Chapter 61: Unexpected Calamity
An hour had passed.
It had been an hour since Liu Sheng and Miss Wen were supposed to meet.
On this day, Liu Sheng finally finished making the Ghost Qi Detector and sent a spirit message to Miss Wen, arranging to meet at the archway in front of Bishui Temple to hand it over.
However, for some unknown reason, Miss Wen was late and didn't even send a spirit message to explain.
Fortunately, Liu Sheng had a book with her. She took out a small stool from her Storage Pouch and sat down to read.
She couldn't waste even a minute of her time now.
Due to the many tasks she had assigned herself, she had become exceptionally busy.
She worked at the Ten Thousand Affairs Hall during the day, and only her evenings were her own.
First, she had to make the Ghost Qi Detector for Miss Wen.
Then, she also needed to research her miniature “Spirit Array Engraving Device.” For this, she had visited the library several times to see if there were any reference books, but this technology was still new, with only a handful of books mentioning it briefly.
Additionally, the article she was preparing to submit to “cultivation theory” was not yet finished.
Most importantly, she had to take a medicinal bath every night without fail, and then cultivate across the stars.
After reviewing her tasks, Liu Sheng only wished there were more than twelve hours in a day.
It really wasn't enough!
But there was no other way; she could only push through.
At this point, she was even grateful that her work at the Ten Thousand Affairs Hall wasn't busy or tiring, giving her plenty of time to slack off.
The only problem was that at the Ten Thousand Affairs Hall, she had no opportunity to interact with weird objects, let alone enter the high dimension for analysis.
She didn't know how to solve this. Should she, like Miss Wen, go looking for strange occurrences herself?
But she didn't have that ability yet; going would only be seeking death.
Liu Sheng's thoughts drifted back to Miss Wen.
Why wasn't she here yet!
Just as she was filled with resentment, the long-awaited figure of Miss Wen finally appeared in the distance, rushing towards her.
As she got closer, Liu Sheng saw Miss Wen in a black, tight-fitting outfit, carrying a long sword, with disheveled hair and a dirty face, running breathlessly.
She was completely different from the noble and dignified Young Miss Liu Sheng had seen last time.
“I'm so sorry, something unexpected came up and delayed me. My spiritual energy also ran out, and I only had the money for you left, so I didn't dare take a carriage and just ran all the way here.”
Unexpectedly, Miss Wen showed no airs. She immediately apologized profusely and earnestly explained the situation.
Liu Sheng naturally had nothing to say. She just took out the white jade-like Ghost Qi Detector and handed it to her.
“This Ghost Qi Detector has been improved by me. It can measure the concentration of Guai Qi, and its sensitivity will be higher than the detectors from the Weaving Institute.”
As she spoke, Liu Sheng placed a spiritual bead into the energy slot. The Ghost Qi Detector immediately lit up with a faint yellow glow and showed that there was Guai Qi in Miss Wen’s direction, at a safe Rank nine, just one Rank away from being dangerous.
Miss Wen said somewhat embarrassedly, “I just finished fighting a weird object…”
Liu Sheng’s Little Tentacle also told her that it was indeed just a trace.
“For someone like Miss Wen, who frequently comes into contact with weird objects, it’s best to purify yourself. Just buy a purification talisman. Otherwise, prolonged exposure can easily lead to infection.”
This was also Liu Sheng’s own experience as the Siku of the Imperial Storage.
Miss Wen knew Liu Sheng was kindly reminding her. She acknowledged it and then, with pleasant surprise, took the Ghost Qi Detector, examining it left and right with admiration.
Originally, she was only half-believing Liu Sheng. If she hadn't known that the Weaving Institute token couldn't be faked, she wouldn't have actually given Liu Sheng the money to try.
In fact, she had already prepared herself mentally that if it didn't work, she would just go to Liu Sheng's door to settle the score.
She hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.
This woman in front of her was not simple…
Perhaps… she could solve her problem.
Liu Sheng also noticed that Miss Wen’s worry was deeper than last time, but at this point, their relationship was merely a transaction of goods for money, so there was nothing to ask.
Miss Wen satisfactorily accepted the finished product, gave Liu Sheng the remaining twenty Lingtual and the Materials fee, and the two parted ways.
Liu Sheng never expected the next time she saw Miss Wen to be in such a state.
…
Another ten days passed, and it was a rest day.
Liu Sheng rarely went out to wander around. She even indulged her girlish heart and bought a candied hawthorn skewer, eating it while enjoying the bustling scene of Qinghe.
Working and writing every day, Liu Sheng finally completed the article titled “Breadth and Depth: Research on the Improvement of Guai Qi Analysis Technology,” which she had sent to “cultivation theory” early that morning.
Whether it would be accepted or not was not Liu Sheng's concern. Instead, she decided to take a holiday to celebrate.
She had been too tired recently and desperately needed a break.
The money Miss Wen gave her made her wallet bulge, and Liu Sheng immediately went to buy medicinal bath Materials and Artifact Refining Materials.
Especially the Artifact Refining Materials, which had been completely used up after she failed several times trying to make the Spirit Array Engraving Device herself.
Frustratingly, she hadn't even succeeded in making a large one, let alone a small one, but she had gained some insights.
Fortunately, her cultivation had made significant progress.
Perhaps her current body’s root bone was much better than Yao Sujin’s. It was a pity that there was nothing in this world to test her root bone. She even felt a bit nostalgic for the blood pool that tested root bone by peeling flesh.
Coupled with her extremely high Comprehension Ability, and the Spiritual Vein under Chongdao Shrine seemingly having improved in Rank, all these factors combined made her process of drawing Qi into her body and refining Qi into liquid unexpectedly smooth.
Now, she was just one step away from the Refining Qi Stage - First Layer.
Liu Sheng had a premonition that she could Breakthrough this barrier within ten days.
This way, she could still participate in the Honghu Plan in June.
In short, everything was going smoothly, so why not celebrate with a bowl of wontons?
Liu Sheng’s eyes lit up. In the alley was a wonton stall with an inviting aroma.
The stall was small but clean and tidy, with a steaming boiler and many plump, round, and pink raw wontons beside it.
Liu Sheng found a spot by the wall and sat down, calling out, “Boss, a bowl of wontons, please.”
The stall owner was a kind, slightly plump auntie, who cheerfully responded, “Coming right up!” As she spoke, she put the raw wontons into the pot.
Liu Sheng took the opportunity to look around. There was only her at the small stall; its popularity was worrying.
Moreover, right next to it was Qinghe’s most famous restaurant—Baihe Tower. Pedestrians’ gazes were all drawn to the magnificent Baihe Tower, so who would notice this quiet little wonton stall tucked away in a deep alley?
But the auntie seemed not at all affected by the dismal business. A joyful smile still hung on her face, and she deftly scooped the piping hot wontons from the large pot into a bowl, sprinkling a handful of chopped green onions.
She brought the wontons to Liu Sheng’s table, and the aroma immediately wafted over.
Liu Sheng took the bowl, gently blew on the steam, and then lightly poked with her chopsticks, allowing the soup to better permeate each wonton.
The wontons floated in the soup, each plump and translucent, with the meat filling faintly visible through the semi-transparent wrapper, making one’s mouth water.
Liu Sheng reverently picked up her chopsticks, just about to dig into this steaming, fragrant bowl of wontons.
Suddenly, a whistling sound of rapid descent came through the air.
Immediately after, a heavy object fell from the sky with an unavoidable impact, directly smashing onto Liu Sheng’s table.
In an instant, the table emitted a dull thud. The wonton bowl flew off, accompanied by a shattering sound. Soup splashed everywhere, and the wontons scattered across the ground like spilled pearls.
Liu Sheng’s chopsticks were still suspended in mid-air, and her heart shattered along with the flying bowl.
Then Liu Sheng heard a startled scream beside her, piercing her eardrums and the tranquility of the alley.
It turned out that the auntie had also been drawn by the terrifying sound, and upon approaching, she screamed in fright.
Liu Sheng looked closely. The object was a woman in a yellow dress, face down, with her hair disheveled and a large patch of blood seeping through her back.
The woman initially twitched, then gradually became motionless. A large pool of blood flowed from beneath her, from the table onto the ground.
Liu Sheng inwardly cursed and looked up.
Next to them was the Baihe Tower, with people leaning over the railings, looking down. Everyone had been startled by the sound and gathered, and more and more were coming.
On the top floor, Liu Sheng squinted. She saw a familiar face.
It was Miss Wen.
She looked down, her once beautiful and peerless face clouded with gloom.