Chapter 48: Clouds of Doubt

After Qin Yun left, Bai Heng crouched at the entrance of her rock cave, gazing down at the village below.

The sky gradually darkened as dusk settled. Lights began to flicker on in the village, scattered and ordinary, just like any other day.

Yet a layer of doubt had settled in her heart.

So many cultivators were watching the Qin family and keeping an eye on Qin Yun and his sister. How had Qin Yu been allowed to wander into the mountains alone and end up in danger?

Bai Heng narrowed her eyes slightly.

Immortals and mortals were separate worlds.

In the eyes of those cultivators, ordinary people were no different from blades of grass. They cared only about Yun Zhuo. The safety of a little girl meant nothing to them.

This did not surprise Bai Heng.

But what about Liang Lu and Lu Mingshuang?

Those two had clearly been keeping watch over Qin Yun and his sister at all times. They should never have let Qin Yu fall into danger.

Had she misjudged them?

Did they treat mortals the same way the other cultivators did?

Bai Heng recalled everything she had observed these past days. Lu Mingshuang’s smile when she played with Qin Yu. Liang Lu’s patient tone when he spoke with Qin Yun. Were all those moments merely an act?

She shook her head. She would not jump to conclusions yet.

There was also Granny Jiang.

Granny Jiang clearly liked the girl Qin Yu. She would not have allowed the child to come to harm.

Yet where had Granny Jiang been today?

Bai Heng suddenly realized that for the past day or two she had not sensed Granny Jiang’s aura at all.

That was not normal.

After a moment’s hesitation, she rarely used her divine sense and carefully scanned the village.

In the small courtyard beside the old locust tree, Old Widow Wu sat at the entrance, hunched over as usual. Lin Lan was not there; the house was empty.

Bai Heng’s gaze settled on Old Widow Wu.

Something was off.

The posture and figure matched, but the aura felt subtly different.

She probed more precisely with her telekinesis.

It was a puppet.

A finely crafted puppet mimicking Old Widow Wu’s aura, sitting there in her place.

Granny Jiang herself was not in the village.

Bai Heng’s heart stirred. She extended her divine sense toward Xu Cheng and Lu Mingshuang’s residence.

The small courtyard was empty.

Neither Xu Cheng nor Lu Mingshuang was there.

Bai Heng withdrew her divine sense and crouched at the cave entrance, staring at the village in the darkness.

Such perfect timing?

They were all gone at once.

In the latter half of the night, the moon sank westward.

Bai Heng left the rock cave in complete silence and headed toward the woods behind the village.

The mountain god temple remained dilapidated, its door ajar.

She pushed it open and crouched on the stone steps beneath the deity statue, waiting.

Night wind blew in through the broken roof, carrying the damp scent of earth. The temple was dim, lit only by a sliver of moonlight slipping through the cracks and falling on the weathered statue.

Bai Heng remained motionless, waiting quietly.

Just before dawn, soft footsteps sounded outside.

The temple door was pushed open and a figure slipped inside.

It was Granny Jiang.

She looked somewhat weary, but her expression was calm. When she saw Bai Heng, she paused briefly, then showed an expression that said *as expected*.

“You waited all night?”

Bai Heng nodded.

Granny Jiang raised her hand to activate the restriction and sat down beside her.

“You want to ask about that girl Qin Yu?”

Bai Heng nodded again.

Granny Jiang sighed.

“I was not in the village last night. I had something to take care of.”

She paused.

“I was making preparations for undoing the seal on Yun Zhuo later.”

Bai Heng’s ears twitched slightly.

Granny Jiang continued.

“Lin Lan was gone even earlier than I was. She went to pay respects to her parents and ancestors. She won’t be back for a few days.”

She looked at Bai Heng.

“I never expected the girl would run into trouble at exactly this time.”

Bai Heng was silent for a moment.

“Who did it?”

Granny Jiang shook her head.

“I’m not certain yet.”

She paused and spoke slowly.

“There are two possibilities.”

“The first is simple coincidence. Those cultivators don’t care whether mortals live or die. No one was watching the girl, so she wandered into the mountains alone and fell.”

Bai Heng did not interrupt.

Granny Jiang continued.

“The second is that someone did it on purpose.”

Her gaze grew deep.

“Some people have run out of patience. They cannot act directly against Yun Zhuo, but they can act against the people around him.”

“This is a warning to the ‘new disciple’ they believe exists—that if they can touch the people beside him, they can touch him too.”

Bai Heng’s heart chilled.

“The major sects and noble families?”

Granny Jiang shook her head.

“Not necessarily them. They still care about appearances. They wouldn’t dirty their own hands.”

She paused.

“But they can turn a blind eye and allow impatient minor sects or rogue cultivators to do the dirty work.”

“If something happens, they can step forward and play the hero.”

Bai Heng remained silent. Granny Jiang’s words aligned almost exactly with what she had suspected.

After a moment, she asked, “Can you find out who did it?”

Granny Jiang looked at her.

“What do you plan to do?”

Bai Heng’s voice was calm.

“As the fox immortal who has formed a bond with the Qin family, I have a duty to seek justice for that girl.”

She paused.

“If the culprit’s cultivation is not high, I can take care of it without exposing myself.”

“If it is higher than mine, I will shamelessly ask for your help, Granny Jiang. You like the girl too, so you won’t refuse.”

Granny Jiang raised an eyebrow.

“And if it’s someone even I can’t handle?”

Bai Heng looked at her with clear eyes.

“Then I will remember that person. When my cultivation surpasses theirs one day, I will settle the score.”

Granny Jiang burst into loud laughter. The sound echoed through the dilapidated mountain god temple.

“Good! Very good!”

She laughed heartily, the wrinkles on her face smoothing with amusement.

“Little fox, you sound a bit like me in my younger days.”

She looked at Bai Heng, her eyes full of approval.

“I like it.”

Bai Heng did not reply. She simply waited for her answer.

When Granny Jiang had laughed enough, she waved a hand.

“Don’t worry. At first light I will go see the girl.”

She paused.

“If it really was an accident, then so be it.”

“If someone deliberately set a trap, they won’t be able to hide it from my eyes.”

Bai Heng nodded.

“Thank you, Granny Jiang.”

Granny Jiang waved dismissively.

“No need to thank me. I like that girl too.”

They spoke for a while longer until the sky began to brighten.

Bai Heng stood up to take her leave.

As she stepped out of the mountain god temple, the eastern horizon was already showing the first pale light of dawn.

She glanced back.

Granny Jiang stood at the doorway and gave her a small wave.

Bai Heng nodded and vanished into the morning mist.

After daybreak, the mute Old Widow Wu left her house.

She walked with her back hunched, slowly making her way to the Qin family courtyard and knocking on the gate.

Li Lianhua opened the door. Seeing who it was, she quickly invited her inside.

“Granny Wu, what brings you here?”

Old Widow Wu said nothing. She simply walked in.

Li Lianhua knew she was mute and asked no more questions. She led her toward Qin Yu’s room.

Qin Yu lay in bed, her face still somewhat pale but her spirits much better than the day before. When she saw Old Widow Wu, her eyes brightened.

“Granny Wu!”

Old Widow Wu walked to the bedside, sat down, and reached out to feel the girl’s forehead.

She then took her hand and examined it carefully.

After that, she took a small cloth bundle from her robes and pressed it into Qin Yu’s hand.

Qin Yu opened it and found several pieces of malt candy.

She smiled until her eyes curved into crescents.

“Thank you, Granny Wu!”

Old Widow Wu looked at her. A trace of softness appeared in her turbid eyes.

She did not stay long. After sitting for a while, she stood up to leave.

As she walked out of the Qin family courtyard, she ran into Lu Mingshuang coming the other way.

Lu Mingshuang paused when she saw her, then smiled and nodded.

“Good morning, Granny Wu.”

Old Widow Wu nodded in return, hunched over, and slowly walked back to her own courtyard.

Lu Mingshuang watched her go, then turned and entered the Qin house.

Qin Yu was even happier to see her.

“Sister Shuang!”

Lu Mingshuang sat down at the bedside and looked at her injured leg.

“Does it still hurt?”

Qin Yu shook her head.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore. White Fox Immortal put medicine on it.”

Lu Mingshuang nodded. A complicated look flashed through her eyes.

“That’s good.”

She paused.

“I had some business these past two days and wasn’t in the village. When I came back and heard what happened to you, I was startled.”

Qin Yu blinked.

“Where did you go, Sister Shuang?”

Lu Mingshuang smiled.

“Just some private matters. I went with Big Brother Xu.”

She did not elaborate, and Qin Yu did not ask.

Lu Mingshuang stayed and chatted with her for a while, leaving behind a few small trinkets before saying goodbye.

As she left the Qin house, she looked up toward the distant mountains and forests.

That was the direction where the white fox lived.

She stared for a moment, then withdrew her gaze and slowly walked back to her own courtyard.

Bai Heng crouched at the rock cave entrance, watching the scene from afar.

Lu Mingshuang had gone to see Qin Yu.

The girl’s expression had not looked good. It seemed to be a mix of anger and guilt.

She and Xu Cheng had left the village at exactly the right time. Had they truly left for some matter, or was there another reason?

Bai Heng withdrew her gaze and stopped thinking about it.

Granny Jiang would investigate.

She only needed to wait.

The sun rose higher, shining on the damp mountain forest until everything sparkled.

Spring had truly arrived.