Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Chapter 308: Tight-Lipped Su Qingli

The lunch rush had passed, and the Cheap Wine Shop was left with only one table of jianghu folk drinking and chatting.

After Su Qingli walked in, she looked left and right and, to her surprise, couldn’t spot the shopkeeper.

Maybe in the back courtyard? So she picked a spot with a view of part of the back courtyard, had her maid Yuyao order food, and secretly observed what was inside.

Soon she found Twelfth Madam Luo.

The sunshine was quite nice today. The shopkeeper had moved a reclining chair under the eaves and curled up in it, flipping through a book.

She glanced once, looked away, then glanced again, and Su Qingli lowered her voice, saying to Yuyao, "It’s not Aunt."

"Miss, you can tell it’s not just from two glances?" Yuyao asked in astonishment.

Su Qingli said, pleased with herself, "How could I not recognize my own aunt?

"It feels completely different. If my aunt were lounging in a reclining chair, it’d be an entirely different kind of allure."

Though Twelfth Madam Luo’s idle pose reading was also languid and lovely, if it were her aunt, it would surely stir hearts and set minds swaying, stirring daydreams even without a glimpse of skin or her true face.

"Aunt?" Twelfth Madam Luo, in the reclining chair, raised her eyebrows slightly.

She had long since noticed a girl peeking and sizing her up, whose name and reality didn’t match, so she had paid special attention.

"Who could it be?" Su Qingli knit her dark brows, thinking hard.

She wanted a chance to strike up a conversation with Twelfth Madam Luo and use it to find out a thing or two.

And she thought the most feasible way right now was to approach the shopkeeper on the pretext of asking for information.

The thought had barely surfaced when, to her shock, she saw Twelfth Madam Luo come out of the back courtyard, cross the passage, and sit down across from her.

Twelfth Madam Luo asked with a smile, "Young lady, you look quite unfamiliar. I reckon you’re not from the nearby streets. How should I address you?"

Isn’t this the chance to talk? Su Qingli smiled.

"Shopkeeper, you can call me Miss Su."

Su? Aunt... name and reality don’t match... Twelfth Madam Luo suddenly laughed.

"Miss Su Qingli?"

"..." The smile on Su Qingli’s face vanished instantly.

How does she know I’m Su Qingli?

Have I made a name of myself in the Southern Dynasty now?

How could she guess I’m Su Qingli from just the surname Su?

Su Qingli’s maid Yuyao also had her mouth half open, forgetting to close it.

She really is just a little girl... Twelfth Madam Luo found it funny.

"Ding Songyan has mentioned you to me."

What... Are Ding Songyan and this shopkeeper already that close? And I’ve changed my appearance... Su Qingli asked, unable to suppress her curiosity, "Shopkeeper, didn’t I use a transformation art?"

"I have some ties to Ditai and have studied the Way of Name and Reality. I can tell your name and reality don’t match." Twelfth Madam Luo stood and pointed at the back courtyard. "Let’s talk inside. Have the food sent in too."

"So you studied the Name and Reality Chapters." Su Qingli suddenly understood.

Since this person had ties to Ditai, and the back courtyard was under the watchtower’s eyes, she had zero hesitation. She followed Twelfth Madam Luo into the back courtyard with ease, and sat down at the stone table.

"How did you end up in the Flame Capital?" Twelfth Madam Luo asked, with perfect politeness.

Su Qingli held nothing back.

"I heard about the consort selection from Ding Songyan’s letters and thought it would be lively and fun, so I begged my father to bring me to see. We’re over a month early now, so I can see the Orchid Grace Examination and spar with people in private."

"What a coincidence. I stayed on to watch the consort selection excitement too," Twelfth Madam Luo replied with a smile.

That had been her original plan. But ever since being latched onto by that Second Bull Ding guy and getting dragged into so much, her purpose in staying in the Flame Capital had become to foil the heretics’ schemes and stop disasters that would affect the people of the Flame Capital at the critical moment.

"Right? When will the candidate consorts arrive in the capital?" Su Qingli asked eagerly.

"Some are already here, others will arrive before the New Year," Twelfth Madam Luo said, having already found out everything.

She asked casually, "You’re already near Prince Kang’s estate. Why not go see Ding Songyan?"

At the mention of this, Su Qingli’s mood dropped.

"I can’t get close to him. I can only see him from far away..."

Before she finished, the girl suddenly shut her mouth and blinked.

Did I just reveal something I shouldn’t have?

She won’t guess, will she?

No, she doesn’t know Ding Songyan has eaten the Chaos remains, so how could she connect the dots?

Seeing Su Qingli stiff and dazed, Twelfth Madam Luo couldn’t help laughing.

"I have some ties to Ditai. How could I not have heard about your Su family?

"The founder of the Celestial Maiden School only ate a nine-tailed fox, yet made your whole clan take human form, pack up bags and baggage, and take their whole family to ’seek refuge,’ hiding in plain sight in a sect that carries the Nine-Tailed Fox inheritance.

"Those who can’t see through your transformation art naturally can’t learn your secret, and those who can see through it all know about you, know that you mostly live as humans, don’t do evil, and are relatives of the Thearch, so there’s no need to interfere."

The wife of Yu the Great, the last Celestial Thearch, had come from the Nine-Tailed Fox line of the Tushan clan.

Phew... Su Qingli quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

She told herself, It must be because I knew that Twelfth Madam Luo has deep ties to Ditai, which is why I relaxed so much and almost blew my secret!

Twelfth Madam Luo asked Su Qingli with interest, "What’s your yao name?"

"Tushan Qing," Su Qingli said, no longer needing to hide anything.

Twelfth Madam Luo’s gaze fell on the maid Yuyao.

"She doesn’t seem to be from your Tushan clan."

"She’s a human we adopted, who also cultivates the Celestial Fox Scripture," Su Qingli said briefly, then suddenly caught on. "Shopkeeper, do you know Ding Songyan’s secret?"

Otherwise how could she not be surprised that she couldn’t get close to Ding Songyan!

Twelfth Madam Luo found this jumpy little girl rather cute and said with a smile, "Ding Songyan wrote to ask about me, didn’t he?

"I’m a Heaven-Man and have seen his martial arts. How could I not see his roots?

"Later, by chance, he also told me what happened to you guys in Dingjiang Prefecture.

"Don’t worry, I didn’t mention your Su family’s secret to him, though he can probably guess a bit."

"I see..." Su Qingli’s eyes turned, relieved and curious at once.

It’s only been about two months, and Ding Songyan has already become friends with a Supreme Master like Twelfth Madam Luo? He might even have found out her true origins. As expected, he’s smooth with everyone—a smooth talker...

Thinking of this, Su Qingli gave a sweet smile.

"Ding Songyan really did ask me who you might be. My father and I were both guessing it might be my aunt, but now that I’ve met you, I see it’s not."

"Is your aunt also tempering her heart in the mortal world?" Twelfth Madam Luo asked thoughtfully.

Su Qingli blinked, not sure whether to answer.

She had a sudden inspiration.

"I mentioned this to Ding Songyan too."

Just let it count as Ding Songyan having told Twelfth Madam Luo!

It wasn’t anything important anyway.

"You two are quite close," Twelfth Madam Luo remarked casually.

She suddenly thought of Zheng Zhuxi, who had come in a rush and left in a rush, and of Ji Hanyi with her unfathomable methods and endless tricks.

The three main heroines of Journey to the West taking turns to appear... Second Bull Ding’s tangle of romantic debts is a complete mess, and they’re all stunning beauties, so lovely it makes him... Twelfth Madam Luo clicked her tongue inwardly, rather enjoying the drama.

She hadn’t seen Su Qingli’s true face yet, but Su Liudan’s niece couldn’t be too bad.

Hearing Twelfth Madam Luo’s remark, Su Qingli felt moved too.

"He’s the first friend I made in the jianghu, and we went through life and death together. It’s a pity that now we can only meet, not see each other..."

Her head drooped slightly, and she looked both low and dejected.

So pitiful... Twelfth Madam Luo suddenly felt a pang of sympathy.

Then she mocked herself inwardly, Is this the involuntary effect of Beguiles the World? This girl really has talent...

Twelfth Madam Luo thought for a moment and said with a smile, "If you really want to see Ding Songyan, I can help you."

"Hm?" Su Qingli’s eyes lit up, shining bright.

Twelfth Madam Luo smiled.

"Did you forget I cultivate the Way of Name and Reality?

"Your Su family has walked the jianghu under the pretense of humans for two or three thousand years, so you have a name, and where there’s a name, reality can be changed. I can make you truly human, though it only lasts for two hours."

"So this is the Way of Name and Reality?" Su Qingli had only heard the names and rough traits of the Nine Canons, and her understanding of the Way of Name and Reality was not as deep as the present Ding Songyan’s.

Before Twelfth Madam Luo could answer, a smile had already bloomed on her face. Though her looks were plain and ordinary, she had a charm that made it hard to look away.

"That would be wonderful!

"Thank you, uh, should I call you Senior, Shopkeeper, or Twelfth Madam?"

If Twelfth Madam hadn’t been a Supreme Master, in her excitement she’d have called her dear big sister.

"Twelfth Madam is fine." Luo Mingyin was indifferent.

Just don’t call me Senior.

After Su Qingli and Yuyao finished their late lunch, they watched with curiosity as she showed them what it meant to change "reality" by "name."

"No visible change?" Su Qingli examined herself, puzzled.

Twelfth Madam Luo said with a smile, "Try changing back to your original form."

"That wouldn’t be a good idea, right..." Su Qingli was a bit embarrassed.

Even Ding Songyan had never seen her original form!

Saying that, she secretly tried it and found she couldn’t show her Celestial Fox form, and could only approach it with her transformation art.

It’s true! I’m not a yao now, I’m a human!

Su Qingli was overjoyed and revealed her true appearance.

Twelfth Madam Luo looked at her and once again marveled at how many jianghu beauties Second Bull Ding had met.

Then she thought of herself and fell silent.

Do I count too?

...

Prince Kang’s estate, the southeast side gate.

Four guards were basking in the rare winter sun, chatting now and then.

Suddenly, they saw two figures approaching with light steps. The one in front wore a fluffy white cloak, her black hair simply pinned up and tied with a white ribbon, the ends of which swayed with each step, especially stirring.

The girl had fox eyes that were both pretty and alluring, a fleshy nose, a slightly pointed chin, making her so lovely and charming. She looked pure and bright, innocent and carefree, yet between her glances lay a hint of boundless allure. One look and the guards couldn’t look away, staring blankly as she came closer and closer.

Another celestial maiden descended to earth?

Which of the Peerless Beauties of the Jianghu is this one?

At last, someone came to his senses and stepped forward to ask.

"Miss, can we help you?"

Su Qingli smiled lightly:

"Sorry to trouble you all. I’m looking for Ding Songyan of the Brightnight Sect."