44. Whose Scheme Is This?
“Unless the demonic spirit in my hand…”
Gong Yiling continued the woman’s sentence, then suddenly realized something was wrong.
Where did this woman come from?
Looking up, she saw Yan Chuyue sitting before her, also examining the number cards.
“Wait, how did you get in here?”
Yan Chuyue stood up and showed her her attire.
It was a palace maid’s uniform.
With Shangguan Lingyue’s connections, it wasn’t difficult for Yan Chuyue to sneak into the palace.
However, she was now wearing Gong Yiling’s high-quality disguise, her stunning beauty only slightly concealed by some added blemishes.
If you looked closely, she looked more like a princess than a maid.
“You snuck in here without being noticed?”
“I didn’t sneak in.” Yan Chuyue placed some pastries on the table, taking a walnut cookie for herself.
“You’re delivering late-night snacks?”
“Yes. The Head Eunuch said all participants would receive snacks, but Qiu Shui and Xinyao’s are more… refined.”
“As for you, you…”
Gong Yiling also took a pastry, her mouth full. “Anything is fine. This young lady isn’t picky.”
“But what did you mean earlier?”
Yan Chuyue clapped her hands and explained, “Demonic spirits are different from demonic beasts. You can’t treat them as ordinary creatures.”
“They can exist as the insects you mentioned, or as something you can’t even imagine. Like an earthworm splitting into two after being cut, each becoming an independent individual, although one’s lifespan will be greatly reduced. That’s how some demonic spirits exist, and it can be even more bizarre than that.”
“So, the spirits in these cards are fragments of a larger spirit?”
Gong Yiling searched her memory for similar demonic spirits, but none fit this description.
“There are many spirits with similar existence modes.” Yan Chuyue, seeing her confusion, explained, “Like the Dream Eater, which can enter people’s dreams, or the Bewitching Nightmare, which can control others from afar. And there are also spirits that can numb pain and boost morale.”
“It could be any of those, but none seem quite right.” Gong Yiling muttered, “But how do you know so much?”
She was puzzled by the extent of the Divine Physician’s space’s knowledge.
She didn’t remember it being an encyclopedia. How did Yan Chuyue know so much?
“Ahem…” Miss Author coughed. “Books hold a house of gold, and books hold beauties. I learned it from books. What’s wrong with that?”
Was there anyone who knew more about demonic spirits than her, the author? Impossible.
“Your reading material is quite interesting.”
“Hmph, you too.” Yan Chuyue quickly retorted. “The spirits you listed aren’t common. Only those with specialized knowledge would know about them.”
“Yeah, I also learned it from books.” Gong Yiling parroted her, “Books are the ladder of progress, a wooden staircase. I love reading. Reading makes me happy.”
Their next lines were almost simultaneous—”Are we reading the same book?”
They exchanged a knowing smile, then Gong Yiling said, “Perhaps I haven’t reached that part of the book yet, so I don’t know much about the later content. I should learn more from Miss Yan.”
“Not at all. Miss Lü’s ability to deceive so many sect elders is also a form of talent. I should learn from you.”
Gong Yiling: “Why does that sound like an insult?”
Yan Chuyue: “You too.”
Yan Chuyue took a pastry, then stood up, clapping her hands and smiling. “Alright, I’m leaving. Eat if you want, or don’t. I wish you good luck tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
After Yan Chuyue left, Gong Yiling picked up the number cards again and shrugged.
Perhaps the truth wasn’t as complicated as she thought. These cards were indeed demonic spirits and the keys to some treasures. She had simply overthought things.
More importantly, she needed to plan her next move.
Especially—she took out a note hidden beneath the pastries. It read:
*Investigation reveals that some contestants’ identities have been replaced. Please be careful, Immortal Master.* Signed, Mo Ke.
The meaning was clear.
Recalling the events of the competition, Gong Yiling already had a suspicion.
The next day…
When she arrived at the palace with the other contestants who had lost, the security was much laxer than the previous day. This was because they also had to guard the royal secret realm, inevitably weakening the palace’s defenses.
—The current situation depended on who was more cunning and far-sighted.
On the surface, Emperor Shangguan Long was the mantis, and Shangguan Yaochang and the demonic sects were the sparrows.
But it couldn’t be that simple. Otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t have reigned for so long, mainly because—he was also a cunning fox.
Perhaps he had already seen through Shangguan Yaochang’s scheme and was playing along, deliberately revealing his plans to force his brother and son to expose themselves, staging a heartwarming family drama of filial piety and brotherly love.
Well, of course…
Regardless of their intentions, it had nothing to do with Gong Yiling.
If they were part of the food chain of schemes and counterschemes, then she was the one who created the food chain.
Her true plan began when she entered Yanlie City… or perhaps even earlier, when she first met Emperor Shangguan Long.
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