"Behind Xiaoyao Lodge, there’s a warehouse area. Most of the storerooms are in disrepair and have been abandoned. I heard Ma Wu plans to build a tavern there, but construction hasn’t started. My spies have seen Ling Miaoying there more than once. At first, I thought he was going after Li Qi. But now, it seems he frequently visits that warehouse area. I can’t help but suspect Ling Miaoying might be colluding with Li Qi."
While speaking, Wan Jinxian constantly watched Tu Yinghong’s reaction. If Tu Yinghong leaped up to defend Ling Miaoying, it would prove she had real feelings for him.
Yet, Tu Yinghong remained very calm. This confirmed He Jiaqing’s suspicion: Tu Yinghong’s repeated attacks on Xiaoyao Lodge were for that object.
Tu Yinghong lit a cigarette and looked at Wan Jinxian. "What’s the use of telling me this? I don’t believe Miaoying is colluding with Li Qi. I really want to confront him personally, but I can’t even leave this building."
"Indeed, you can’t leave, because I can’t let you. I’m simply telling you this." With that, Wan Jinxian left.
Tu Yinghong sat in the room, lost in thought.
Ling Miaoying had shown interest in the Iron Ruler more than once; the Shadow Play Building’s ability to move depended entirely on that pair of Iron Rulers. But Tu Yinghong never let him touch the Iron Ruler. It was a treasure she had obtained at a great cost.
When she encountered Li Qi at the cinema, the pair of Iron Rulers disappeared. Later, she went with Ling Miaoying to Xiaoyao Lodge to look for Li Qi, and both of them vanished.
The more Tu Yinghong thought, the more nervous she became.
She pulled a cloth bag from her dress, rummaged inside, and took out an Iron Elbow Guard. After the elbow guard came Knee Pads, followed by Shoulder Guards, an Iron Helmet, and a Breastplate. She took out more than a dozen pieces in succession, which assembled into an Armor Suit.
Tu Yinghong hadn’t worn this Armor Suit for a long time because it was very heavy. But she had to wear it today, as it was time to fight for her life.
From the cloth bag, she took out a Hairpin. It was a Spiritual Object of Peeping Cultivation, crucial for dealing with Ling Miaoying.
She then took out a fishing net from the bag, specifically prepared for Li Qi.
She opened the secret compartment in her sleeve, stuffing various weapons and Magic Artifacts into it one by one.
With all the weapons and Spiritual Objects ready, Tu Yinghong quietly left her room.
Standing in the corridor, she had a clear view of the guards at the building’s entrance. These guards alone wouldn’t be able to stop Tu Yinghong, as the building had more than one exit, some of which only she knew. But ever since that person from the Outside Provinces arrived, all those exits had become impossible to find.
Tu Yinghong stared out the window, pondering what Wan Jinxian had just said.
Tu Yinghong doubted Wan Jinxian’s motives, but she had no other choice. No matter the cost, she resolved, she must recover the Iron Ruler.
While thinking, Tu Yinghong felt along the corridor’s walls and soon found a hidden door.
She found it! Indeed, she did!
Tu Yinghong slipped through the hidden door. She touched her Breastplate, and a layer of gauze appeared, covering her body. Under the gauze, her body gradually became transparent. After a minute, she had vanished completely.
Outside the Shadow Play Building, Wan Jinxian held a Blind man’s cane, remaining motionless. This Blind man’s cane was a Spiritual Object of Peeping Cultivation. Through it, Wan Jinxian could clearly hear Tu Yinghong’s footsteps.
Tu Yinghong emerged from a storm drain outside the Shadow Play Building. Wan Jinxian could not see her, but he could determine the direction she was heading by the sound of her footsteps.
Nearby, an old woman scavenging through trash stared at Wan Jinxian for a long time.
Wan Jinxian smiled at the old woman, took out a one-hundred-yuan Huan Country Banknote from his pocket, and handed it to her.
The old woman was startled. She wanted to say she wasn’t a Hua Zi. However, one hundred yuan was not a small sum for her. Even if it meant being mistaken for a Hua Zi, she was very willing to accept the money.
She thanked Wan Jinxian repeatedly, but he had already walked some distance away.
The old woman looked closely at the Huan Country Banknote several times.
Carefully placing the money in her pocket, she continued scavenging.
The dust from the trash heap was thick, and the old woman couldn’t help but cough twice. Once she started coughing, she couldn’t stop. Her throat felt very itchy, her chest was tight, and she shivered with every slight intake of breath. The old woman sat beside the trash pile, clutching her chest and coughing relentlessly. She coughed until her throat tasted salty, and blood trickled from the corners of her mouth, flowing continuously down her chin.