Chapter 172: The Cannon Fodder Who Can’t Survive Three Chapters (15)
Bei Xing woke up to sunlight streaming through the window, the curtains swaying gently in the breeze. She stretched, realizing she had slept soundly,
No nightmares, no overwhelming knowledge, no ghosts chasing her.
She felt refreshed, her fatigue gone.
Downstairs, her family wasn’t at the breakfast table. Her mother was probably out with her friends, her father and sister always busy with work, their schedules completely different from hers.
At least she was coming home regularly now, unlike the original owner, who would often stay out all night, only returning to bump into her family leaving for work.
The housekeeper had prepared a light breakfast: shrimp dumplings, red bean buns, steamed ribs, steamed chicken feet… small and delicate portions, with a refreshing Longjing tea. Bei Xing didn’t eat much.
Before leaving for school, she lit three incense sticks in her room and placed a plate of fruit beside them. But as she was about to leave, the incense sticks were only smoking, no sign of Su Mingxiu.
She paused, a sense of unease, and called out: “Susu?”
Then, “Master?”
The room was silent, only the curtains rustling.
“Su Mingxiu?”
Still no response, and her heart skipped a beat.
She walked around the room, thinking that Su Mingxiu hadn’t appeared since vanishing last night—but why?
“Miss?”
A maid, seeing her walk towards the kitchen, looked up, puzzled. Bei Xing, recognizing her, asked casually: “Did you keep the soft-shelled turtle shell from the other day? I said I needed it.”
The maid remembered.
The turtle soup that night had been… subpar. Bei Xing had instructed them not to overcook the turtle, and not to damage the shell.
The maid retrieved the clean, dried shell from the courtyard.
Bei Xing thanked her and hurried upstairs, then took out a Qianlong Tongbao coin she had bought while making five emperor coins during class, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.
There were three main divination methods: Taiyi, Qimen Dunjia, and Da Liu Ren. Taiyi was for predicting national fortunes, Qimen Dunjia for military strategy,
And Da Liu Ren for personal matters. But Bei Xing hadn’t learned any of them, Su Mingxiu hadn’t taught her advanced divination, only the basic six-line method.
She knew the Plum Blossom Divination, but it was too imprecise, and relied on intuition, so she had given up on it.
After chanting a calming mantra, she placed the coin in the turtle shell, shook it, and recorded the result, noting the heads and tails of the three coins.
She repeated this six times—
On the sixth throw, the coins scattered, rolling under the desk, landing in the cracks between the tiles, none of them facing clearly up or down.
She frowned, knowing the divination had failed.
Her phone vibrated.
The class monitor, noticing the low attendance, was reminding everyone to come to class, the professor taking attendance.
Bei Xing sighed and left for school.
“Hello?” a soft voice answered.
Bei Xing, in the back of a taxi, glanced at the time. “Are you in class?”
“No, I’m not feeling well, I took the day off, what’s wrong?” the gentle voice, soothing and harmless, made Bei Xing relax slightly.
It was Chu Yinxi.
“Have you seen Su Jin recently?”
“No,” Chu Yinxi replied honestly, “she hasn’t been at school since your… argument, she must have taken leave.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Bei Xing was now certain that Su Mingxiu’s disappearance was related to Su Jin.
Remembering Su Mingxiu’s warning about the snake demon’s transformation and their shared dragon soul, she felt a growing unease.
At school, she endured her classes, then tried another divination, but it failed again on the sixth line.
She even tried the Plum Blossom method, using wildflowers from the campus, but it was useless.
She couldn’t find Su Mingxiu.
A few days ago, she had been complaining about Su Mingxiu’s torturous training, now, unable to find her, she felt lost and adrift.
She walked aimlessly towards the school gate, looked at the clear sky, then took a taxi home.
At the Chu residence, in a quiet courtyard…
“How could it be stolen? Such an important artifact, wasn’t it guarded?”
“Who else could have stolen the dragon tendon? It seems our ancestor’s decision was right. If that evil dragon returns, it will be a disaster, we must kill it before it transforms.”
“But it must have sensed the danger, finding it now will be difficult.”
“How is it difficult? Don’t we have…”
Chu Yinxi, hearing the voices from the courtyard, had been about to have the servants bring tea. But overhearing their conversation, she realized it wasn’t meant for her ears.
She turned away, having someone else deliver the tea.
Meanwhile…
In a dark cave in the Bei Mang Mountains…
A large black snake, its scales shimmering with a faint grey mist, was coiled on the ground.
And from its forehead, a flickering light, the two souls, Su Mingxiu and Su Jin, struggling for dominance—
“Impressive,” Su Jin said, a strange smile in her voice, “in this degenerate age, a mere ghost achieving immortality, but it’s a pity…”
“You’ll never win against me.”
At the Bei family villa…
Bei Xing had been coming home early recently, spending her free time at home. The servants were getting used to it, the housekeeper even asking if she wanted anything special for lunch.
“No, have them set up the offering table in the garden—wait, let me calculate the auspicious direction.”
She had already determined the best time for the ritual, even buying all the necessary items, just like for Su Mingxiu’s seventh day.
After setting up the table and arranging the offerings, including the takeout she had ordered, she quickly showered, changed into new clothes, and, not even bothering with sunscreen, her face still damp, stepped into the sunlight.
She wrote the prayer text on yellow paper, prepared the incense and offerings, then, at the auspicious time, lit the incense, chanted the incantations, and began the ritual.
The servants, used to Bei Xing’s father’s superstitious practices and Bei Xing’s earlier lightning show, discreetly retreated, afraid of another incident.
They didn’t know that Bei Xing was simply offering this to… the heavens.
A bribe.
Using the finest paper and the most sincere words, she flattered the heavens, then, after the ritual, she took out a tortoise shell and started her divination.
One line, two lines…
By the fifth line, her breathing became rapid.
On the sixth line, the three coins settled, one yin, two yang.
Success.
Her forehead covered in sweat, she recorded and interpreted the hexagrams.
She had previously only asked about Su Mingxiu’s location, but now, emboldened, she asked about Su Mingxiu’s safety.
The hexagrams showed initial success, then a reversal, the opponent receiving help, the final outcome unfavorable for Su Mingxiu.
She performed another divination, this time for Su Mingxiu’s location. Thanks to her recent studies, she was able to decipher the vague location.
Then, a third divination, asking if she could help Su Mingxiu—
Yes.
Although the chances were slim.
She breathed a sigh of relief, had the servants clear the table, and hurried back to her room, preparing talismans: Five Thunders Talismans, Invisibility Talismans, and even a Summoning Talisman.
She filled her bag and stuck them on her body, like a walking bomb.
Then, she set off to save Su Mingxiu.
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