128. The Rival in Love Comes Calling

Le Qianxue grew even more irritated and said, "Yunge, have you been so sheltered by your brother since childhood that you would actually believe an outsider over him?"

Zhan Yunge was startled, shrinking back, not knowing how to respond.

Le Qianxue calmed down and said, "Forget it. Hearing you describe it, Yu Yao is a very cautious person. She knows Zhan Lianjing's whereabouts but refuses to tell you where he is; this is already using you. With her cunning nature, she would never give you the antidote. If she wanted to, she would have done so long ago."

Zhan Yunge looked at Le Qianxue and asked, "Then... what should we do now? I actually... I feel like Sister Yu Yao wouldn't do such a thing. She used to be so good to me."

"People's hearts are hidden behind their faces; how could you truly know?" Le Qianxue said. "Now, how do you usually contact her?"

Zhan Yunge thought for a moment and shook her head. "It has always been Sister Yu Yao who contacts me. I don't know how to find her."

Le Qianxue could only sigh. It seemed Zhan Lianjing truly doted on this sister of his. He possessed such deep schemes, yet Zhan Yunge was so naive.

She continued, "Very well, I will speak to your brother about this and have him be more vigilant. You must not meet her alone again. This time, it concerns your brother's life; you cannot be willful."

Zhan Yunge thought of how much effort Zhan Lianjing had spent to cure her illness, and now she, too, had to protect her brother. She nodded heavily in agreement.

Le Qianxue felt a sense of relief; after all, Zhan Yunge was still on Zhan Lianjing's side, and hopefully, she wouldn't be used by Yu Yao again.

However, Zhan Yunge tilted her head, curious, and asked, "But Sister Le, I heard from Haoyue that you are the 'Ghost Physician.' Even you cannot save my brother?"

Le Qianxue faltered for a moment. She did have a way, but it would cost her own life. She had to say, "Not for the time being. Therefore, finding Yu Yao is more urgent."

"Then I don't understand. If you know my brother doesn't have many years to live, why stay with him? It's strange enough that you are together, but even stranger that you are unwilling to marry him," Zhan Yunge asked.

Le Qianxue smiled. "There are no 'whys.' It is not the right time yet. I need to clarify a few things first."

Seeing Le Qianxue's demeanor, Zhan Yunge knew she wouldn't say more, so she continued to pester Le Qianxue to teach her the art of disguise. Le Qianxue began teaching her the basics, and Zhan Yunge, having some interest in the craft, studied diligently. However, Le Qianxue’s skill required great finesse, and it was not something one could master overnight. Zhan Yunge was determined to learn, as Le Qianxue might be the only person in the world who possessed such formidable disguise techniques.

As the time to leave for Night City approached, Le Qianxue prepared meticulously. Although the auction would only last one day, she thought it would be nice to spend two days exploring the city as well.

One day, while Huatao was accompanying Le Qianxue to buy some supplies, they ran into Yu Zhiyang on the road. Yu Zhiyang glanced at her but walked past without greeting her.

Le Qianxue turned to look, feeling puzzled; Yu Zhiyang treated her almost like an enemy, and she didn't know why.

Huatao whispered, "My lady, can you still not see it?"

Le Qianxue was stunned. "See what?"

Huatao said, "The Third Prince must be angry about the rumors between you and Prince Zhan. Sigh, it truly breaks the heart of someone deeply in love."

Le Qianxue twitched the corner of her mouth. She was aware of Yu Zhiyang's feelings for her, though not entirely certain. However, she thought that while she had initially considered Yu Zhiyang a friend, that was in the past. She stood on Zhan Lianjing's side, and Yu Zhiyang was, after all, a royal; their stances were different. It was for the best not to be friends anymore.

Le Qianxue felt at ease and said, "I am also 'deeply in love' with you, so why are you talking about others?"

Huatao smiled shyly. "My lady, why are you teasing this servant? We still need to buy things; let's go, my lady."

Le Qianxue smiled and continued shopping with Huatao.

However, what Le Qianxue did not know was that Yu Zhiyang had leaked such a significant piece of information to her, yet she had ended up "cooking rice into porridge" with Zhan Lianjing without a second thought. Yu Zhiyang was naturally furious, unable to believe they had reconciled so quickly; it would be even harder to drive a wedge between them in the future.

On the day they set off for Night City, there were two women in Zhan Lianjing's carriage: Le Qianxue and, naturally, Zhan Yunge.

Ever since learning that Yu Yao would appear in Night City, Zhan Lianjing had been in a somber mood. However, he had already ordered many hidden sentries to be stationed throughout the city. He had spent eight years searching for Yu Yao; this time, he would certainly not let her escape so easily.

Because of the Yan family's auction, Night City was bustling with activity. Since Le Qianxue had crafted a human-skin mask for Zhan Yunge, Yunge could disguise herself as Huatao, allowing them to go out without fear of being watched.

The night market in Night City was even livelier, crowded with people. The two young women looked left and right, quite happy. That night, there were fireworks, and the dense crowd caused the two of them to be separated.

Le Qianxue called for Huatao, but she felt Zhan Yunge might not respond to the name, and if she called out "Yunge," she feared drawing suspicion. With no other choice, Le Qianxue rushed to find her.

The streets were packed, and after searching for a long time, Le Qianxue could not see a trace of Zhan Yunge. Originally, Zhui Xing had followed them, but Zhan Yunge had insisted it wasn't necessary. If something happened to Zhan Yunge, she wouldn't know how to answer to Zhan Lianjing.

After a while, Le Qianxue finally caught sight of Zhan Yunge. She breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "Where did you go? How did you get separated from me?"

Zhan Yunge lowered her head. She was still wearing the human-skin mask that looked like Huatao. She replied, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to watch the fireworks."

Le Qianxue could not bring herself to scold her. She took Zhan Yunge's hand and walked forward. "The fireworks are being set off by the river; let's go to the riverside."

Zhan Yunge nodded obediently and let Le Qianxue lead her away.

The river was wide, and a painted pleasure boat was anchored in the middle. Not knowing what kind of distinguished guest was inside, the zither music drifting from it was incredibly beautiful. Le Qianxue became entranced; the woman playing the zither must surely be a soul full of melancholy to be able to play such a melody.

Zhan Yunge, disliking the crowd, pulled Le Qianxue to a more secluded spot to avoid being jostled. The fireworks continued to bloom, gorgeous and bright. Le Qianxue looked up, but suddenly, Zhan Yunge took a step back.

A cold glint flashed—too fast for anyone to react. Had Le Qianxue not been looking down at that moment, she would never have noticed. She lunged backward, but as her hair flew up, Zhan Yunge's long sword sliced through a lock of it.

Le Qianxue was horrified. She retreated to the riverbank and cried, "Yunge, what are you doing?"

The smile on Zhan Yunge’s face was strange. If it were truly her, the mask wouldn't fit that expression. Le Qianxue had designed that mask specifically for Zhan Yunge; if it looked this way, it meant the person before her was not Zhan Yunge.

"Who exactly are you?" Le Qianxue asked, annoyed at having been deceived. The person's physique and clothing were so similar to Zhan Yunge's, and even the voice was nearly identical.

The "Zhan Yunge" sneered. "So slow. You only notice now? With such poor judgment, how could he possibly like a woman like you?"

Le Qianxue’s heart sank as she thought of one person: Yu Yao.

She narrowed her eyes. "You are Yu Yao?"

"Hehe, I never expected you to know. It seems he mentioned me in front of you," Yu Yao said. Her smile was even more bizarre, and her natural voice was slightly seductive, sending a shiver down one's spine.

Le Qianxue held several silver needles in her hand. She hadn't brought any weapons, which was troublesome, especially since this riverbank was so remote.

"What are you thinking about?" Yu Yao said slowly. "Thinking he will come to save you? I tell you, I have already wiped out those hidden sentries he deployed."

Le Qianxue was shocked. If that were true, Yu Yao’s strength was not to be underestimated. Seeing Yu Yao’s movements just now, they were clean and swift; her martial arts were indeed excellent.

She focused her gaze. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? What do you think? I want to kill you, of course," Yu Yao said, taking a step forward.

The intricate patterns on the long sword were unusual; Le Qianxue could tell it was no ordinary blade. Compared to Yu Yao, she might struggle to keep her life. Now, she could only rely on the medicinal powders she carried with her.

Le Qianxue frowned. "Kill me? Do you have the ability?"

Yu Yao hated being looked down upon most of all. She retorted, "Such arrogance. You've become someone's woman, so you've become insufferably conceited? He is just a cripple; how can you be so arrogant following a cripple?"

As she spoke, Yu Yao attacked. Le Qianxue fired her silver needles, which forced Yu Yao back slightly, and she struck a palm blow to knock away the long sword.

Yu Yao snorted. "You are using the internal energy of the Qiankun Secret Arts. It seems he is playing for real; he actually taught you."

In the past, no matter how she begged, he refused to let her even glance at it. Yu Yao’s jealousy flared intensely; she wanted to kill Le Qianxue right then and there. However, after one clash, she realized Le Qianxue's internal energy was not inferior. When they pitted their internal power against each other, Yu Yao could not gain the upper hand for a moment.

Yu Yao retreated and swung her sword to kill. Her strikes were fierce, forcing Le Qianxue into a corner with nowhere to escape. In the blink of an eye, several wounds appeared on Le Qianxue's body.

But with a flick of her wrist, Le Qianxue scattered a cloud of toxic powder.