Chapter 921: Contact

Chapter 921: Contact

Li Sui did not dwell on why Xuan Pin’s voice sounded different; after all, one hundred and eighty years had passed. It was only natural for a voice to change.

Hearing that the other party knew exactly what had transpired, Li Sui was ecstatic.

"Really? That’s wonderful! Then take me to the Great Liang now. I’ll wait for my father there. Oh, and my father needs dragon aura—lots and lots of it. We must prepare plenty in advance so we can help him when the time comes."

Yet, upon hearing this, Li Sui watched as the figure shook her head. "No, you need not come along."

"What? Why not!? I want to go home!" Li Sui grew frantic at these words.

She had come so far, only to have everything go wrong at the final step.

"You know too much, and your mind is not yet fully formed. Returning to the Great Liang to speak of these things would disrupt causality. It is safer for you to remain in the Great Qi."

"I won't blabber! I won't tell a soul! My lips are sealed," Li Sui promised repeatedly.

At this moment, Zuo Qiu Yong walked over and cast a sidelong glance at Li Sui. "Tsk, tsk, you little child. Your lips are sealed? You’ve practically told everyone you met along the way where you came from. Rest assured, I have already sent people to clean up your mess."

"You shall stay in the Great Qi. Follow your auntie well, and I will teach you properly, lest you remain as blank as a sheet of paper, easily deceived by others."

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' Consider it for your father’s sake. It is decided. I will come to fetch you in one hundred and eighty years." With that, Xuan Pin’s body dissolved like smoke.

"Don't even think about sneaking over there. If I catch you, you won't like the consequences!"

Li Sui pressed her lips together tightly, tears welling in her eyes. Although what Xuan Pin said was true, she did not like this version of her; she felt no trust from her at all.

Her tone was cold, and she was entirely unreasonable.

"Come, let’s go back. After all, you have one hundred and eighty years to wait; what difference does it make whether you are in the Great Qi or the Great Liang?" Zuo Qiu Yong reached out and patted Li Sui’s head.

"From now on, I shall raise you as my own daughter. I have no children of my own, so don't look down on a broken person like me."

Hearing this, Li Sui shook her head and wiped her tears. "I don't look down on you. I know you are a good person, Auntie."

"Take the carriage back. I have matters to attend to and cannot escort you. You know how it is—I am of the Great Qi’s Directorate of Celestials; there is always work to be done."

Watching the sullen Li Sui board the carriage and depart, Zuo Qiu Yong remained in the bamboo grove, standing still and waiting for something.

Once the sound of hooves had completely faded, Zuo Qiu Yong spoke softly: "Come out."

No sooner had she spoken than a voluminous red Daoist robe descended from the sky. The figure was none other than the Xuan Pin who had just vanished.

The figure reached out to shed the robe, revealing three people huddled together in a human ladder—two men and one woman. Judging by their features, they appeared to be siblings; the Xuan Pin from moments ago had been their masquerade.

The three quickly separated and knelt on one knee before Zuo Qiu Yong, cupping their hands in salute. "Director of the Directorate of Celestials!"

"How do you do your jobs? Must I intervene to patch up such trivial matters? Do you lack mouths of your own? Or do you no longer wish to keep them?"

Hearing the threat in Zuo Qiu Yong’s voice, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. If they had spoken out of turn, they truly would have no mouths left.

"My Lady, actually, your subordinates—"

"Enough, spare me the nonsense. Go back. Remember, this is the last time. There will not be another." Zuo Qiu Yong turned and walked away.

Just as the three breathed a sigh of relief, Zuo Qiu Yong’s voice drifted back from ahead: "Do not discard that robe. Should we need to manipulate this little mongrel without leaving a trace, your Xuan Pin skin might come in handy."

"Yes! My Lady, the three of us shall always be ready!"

"It won't be long now. Once I have pried everything she knows from her mouth, you may take her and refine her into a ritual tool."

The three faces lit up with joy. "Thank you for your grace, Director!"

A *xinsu* was a rare, heaven-sent treasure, let alone one that was a *xinsu* evil spirit.

In the time that followed, under Zuo Qiu Yong’s care, Li Sui gradually settled into life in the Great Qi.

During this period, Li Sui discovered that her aunt was very curious about what had happened one hundred and eighty years ago. Having no guard against the aunt who was always kind to her, Li Sui told her everything she knew.

She even struggled to recall things she had long since forgotten.

At first, Li Sui harbored resentment about being in the Great Qi, wondering if she might be closer to her father if she were in the Great Liang.

However, under Zuo Qiu Yong’s meticulous care, Li Sui gradually adapted to life in the Great Qi.

Moreover, she felt that her aunt was right: her father would come to the Great Qi many times, so it made no difference whether she waited in the Great Qi or the Great Liang.

One afternoon, Li Sui walked into the room with a hidden object, smiling. Zuo Qiu Yong, who was busy with needlework, cast her a sidelong glance. "What is it, child?"

"Auntie, close your eyes."

"If I close my eyes, what if I prick my hand?" Zuo Qiu Yong lifted her right hand, adorned with a thimble, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Oh, just close them!"

Unable to resist Li Sui’s pestering, Zuo Qiu Yong finally closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she found a clay figurine that looked exactly like her standing before her.

"Auntie, I like you the best! You treat me as well as my father does. From now on, you are my family, too!" Overjoyed, Li Sui threw herself into Zuo Qiu Yong’s arms, pressing the figurine into her hand.

"Oh my, the needle! You child." Zuo Qiu Yong hurriedly set her sewing aside.

"Stop clinging to me, it’s far too hot. Are you hungry? I’ve prepared food for you in the study; go on, now."

Hearing there was food, Li Sui immediately let go of Zuo Qiu Yong and ran toward the study.

"Run slowly! And remember not to pester my ink-monkey. It trembles at the sight of you now."

"I know!"

Listening to the sound of Li Sui’s retreating footsteps, Zuo Qiu Yong, a faint smile on her face, returned to her needlework.

Just as she bit off the final thread, the three siblings knelt before her. "Director of the Directorate of Celestials! We await your command!"

The smile on Zuo Qiu Yong’s face slowly faded. She reacted as if only just remembering, "Oh, look at my brain. I’ve asked about everything there is to know. It is time to clean up; the fewer people who know of such things, the better."

She picked up the clay figurine and examined it closely, her expression flickering with a hint of hesitation.

"My Lady?"

"Go." Zuo Qiu Yong tossed the figurine toward them. "Make it quick for her."

After the three departed, tears streamed down Zuo Qiu Yong’s cheeks. She wiped them away with a pained expression and lowered her head to continue her needlework.

"Sigh... after spending so much time together, I really am a bit reluctant."