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Chapter 38: Coincidence
🕑 Added 2025-03-10 12:29:56 +0000 UTCThe system’s skills were truly impressive.
The three of them were stunned by Ji Rong’s words, momentarily speechless.
Ji Rong thought to herself, this was her chance.
Before they could react, she swiftly picked up the brush again and, in one fluid motion, completed the phoenix head’s feathered details.
As her brush danced across the air, the suspended ink strokes vanished, replaced by the silhouette of a bridge.
The entire structure spanned between Yunxian Cave and Muyunjin emanating a soft, radiant glow.
The wolf-hair brush dissolved into a flurry of dust and scattered.
As the dust settled, the full view of the Xuanhe Floating Immortal Bridge unfolded before them.
Ji Rong was deeply satisfied, an overwhelming sense of accomplishment surging in her chest.
As expected, this lady is an eternal legend!
However, creating the bridge had consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. Her joy lasted only a moment before dizziness overtook her, making her steps unsteady. She swayed slightly, nearly collapsing backward.
Just then, a hand silently reached out, steadying her shoulder.
She turned her head, only to be caught off guard by the heroine’s deep, piercing gaze.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Damn, why does she have to look so terrifying?
Her legs felt even weaker now, teetering as though she might fall over at any moment.
Gu Baiyi frowned slightly at the sight and remarked, “Senior Sister must have exhausted too much spiritual energy while drawing the bridge. Your complexion doesn’t look good.”
No, you’re overthinking it.
Half the reason my face looks bad is because of you.
Ji Rong kept her expression composed, intending to brush it off with an “I’m fine.” But before she could speak, Gu Baiyi’s fingers suddenly pressed lightly against her back.
Her touch was gentle, but years of sword training had left a faint layer of calluses on her fingertips.
Even through the icy fabric of her robe, Ji Rong could feel the warmth of Gu Baiyi’s palm.
Slender fingers, cool skin.
A beauty standing so close, Ji Rong should have been thrilled.
But the beauty touching her back happened to be a crazy protagonist, so instead of feeling delighted, her skin crawled, goosebumps spreading across her arms.
Ji Rong frantically reminded herself that survival was the priority. She fought back the urge to throw Gu Baiyi off and instead asked coldly, “What are you doing?”
To her surprise, the person behind her didn’t answer. Instead, Gu Baiyi only pushed her palm further forward, pressing more firmly against Ji Rong’s spine.
Ji Rong had reached her limit. She gripped the sword at her waist, ready to draw it.
With both hands occupied, Gu Baiyi couldn’t stop Ji Rong’s movements. She had no choice but to lean closer, lowering her voice to a whisper near Ji Rong’s ear.
“Senior Sister, don’t move.”
Truthfully, Gu Baiyi’s voice was slow and gentle, which Ji Rong rather liked.
But that didn’t mean she would let the hand of death casually linger on her back.
Ji Rong let out a cold laugh—To hell with your ‘don’t move’!
If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll really think I’m afraid to fight back!
Xie Bai noticed Gu Baiyi’s intention and chuckled. He explained, “Senior Sister Ji, Senior Sister Gu is transferring her energy to you.”
Ji Rong narrowed her eyes. Energy transfer?
The next moment, the palm on her back grew warm, sending a surge of true energy coursing through her meridians. Her dantian instantly filled with warmth.
Gu Baiyi’s voice echoed beside her ear. “Senior Sister, circulate your energy and meditate.”
Ji Rong snapped back to her senses and followed Gu Baiyi’s instructions, sitting cross-legged to regulate her breath.
After several cycles, her breathing steadied, and Gu Baiyi withdrew her hand.
The warmth at her back vanished abruptly, leaving Ji Rong momentarily unaccustomed to the absence.
“Thank you,” she said, rising gracefully to her feet. Her expression remained indifferent, though her tone was slightly stiff.
Gu Baiyi smiled faintly. “Senior Sister is too polite.”
Because of the energy transfer, a thin layer of sweat formed on Ji Rong’s forehead, melting away her usual icy demeanor. The chill around her seemed to lessen.
Gu Baiyi gazed at Ji Rong’s rare vulnerable state, her eyes darkening.
[Ding! Gu Baiyi’s Favorability +20]
Ji Rong: “?”
Could this favorability increase be any weirder?
She glanced at Gu Baiyi, who looked serene, her eyes gentle. Yet, the slight curve of her lips gave Ji Rong an eerie feeling.
If she had to pinpoint what was unsettling, it was probably that twisted little smile.
But it was only a fleeting moment.
In the next second, Gu Baiyi turned away, her usual mild-mannered expression returning.
She spoke to Ye Chuyang and Xie Bai, “We shouldn’t delay any longer. Let’s go.”
…
The four of them crossed the Xuanhe Floating Immortal Bridge and entered Yunxian Cave.
Yunxian Cave was filled with winding caverns, stalactites of earthy brown hanging from above, while pools of water lay scattered below. The air reeked of blood, and red streams twisted through the pools, staining the surface.
Ye Chuyang’s expression grew heavy. “Something isn’t right here.”
Xie Bai glanced at the bloodstains, his tone light. “What’s strange? Fighting over treasures is common among disciples. No need to make a fuss, Junior Brother Ye.”
“…That’s probably not what he meant.”
Gu Baiyi narrowed her eyes and said to Ji Rong, “Senior Sister, don’t you think there are… too many Changming Flowers here?”
Ji Rong nodded. “There are indeed quite a lot.”
The abundance of Changming Flowers in Yunxian Cave was downright absurd. Previously, Ji Rong had assumed this was just some lazy design choice, filler material thrown in because they couldn’t think of anything else.
“Changming Flowers grow from flesh and blood. The Tianshui Secret Realm is a thousand-year-old realm, so if spirit beasts have died here, it’s not surprising that these flowers would appear…”
Xie Bai chuckled lazily as he spoke, absentmindedly kicking a loose rock out of his way.
Then his foot struck something hard.
He frowned slightly and glanced down. His face instantly paled.
Ji Rong noticed his abrupt silence and the way his complexion drained of color, stirring suspicion in her heart.
Since when was this peacock so easily spooked?
The next moment, she caught a whiff of decay.
She followed Xie Bai’s gaze and saw a severed, bloodstained finger joint.
Beside it lay a white, skeletal skull. Judging by the level of decay, the two remains likely came from different corpses.
From the damp soil, a swarm of white ants erupted, filling the cave with the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh.
Xie Bai’s eyes twitched. He immediately covered his mouth and backed away several steps.
In contrast, Ye Chuyang remained expressionless. He didn’t seem disgusted at all. In fact, he stepped forward and studied the scene with interest.
Squatting down, he dug into the blackened earth with his hands.
As he peeled away the topsoil, a third corpse was revealed.
The body’s hair was tangled over its face, but its features suggested it was a woman.
She hadn’t been dead for long—probably only a few days. The blood at her ruptured wounds had yet to dry. Swarms of maggots wriggled across her torso, burrowing into the flesh in pulsating clusters.
Ye Chuyang showed no reaction. With meticulous care, he brushed away the dirt and gently pushed aside the strands of hair covering the woman’s face, as if trying to confirm her identity.
Ji Rong averted her gaze, suppressing the urge to retch.
The protagonist truly was built differently.
As she turned away, Gu Baiyi suddenly seemed dazed. With a faint tremble in her steps, she activated “Wind and Moon Without a Trace” and strode straight toward the corpse.
If one observed closely, they would notice that her entire body was shaking.
She lowered her gaze and stood there in silence.
Then, as if summoning immense courage, she took a deep breath and looked down at the body.
The woman’s face was a bloody ruin, her clothes soaked in dark stains. Her eyes were wide open, and her cracked lips were slightly parted, frozen in the terror of her final moments.
The instant Gu Baiyi registered the woman’s features, her heart resumed its rhythm.
She exhaled in relief.
Thankfully, it wasn’t her.
Ji Rong arched a brow, her gaze sweeping over the body.
Despite the gruesome state of the corpse, faint traces of a blue garment remained.
Realization dawned on her.
So the heroine had mistaken this body for Qiu Sushuang, no wonder she’d been so tense just now.
Ji Rong’s heart pounded with excitement.
She had to admit, this was some top-tier shipping material.
But the moment her excitement surged, it was instantly dampened.
The heroine was this anxious over her second wife, yet there was zero progress in the official romance with Mei He.
No, not just zero progress, there wasn’t even a romance line to begin with!
Gu Baiyi regained her composure, her usual calm exterior settling back into place.
Yet, as she steadied herself, she caught sight of Ji Rong’s expression. Though her face remained neutral, there was an undeniable trace of disappointment in her eyes.
Gu Baiyi raised a brow, slightly puzzled.
Why did her Senior Sister look… so dejected?
Just then, Ji Rong lifted her head abruptly, her gaze complex as it landed on Gu Baiyi.
Meeting her eyes, Gu Baiyi’s smile froze.
A thought flickered across her mind.
Could it be…
Ji Rong’s expression remained indifferent.
Yet in that fleeting moment of eye contact, the once radiant brightness in her gaze had dulled into a desolate wasteland.
Ji Rong felt an unexpected pang of sorrow.
Had she… shipped the wrong couple?
On the other hand, Gu Baiyi was quietly panicking.
Ji Rong’s disappointment, could it be…
For a split second, countless possibilities flooded her mind, all converging on the same conclusion.
Could it be… because of her?
Gu Baiyi averted her gaze, unwilling to dwell on the thought any further.
She reminded herself, they were rivals.
Everything just now must have been a coincidence.
Yet, memories from the past few months surged uncontrollably.
She suddenly wondered, if the body buried beneath the earth right now were Ji Rong’s… how would she feel?
A vivid image surfaced in her mind, Ji Rong, lying in a pool of blood.
Gu Baiyi’s head throbbed at the thought. She unclenched her fists and forced herself to stop thinking.
When she looked up again, her usual elegant smile was in place. But within her eyes, a glint of crimson flickered.
Gu Xueyi licked her lips in the darkness and let out a soft, mocking laugh.
Tch. What a fool. How pathetic.
Note: Let Gu Xueyi come out and play~
