Don't Provoke the Black Lotus O [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 61

61: Hints

At noon the next day, Helian Ping arrived at the posthouse by carriage. Long Yin was already waiting at the mountain god temple.

Exorcisms were always public events, and the common folk of the capital were allowed to gather and watch. However, such spectacles were usually only attended by the brave, as most people feared attracting bad luck.

Jiang Ci was explicitly named by the high priestess as a person plagued by misfortune. The people of Liang Kingdom deeply believed this to be true.

Jiang Ci was once again seated in a wheelchair, both hands wrapped in thick bandages. In reality, only her right hand was seriously injured due to a fracture. Even after taking a life-extending pill, she still needed some time to recover.

Though she looked pitiful, her complexion was quite good, especially after her conversation with Xi Lingxue, which had lifted her spirits.

Helian Ping, still wearing her half-mask, smirked when she saw “Qin Shuang” and teased, “So, Minister Qin, did you have a good time catching up with your ‘colleague’? Did you talk all night?”

Jiang Ci nearly choked.

Xi Lingxue, however, remained calm and simply smiled, replying, “It was quite pleasant.”

Hmph.

Helian Ping didn’t feel like joking anymore and said, “Well, I’ll take A Ci with me now. The rest of you envoys can wait here.”

“No need,” Xi Lingxue said. “We will naturally accompany Lord Jiang.”

With that, she pushed Jiang Ci’s wheelchair toward another carriage, not even letting Helian Ping touch it.

Jiang Ci turned back and waved, her movements clumsy due to the excessive bandaging.

“Let’s go, see you at the mountain god temple!”

Helian Ping: “…”

In Liang Kingdom, every town had a mountain god temple. On the first day of the lunar new year, offerings and incense were made, and sacrificial ceremonies were held. The common folk would voluntarily participate, praying for divine protection.

Jiang Ci and the others arrived at the northern part of the city, where the temple was already crowded with onlookers. After all, Jiang Ci had made a name for herself and was somewhat famous in Liang Kingdom.

Long Yin had already set up the altar. Apart from a few disciples assisting in the ritual, no one else was allowed to approach.

Xi Lingxue had no choice but to hand Jiang Ci over to Helian Ping.

Helian Ping, as the high priestess’s successor, was also part of the exorcism ritual. She pushed Jiang Ci to the front of the altar and whispered, “Just sit here. When the high priestess asks you something, answer directly. Don’t make any unnecessary movements. The ritual will be over soon.”

Jiang Ci nodded and sat properly.

Soon, the ritual began. Over a dozen disciples, wearing ancient masks and dressed in local attire, danced around Jiang Ci like shamans.

Helian Ping stood behind her, using a branch to sprinkle water lightly around Jiang Ci.

Jiang Ci pursed her lips, feeling a bit nervous from the spectacle. She began to wonder if there really was a mountain god in this world. How else could they have discovered she was an “outsider”?

On the altar, torches burned fiercely.

The wind whipped through Long Yin’s black robe, making it flutter. The woman raised her staff and began to dance, the bells on the staff jingling crisply with each step.

After a moment, Long Yin steadied herself and pointed the staff at Jiang Ci, her voice cold and solemn, “Who comes before me?”

Jiang Ci hesitated for a moment before responding with her name.

Long Yin repeated the name and began to dance again, murmuring, “Purple qi comes from the east, yet none recognize you. All joys and sorrows pass, this path is fraught with ups and downs.”

With that, the staff struck the altar heavily, causing Jiang Ci’s heart to tremble.

She didn’t understand what Long Yin meant, but a chill rose from the depths of her heart.

She suddenly found herself unable to move, as if she had fallen into the deep sea. Countless hands reached out from the darkness, grabbing her limbs like demons, then climbing over every inch of her body.

Jiang Ci was terrified, but she couldn’t make a sound. Her strength was too feeble, her struggles like an ant trying to shake a tree. She could only watch as she was torn apart, devoured, and gradually submerged into the darkness, eventually merging with the demons…

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Helian Ping tapped her. “The ritual is over.”

Jiang Ci was startled. When she focused, she realized she was still in the mountain god temple. The noon sun was shining brightly, the torches were still burning, and everything before her was clear.

It turned out everything had been an illusion. There were no demons.

Long Yin had already left, leaving only a retreating figure. The dozen or so disciples followed her out.

Jiang Ci was drenched in cold sweat. The illusion had felt so real, as if she had truly experienced it. Even now, she felt a lingering sense of suffocation. Even though she had snapped out of it, the fear hadn’t dissipated.

This wasn’t an exorcism—it felt more like she had been cursed!

Jiang Ci was both shocked and suspicious. She didn’t dare say much, only muttering, “I’m fine…”

This Long Yin was truly terrifying.

What did that illusion mean? And the poem she recited—what was she trying to convey?

Jiang Ci pondered the four lines over and over. They seemed disjointed and nonsensical. What was the point?

As the exorcism ritual concluded, Xi Lingxue finally approached. Worried that Xi Lingxue might be concerned, Jiang Ci quickly adjusted her emotions.

“Are you okay?” Xi Lingxue asked, her expression grave, noticing that Jiang Ci’s face had turned pale.

“I’m fine,” Jiang Ci said, forcing a lighthearted tone. “I feel like she sucked all the bad luck out of me. The high priestess is quite impressive…”

Long Yin indeed had real abilities. Xi Lingxue knew of her—this high priestess could communicate with the mountain god and had predicted disasters multiple times. Thanks to her, the Liang Kingdom had been able to prepare in advance.

As for whether the disaster relief supplies from the court ever reached the common folk, that was another matter.

They could predict natural disasters, but they couldn’t prevent man-made calamities. No wonder these assassins had emerged.

However, these were internal issues of Liang Kingdom, and Xi Lingxue naturally wouldn’t interfere.

Back to the present, having such a powerful high priestess perform an exorcism for Jiang Ci would surely have some effect. Moreover, she was Jiang Ci’s martial aunt and had no reason to harm her.

Of course, Xi Lingxue wouldn’t rely solely on this ritual.

Disguised as the envoy Qin Shuang, Xi Lingxue said seriously, “Jiang Ci, we are colleagues. If you encounter any difficulties in Liang Kingdom, you can always come to me. If you wish, I can also assign a team of guards to protect you.”

Jiang Ci looked at Xi Lingxue. Even with her altered appearance, the concern in her eyes was unmistakable.

Despite this, Xi Lingxue no longer insisted on making decisions for her.

After some serious consideration, Jiang Ci declined.

Xi Lingxue was, after all, from Yu Kingdom. Unlike Jiang Ci, who had ostensibly “married into” Liang Kingdom and was considered half a local. If conflicts arose in the future, it could affect the relationship between the two countries—too sensitive.

Jiang Ci winked at her and whispered, “Don’t worry, I have the high priestess as my backer.”

Although, so far, she hadn’t felt particularly favored by Long Yin. In fact, she had been subjected to an illusion that scared her.

Long Yin was Mo Sanqi’s junior sister, but their personalities were completely different—eerie and unsettling.

Mo Sanqi was bright and cheerful, like the afternoon sun in autumn—relaxed and pleasant. Their relationship was like that of teacher and friend.

But Long Yin… this woman exuded a mysterious and dark aura. She never showed her true face, always wearing a mask, a black robe, and carrying a staff. Her cold voice and the terrifying power to sense the mountain god made Jiang Ci feel immense pressure every time they met.

The illusion at the end of the ritual—was it some kind of hint?

Xi Lingxue stared at her, silent for a long time, before finally responding with a heavy, “Alright.”

Helian Ping, who had been standing by idly, watched the two exchange glances and coughed lightly. “Minister Qin, are you done chatting? The exorcism ritual is over, and I should take A Ci back to the residence.”

Xi Lingxue looked up at her, a cold glint in her eyes. “Back to the residence? Minister Jiang naturally stays with us at the posthouse. It wouldn’t be proper for her to trouble Princess Helian. After all, you two are not yet married, and such an arrangement would harm her reputation.”

“You…”

Helian Ping was momentarily speechless. Previously, everyone had tacitly accepted Jiang Ci as the consort, and no one had gossiped. Why was this Qin Shuang making such a fuss, almost as if she wanted to drive a wedge between them?

Although Helian Ping and Jiang Ci weren’t particularly close, she did have some fondness for her as a friend.

But this woman’s words were truly irritating—smiling while hiding a dagger, her tone full of aggression.

First Xi Lingxue, now Qin Shuang—what kind of people was Jiang Ci attracting?

A mere envoy, yet her eyes carried such a fearsome intensity!

Jiang Ci blinked, seeing “Qin Shuang’s” cold and unyielding expression, and suddenly understood. Xi Lingxue hadn’t changed; she was just no longer being overbearing with her.

“Um, Minister Qin,” Jiang Ci said, “I need to have a word with the princess. You all can go back first.”

As she said this, Jiang Ci felt a bit uneasy, unsure how far Xi Lingxue would compromise. After all, this woman had a strong possessive streak and had whisked her away to the posthouse as soon as she arrived.

But she still needed to cooperate with Helian Ping and had many questions to ask.

Sure enough, Xi Lingxue’s eyes darkened.

Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched tightly until her nails dug into her palms, the sharp pain jolting her nerves. After a moment, she relaxed her grip, suppressing her reluctance, and simply said, “Alright.”

She asked nothing further.

Jiang Ci was surprised but also delighted.

She could see the struggle in Xi Lingxue’s eyes—she must have been furious, but in the end, she had yielded for her sake.

Xue’er was really trying hard to learn how to love her.

Jiang Ci felt a warmth in her heart and suddenly wanted to hug her. But with so many people around, she could only smile and say, “I’m off. Take care.”

“Mm.”

Xi Lingxue watched her intently, her gaze following as Helian Ping pushed the wheelchair away. Unable to help herself, she called out, “Jiang Ci.”

“Hmm?”

“Remember, I’ll always be here.”

The woman’s soft words carried a heavy weight in Jiang Ci’s heart.

Jiang Ci’s eyelashes fluttered. For a moment, she thought, this woman is so foolish, still acting like a child…

In the adult world, there was no such thing as “forever.” Smart people knew it was just an unspoken romantic notion.

Jiang Ci turned back and asked, “How far is forever?”

“As far as you want it to be.”

The two shared a silent gaze, oblivious to the world around them, as if time had frozen.

Helian Ping glanced between them, inwardly marveling at how this Qin Shuang seemed even more formidable than Xi Lingxue.

Jiang Ci said nothing more and left with Helian Ping.

…

Princess Residence

Jiang Ci wrote down the four lines of the poem and pondered them repeatedly. She felt that Long Yin’s elaborate display couldn’t have been just to scare her.

She also asked Helian Ping about the Dark Hall.

The Dark Hall was a well-known assassin organization in Liang Kingdom and had been a key target of the court’s pursuit for many years. They were active throughout Liang Kingdom and had a significant number of members.

However, after all these years, no one knew who their leader was.

As for the relationship between the Dark Hall and the Xiaoyao Sect…

Helian Ping said, “I’m sorry, but if I hadn’t met Senior Mo and you, I wouldn’t have known such a force existed.”

The Xiaoyao Sect? She had never even heard of it.

“Don’t blame yourself,” Jiang Ci sighed. “I’ve only met two people…”

Long Yin—apparently, even Helian Ping didn’t know about her other identity.

Additionally, Jiang Ci was certain that those assassins recognized this token. If she had revealed it then, Jiang Ci might have been implicated.

But he didn’t. It seemed like he was protecting her.

Jiang Ci looked down at the four lines of the poem again:

Purple qi comes from the east,

Yet none recognize you.

All joys and sorrows pass,

This path is fraught with ups and downs.

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

If she took the first character of each line, it read:

Purple, time, come, this.

Jiang Ci’s heart skipped a beat. “Come, this”… Could it mean she was to return to the mountain god temple at midnight?!