Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 86

Yun Qing was truly impressed by Baiyu. When he wanted to show off, everyone watched him do it, but now when others wanted to show off a bit, he would cause trouble. She had already put on the appearance of a worldly expert, only to receive a few barks in response from the other party—it was simply ridiculous.

Jiang Baiyu coughed dryly and released the talisman binding He Lanqing.

He Lanqing’s face was full of terror as he knocked his head against the ground with loud bangs, his spring-like infatuation instantly turning to autumn wind.

“My lady, spare my life! I-I-I-I didn’t do it on purpose, it was all them!” He pointed at the servants beside him as he spoke. “They acted on their own! I had no intention of offending you!”

Cheng Suiyan couldn’t help but sigh. “He Lansheng was also quite a figure—how did his descendants turn out to be such trash?”

“My lady, ah no, Immortal Lady,” He Lanqing looked at Yun Qing ingratiatingly, “Immortal Lady, may I leave now?” As he spoke, he carefully stood up and was about to tiptoe his way out.

“Stop.”

Yun Qing suddenly had an idea.

Although He Lanqing’s character wasn’t particularly admirable, he had considerable influence in Mengliang City. Why not borrow his status and position to expand the scale of their selection? This way they could help Shi Muyu find a suitable candidate more quickly, and they could also set off for Shenle Valley sooner.

Thinking of this, Yun Qing glanced at He Lanqing indifferently, her gaze like she was looking at a cold corpse, which frightened He Lanqing into breaking out in cold sweat.

“Immortal Lady, don’t kill me! Whatever you want me to do is fine! My family has vast wealth, my grandfather holds high office, my father also has an official position, I’m the only son in the family, nine generations of single inheritance! Whatever you want, my parents can give it to you!”

“I won’t kill you. On the contrary, I’m going to save you.”

“Ah?”

“Come closer.”

He Lanqing did as told and walked up to her, then again spinellessly fell to his knees with a thud.

Yun Qing said: “Lift your head.”

He Lanqing lifted his head and looked at her eagerly.

Jiang Baiyu frowned slightly and unconsciously clenched his fist.

Yun Qing said: “Lift your head higher.” She wanted to confirm the red thread on his neck.

He Lanqing didn’t understand why, but lifted it slightly higher.

Yun Qing grew impatient and used her sword sheath to directly prop up his chin, lifting it forcefully upward.

Her movements were somewhat rough. He Lanqing, with the cold, hard sword sheath propping up his chin and being forced to tilt his head back, seemed to receive some kind of hint. His body trembled slightly, his Adam’s apple moved, and he said in a small voice. “Immortal Lady, do you want to toy with me?”

Yun Qing: “……………………”

Crack crack——

Jiang Baiyu clenched his fists so hard they made sounds.

Fu Xue rolled her eyes and said, “If you’re not going to use your brain, just dig it out and stir-fry it—it’s wasted just sitting there idle.”

After He Lanqing was forced to tilt his head back, the skin on his neck was exposed to everyone’s view. Yun Qing looked carefully, then glanced at Ci Li.

Ci Li nodded. “It’s a Shared Fate Gu.”

Yun Qing withdrew her sword sheath, made a hand seal to clean the sword sheath thoroughly, then said to He Lanqing, “You’ve been cursed with a gu, and your life won’t last long.” She then explained the Shared Fate Gu in a few words.

Liang Xiao, who had been hiding behind Yun Qing, now looked at He Lanqing, then at Yun Qing, her eyes full of curiosity.

He Lanqing couldn’t care less about Liang Xiao now. His face was ashen as he looked at Yun Qing beseechingly, “Immortal Lady, save me!”

“I can’t save you.”

“Ah?”

“But I can help you find the person who cast the gu,” Yun Qing said. “Since they haven’t killed you yet, there’s still hope. Once we find them, you can settle your grievances yourselves. The only one who can save you is yourself. Do you understand?”

“I understand, I understand!” He Lanqing nodded frantically, then asked, “But who exactly cast this gu on me?”

Yun Qing leisurely tapped the tea table with her index finger. “No rush. My answer comes with a price.”

“Immortal Lady, whatever you command, just say it!”

Yun Qing didn’t beat around the bush and stated her requirements directly.

When He Lanqing heard that these people just wanted to find a smart, brave woman of good character in Mengliang City, ask for a drop of blood from behind her ear, and clearly inform her that she would have an additional child in this world…

Although it sounded absurd, it wasn’t difficult to accomplish.

He Lanqing was now completely convinced. Since they sought neither wealth nor profit, they must undoubtedly be worldly experts.

He agreed eagerly, making guarantees and swearing oaths, then carefully pointed to himself. “Then Immortal Lady, what about my gu…?”

Yun Qing knew that to make him work wholeheartedly, she had to give him some sweetness first. So she said, “I can first help you divine roughly what kind of person carries the other gu, to narrow down the scope.”

“Thank you, Immortal Lady! Thank you for your trouble!”

Yun Qing first asked, “Do you have any enemies?”

“No, no, I’ve always had a good temper. When I get into arguments with people, I always endure if I can. Suffering losses is a blessing.”

Yun Qing knew he was talking nonsense and didn’t take it seriously.

The Shared Fate Gu involved at least two people. Currently, there was no information about the other person, so they could only start with He Lanqing. To divine accurately, she needed He Lanqing’s personal items, such as hair strands, fingernails, clothing, or accessories.

Just as Yun Qing was about to ask for a strand of hair, Jiang Baiyu said, “Let me do it.” He really couldn’t stand Yun Qing touching this filthy thing, or anything belonging to this filthy thing.

At this moment, Shi Muyu suddenly spoke. “I’d like to try. May I?”

Everyone was surprised. Yun Qing looked at Shi Muyu and asked with a smile. “Do you also practice divination? Then give it a try.”

“It’s not divination,” Shi Muyu shook her head. “I need a zither.”

Jiang Baiyu released the binding spell on the servants in the room and had them go ask the madam for a zither.

Before long, the madam walked in with a face full of smiles, followed by two servants respectfully carrying a large table into the room. On the table was placed a zither.

Rather than calling it a zither, it was more like a large instrument. This zither was much larger than a qin. Yun Qing estimated that if it were stood upright, it would probably be taller than herself.

The servants carefully positioned the zither. Shi Muyu gently plucked one of the strings with her slender, well-proportioned hand, and pleasant string music flowed from the zither like spring water.

Shi Muyu frowned. “How come it only has twenty-five strings?”

“Oh my dear lady,” the madam smiled cautiously, “whose zither doesn’t have twenty-five strings?”

“It would be good if it had fifty strings.”

“Fifty strings? Isn’t that the legendary zither from ancient times? How could that be real? My lady, please don’t tease us. Even if you killed me, I couldn’t find a fifty-string zither!”

Shi Muyu had no choice but to nod. “Alright then.”

The madam and servants left, leaving He Lanqing looking anxiously and curiously at the zither, then at Shi Muyu.

Shi Muyu explained to everyone somewhat embarrassedly, “I didn’t expect this zither to only have twenty-five strings. Now I’m not very confident.”

Fu Xue asked, “Sister Muyu, what are you going to do?”

“Everyone in our clan practices the Way of Silence. Great sound has no voice, great form has no shape. We use musical sounds to command all things, pursuing the highest realm of silence, which is why it’s called the Way of Silence.”

Yun Qing nodded. She had heard of the Way of Silence.

Shi Muyu paused, then continued, “Everything in this world responds to sound. Different things respond to different sounds. Even on the same string, playing different positions will activate different things.”

Yun Qing said, “So you want to use this zither to elicit a response from the gu worm?”

“Yes,” Shi Muyu nodded. “The zither has many strings and varied tones, making it most suitable for seeking living beings. I think this gu worm should also be considered a type of living being.”

“That makes sense.”

Shi Muyu said no more. She pressed down on one end of the zither with her left hand and plucked the strings one by one with her right hand, changing finger positions with each pluck.

When she played the zither, she seemed like a different person—solemn in expression, no longer an innocent young girl.

Everyone watched her intently as the room resonated with the tinkling sounds of the strings.

When a certain string tone sounded, He Lanqing suddenly exclaimed “Ah!” without warning.

Everyone’s spirits lifted as they all looked at him.

Only Yun Qing was different—she had a strange expression as she glanced sideways behind her.

Then she too looked at He Lanqing.

Shi Muyu stopped plucking and asked softly, “You felt something?”

He Lanqing clutched his chest and nodded in confusion. “I felt something in my heart go ‘thump,’ like a drum beating… Immortal Lady, is the gu worm moving?”

Shi Muyu remained silent and repeated the same zither tone twice. He Lanqing said in terror. “That’s right! Every time you pluck the qin, it moves! Immortal Lady, please save me—can you get this worm out?”

Shi Muyu didn’t correct him that it was a zither, not a qin. She plucked once more, then frowned in confusion. “Huh?”

Fu Xue asked, “What’s wrong, Sister Muyu? Don’t keep us in suspense!”

“The other gu worm is very close to us. It should be right here in this room.”

“Ah?!”

Everyone immediately realized what this meant and all looked behind Yun Qing at the woman called Liang Xiao.

Liang Xiao had originally been crouching behind Yun Qing to hide, but seeing that Shi Muyu had revealed the truth, she gracefully stood up. Her previous dishevelment and fear vanished completely.

She looked down at everyone condescendingly, then smiled charmingly and backed away several steps to the window.

This turn of events was completely unexpected. He Lanqing pointed at her trembling. “So it was you! You wretched woman, catch her, catch her!”

However, Yun Qing and the others remained seated calmly, not moving. They weren’t He Lanqing’s servants—there was no reason for them to help him catch anyone.

So Liang Xiao escaped through the window in full view of everyone.

He Lanqing ran out to call his servants, telling them all to catch Liang Xiao.

Then he came back and saw Yun Qing and the others leisurely walking out of the room. He didn’t dare complain, only looked at Yun Qing pitifully, “Immortal Lady, didn’t you say you would help me?”

Yun Qing said indifferently, “We’ve already helped you find the person who cast the gu, fulfilling our promise. Now it’s time for you to keep your word.”

“Good, good, good. Um, could you please be completely helpful and also help me get this gu worm out? I’ll do whatever you ask. My father is an official in Zhuze City. If you can’t find a suitable woman in Mengliang City, I can take you to Zhuze City to choose!”

Yun Qing smiled slightly. “That depends on your sincerity.”