Chapter 103 (The First One is Mine)

Chapter 103 (The First One is Mine)

"Seniors, this woman wants me to return to the Hu family." Yingling looked at Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao in a flattering tone.

Lou Yuqing's eyes revealed admiration: "Go ahead, we'll be keeping an eye on you. Don't do anything underhanded, or else..."

She gave a cold laugh.

Shadow Spirit trembled and quickly pledged his loyalty: "I am deeply grateful for the mercy shown by the two seniors in sparing my life. I will definitely do my best as an inside agent and send messages back to the two seniors."

Seeing that Lou Yuqing gave no further instructions, Yingling looked at Ling Yunxiao and, upon receiving the order to depart, turned and flew away on her escape light.

Suddenly, the Shadow Spirit seemed to remember something and turned back cautiously, asking, "Have either of you seniors seen my Shadow Spirit companion?"

Lou Yuqing was surprised. This Shadow Spirit seemed to be afraid of death, yet he cared about the life and death of his companion. She couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for him. He was loyal and righteous, which was a good quality.

She kindly pointed in a direction: "The body is over there; you can pay your respects there."

Yingling looked over and saw a charred body lying on the ground, its death gruesome. His expression changed drastically, just as Lou Yuqing thought he was about to burst into tears.

Shadow Spirit said with relief, "Knowing you're dead, I'm at ease."

When a Shadow Spirit dies within the possessed body, it is a complete death.

Lou Yuqing: ?

Ling Yunxiao: ?

Shadow Spirit continued smugly, "We made a bet before about who would live longer. I told you I would outlive you, but you didn't believe me. Now you have no choice but to believe me."

Lou Yuqing withdrew her judgment of him expressionlessly. Loyal and righteous? That's not true.

Ying Ling felt a bone-chilling cold, like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on, and flew dozens of feet in one breath before disappearing from their sight.

Lou Yuqing looked at Ling Yunxiao and said doubtfully, "Can this stupid inside man really work? What if he ends up losing more than he gains?"

A moment ago, she was about to kill the Shadow Spirit, but Ling Yunxiao stopped her and said, "Hu Ruoyan is on guard, so it won't be easy to break through. We can use the Shadow Spirit to infiltrate their ranks."

Lou Yuqing thought the plan was good and agreed.

Thus, in addition to Hu Ruoyan's restriction, Yingling's body was also reinforced by the restrictions imposed by Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao, making it a two-to-one victory.

Yingling immediately turned against them. Moreover, he hated Hu Ruoyan even more than the other two, so betraying her was no difficult task for him. He wanted to trip Hu Ruoyan up from the bottom of his heart, and he was very eager to do so without their orders.

but.

Although Shadow Spirit was very proactive, its intelligence was unreliable. Ling Yunxiao crossed out the 80% possibility he had initially thought of and sighed, "There is at least a 50% possibility."

Lou Yuqing, looking weary, said, "Half is fine too."

"Actually, I had a backup plan," Ling Yunxiao said suddenly when he saw that she was listless.

Lou Yuqing immediately perked up: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"I hid a shadow clone in his shadow, so I can teleport there whenever he enters the Hu family." Ling Yunxiao felt a little guilty for some reason.

Lou Yuqing understood: "You can get in, but I can't, right?"

Ling Yunxiao shut his mouth, a look of unease on his face. He didn't know what he was nervous about; it was all an instinctive reaction.

Lou Yuqing showed no displeasure as he expected, only a moment of surprise, then flipped his hand, tossing the beads in his hand, and said casually, "You have your Zhang Liang's plan, and I have my way to get over the wall."

Ling Yunxiao was slightly taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief.

Yes, what is he worried about? She said there is a barrier-breaking bead that the Hu family's magic array barrier cannot withstand. Even if Hu Ruoyan is on guard, she is not close to the head of the Hu family, so it is impossible for her to persuade him to strengthen the magic array.

“However…” Lou Yuqing’s tone changed.

Ling Yunxiao's heart leaped into his throat as he heard the girl's concerned voice: "You used a shadow clone to descend to the Shadow Spirit's side. Isn't that like going into a wolf's den alone? Isn't that too dangerous?"

Looking at the girl's fair face, Ling Yunxiao suddenly turned his head away awkwardly. Out of a desire to show off, he coughed lightly and said, "It's okay, I can handle it."

Lou Yuqing believed it after hearing it; Ling Yunxiao was not one to make baseless accusations.

The two devised a plan and sped towards White Rock City like arrows released from a bow. Their conversation could be faintly heard in the wind: "There are only three people left in this small world, and we don't know who the other one is."

"No matter who it is, this person's chances of winning are slim. If we have the chance to meet them, we'll eliminate them first."

Meanwhile, the Hu family.

Qi Qingxiong, disguised as a member of a branch of the clan, suddenly sneezed.

A man who bore a resemblance to him was discussing the ancestral worship ceremony when he noticed this and turned to ask, "Young man, what's wrong? Have you had another attack of your illness?"

Qi Qingxiong stopped him from taking out the pills: "Brother, I'm fine, please continue."

The person he disguised himself as was sickly, making him less likely to attract attention. This is why he has been able to maintain the facade despite his poor acting skills.

Knowing his younger brother was ambitious, and seeing that his complexion was still acceptable, the man did not insist that he take the pill. He said, "This ancestral worship ceremony is grander than ever before. It is to announce the next generation of the Hu family heir. It is said that the second young lady of the main branch, Hu Ruofeng, is the family head's chosen candidate. She completed the Foundation Establishment in just six years. Her talent is top-notch."

He looked somewhat awkward as he said this.

Qi Qingxiong wasn't surprised to see this. Two days ago, after escaping the pursuit of the Baiyan Sect Master, he happened to encounter members of the Hu family branch on the road and took the opportunity to replace one of them.

On their journey from the outskirts of the city into the city, they heard tales of Hu Ruofeng's scandalous affairs. They heard that she and Xie Wenheng, the young master of the Baiyan Sect, were having an affair without proper matchmaking, and that she was openly having sex with her sister Hu Ruoyan in bed. They also heard that they were seeking thrills at an auction house and were kicked out by the owner, completely naked...

Qi Qingxiong listened to the whole thing and was still somewhat unsatisfied. However, that wasn't the main point. He had been focusing his attention on the Hu family patriarch and the Baiyan Sect master.

After this incident, Hu Ruoyan, Hu Ruofeng, and Xie Wenheng came into his view for the first time, especially the Hu sisters. With the younger sister Hu Ruofeng becoming the heir, would the older sister Hu Ruoyan remain indifferent?

After investigating, he learned that the sisters did not have a good relationship. The matriarch of the family had the power to manage the household, giving the younger sister a natural advantage, while the older sister, as the daughter of the first wife, faced a precarious living environment.

Moreover, their cultivation talents are equally good, and it can even be said that the elder sister's talent is even better. However, the head of the Hu family turns a blind eye to this and lets her cultivation stagnate. Over time, how could Hu Ruoyan not have resentment in her heart?

The ancestral worship ceremony is definitely an important part of the storyline. The Hu sisters are both candidates for the inheritance, and this is Hu Ruoyan's last chance to turn her life around.

If things get chaotic, he can get close to the White Rock Sect Master and obtain the Snow Lotus. If not, he'll have to make other plans.

Qi Qingxiong frowned involuntarily when he thought of the number of the remaining three survivors. He wondered where the other two were hiding. Could they also be disguised as members of a branch of the Hu family?

He probably couldn't have imagined, no matter how hard he racked his brains, that these two were disciples of the same sect, and that they had just been plotting to kill him.

At this time, in a restaurant in the city.

Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao concealed their appearances and sat in the hall pretending to drink, while actually listening intently to the gossip of those around them.

Soon, they heard the news they wanted.

"The Hu family made a big fuss about their ancestral worship ceremony; I really want to go and see it for myself."

"Who do you think you are? The forces invited by the Hu family are either the City Lord's Mansion or the Baiyan Sect. Do you even deserve to be invited?"

"I'm not worthy, but you are!"

"Alright, what's the point of arguing? This has nothing to do with us." Someone interrupted. "I originally wanted to introduce you to the Hu family branch to see if there were any benefits, but as soon as they entered the city, they were taken to the mansion, leaving me with nothing."

"Boss, the Hu family is keeping people detained and not letting them out. Is there some secret? They've never done this before."

"Hmph, it's all about the succession, let me tell you..."

Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao obtained enough information, left the restaurant, and rented a courtyard instead. They decided not to go to Wanfu Inn, in case Hu Ruoyan had any spies around.

"Shadow Spirit".

Lou Yuqing communicated with the Shadow Spirit through the restriction. After a while, the Shadow Spirit's voice came: "Senior, there were too many people just now, so I couldn't talk to you."

Lou Yuqing didn't care about that and simply asked, "What did you discover?"

Upon hearing this, Yingling immediately became excited: "I've discovered so many! The maids sweeping the garden, the head chef surnamed Qian in the kitchen, the guards patrolling the mansion, and so on—they're all that woman's lackeys! Come quick!"

Every time he mentioned someone, Lou Yuqing became a little more excited. In her eyes, those people were like walking points. She and Ling Yunxiao had agreed that the capable would get them, and those who acted quickly could gain more points.

After hearing Yingling's words, she subconsciously looked at Ling Yunxiao. Seeing the glint in his eyes, she knew that he had also obtained the information from Yingling.

Ling Yunxiao cleared his throat: "Shall we split up or go together?"

Lou Yuqing wondered, "Why together?" Could he be trying to break the forbidden pearl?

Ling Yunxiao noticed her wariness and was both amused and exasperated. He stretched out his hands and, under the girl's bewildered gaze, suddenly trembled.

The next moment, a ring appeared on each of his fingers. The rings were silver-white and shone brightly in the sunlight.

Lou Yuqing recognized the ring as the storage ring that the other party had borrowed from her to catch thieves. Now she saw ten of them. Was this incredibly wealthy and powerful person still the pitiful little thing she thought she was who couldn't afford magical artifacts?

As she stared in disbelief, a slender hand held a ring and offered it to her: "With this, we can be together."

Just as Ling Yunxiao was about to explain the ring's function, he saw the girl cast a reproachful glance at him: "So you're not poor after all."

Ling Yunxiao: Huh?

When has he ever been poor?

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, and the incident of giving away the magical artifact came back to him. His thoughts, which had been clouded by love, became crystal clear: So, he was being pitied?

Ling Yunxiao was both amused and exasperated. He explained, "I've joined ten sects before. Except for one sect where I used cooking utensils as collateral for my monthly allowance, the other sects all provided me with cultivation resources to varying degrees."

Lou Yuqing glanced at him resentfully.

Unable to bear the girl's gaze, Ling Yunxiao quickly changed the subject: "This ring isn't for storage. Wear it, and I can bring you to the Shadow Spirit's side through a shadow clone."

Lou Yuqing snorted, "That's more like it."

She pressed her advantage: "When we encounter our first target, the points must be mine."

Ling Yunxiao smiled and said, "Okay."