Chapter 128: About to Be Discovered

A strange sight appeared at the entrance to the Lingyun Sect.

Two young and beautiful women were stopping everyone they saw to ask if they had seen a girl named You Yuelan. Without exception, every answer they received was the same: no.

As the sun gradually shifted toward the west, Huyan Yazhi had already begun packing her things to retreat. Most of the people present had already left, but Lin Huanhuan still had not found the second female lead.

Lin Huanhuan felt that her luck was incredibly poor. ‘This shouldn’t be happening. You Yuelan should have left around this time. Did she leave early?’

Standing beside her under the pseudonym Mu Ying, You Yuelan could not help but feel a flicker of curiosity. She asked indifferently, “Senior Sister, what is your relationship with that girl named You Yuelan? Does she owe you many spirit stones? You are being so persistent in your search for her.”

You Yuelan truly could not understand it. She didn’t usually hang around the Lingyun Sect, and since she was a complete nobody, it was impossible for her fame to have spread. How could someone be asking for her the moment she arrived here?

Lin Huanhuan waved her hand and said with some impatience, “It’s not like that. I just have some special business with her that needs to be discussed in person to be made clear.”

“You aren’t her, so I can’t explain it to you anyway. Don’t ask so many questions; it won’t do you any good.” 

You Yuelan opened her mouth to speak, but in the end, she said nothing.

Lin Huanhuan thought irritably to herself, ‘According to the original novel, You Yuelan is a spy from the Demon Sect. Her main purpose in coming to the Lingyun Sect is to steal the supreme treasure, the Scroll of Mountains and Seas.’

‘In the original story, because I was taught a harsh lesson by Bai Lingfeng, I hid away in Small Bamboo Peak for a long time. I managed to escape that disaster, but my mood was incredibly depressed.’

‘While wandering around, I accidentally discovered this secret. Overcome by lust, I immediately started threatening You Yuelan and did a series of excessive things to her. I was dancing wildly on the male lead’s red lines, truly showing my colors as a scoundrel antagonist.’

‘Naturally, things didn’t end well for me after the threats. I was labeled a traitor of the Demon Sect and hunted by the entire Lingyun Sect. I fled their territory and ended up wandering other realms as a beggar.’

‘The most amazing thing is that I didn’t even die. I really wonder if the original author had some kind of mental illness. Everyone thought I would return as a major villain, but in the middle and late stages of the plot, I reappeared at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, only to be tortured to death by Ye Jinxi and You Yuelan working together… It was very bizarre.’

‘I didn’t think much of it before, but now that I think about it carefully, this plot is full of toxic tropes.’

Lin Huanhuan thought speechlessly. She glanced at the person beside her whom she had snatched up to work for her. Seeing that her movements were stiff but she was indeed doing her best, Lin Huanhuan nodded.

‘Well, since she took my spirit stones, she should work hard. Otherwise, I wouldn’t stand for it—even though I haven’t paid her yet.’

You Yuelan looked back at Lin Huanhuan, who was nodding to herself, and then questioned another dejected person. She thought, ‘She keeps staring at me. Could it be that she’s already starting to suspect me? No, regardless of her purpose, I cannot let my identity be exposed.’

Their high-profile search for someone finally attracted some attention.

A beautifully dressed young woman was drawn over, smiling as she spoke. “Oh, who are you looking for? Let me help you search…”

Before the beautifully dressed woman could finish her sentence, You Yuelan’s mind, which had been as still as dead wood, began to race. She remembered seeing this woman before.

This was a girl from a wealthy family. They had met on the way here, and the girl had been very forward, asking a lot of questions. Naturally, the girl knew her name. They had traveled together and only separated after arriving here.

You Yuelan quickly processed the information in her mind and reached a conclusion: this wealthy girl knew her name, and she could not be allowed to come over!

You Yuelan turned her head and saw that Lin Huanhuan was looking around irritably, completely failing to notice this side. She immediately seized the opportunity and stepped forward, abruptly elbowing the smiling wealthy girl into unconsciousness.

Seeing the wealthy girl fall into a deep sleep with a peaceful expression, You Yuelan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The crisis of exposure was averted.

Lin Huanhuan finally noticed what was happening. She walked over, looked at the wealthy girl on the ground, and asked in confusion, “What happened? Why is there one sleeping here?”

“We are just looking for someone; it shouldn’t be enough to scare someone into a faint, right?”

You Yuelan propped the wealthy girl up and moved her to an open space nearby. Only then did she forced a smile and answer, “I don’t know why either. Perhaps she had some sudden illness and suddenly fainted. However, her breathing seems steady, so it shouldn’t be anything serious.”

“That’s good then.”

Lin Huanhuan nodded and said with concern, “Go find a Lingyun Sect disciple to take her to the resting area. It’s not good for her to lie here. It would be troublesome if something happened to her.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll go right now.”

You Yuelan did not hesitate. She picked up the wealthy girl and walked toward the mountain gate.

***

Lin Huanhuan was worried she might run away, so she quickly added, “Hey, come back quickly! There are still people left, so we have to keep looking. You should have been admitted to the sect too, so if you dare to run, I will definitely hunt you down —”

The fast-walking You Yuelan stumbled and nearly fell. She cursed her bad luck in her heart but could only nod and quicken her pace.

Lin Huanhuan continued to mindlessly ask people while she kept thinking.

‘According to the original novel, my first encounter with You Yuelan was supposed to be here. I planned to meet her ahead of time and then use the opportunity to threaten her, saving myself from a bunch of messy complications later.’

‘Could it be that the Heavenly Will is forcibly correcting the plot? That shouldn’t be possible. The last time the plot regarding Ye Jinxi was forcibly changed, it proved that the story can be altered, though it requires paying a certain price.’

‘Could there be some other reason? How annoying. Whatever, I’ll look a bit longer. If I can’t find her, I’ll give up.’

Before long, You Yuelan returned.

“I’ve handed that girl over to the people from the Lingyun Sect. They said she just fainted suddenly and would wake up soon.”

“That’s fine then.”

They searched for a while longer until the sky began to darken. The shadows of people walking down the mountain became few and far between. The entry ceremony had ended, and almost everyone had left.

“It is fate, then.”

Lin Huanhuan sighed and finally gave up. “Forget it, forget it. It’s late. We’ll talk about it next time.”

Then, she took out five spirit stones and handed them to You Yuelan. “This is what we agreed upon. Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing.” You Yuelan happily accepted the spirit stones, feeling a sense of relief as if her hardships were finally over.

Just as they were about to leave, a shout came from not far away. “Miss, Miss, are you here?”

Lin Huanhuan’s body shuddered in fright. She looked into the distance and saw Dong Yuner hurried walking down, her gaze constantly scanning the surrounding people.