“You mean, while he was talking to me, he was also chatting with you in his mind?”
Qiuya’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t calm down for a long time.
Baizi, who had the natural ability to read minds, was meant to be her secret weapon, her last line of defense to uncover Yino’s secrets.
So, after a brief moment silence, Qiuya had let Yino go.
But she hadn’t expected…
Had he even anticipated this move with Baizi?
And what really scared Qiuya was that Yino could chat with Baizi while still maintaining a sharp conversation with her. This guy had a terrifying mind!
“Uh… brother Yino knows Baizi’s name and what she likes to eat…”
“He said… if he has time, he’ll take me to Azure Forest to catch wild chickens…”
The Dragon loli sat there, head drooping with a shy face, but her eyes showed a hint of longing.
Qiuya watched her, shocked again. Yino knew everything about Baizi, even better than she did!
“Baizi, do you know him already?”
“No…”
“Then why did you call him brother?”
“He told me to…”
“Wait, if you don’t know him, how does he know who you are?”
“I don’t know…”
“Wait! How does he know you have mind-reading powers?”
“I don’t know…”
“No, wait! How did he know my surname is Shangguan? The Sect Master only called me Qiuya all this time, right?”
Qiuya asked three questions in a row, leaving the loli dragon confused and making her own head spin.
For a moment, Qiuya felt like she was in the dark about everything, from investigating the strange deaths of Gu Wanglan and Chen Jianxin to now focusing all her energy on uncovering Yino’s true identity.
She felt like she had fallen into some kind of trap, sinking deeper with no way back.
Yet, with this strange guy right in front of her, could she just ignore it?
“Baizi really doesn’t know… but brother Yino said he’d take me to Azure Forest to catch wild chickens…”
The loli dragon pouted, more concerned about catching chickens than Qiuya’s questions.
Seeing the loli dragon so easily fooled, Qiuya sighed and put her hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.
She sighed again, placed her hands on dragongirl’s shoulders, and said with concern:
“Baizi, that Yino isn’t a good guy. Don’t let him sweet-talk you into anything. If you want to catch chickens, I’ll go with you next time, okay?”
“But… Big Sister Qiuya promised to take me out last time and never did…”
“That’s because I was busy with work. I’ll definitely take you next time, okay?”
“Okay…”
The dragongirl nodded.
Maybe Qiuya couldn’t fathom what was going through Baizi’s mind, but she could hear Qiuya’s thoughts clearly.
But Baizi didn’t make a fuss, just lowered her eyes and stayed quiet.
After calming the loli dragongirl, Qiuya fell into deep thought again.
Because she realized something odd-
“Wait a minute, you can read minds, but Yino can’t! How did he even start chatting with you?”
“I don’t know, but he kept talking to me like he could read my thoughts…”
The loli dragon puffed her cheeks, a bit distracted as her gaze drifted to a small cricket in the corner of the room.
Qiuya felt like her head was about to explode. This case was the weirdest she’d encountered in decades. Yino seemed to be full of tricks, even more than any cultist!
“Can he read minds too?”
“I dunno…”
Baizi’s voice grew softer as she stared at the little cricket.
Suddenly, Qiuya felt the table shake, followed by a thud.
She turned around to see the dragongirl, who had been sitting properly, suddenly rush to the wall-
“Baizi, what are you doing? You’ve dirtied your new clothes!”
“Look!”
Baizi held up a small cricket with shining eyes, proud of her catch.
But as the black-haired woman crossed her arms, a hint of helplessness flashed behind her gold-rimmed glasses, and the loli dragon’s excited face calmed down, lowering her head.
“Sorry, I will wash my clothes tonight…”
“Nevermind, it’s a silk dragon robe and It is very expensive. You wouldn’t know how to wash it. I’ll have someone do it for you later.”
“Oh…”
In a corner unnoticed by anyone, Baizi swallowed the little cricket.
…
“Qiuya is still the same old cliché.”
After leaving the Mountain Temple, Yino finally escaped from Qiuya’s clutches, feeling a sense of indescribable relief.
In the game he used to play in his past life, Qiuya had always given him a hard time with her tricks.
Back then, he wondered why, even when he chose the correct answers and the interrogation seemed flawless, she still saw through him.
As the main storyline progressed, Yino realized the issue was the loli dragon who always appeared with Qiuya, seeming innocent and sweet but with a mind of her own.
This loli dragon, Baizi, has a natural mind-reading holy physique, even more specialized and professional than Jinyue’s illusions.
To be fair, Jinyue doesn’t actually read minds; she just uses illusions to mess with people’s wills.
But Baizi’s different. She’s got a gift, like she can hear what’s in people’s hearts all day, every day, without using any spiritual energy.
This ability is great for someone like Qiuya, of course.
But for a young dragon girl, it’s more like a burden. She had to see the true faces of everyone around her way too soon…
She’s both feared by the bigwigs in power and stuck with the court, forced to tag along with different judges like a tool.
Though the game doesn’t mention Baizi’s future, Yino knows enough about the game Fallen Immortal to guess that someone as unique and well-modeled as her is bound for a tragic end or a breakdown.
Imagine, this loli dragon, every day, having to listen to the thoughts of criminals with Qiuya…
What good thoughts could she possibly hear?
No way, she’s got to be hearing all sorts of messed-up, negative stuff every day.
So, Yino figured she’s not far from losing it, just like Yuyan, the strong-willed sword immortal, went evil path in the end.
No wonder Baizi looks a bit simple-minded. Maybe she’s not actually dumb; her quiet, innocent demeanor could be a defense mechanism to protect herself from hearing too much.
“Poor thing…”
“Next time, I’ll find a way to take her with me, keep her company with Wangxue.”
Thinking this, Yino smiled to himself, feeling like quite the good guy, and his mood brightened up.
At the same time, the golden mark on the back of his hand glowed softly, and even the usually rebellious little deer seemed to agree with Yino’s idea.
“Speaking of tragic figures, there’s another one we might run into soon-”
“She’s even worse off than Baizi.”
As Yino walked, his mind wandered to a certain character with seductive white-silk legs…
…
…
…
“How did it go with that woman?”
Yuyan waited at the entrance to the secret cave on the back mountain until the sun was about to set.
When she heard Yino was being questioned by the Immortal Alliance, Yuyan got worried. She remembered that night when she helped him channel energy and sensed some
“not so righteous”
energy fluctuations within him.
Yuyan isn’t stupid. She could connect the dots between Yino and the Grand Tutor’s Mansion, figuring out a lot of things that were hidden on purpose.
So, she really feared the Immortal Alliance might find something against Yino.
But judging by the young man’s cheerful demeanor now, it seemed her worries were unnecessary.
“Sister, I’ve got nothing to hide. That lady will see that I’m innocent!”
Yino shrugged, his words dripping with sarcasm that Yuyan couldn’t quite grasp.
Yuyan nodded thoughtfully under the setting sun, giving him her approval:
“You’ve got a point. Aside from your occasional pervy tendencies and your weird leg fetish… at least, you’ve got a good moral compass.”
“Wait… since when did I become a pervert in your mind?”
Yino stopped in his tracks, incredulous.
But Yuyan just raised an eyebrow, asking casually:
“If it’s not a weird fetish, then why do you stare at my legs all day? And why do your hands sneak under the covers to touch my legs while you’re asleep?”
“Well…. That’s because…”
Yino hesitated.
He wanted to say it was because she covered up everything else so well that he couldn’t see anything else. If she’d wear some sexy stockings or pantyhose, maybe he’d look elsewhere!
But thinking better of it, he swallowed his words when he met Yuyan’s serious, beautiful eyes. He didn’t want to offend her.
“Alright, just assume I’ve got a bit of an odd taste…”
Yino silently admitted.
Yuyan glanced at him, seeming to read something into his words, and gave a knowing smile.
She continued walking, getting serious:
“Okay, let’s talk business.”
“Yino, you’ve only been in the sect for a month, and you’ve just reached the Core Formation stage. You probably don’t know much about how Wuji Sect is organized.”
“Above the regular disciples, there are three major levels: Rising Monarch Pavilion, High Immortal Pavilion, and Supreme Peak.”
“Supreme Peak is where the elders meet. Immortal Pavilion is for the top experts in various fields like swordsmanship, formations, and spiritual cultivation.”
“As for Rising Monarch Pavilion, there’s no special talent required. It’s just for those who’ve reached the Core Formation stage. Once you step through its doors, you’re considered a true member, capable of standing on your own.”