chapter 20
Chapter 20
Aunt Liu said, “There are only you two young ladies in the Ye Mansion. As long as you get rid of her, her Shadow Guard will rightfully belong to you, won’t it?”
“You want me to kill someone?” Ye Xiangxiang was terrified.
“You don’t need to do it yourself. Just follow my instructions, and I guarantee she’ll disappear from this world.”
“No,” Ye Xiangxiang shook her head in fright. “She’s my sister. How could I harm her…”
“Wasn’t it your idea for her to become a nun in the first place? You clearly wanted her gone too! You thought that once she left, the Shadow Guard would be yours, but you didn’t expect her to come back!”
Aunt Liu pierced straight to the point. “Since you have a goal, stop pretending to be a good person!”
Ye Xiangxiang lowered her head.
After a long silence, she finally whispered, “What do you want to do?”
Aunt Liu said, “Tomorrow, invite her to go boating on Taiping Lake. I’ll arrange everything else.”
Ye Xiangxiang: “Boating?”
Aunt Liu: “Yes. The Eldest Miss can’t swim. She almost drowned when she fell into the lotus pond in the mansion before. But you lived in the countryside as a child and are very good in the water… You just need to invite her to go boating. When you reach the center of the lake, the boat will start leaking and sink. At that time, you just need to jump into the water and escape.”
“This…”
Ye Xiangxiang hesitated after hearing this.
Aunt Liu: “Don’t hesitate. Only you can do this! If someone else invites her, she’ll definitely bring Fox Shadow along. But you’re different. She’s afraid you’ll steal Fox Shadow, so she’ll leave Fox Shadow at home… That way, I’ll have a chance to act!”
Ye Xiangxiang’s expression changed at the mention of Fox Shadow.
After a long while, she finally bit her lip and nodded lightly.
…
That night, thunder and lightning raged as the Imperial City of Dali was hit by a once-in-a-century torrential rain.
The rain lasted all night. Rivers swelled, ditches overflowed, and many low-lying areas in the Imperial City were flooded.
Chonghua Palace.
Liang Yun hurried in to report, “Master, the Calamity Heart Azure Dragon is missing!”
“Oh?” Di Xiulan frowned.
Liang Yun said, “The rain was too heavy last night, and water even entered the Underground Palace. This morning, when I went to check, I found the prison intact, but the Calamity Heart Azure Dragon had vanished into thin air! After a thorough search, we only found this!”
As Liang Yun spoke, he presented an item.
Di Xiulan took it. It was a black scale, about the size of a fingernail.
Liang Yun said, “Judging by the size, it shouldn’t be from the Azure Dragon. Dragon scales are much larger.”
“It’s his.”
Di Xiulan sneered.
The scale turned to powder between his fingers.
“What?” Liang Yun was puzzled. “But this is clearly a fish scale!”
“The Calamity Heart Azure Dragon was originally a carp.”
Di Xiulan closed his eyes and said, “To escape my confinement, he didn’t hesitate to damage his own Primordial Power and revert to a fish form, using the flood to escape.”
Liang Yun suddenly understood.
No wonder the giant dragon vanished without a trace-it had turned into a fish and swam away with the current!
“I’ll take people to search right away!” Liang Yun said immediately.
“A fish-where do you plan to look?”
“It’s very difficult, almost impossible, but I will do my best!”
“No need.”
Di Xiulan leaned back lazily in his seat, closing his eyes.
“Let him suffer as a fish for a while. When he regains his power and undergoes Form Transformation back into a dragon, I’ll deal with him then.”
“What if someone catches him and makes him into fish soup?”
“That would be his good fortune.”
“…”
Liang Yun couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Indeed, for the Calamity Heart Azure Dragon, it might be more comfortable to be made into fish soup than to be bound by a contract and serve the Master in constant fear…
…
Falling Petals Courtyard.
After noon, Ye Xiangxiang arrived.
Ye Piaoling was a little surprised. After what happened yesterday, she thought Ye Xiangxiang would be heartbroken and resentful.
She didn’t expect Ye Xiangxiang to come looking for her again today.
“Sister, I was too abrupt yesterday,” Ye Xiangxiang lowered her head and said softly, “You won’t laugh at me, will you?”
“Of course not!” Ye Piaoling patted her. “As long as you think it through, there are plenty of flowers in the world!”
Ye Xiangxiang nodded, chatted a bit more, then said, “Sister, I heard that after last night’s heavy rain, Taiping Lake has become much wider… Do you have time today? Let’s go have some fun together!”
“Boating?”
Ye Piaoling raised her eyebrows and looked at her.
Ye Xiangxiang’s heart tightened under her gaze.
She hurriedly said, “I heard Taiping Lake is bustling today. The rivers have brought in lots of rare fish and shrimp, and many people have gone to the lakeside to fish. They all returned with full baskets this morning!”
Ye Piaoling: “Alright, let’s go together!”
Only then did Ye Xiangxiang’s heart settle.
Ye Piaoling changed into light clothing and asked Fox Shadow to fetch a fish basket.
She had heard that Taiping Lake was always rich in aquatic products-maybe she could catch some big crabs or little crayfish…
Fox Shadow said, “Eldest Miss, I must go with you! Taiping Lake is not like other places-the water is deep and there are many people. It’s easy to encounter danger if you go alone! My duty is to protect you and make sure nothing happens to you. If I don’t go, I really can’t rest assured…”
Ye Piaoling: “No need, you can take the day off at home.”
Fox Shadow: “Alright then!”
Ye Piaoling: “…You really are straightforward and unpretentious.”
Ye Piaoling’s reasoning was simple. Since Ye Xiangxiang was the one inviting her, it would be awkward to see Fox Shadow again. It was better to leave Fox Shadow at home.
Ye Piaoling and Ye Xiangxiang took a carriage to Taiping Lake.
After the heavy rain, Taiping Lake had risen, its misty waters stretching far and wide.
Various fishing boats and pleasure boats floated in the distance on the water.
Ye Piaoling looked around with great interest.
Ye Xiangxiang, however, was absent-minded, nervously clutching her handkerchief.
Her heart pounded as she followed the plan, gradually leading Ye Piaoling to a shallow area where boats could be rented.
A colorful boat was already waiting at the shallows. When the boatman saw them, he immediately called out, “Ladies, would you like a boat ride?”
Ye Xiangxiang’s gaze fell on the colored gourds hanging under the boat’s canopy-this was the signal Aunt Liu had arranged.
As long as she tricked Ye Piaoling onto this boat, she would never get off again!
Ye Xiangxiang hesitated for a moment, then carefully said, “Sister, shall we go boating?”