raised her chin and said calmly, “None of your damn business.”

He hadn’t expected her to fire back with such crude words. Jiang Yuanqi choked for a moment before saying, “You know I’ve been searching for my family all along, right?”

Mu Qian Tan said, “I know. But none of your damn business.”

Jiang Yuanqi choked again. He rubbed his forehead for a moment, then stopped beating around the bush and laid it all out. “Male Protagonist, Female Protagonist, Shared Fate Curse… what do all these mean? Does that Li Biyuan have the ability to pull you out of this body? And are you really Yao’e Immortal?”

This was tearing the mask off—no more pretending.

Mu Qian Tan moved her lips. “What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying, since Yao’e Immortal knows where my family is, and that information means nothing to you, why hide it from this poor little brother? Why not do a good deed or name your price and just tell me outright?”

Jiang Yuanqi lowered his brows and leaned forward slightly. “It’d be easier to just move your lips than to have the whole world know Yao’e Immortal is a fake, then have everyone out for your blood, forcing you to flee in panic.”

Oh, a threat.

He actually could have used this approach to press her back at Flying Dragon Cliff. But at that time, he was still cautious enough not to make an uncertain enemy or risk a direct confrontation. He was also willing to search for his family on his own strength—he was still young, with plenty of time.

But now, with this Silver Snake suddenly appearing, it meant trouble at home. Even something like the Demon Seal, that sinister artifact, had resurfaced. He couldn’t rest easy without going back to check, but he didn’t want to give up the search either. So he took a desperate gamble and went straight for the kill.

In the end, he was still young and couldn’t keep his cool.

Under the dappled tree shadows, Mu Qian Tan said, “Always sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, Jiang Yuanqi.”

The fake name Wen Jingfeng he’d made up was in the past. Both sides had now laid themselves bare to each other.

Jiang Yuanqi wasn’t surprised that she knew his real name. If anything, he grew more excited. Though he didn’t know the reason yet, it proved she really did know a lot.

Unfortunately, her next words poured cold water right over his head.

Mu Qian Tan said, “Every day at Tianyu Sect, I face off against some of the most powerful cultivators in the world—hall masters, sect masters, and such. Guess if any of them have suspected me?”

She took a few steps forward. The young man’s gaze darkened, fixed on her without wavering, but she forced him to retreat backward. She continued, “And here I am, still standing perfectly fine in front of you. Guess if their suspicions panned out?”

Jiang Yuanqi said, “They have no evidence…”

Mu Qian Tan cut him off. “Do you?”

Jiang Yuanqi pressed his lips tight, a shadow flickering in his eyes. Mu Qian Tan said unhurriedly, “Do you have evidence that I’m a fake?”