I Raise My Wife in a Supernatural Story (Infinite) - Chapter 69

Qi Yan possessed absolute trust in Bai Qing’s judgment. According to Bai Qing, Meng Jiumo’s aggressive and abnormal behavior during dinner was due to a curse. If that were the case, his suspicion could be completely ruled out for the time being. Once again, Qi Yan focused her suspicious gaze on the three ladies: Dai Qi, He Xueyan, and Hong Jing. One of these three was bound to be the “ghost” they were looking for.

Bai Qing reached out to help tuck the corner of the quilt for her and said, “Go to sleep first. Think about it when you wake up tomorrow. You have been using your brain at such high intensity all day. Even if you are not tired, I am tired just watching you.”

Qi Yan had not felt it until it was mentioned, but now she belatedly realized her own exhaustion. Previously, she had been led by the nose by the script’s tasks. Having completely experienced two scripts, Qi Yan had entered a common pitfall for those transitioning from novice to veteran: relentlessly and tirelessly searching for a way to clear the level, thereby neglecting proper relaxation.

Even if one could not truly relax in such a tense script world where life could be lost at any moment—where every nerve in the body was constantly taut, ready to react instantly to a crisis—Bai Qing hoped Qi Yan could relax a little. After all, she was not alone.

“With me by your side, if you still have to be so fearful and dare not relax for even a second, does it not make me look quite useless?”

Qi Yan tilted her head to look at her, suddenly reaching up to stroke the space between her brows. “That is definitely not it. It is exactly because you are here that I can immerse myself so deeply in thinking. I am just too wound up. I will go to sleep now and stop thinking about anything.”

In fact, ever since the last script, she had been marveling at her own good fortune. If she had not drawn the “trump card” that was Bai Qing, she would certainly not be as at ease as she was now. Currently, she could devote all her heart and energy to thinking only because she had Bai Qing and knew Bai Qing would always protect her. Otherwise, she would have to maintain high vigilance for her own life while simultaneously trying to think.

“My luck stat really is quite high.”

Qi Yan held Bai Qing’s hand and closed her eyes, not forgetting to lament her good luck before falling asleep.

Bai Qing watched her quietly for a while before letting out a soft laugh, thinking to herself, Where is there such a thing as “good luck”? Others might not have drawn me, but they might hold even more powerful divine weapons. And I am a living demon. If it were not me, but that wolf demon on Wushuang’s body instead, I cannot even imagine the consequences.

This “divination slip” was a double-edged sword. To encounter someone like Bai Qing was good luck, but to encounter someone like the wolf demon, one might be devoured until not even scraps remained.

The deep autumn nights in the heart of the grasslands were far too cold. Even with the floor heating in the yurt, Bai Qing transformed into her snow fox form to wrap Qi Yan in her embrace, using her own body temperature to keep her warmer.

As night fell, the entire pastoral area quieted down. The night grew deeper, and tonight there was not even moonlight. Aside from a few scattered lights outside, there was no other illumination. The night sky over the entire grassland was terrifyingly dark.

Suddenly, the snow fox snapped her eyes open. Almost instantly, she shifted from her fox form back into human shape. With a graceful whirl, she landed by the bedside without making a sound.

As the heat source enveloping her body abruptly vanished, Qi Yan opened her eyes dizzily and saw Bai Qing standing by the bed, her fox ears not yet fully retracted.

The white, fluffy fox ears twitched several times in the night, as if listening intently to something. Qi Yan rubbed her eyes, sat up, and asked in a low voice, “What happened?”

Bai Qing raised a finger to her lips, signaling her to be quiet. The yurt was still slightly chilly in the middle of the night. Qi Yan suddenly shuddered, and her sleepiness vanished instantly. She stood up, nimbly got out of bed, and stood behind Bai Qing, her entire body becoming alert and on high guard.

The fox ears were still there; Bai Qing had not retracted them. Qi Yan watched those ears twitching at a fixed frequency, as if they were detecting something.

Qi Yan also pricked up her ears to listen but heard nothing except the sound of the wind outside. She looked at Bai Qing in confusion. Although she could not hear it herself, she had absolute faith in Bai Qing’s judgment.

Soon, Bai Qing held her right hand across her chest. She shielded Qi Yan firmly behind her as her spiritual sword suddenly appeared, swinging a strike into the empty night air.

Before Qi Yan could react to what she was swinging at, a mass of thick blackness suddenly condensed within the previously empty room. She was instantly reminded of the grim ghostly energy swirling around Qiu Ran and Yanyan in “Carnival.” It had practically become a psychological trauma for her, and she instinctively took a step back.

The ghostly energy before her was even darker than the night outside. After Bai Qing’s spiritual sword slashed through the black mist, it surged forward overwhelmingly, rapidly condensing in the air into a tall, dark shadow. Qi Yan instantly recognized that shadow as the suit of armor from the crime scene. It had chased her with a blade during the day, and now it had returned at night!

The armor held a dark iron heavy sword in its hands. With a clank-clank of its steps, it raised the sword high and swung it down heavily.

The blade brought forth a whistling wind. A sword so heavy that it would be difficult for an ordinary person to even lift was now being swung effortlessly by the armor, slashing down toward Bai Qing’s face.

There was a loud clang.

The sword formed from Bai Qing’s spiritual power collided head-on with the heavy sword, erupting with a startling noise. Qi Yan suddenly looked toward the window, but the grasslands in the night remained peaceful and calm.

Something was wrong. With such a massive commotion, Qi Yan felt like covering her ears even from within it, yet there was absolutely no movement outside? That was impossible. Someone—no, some ghost—must have set up a barrier.

Having cultivated with Bai Qing for a period of time, Qi Yan had a shallow understanding of some talismans and incantations, and she knew the current environment was far too unusual.

She was not reckless, nor did she run around like a headless chicken. She simply hid behind Bai Qing, carefully observing every movement of the armor and calmly considering the current situation.

The armor must have been acting under the instructions of a ghost. Just like during the day, the heavy ghostly energy enveloping it was the source of power driving it.

As Bai Qing had said before, the BOSS of this script had abilities far exceeding Cuilan from “The Final Mountain Sacrifice” and was even above Qiu Ran and Yanyan from “Carnival.” In Qi Yan’s eyes, Qiu Ran and Yanyan were already unprecedentedly powerful, but they probably would not even be able to gain an advantage if they teamed up against this BOSS.

To remotely drive such a massive suit of armor and heavy sword with one’s own ghostly energy, this ghost’s ability was truly too strong.

Moreover, unlike during the day, the armor’s combat ability was even stronger now. The delays and stutters it had displayed during the day had vanished, and its movements were as fluid as those of a real person.

Qi Yan stared intently at the armor’s movements, becoming more alarmed the more she watched. She felt something was not quite right.

Setting aside how smooth the armor’s movements were, its attacks were far too fierce, and its target was clearly not the Bai Qing it was currently fighting. The grim ghostly energy it emitted while swinging its sword was clearly aimed at Qi Yan behind Bai Qing. It simply lacked the ability to break through Bai Qing’s defense and could only engage in an indefinite stalemate with her.

Charging in during the middle of the night with Qi Yan as the target was obvious, but why kill her? Could it be that her character was also a target of the murderer? What was the motive? Why? How had this wealthy and powerful second-generation heir offended the murderer?

Qi Yan could not figure it out. Her thoughts were frequently interrupted by the successive sounds of sword energy collisions, leaving her with no time to think seriously.

Until the next moment, the spiritual energy in Bai Qing’s sword surged. The massive spiritual power she condensed rushed toward the armor alongside the airtight sword energy itself. The sound of breaking air nearly tore through space.

A sharp, metallic clang echoed.

The ear-piercing sound of tearing metal rang out. The armor was cracked by Bai Qing’s powerful sword energy, and it immediately fell into a disadvantage. Bai Qing pursued the advantage, sending out several consecutive strikes of sword energy, shattering the armor’s helmet.

The shattered helmet fell to the ground bit by bit, revealing the true face hidden within.

Qi Yan’s pupils suddenly constricted, and a flash of surprise also appeared on Bai Qing’s face.

How could this be? It was Meng Jiumo.

Behind the shattered helmet was Meng Jiumo, his entire body emitting ghostly energy. His whole being was shrouded in thick ghostly energy, and his eyes were pitch black. One look was enough to see he was a ghost revealing his true form.

Qi Yan’s mind went blank. Countless thoughts flashed by rapidly, but none were things she could firmly grasp.

The battle before them continued. The ghost, now without its helmet, was even more ferocious than before. Every move and stance was aimed at vital points, and his target shifted from Qi Yan to Bai Qing, as he attempted to defeat her with all his might.

This ghost seemed to have realized that Bai Qing was the trump card protecting Qi Yan. As long as she was there, Qi Yan would be firmly protected, and he would not be able to touch her at all.

“Watch out!”

The sword in Meng Jiumo’s hand smashed toward Bai Qing’s face. It looked as if it would use its force to break through the defense of Bai Qing’s sword energy, but in an instant, that white figure suddenly vanished from the spot, only to reappear out of thin air on the other side.

The spiritual sword struck the armor with the momentum of an overwhelming sea, causing cracks to appear once again in the dark iron-forged armor. Meng Jiumo’s figure paused. He slowly turned his head to glance at Bai Qing, then at Qi Yan who was still being shielded behind her. Suddenly, the thick black ghostly energy concealed his entire figure once again.

Bai Qing’s expression turned cold as she shouted, “Halt!”

The spiritual sword in her hand condensed into a beam of sword light that plunged straight into the ghostly energy, but in the end, it struck nothing. The ghostly energy dissipated into black mist within the room.

The fierce battle came to a close. Bai Qing looked warily out the window. The barrier outside seemed to have vanished. Dots of light were flickering across the grasslands, and Jiang Miao’s voice drifted into the yurt from the night air.

“Xiao Qi? Xiao Qi? Are you there?”

The person inside the room was still shaken, while the concerned voices from those outside drifted in one after another.

Qi Yan took several deep breaths, looked toward the door, and then looked at Bai Qing for help.

Bai Qing understood the inquiry in her eyes and nodded slowly.

Qi Yan was immediately relieved, knowing that the barrier outside had been withdrawn and that Jiang Miao’s call was not a trick by a ghost. She walked quickly to open the door. Jiang Miao and Tang Shanshan were both standing outside.

Seeing that she was unharmed, though her forehead was covered in sweat, Jiang Miao’s expression stiffened as she asked in a low voice, “Did something happen?”

Qi Yan paused for a moment, then nodded. “I ran into some trouble. Could you not see what was happening inside from the outside?”

Jiang Miao’s brows furrowed slightly as she said in a low voice, “Yes. From the outside, your room was dark and silent. I thought you were sleeping soundly. Thinking about it now, with Miss Bai by your side, she could not possibly have failed to hear the noise outside unless something was wrong.”

The “Miss Bai” she spoke of was currently standing behind Qi Yan, nodding in complete agreement after hearing her words.

“We will talk about what happened here later. What is going on outside? Why is it so chaotic?” Qi Yan poked her head out to look. The lights in the houses of the pastoral area they were staying in had all been turned on, making the outside less dark. The constant sound of voices coming over sounded noisy and chaotic.

Jiang Miao gave an affirmative hum, her expression looking quite poor. “Meng Jiumo is missing.”

Qi Yan was stunned again and instinctively turned back to lock eyes with Bai Qing behind her. Both saw surprise and contemplation in each other’s eyes.

“Were there not police watching him?”

“Yes, but the three police officers guarding him are all dead.”

“What?” Qi Yan was shocked, falling into a state of helplessness.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Miao asked, “What is going on? What exactly happened here with you?”

Qi Yan calmed her mind and briefly explained what had just occurred. “Meng Jiumo was just here with me. If he really was Meng Jiumo.”

Both Jiang Miao and Tang Shanshan were shocked. They had not expected that the suddenly missing Meng Jiumo had not only killed three police officers but even wanted to kill Qi Yan.

Tang Shanshan tilted her head toward the crime scene. “We should confirm if that suit of armor is still there.”

Since Qi Yan said Meng Jiumo was wearing armor, they had to go and confirm it quickly.

Jiang Miao also nodded. “Right, the two of us will go. Xiao Qi, you just went through this, take a moment to recover before coming out. I expect the police will come looking for you to ask questions. You cannot hide the fact that you saw Meng Jiumo.”

Qi Yan frowned slightly and finally nodded her head.

It was true that she could not hide it, but she always felt things were not that simple, and the situation was becoming more and more chaotic. Her thoughts were currently a tangled mess, and she could not even find the end of the thread. It felt like there were paths everywhere in front of her with no idea where they led, as if she were in a massive maze and could not find a single correct path.

The current situation was unfavorable. It seemed to solidify the fact that Meng Jiumo was the killer. Now, it was not just Zhao Ruibin who was dead, but also the three police officers guarding Meng Jiumo. They were dead, and Meng Jiumo had disappeared. The killer certainly appeared to be him.

But Qi Yan felt it would not be like that. All of this should be a facade, with a massive truth hidden behind all the events. And the real killer had created all these appearances to deceive people, in order to throw the entire investigation off track so that they could escape.

Qi Yan believed her analysis was correct, but she had no way to say this publicly because she did not have any evidence to support it. Aside from the three players—Jiang Miao and her teammates—no one would believe her.

Her thoughts became increasingly cluttered. Qi Yan shook her head violently, wanting to clear her jumbled brain and start filtering through all the clues from the beginning.

Suddenly, her shoulders felt warm. Qi Yan turned her head to look. Bai Qing had intuitively draped an overcoat over her, saying, “Let us go outside and look. Staying in the room will only make you sink deeper into your chaotic thoughts. It is better if we go out and see. We should find the thread to clear up our thoughts as soon as possible.”

The coat was on. At this moment, not only was her body warm, but her heart also warmed up. Qi Yan grasped Bai Qing’s hand, suddenly took a half-step forward to lean into her embrace, and said in a slightly aggrieved tone, “I feel so tired.”

This script had not been as fast-paced as “Carnival” from the start, yet Qi Yan felt it was much more tiring. From beginning to end, she had been concentrating intensely on thinking, not daring to relax for a moment.

Her tone was so aggrieved that Bai Qing only felt her heart tremble, an indescribable feeling slowly rising from the depths of her soul. She could not tell what this feeling was called, but she only wanted to hold the person in her arms properly. She thought so, and so she did, gently resting one hand on the shoulder of the person in her arms while using the other to hold her firmly.

Qi Yan’s heart jolted violently, like countless small deer crashing back and forth. She instinctively reached up to grab Bai Qing’s clothes, her whole body relaxing as she leaned into her embrace.

“Phew,” Qi Yan suddenly let out a long breath. “I always say I am your power bank, needing to consume essence to provide you with a continuous flow of spiritual power. But now I find that is not entirely correct. You seem to be my power bank too.”

“Hmm?” Bai Qing expressed mild confusion. “I cannot restore spiritual power for you.”

Qi Yan let out a laugh, her head resting on Bai Qing’s shoulder as she tilted it. “Who said only restoring spiritual power is called ‘charging’? Right now, when you hold me, I also feel like I have been charged quite a bit. My battery is about to be full!”

Bai Qing still did not quite understand the modern person’s way of using metaphors, but she tightened her arms nonetheless and echoed, “Then let us hug a bit more.”

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