Chapter 566: Smile a Little?

After Fang Ji got on the bus, with just a few words he made the atmosphere unbearably heavy, as if something in the air was brewing and a single spark would set off a violent explosion. Huá Sāng stared intently at Lu Yibei and silently unfolded her psychic sense. 

The psychic energy fluctuation was the same as before, roughly only around Class B, and the aura was completely unfamiliar. But why did the girl who just got on the bus say she sensed an aura similar to Lu Yibei’s on her? Could it be that the aura she spoke of wasn’t the aura of a psychic energy fluctuation, but some kind of unique aura? Thinking this, Huá Sāng parted her lips slightly, as if she was about to say something. 

Just then, the bus driver glanced over through the rearview mirror, a trace of displeasure flashing across his face, and he shouted, “Passenger, don’t just stand there after getting on!”

“The mountain road ahead is rough—hurry and find a seat before you take a fall.”

Hearing this, Fang Ji froze for a moment, quickly bowed toward the driver, and said repeatedly, “Sorry, sorry!”

As he spoke, he strode over and sat down in the seat behind Lu Yibei and Huá Sāng. —

Lu Yibei glanced at Fang Ji behind her from the corner of her eye, then at Huá Sāng beside her whose gaze hadn’t shifted for a moment, and began to ponder in secret. “…”

Judging from the fact that Huá Sāng was sent to monitor me, she may not be the most gifted disciple of the Great Pure Palace, but the degree of trust she enjoys might even be higher than Fu Xinyi’s. If my haunting transformation secret is exposed to her, she has no reason to help me hide it; it will definitely reach the Dark Emperor. 

When that happens and the Dark Emperor makes a move, not only will I have no chance of getting the fragment of the Pure Lotus Sword, but even squatting at the gate of Zhen Ting Hall as a doorkeeper would be my best possible outcome. 

Although Lu Yibei felt that being a gatekeeper for the Great Pure Palace, aside from being a bit shameful, wasn’t that bad—by clinging to the Dark Emperor’s thigh this way, she could live stably as a salted fish—thinking that she might never again have the chance to free her father’s remnant soul imprisoned by the Eclipse Society, and that in the future if Jiang Li was still willing to see her, she’d have to buy a ticket, she couldn’t accept it. 

Do I have to put on an act again? But the reason I fooled Fu Xinyi before was mainly because she saw me using the Taihe Gentleman Sword against Suolang Baima and Ms. 

Rabbit and, with that first impression, took me for a senior of the Great Pure Palace. Huá Sāng not only looks sharper than Fu Xinyi, but she also has no other factors affecting her judgment—can a fabricated story really get me through? 

Lu Yibei thought with a headache. Facing Huá Sāng, she couldn’t treat her like those psychics and hauntings who were already her enemies—she couldn’t just use charm or [royal authority] to influence the other party’s mind and then stuff an Alchemical Bomb in their mouths once the goal was achieved. This is tricky! —

Meanwhile. Noticing that the atmosphere on the bus had grown strange, Salih and Shem began whispering. Salih hunched his neck, covered his mouth with one hand, and asked softly, “Elder, what’s going on now? Why did the three of them all get weird after the false Holy Son mentioned Lu Yibei’s name?”

“The Holy Son is the Holy Son; a fake is a fake! Where did ‘false Holy Son’ come from?” Shem corrected in a low voice. As he spoke, he looked toward the three by the door and continued, “In my opinion, Lu Yibei is definitely someone who has had entanglements with all three of them.”

“And the aura the fake mentioned definitely isn’t the aura of a psychic energy fluctuation, otherwise the woman tailing the Holy Son would have noticed something long ago.”

Hearing this, Salih suddenly seemed to understand, his eyes lighting up. “Elder, I get it! Could the aura that the false Holy Son mentioned be the fragrance of the Flower of Miracles?”

“…”

Shem hadn’t immediately connected the aura Fang Ji mentioned with the fragrance of the Flower of Miracles. After “thinking it over carefully” for a few seconds, he nodded. “Very likely!”

“Then what should we do next?” Salih asked in a low voice. “Hmm…” Shem pondered for a moment, looked at Lu Yibei, and said solemnly, “Assist her in secret!”

After a pause, he added, “It’d be best if we can let her sense our goodwill and win her favor, so it’ll be easier to approach her after we get off and confirm her relationship with the Holy Son.”

Hearing this, Salih nodded gravely. “Understood!”

—

Two minutes later. After sitting down, Fang Ji hunched his neck and cautiously watched the bus driver for a while. Once he was sure the uncle wouldn’t scold him again, he finally spoke, detonating the long-brewing instability on the bus. He reached out and lightly patted Lu Yibei on the shoulder. “Sister, you still haven’t answered my earlier question.”

As soon as he spoke, Huá Sāng also turned to look at Lu Yibei, nodding slightly. “Mm. I also want to know why there’s Lu Yibei’s aura on you.”

“If it’s convenient, could you explain?”

I have my own standards—no matter how you explain it, I won’t fully believe you, but I still want to hear your excuses first… Huá Sāng added silently in her heart. “I…” Lu Yibei opened her mouth, then steeled herself, covered her face with both hands, and spoke in a heavy, pained tone, “Why? Why do you keep saying his name?”

In just a few seconds after the words fell, her emotions escalated from the initial pain of having an old wound torn open to a breakdown as the painful memories churned in her heart. Two crystalline tear tracks slid slowly through the gaps between her fingers. “Wuu wuu—! Do you know that every time you mention his name, it feels like a sharp blade is stabbing into my chest, blood gushing—do you understand?”

“You want to know why there’s an aura similar to his? Fine, I’ll tell you! My name is Wang Buliuxing, and I’ve known Lu Yibei since we were about five…”

As she spoke, Lu Yibei briefly recalled the additional experience related to Nanling Rao Hua that had surfaced under the influence of the embryonic Divine Land, inserted herself into Nanling Rao Hua’s role, embellished it with a few details, and wove a youthful story with a sweet first taste and a bitter aftertaste. “Isn’t it normal to be tinged with the aura of someone you’ve spent over a decade with day in and day out? It’s just that he later changed—vanished from my world without warning…”

“Sigh, to be honest, I came here to look for him too, but I lost his trail near the scenic area. Seeing it getting late, I had no choice but to return to my place in the city first.”

As Lu Yibei spoke, she sniffled lightly and raised her sleeve to wipe the tears at the corners of her eyes. Fang Ji stared at her blankly, wanting to speak but stopping. Although he didn’t really understand the emotion of “liking,” after witnessing Lu Yibei’s splendid “performance,” he could sense the bitterness in her words and was deeply shaken. 

“…” Huá Sāng looked at Lu Yibei, silent for a moment, her eyes trembling slightly as if calculating something. 

She remembered Li Xuan’s instructions when he first introduced Lu Yibei to her. Li Xuan told her that although Lu Yibei wasn’t some heinous villain, he had a frightening number of bad ideas and superb acting skills. 

At most, believe half of what he says. When dealing with Lu Yibei, always beware of being set up. Previously, after interacting with Lu Yibei, she’d found him somewhat different from what Li Xuan had said and hadn’t taken his words to heart. 

But faced with the current situation and recalling Li Xuan’s warning, she couldn’t help but grow more vigilant. That is to say, assuming the Lu Yibei before me has turned into this girl for some mysterious reason and doesn’t want me to see through it, she’s very likely acting, and I can only believe half of what she says…

But which half is true? Forget it, that’s not important! What’s important is that Senior Brother said Lu Yibei has severe facial paralysis, and this girl covered her face with both hands when laughing and crying. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence—needs some probing. As Huá Sāng thought this and was about to speak, Salih’s voice suddenly came from the back row. “That’s right, everything this young lady said is true!”

“I can prove it—she and Lu Yibei are definitely in that kind of relationship!”

“We also know Lu Yibei, and we know him well. Given his nature, he’s absolutely capable of that kind of scumbag behavior!”

“???” Lu Yibei turned to look at the unfamiliar boy, tilting her head. Who the hell are you? Don’t stir up trouble! You say you know Lu Yibei, but did you even ask him for permission?

As she was silently grumbling, she noticed Shem, standing beside Salih, giving her a slight nod. The corners of his bearded lips curled upward ever so slightly into a meaningful, unsettling smile.

It made her skin crawl.

Lu Yibei, “…”

Despite them acting like self-proclaimed “righteous warriors” disgusted by Lu Yibei’s disgraceful behavior, Lu Yibei couldn’t shake the feeling that they were more like “human traffickers pretending to be parents, trying to lure a kid away from kindergarten.”

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Huá Sāng narrowed her eyes slightly as she observed Salih and Shem. Those two unknown psychics… they really do know Lu Yibei, don’t they? I might need to inform Shifu later and have someone investigate them.

After a brief silence, Fang Ji suddenly stood up and clenched his fists. “I never expected Lu Yibei to be that kind of person!”

“Don’t worry, sis! We can look for him together. Once we find him, I’ll help you take him down!”

As he spoke, his righteous indignation made it clear that he had completely fallen for Lu Yibei’s nonsense.

Lu Yibei, “…” Yeah, find him first. Then we’ll see who takes down whom.

Huá Sāng nodded slightly, following Fang Ji’s lead and speaking softly, “Apologies, I misunderstood you earlier.”

“Since we’re all looking for Lu Yibei, why not team up?”

More people means more strength, and more chances to coast along! Huá Sāng added inwardly.

Seeing Huá Sāng seemingly fooled, Lu Yibei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Who needs your help anyway? Once we get off, we go our separate ways and never cross paths again!

However, Huá Sāng’s next words instantly tightened her just-relaxed nerves.

“Alright, alright, let’s put unhappy matters aside for now. How about a smile?” Huá Sāng suggested.

“This… isn’t really appropriate right now, is it? I’m in a terrible mood. I can’t smile at all!” Lu Yibei instinctively protested.

At that, Huá Sāng placed a hand on Lu Yibei’s shoulder, her fingers subtly tightening. It looked like she was gently massaging her shoulder to boost her spirits, but in reality, she had quietly positioned her fingers near Lu Yibei’s shoulder blade, ready to restrain her movement if necessary.

“Precisely because you’re in a terrible mood, you should smile! From my personal experience, facing sorrow with a smile is a great remedy for pain.”

“Come on now, give us a smile, Miss Wang.”

Huá Sāng’s words were indeed drawn from her own experiences of overcoming childhood darkness. Even if the so-called “Wang Buliuxing” was telling the truth, her words still had a comforting effect.

“That’s right, sis, just smile for us?” Fang Ji chimed in.

Even the driver glanced at Lu Yibei through the rearview mirror, looking full of anticipation.

“Hmm, this young lady is right!” Salih nodded approvingly. “A smile won’t hurt. Maybe in the next second, a miracle will happen!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shem yanked him back down to his seat.

“Elder, I wasn’t done talking yet!”

“Shut up! Whose side are you on?!” Shem growled.

“Heh…” Under the collective urging, Lu Yibei covered her mouth with a soft chuckle, then nodded. “Mm, after smiling, I really do feel much better!”

“Miss Wang is so lovely—her smile must be truly beautiful,” Huá Sāng said with a gentle smile. “You should have more confidence, smile openly and generously. That’ll make it easier to lift your mood.”

Hearing this, Lu Yibei froze and stared at Huá Sāng.

She had a soft and caring expression, as if she truly was trying to console a heartbroken girl. However, deep within her slightly languid eyes, there was an unmistakable glint of cunning.

It was like a carnivorous turtle lurking in a deep pond, disguised as a fallen leaf, waiting for a small fish to swim by. The moment it did—snap!—its sharp beak would tear the fish apart mercilessly.

Lu Yibei, “!!!”

Damn it! She did that on purpose! She never even believed me! It was all an act!

How did I not see this earlier? She seems like a nice girl, but deep down, she’s pitch black inside!

In truth, had Lu Yibei spent even a few more days with Fu Xinyi, she would have quickly realized that Huá Sāng had always been like this—outwardly lazy and serene, but inwardly as dark as a stormy night.

When Lu Yibei remained silent, blankly staring at her, Huá Sāng had a moment of clarity. She shrugged. “Well, it’s clear that Miss Wang really is in a bad mood. This kind of thing can’t be forced. Take your time, then?”

Although she wasn’t sure why Lu Yibei had suddenly turned into Miss Wang, in Huá Sāng’s mind, she was now at least 90% certain that this girl in front of her was Lu Yibei.

That explains why, back at the waterfall cluster, I saw Lu Yibei undressing…

Once we get off, I’ll keep an eye on her. Let’s see what she’s up to. Maybe I’ll stumble upon something unexpected. Then, I’ll report everything to the old man and let him judge for himself.

The night erosion that relieved Spirit Pattern instability, the sudden transformation into a beautiful girl without any trace of a haunting, the inexplicable heartache that came with her change…

There were still too many things about Lu Yibei that Huá Sāng wanted to uncover. Now that she had confirmed this “Miss Wang’s” identity, she chose not to expose her just yet. Instead, she remained silent and continued observing.

She stretched lazily and leaned against the car window, closing her eyes to rest.

Just as she expected—keeping tabs on Lu Yibei really was a pain in the ass.

As a proud member of the Explosive Machine Faction, she had just acted like a Scheming Bastard Faction member, and her energy bar was nearly depleted.

So exhausting…

At this rate, she’d end up burning through her energy reserves for the next few days in advance. Once this tedious task was over, she was definitely going to bring some provisions, find a secluded spot, and sleep for three days straight!

Lu Yibei narrowed her eyes, watching Huá Sāng for a couple of seconds before looking away. She silently returned to the last row, settling into the seat by the window, and pulled down the brim of her hat.

She was now certain—Huá Sāng had noticed something. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had that look in her eyes, nor would she have tested her like that.

But why didn’t she expose me outright?

Was it because she wasn’t 100% certain and chose to act cautiously, deciding to keep following me and gather more evidence?

Or was it because the jacket’s imitation completely masked my original psychic energy fluctuation? Since she couldn’t detect that I was a haunting, she let me off the hook?

Tch! Whatever she’s thinking, I’m bolting the second we get off. This is Shizhou City, not Zhenwu Mountain Scenic Area. Losing one person will be easy.

In her mind, even if Huá Sāng had vaguely guessed her identity as Lu Yibei, as long as she didn’t get solid evidence proving she was a haunting, there was still room to maneuver.

Is it forbidden for a male psychic to turn into a female psychic through some method? If there’s no proof, the Great Pure Palace can’t just persecute an innocent trainee operator, right?

But, just to be safe, it’d be better not to return to the Great Pure Palace just yet.

She would wait a couple of days in Shizhou City, ask Meng to rush a human-form Paper Cicada Immortal via express delivery, then use it to probe the situation before making any decisions.

Speaking of Paper Cicada Immortals, that guy…

Lu Yibei glanced at Fang Ji, who had turned around to flash her a silly grin, and slightly furrowed her brows.

Maybe I should just detonate the Paper Cicada Immortal she has on her as soon as we get off? That’ll stop her from pestering me. If I time the explosion well and control the distance, it shouldn’t kill her.

Just as she was contemplating, the phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated.

She pulled it out and glanced at the screen—a website link from Online Old Pervert.

Frowning, she read the message.

Wang Buliuxing: “Did browsing shady websites get you hacked?”

Online Pervert 00: “The shady websites I visit are all very legitimate. How could my account possibly get hacked? Anyway, back to business. Take a look first—someone has issued you a designated task.”

A designated task? Lu Yibei tilted her head and opened the message Online Old Pervert had sent. The haunting bounty website’s yellow-and-black interface appeared before her eyes. Unlike the detailed descriptions for most bounties on the haunting bounty website, the description for this designated task was quite brief.

[Task Description: Join the Esoteric Society hidden within the Great Pure Palace.

Bounty Commission: The thing you are searching for inside the Great Pure Palace.]

Lu Yibei continued reading downward. When she saw the bounty commission field, her pupils trembled slightly, and then she chose [Refuse to Accept Task] without the slightest hesitation.

That whatever Society—I’ve never even heard of it. Only an idiot would join some random organization! And then there’s this vague bounty commission, plus Huá Sāng just guessed my identity…

And now I receive this kind of designated task. If you tell me there’s nothing fishy here, I absolutely won’t believe it!

As Lu Yibei thought this, she looked at Huá Sāng’s back and glared fiercely at her. Immediately after, she lowered her head and saw the words “Task has been accepted” appear on her phone screen.

Lu Yibei froze for a moment, then hurriedly switched to a certain Penguin social app and sent Online Old Pervert a message.

Wang Buliuxing: “No way, right? We’re already this close, and you’re still pulling this scummy move? Forcing me to accept the task, huh? [/angry]”

Online Pervert 00: “Hm? No, we didn’t! Wait a second, let me check. [confused little loli gaze]”

A few seconds later.

Online Pervert 00: “Strange. On my end, it shows that you did successfully refuse the task, but the task was still successfully accepted by someone.

“But it wasn’t you. There was an error, and the task got pushed to some person with the ID [A Little Hamster]. I have no idea how he miraculously bypassed the block and accepted it successfully. It was clearly your designated task…

“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll handle it on my end.”

After reading Online Old Pervert’s reply, Lu Yibei pondered for two seconds, and then a bold idea suddenly emerged in her mind. She hurriedly typed a message.

Wang Buliuxing: “Wait! Don’t rush to handle it yet. Can you send me that guy’s account?”

Online Pervert 00: “What are you planning to do? You’re not going to do something wicked again, are you? [wary little loli gaze]”

Wang Buliuxing: “What bad intentions could I possibly have? I’m just very interested in the reward for this task, but I don’t dare accept it myself, so I was thinking of giving this lucky person some help.

“If he can complete the task smoothly and obtain the reward, I’ll just trade with him afterward. Worst case, I’ll have your haunting bounty website notarize the transaction when the time comes. You offer that service too, don’t you?”

If someone is willing to be cannon fodder and test the waters, then that’s naturally excellent~!

After waiting for a moment.

Online Pervert 00: “That works too, but you can’t force anyone, and you can’t impersonate the haunting chat group to issue false information. I’ll be checking your chat records.”

Wang Buliuxing: “That’s all? Don’t worry. I, Calamity, never do anything that forces others!”

I have plenty of ways to make them volunteer.

Online Pervert 00: “[A Little Hamster’s contact card]”

The next moment, Online Old Pervert saw a notification appear in the Hua City haunting chat group.

[Wang Buliuxing invited Calamity to join the group chat]

Online Pervert 00: “Inviting yourself? Are you seriously doing that right now?”

Wang Buliuxing: “[pink-haired loli playing dumb]”

————

One minute later.

At the front of the bus.

Fang Ji held his phone and looked at the task acceptance success notification that the haunting chat group had inexplicably pushed to him, his eyes shining with excitement.

He had come to the Great Pure Palace in the first place to search for something—something even he himself found difficult to describe specifically.

Now someone was telling him that as long as he completed the task, he would be able to find what he wanted. How could he not be excited?

Just as he was excited, a friend verification notification suddenly popped up.

[“Calamity” from the Hua City haunting chat group requests to add you as a friend]

Fang Ji hesitated for a moment, then chose to approve the verification. The next moment, he received a message from “Calamity.”

Calamity: “It is reported that you have just successfully accepted a task from the haunting bounty website. I am your mission guide. Before the task begins, I have one question I would like to confirm with you. Did you accept this task voluntarily? If not, I can help you cancel the task from my side.”

A Little Hamster: “Mm-hm, it was voluntary.”

Calamity: “Thank you for your cooperation! Next, throughout the process of completing your task, I will be at your service the entire time. Please also share your task progress promptly so that I can provide you with precise assistance. [pink-haired loli smile]”

A Little Hamster: “That’s great, thank you. Let’s work hard together!”

————

On the outskirts of Hua City, inside a certain villa.

After Online Old Pervert finished reading the exchange between Lu Yibei and “A Little Hamster,” she fiercely slurped two mouthfuls of instant noodles and muttered, “Why does this smell so much like online fraud? Tch, what a scumbag!”

Although she deeply despised Lu Yibei’s behavior, she had no reason to stop her.

First of all, “A Little Hamster” had accepted the task voluntarily, and Lu Yibei had even confirmed it once.

Secondly, Lu Yibei only said she was a mission guide; she did not say she was a task instructor sent by the haunting chat group.

Lastly, Lu Yibei had no malicious intent. According to the system’s judgment, she really would provide “A Little Hamster” with help, and “A Little Hamster” also needed her help. This conformed to the behavior of private transactions between haunting chat group members, and the haunting chat group administrator was not to interfere too much.

The only problem was that this private transaction seemed a little unfair…