Chapter 686 Wei’s Scheme (3.5k)
Riding in the taxi, Su Jiu occasionally glanced at Little Foolbird, who was engrossed in her phone. She was curious about the girl’s thoughts. Although Little Foolbird claimed not to hate, she surely had grievances, yet she acted so carefree. Su Jiu had to admit she felt a sense of admiration for Little Foolbird.
“What’s wrong? Oh, right…”
Seemingly noticing Su Jiu’s gaze, Lin turned her head. Her lavender eyes held the clarity of a university student. As if remembering something, her small face looked somewhat awkward, and she tucked her hands into her sweater… Her gaze shifted to the back of Su Jiu’s hand. Closing her eyes, she quickly planted a fleeting kiss, like a dragonfly touching water, before softly whispering, “This is for today. I won’t go back on my word like those humans.”
“Pfft, yes, yes… Lord Lin is the most rule-abiding.”
Su Jiu chuckled and stopped looking at Lin, turning her gaze back to the window. She watched the sky, which was still gloomy despite it being noon, and couldn’t help but sigh, “This heavy rain has been going on for a long time. Spring shouldn’t have this much precipitation.” She then lowered her gaze to the accumulated water that reached halfway up the tires. One might even believe it was midsummer.
“Hey! Sis, you don’t know that. In the past, even at the start of spring, there were often heavy downpours like this. But they never lasted more than a day before the clouds parted and the sun came out.” The driver spoke fluent Dragon Country language with a slight accent. He seemed to have realized Su Jiu was from Dragon Country and was making small talk.
“Brother, does this weather have any other special meanings?” Su Jiu was also a little curious about the rainy weather and chatted leisurely. She thought there was a high probability that this rain was connected to the [Ghosts] and [Relics], otherwise, it was too much of a coincidence…
“Of course. Legend has it that the heavy spring rains are the prelude to the ‘Hundred Ghosts Night Parade,’ where the students and evil spirits walk the human world. The emissaries of the gods will also walk the human world to assist humans in repelling the floods and driving back the evil spirits.” The driver chewed on a betel nut, his hands steering the wheel, but his accent was still clear. “It’s just that in the last two years, the rain has been lasting longer.”
Hearing this, Su Jiu fell into thought. What the driver said seemed to align with her experiences, but why did she feel something was off? Everything from Wei finding her to assigning tasks seemed normal.
“Isn’t that story widely known?” Lin suddenly chimed in, her voice returning to its usual cool tone, which matched her attire and demeanor perfectly – hot yet cold.
“Of course. Pretty much anyone who has lived through one or two winters has heard that story.” The driver smiled, looking ahead at the rapidly flowing water, and slowed the car. “We’re almost at our destination. If you two have any external qi, you should wrap your lower bodies with it in advance, or you’ll get covered in mud.”
“Mhm, thank you, brother, for the reminder.” Su Jiu took out some change as a tip and handed it over. Once the car stabilized, she wrapped herself in a layer of external qi, then held her umbrella and stepped out onto the roadside.
“This place looks like the end of the world. If a mudslide erupts any second, we’ll be the protagonists of Titanic.” After getting out of the car with Lin, Su Jiu looked around. Under the gloomy sky, lights flickered faintly. The muddy, turbid water surged, and she could even feel the current reaching her calves.
“Let’s meet up with Mr. Lin and the others first.” She then lightly waved her hand forward, projecting a blood-golden ribbon that opened a path, separating the water flow with external qi. She walked forward with leisurely steps.
“You’re quite humorous…” Lin teased, looking around again before following Su Jiu. She said softly, “Did you hear what the driver said? That story is known by almost every old winter resident.”
“So what?” Su Jiu blinked, slowing her pace slightly. She looked back at the black umbrella held by the girl behind her, feeling like she was finally grasping the source of the unease.
“They say big breasts without brains, but you have neither.” Lin rolled her eyes at Su Jiu, and the moment Su Jiu’s eyes turned deadfish, she voiced her conjectures from earlier in the car: “Have you considered that precisely because this story is so widespread, anyone can claim to be one of the so-called emissaries of Izanami? After all, no one can prove the true identity of an emissary.”
“Are you saying… Wei might be a fake? But the Fujiwara family…” Hearing this, Su Jiu wasn’t foolish and understood the logic. However, the Fujiwara family’s unconditional trust in Wei made her feel conflicted.
“Con artist, it’s time to pay up.” While Su Jiu was lost in thought, Lin trotted a couple of steps ahead, slightly raising her hand. With her fair fingers, she gently flicked Su Jiu’s forehead and chuckled. Then, she continued, “What does the Fujiwara family need? Bloodline. What do you need? To upgrade items. Your needs and whether [Wei] is an emissary don’t contradict each other, and it doesn’t affect your cooperation.”
“Whoa, I guess so.” Su Jiu was startled by Lin’s words. She had subconsciously adopted the perspective of a [justice seeker], but in reality, they were just cooperating. The consequences would only be Wei’s spoken word. This truly felt like she had given the [Internet identity].
“Little Lin, I’m deducting 10 intermediate magic crystals from your debt this time. Regarding this relic, if the other party doesn’t offer benefits first, we’ll just play dumb.” After calming her thoughts, Su Jiu felt the strange sensation had significantly diminished. Come to think of it, Wei didn’t really feel like an emissary, but… why did she find her? Thinking this, Su Jiu subconsciously glanced at the small gourd hanging at her waist. This was the only link she had with these ghosts. The Jotun gourd.
With Su Jiu clearing the way with her external qi, the two quickly arrived above the relic. Several long yellow caution tapes were stretched across several meters in front of them. Even before getting close, they could see a dense crowd of people, including scholars and various on-site staff, most of whom were earth-attribute bloodline users consolidating the ground with soil.
“The external analysis of this relic is largely complete. For better exploration, we can only enter the interior through a spatial formation.” Crossing the caution tape, Lin Chujiu came to Su Jiu’s side. Dressed in a gray-yellow exploration suit and wearing an orange work cap, she glanced at Lin before speaking quite seriously to Su Jiu.
“We can enter the interior?” Su Jiu and Lin exchanged glances, both surprised. It shouldn’t be possible. If it could be opened now, what was the point of reinforcing the relic?
“It hasn’t been opened, but at three in the morning, the mudslide and geological activity loosened the seal inside. If there’s another impact, the seal might be broken. We are currently waiting for the official opinion from Sakura, whether to enter and assess the situation or to end it here.” Lin Chujiu reached into her storage bag and handed out two “worker sets,” saying, “You should change into these. Only by wearing this identification can you carry out the exploration.”
“Mr. Lin, have you seen anyone from Tokyo University?” Su Jiu took the cap and orange vest without complaint and quickly put them on. She then led Lin across the yellow line towards the relic. Soon, the three stopped at a slightly elevated spot. The sunken area in front was the so-called relic, roughly square and occupying a considerable area, perhaps over an acre. On the far left, a small stone corner was exposed, which was where the most people were gathered.
“Tokyo University? They seem to be ahead. Their mission is different from ours; they are primarily consulting relevant data to analyze the origin and purpose of this relic.” Lin Chujiu stopped at the high ground and pointed to the collapsed area below, which was opposite the exposed stone corner. There, “Gen Jixiang,” dressed in a kimono, was the most conspicuous. With her arms crossed, she sat on a lounge chair, seemingly waiting leisurely for something.
“Okay, thank you, Mr. Lin.” Without further interaction, Su Jiu pulled Lin’s arm and together they leaped down, heading toward the visible location. Before they even got close, “Gen Jixiang” seemed to sense their presence, abruptly opened her eyes, a smile appearing on her face. She looked at Su Jiu and the two and said softly, “Miss Su has kept me waiting for quite a long time.”
“I couldn’t help it; I had a little drink last night and came late. How should we proceed?” Su Jiu waved her hand helplessly, putting on a fake smile. Since she knew that the Wei in front of her was likely not an emissary of the [Dragon King], she had already become somewhat guarded. It was the right course of action to deal with things here quickly and then head to the downstream area to investigate the Red Demon Shrimp situation.
Without answering Su Jiu immediately, Wei glanced around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, her gaze shifted to the exposed corner of the relic, and she said softly, “We have to wait a little longer. We can only enter the inside to repair the relic once it opens. For now, let’s wait patiently.”
“Why must we go inside? Can’t we repair it from the outside?” Su Jiu remained silent, but Lin spoke up this time.
“Who are you…?” Wei glanced at Lin, a flicker of displeasure in her eyes, clearly thinking she was just an ordinary student. Su Jiu smiled and introduced, “Lin, my… friend. She will assist us in sealing it.”
Hearing Su Jiu’s words, Wei casually scanned Lin’s face before politely answering the question, “The seal inside is problematic. Repairing the outside is useless. We can only wait for the external basic seal to dissipate and then enter to repair the inner seal.”
“Then, there’s no rush to stay here, is there? I’d like to leave for a while to complete the survey team’s mission.” Hearing this, Su Jiu nodded and replied softly.
“Leave for a while? At such a crucial moment, where are you going? Do you know how many people will be harmed if the internal core body parts are unearthed?” Upon hearing Su Jiu wanted to leave, Wei abruptly stood up, her previously relaxed expression suddenly becoming serious. Her pupils flickered as she couldn’t help but glance at Su Jiu’s waist.
“Nothing has happened yet, has it? I’m just going to the river area to take a look…” Facing such moral coercion, Su Jiu was unfazed. She simply waved her hand with a smile and turned away, leisurely strolling towards the river area. The rain was heavy, and the entire area was gloomy. In a short while, Su Jiu and the two figures disappeared from sight.
Watching Su Jiu’s retreating back, a cold glint appeared in Wei’s eyes. Her fingertips, hidden within her wide sleeves, even extended sharp claws… What an annoying human.
“Cuilan, could she have discovered something?” Behind her, Kamishiro Fujiye’s figure slowly approached. Her eyes were as still as dead water, but upon closer inspection, one could notice the vertical pupils. Her aura and presence were different from that of the flippant young man; she was more like a venomous snake waiting for its prey.
“What could a Dragon Country person like her know? Sheqi, you’re getting worse with age.” Wei glanced at Shindai Fujiwara, then leaned back onto the sofa, casually saying, “If it weren’t for the risk of backlash from approaching the armor and the need for formations, why would I be searching everywhere for items with the aura of a Great God’s daughter?”
The two fell silent for a few seconds. “The remnants have begun to awaken. If we fail this time, the Era of One Hundred Ghosts will completely end…” Shindai Fujiwara lowered his eyes, clenching his fist tightly, and continued in a deep voice, “The seal has the imperial edict of the Shadow Dragon King. Since I cannot possess an ancient Onmyoji bloodline recognized by the Dragon King, I cannot go inside. You can only exert the power of an intermediate War God. Are you confident in reviving the Venerable One?”
“Confidence? Among intermediate War Gods, I am invincible.” Wei smiled, a charming smile. She gently opened her lips, covering her enticing red lips, and giggled, “Besides, I don’t even need to act. The first person to bring their wings close to the armor will be corrupted and completely transformed into the Venerable One.”
“You still need to be careful.” Shindai Fujiwara gave her a quiet look, then looked up at the sky, as if trying to see something through the clouds. After a long while, he slowly said, “The emissary of the [Dragon King] is not a legend. Even if Izanami has completely fallen silent, it is still unknown how much strength that emissary has preserved.”
“If He truly is still alive, this rain would have stopped by now.” Wei also looked up at the sky, her lips curling into a disdainful smile. As the most sensitive [Ghost], she would have sensed it long ago if He were still around…
