After the Death Ceremony, I was Entangled by My Two Wives - Chapter 31

Their attitude toward her wasn’t just anger…

The matter was settled: one vote against, two in favor, and one abstention. They immediately slammed the table and boarded the Flying Boat.

To be honest, the Flying Boat was far more comfortable than riding birds. They even had individual cabins—though Zhao Chao’an insisted on sticking to Ying Buran like glue. Only Zhao Qingxun seemed slightly displeased, but she didn’t object.

As soon as they boarded, Qu Lingyou and Su Junying hurried to their cabins. Ying Buran noticed Zhao Qingxun looking at her, as if wanting to say something, but she ignored her and turned into her own cabin.

“If she tries to talk to you, don’t respond to anything she says,” Zhao Chao’an declared sternly, flying onto the table as soon as the door closed.

Remembering what she had seen earlier, Ying Buran nodded silently. Zhao Chao’an sensed her unease and didn’t press further, simply clinging tightly to Ying Buran’s side.

The Flying Boat was already set on its course, leaving them nothing to worry about. Qu Lingyou was also monitoring the route. After resting briefly, Ying Buran began cultivating.

After what felt like an eternity of cultivation, a knock sounded at the door. Zhao Chao’an immediately bristled, confirming Ying Buran’s suspicion of who was outside.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, Zhao Qingxun’s voice drifted in: “A’Ran? Do you have a moment? Could we… talk?”

Ying Buran narrowed her eyes at the door. After a long pause, she nodded, ignoring Zhao Chao’an’s astonished gaze. “Come in.”

Zhao Qingxun gently pushed the door open, then carefully closed it behind her, standing awkwardly by the entrance, unsure where to put her hands.

Seeing her awkwardness, Ying Buran rubbed her temples and sighed. She gestured to a nearby stool. “You can sit there. No need to stand by the door.”

Zhao Qingxun nodded and tiptoed to the stool, her eyes fixed on Ying Buran as she slowly sat down, as if afraid Ying Buran might chase her away at any moment.

Ying Buran didn’t know what to say. Zhao Qingxun, seeing her silence, remained equally quiet, leaving only Zhao Chao’an, who had flown up to peck at Zhao Qingxun’s head before being repelled by her spiritual energy.

“Have you always been like this? So… cautious and wary? To be honest, interacting with you like this is exhausting,” Ying Buran said bluntly. She had no patience for such drawn-out interactions.

Zhao Qingxun felt a pang of remorse and quickly explained, “No, it’s just that I was afraid you’d drive me away… If you don’t like me, I’ll never do that again.”

“Then what did you want to discuss with me? If it’s about what happened before, let’s just drop it,” Ying Buran said calmly. She didn’t need to know every moment of the past; she only needed to know who had harmed her.

Zhao Qingxun had intended to apologize, but hearing this, she swallowed her words and shifted the conversation to the present. “How are you feeling now? That mask… Is there anything I can help you with?”

Ying Buran met her gaze directly, sensing Zhao Qingxun’s hidden intentions. She couldn’t tell if it was because Zhao Qingxun had sensed her ghostly energy or for some other reason.

No, it couldn’t be a leak of ghostly energy. After all, I have a double safeguard—she knows me too well.

How can I explain this without raising suspicion? After a moment’s thought, Ying Buran said, “It’s nothing. Just a scar that runs across half my face.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingxun didn’t even pause to consider whether it was true before anxiously asking, “How did it happen? Did someone hurt you? Are they still alive?”

Ying Buran waved her hand, signaling Zhao Qingxun to calm down before replying, “I don’t know. I woke up like this. As for how it happened, we’ll probably have to wait until later to find out.”

“Any other questions?”

Zhao Qingxun wanted to ask more, but the Flying Boat was already slowing down. With little time left, she had to stop. “No, that’s all. If you need anything later, tell me immediately. I’ll come as quickly as I can. I won’t be late again.”

Before Ying Buran could respond, Zhao Chao’an let out a disdainful snort. Tired of pecking, she flew directly into Ying Buran’s arms, relishing the strokes she received while smugly glaring at Zhao Qingxun.

Zhao Qingxun had never imagined being looked down upon by a bird. Her lips twitched, but since the bird belonged to Ying Buran, she couldn’t do anything except give Ying Buran a pleading look.

Ying Buran was still pondering Zhao Qingxun’s words. The phrase felt familiar, yet she couldn’t recall when she had heard it before.

She tried to remember, but the moment she delved deeper, a headache struck, forcing her to stop. Meeting Zhao Qingxun’s gaze, she nodded. “Mm, thank you. If there’s nothing else, you can leave now.”

Not long after, the Flying Boat came to a halt. Immediately, a knock sounded at the door, and three figures stood outside.

Qu Lingyou, map in hand, looked even more energetic than before. She grabbed Ying Buran’s arm, eager to set off. “Let’s go, let’s go! We need to finish this quickly—you’re the only one left. I have to say, this thing really works! I’ll suggest Xiao Jiang get one too if we get the chance.”

“Are there many medicinal herbs we need to find?” Ying Buran asked, after being pulled a few steps and then released. She and Su Junying, carrying their instruments, followed Qu Lingyou.

Qu Lingyou gestured at the map, considering the question. “Not too bad? Only about ten, a few more than usual. I have to admit, the Myriad Phenomena Sect still has some capable disciples. With her help, we’ve already eliminated some possibilities.”

Su Junying scratched her head and chuckled sheepishly. “On the way here, the senior and I discussed it further. I’ve actually tested a few of these herbs before and confirmed they have no effect on this plague.”

“Can we eliminate even more?” Zhao Chao’an asked, flying back after studying the map. “It feels a bit tight to find all these and make it back in three days.”

“Then let’s hurry up,” Qu Lingyou said with a sigh. “I want to finish this as soon as possible. Running around outside is exhausting. If I could, I’d never leave the city again.”

Her stamina was far worse than before, and the constant travel was truly draining her energy.

Zhao Chao’an flew ahead to observe Qu Lingyou for a few moments, then bluntly remarked, “For a Nascent Soul cultivator, your physical condition is shockingly poor. You’re weaker than someone in the Qi Refining stage!”

Qu Lingyou stopped, rolling her eyes so hard they nearly flipped to the back of her head. “Oh, thank you for pointing that out. Hey, you there! Control your crow—why is its beak so foul?”

“I’m not a crow! I’m a blackbird! Blackbirds are better!” Zhao Chao’an huffed, flying back to perch on Ying Buran’s shoulder. She deliberately positioned herself between Zhao Qingxun and Ying Buran’s lines of sight, preening her feathers like an ordinary bird.

At that moment, Zhao Qingxun was certain this blackbird was no ordinary creature. Its attitude toward her wasn’t just anger; there was something else, a possessive undercurrent that made her feel threatened.

It was as if, if she let her guard down for a moment, the person beside her would be snatched away.

Throughout the journey, Zhao Qingxun had been clinging to Ying Buran’s side, trying to catch her attention. But Ying Buran’s focus remained firmly fixed on the medicinal herbs, especially now that they had reached the first herb’s growth site.

To expedite the search, Qu Lingyou handed her herb illustrations to Ying Buran, who, along with Su Junying, used their familiarity with medicinal plants to search diligently.

Ying Buran meticulously compared each similar herb to the illustrations, completely oblivious to the silent battle of glances playing out behind her. The two had already exchanged countless rounds of silent hostility before Qu Lingyou, her back aching from bending over, stood up to stretch.

“Seriously, you two! If you’re bored, help with the search!” Qu Lingyou grumbled, picking up pebbles and accurately pelting both of them on the head.

Zhao Chao’an reacted first, flying into Ying Buran’s arms to examine the herb illustration. “I’m just checking what it looks like so I can help find it,” she explained.

Seeing this, Zhao Qingxun also leaned in, studying the illustration. The image seemed vaguely familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before. After memorizing its features, she abruptly turned and left.

Zhao Chao’an, baffled by her behavior, shrugged it off and focused on helping Ying Buran identify the herb in her hand.

The herb bore a remarkable ninety percent resemblance to the illustration, with only slight differences in the leaf margins. However, they couldn’t be certain if these discrepancies were due to inaccuracies in the illustration itself.

“Let’s show it to them,” Zhao Chao’an suggested. “We’re just amateurs; we could stare at it forever and still not be able to identify it.”

Ying Buran nodded and picked up the other similar herbs they had found earlier, handing them to Qu Lingyou for identification.

Qu Lingyou quickly eliminated three of them. The remaining two required careful observation before she ruled out one. For the final one, she called Su Junying over.

“…It’s so similar! Almost identical!” Su Junying exclaimed after examining the herb. It looked almost exactly like the one they were searching for.

“But…”

“But its medicinal properties don’t match what we’re looking for,” Qu Lingyou said, frowning slightly. “It looks right, but the properties are wrong.”

Was it a mutation, or simply a clever disguise? She couldn’t be sure.

Ying Buran leaned closer, mimicking their actions as she pinched a leaf curiously. “Can you really sense the medicinal properties?” To her, it just felt like an ordinary leaf.

“Our constitutions are special,” Qu Lingyou explained. “We can quickly discern the approximate medicinal properties of a herb. This isn’t what we need, but let’s keep it. What if we encounter it again later? I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“Sigh, let’s keep looking. Why is the first one so hard to find?” She patted her forehead, a hint of frustration in her voice.

Zhao Qingxun waited until their discussion ended before approaching with the herbs in her hand. “Is this it?”

Qu Lingyou glanced at it—another close match. “Let me take a look… Oh?” She called Su Junying back, who had just walked away. “Come, come, take a look at this.”

Su Junying accepted the herbs and examined them carefully. “Let me see… It seems like it? The appearance and medicinal properties match.”

“I think so too. Where did you find it?” Qu Lingyou asked, her curiosity piqued. Ying Buran also looked over, intrigued.

Zhao Qingxun had found it so quickly.

Zhao Qingxun looked at Ying Buran and explained honestly, “Over there. I followed the flow of spiritual energy. I don’t know much about identifying herbs, but any herb that actively absorbs spiritual energy can’t be ordinary.”

Oh-ho! You can tell by the flow of spiritual energy? Qu Lingyou’s eyes lit up. That makes things so much easier! She clapped Zhao Qingxun on the shoulder and declared solemnly, “I have a crucial mission for you.”

Zhao Qingxun sensed trouble but asked anyway, “What is it?”

“These herbs—here, here, and here—I’m entrusting them all to you. I have faith in you!”