Chapter 7: Sudden Change!_2

Master Huang was even more mysterious at this moment; the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were not on his desk. Instead, there were scattered puppet parts: arms, thighs, heads.

If any student were here, they would surely be frightened, for the puppet's head was none other than the usually harsh Lady Huang!

"Departed just before Yin Time, with the speed of the Ghost Horse, by now nearly at the city outskirts."

"Are you confident?" Master Huang looked up, "He is, after all, Liu Yu's disciple."

"With Ghost Doll acting personally, along with Mr. Miao, it's a sure success!" The masked person's voice was cold and deep, void of any emotional fluctuation.

Hearing this, Master Huang nodded, his touch on the puppet's face tender, eyes glinting with a trace of realization, yet his voice remained calm, "Ali reacted quickly this time, handling it very well. We cannot afford any mistakes on our end either, deceiving that old man Liu Yu won't be easy!"

"Your craftsmanship... will surely go undetected!"

Hearing this, Master Huang sighed, his hand caressing the puppet's face tenderly, eyes filled with reluctance, but the next second his hands moved—a blur of inconceivable speed. Were Chen Qing present, he likely couldn't catch even a glimpse of his hands.

In just a few breaths' time, the puppet's face transformed from Lady Huang to Wang Ye!

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How was that possible?

In the carriage, having received the warning written by Chen Qing's fingertips, Wang Ye, who always remained composed, underwent a drastic change of complexion, yet being a man who had weathered countless storms, he collected himself in an instant.

He reached back, seizing Chen Qing's hand, writing, "Have you seen Lord Weichi before?"

"No..." Chen Qing replied via writing, "But I know, he is not Weichi Peng!"

"What makes you say that?"

"Nothing...But you must trust me, Lord, or we will die!"

"Absurd!!"

Wang Ye's face turned an ashen hue, yet he suppressed the urge to shout and instead wrote on the other's palm, "Weichi Peng and I have known each other for years. You say he's a fraud? Could it be that my memory is in disarray?"

"Perhaps, Lord, it is your memory that's confused?" Chen Qing, pressed for time, didn't bother to hide his insight, writing, "Have you ever considered, Lord, that perhaps you've encountered the Thousand-Faced Fox in Royal City?"

"So you know about the Thousand-Faced Fox!" Wang Ye's expression steadied and he wrote back with a sneer, "You're certainly no ordinary scholar!"

"Lord, this is not the time to fret over this..."

Wang Ye's sneer didn't fade as he wrote, "Spreading superstitious nonsense, you say I've already encountered the Thousand-Faced Fox, where? In the brothel tavern where a bunch of Imperial Scholars were drinking? Or among the palace maids when I went to report to the palace? Don't tell me that just a glance at that creature on the street was enough to muddle my memory, was it?"

Chen Qing shook his head, continuing to write, "The Thousand-Faced Fox can read memories, but influencing the heart requires guidance. You're no ordinary man, and to alter your memory requires a familiar face, a familiar setting, and ideally a convincing cause to change the corresponding memory. Think carefully, Lord, is there such a place?"

"What do you mean?" Wang Ye's eyebrows furrowed as he continued to write on the palm.

"An environment where the Lord would be off guard, a presence that could trigger the Lord's memories of Weichi Peng without any suspicion, that's how to seamlessly alter the Lord's memories of Weichi Peng. Think carefully, Lord, is there such a place?"

Wang Ye snorted derisively, still writing, "Then give me a hint, Lord, what kind of place would have that effect?"

"Before the Lord left the capital... did you visit the Weichi Residence?"

At this, Wang Ye's pupils contracted, but his sneer remained, "Are you suggesting that the Fox Demon is inside the Weichi Residence?"

"Only that would make sense..."

"Utter nonsense!" Wang Ye was on the verge of losing his patience, retorting with a sneer, "Who exactly are you?"

Cui Yan sighed and pointed out the window before continuing to write, "If My Lord does not believe it, you might as well take a look outside."

Wang Ye frowned and with a slight movement of his finger, a slender gap appeared as the carriage curtain fluttered. The gap was narrow, but it allowed the visually keen Wang Ye to see clearly what lay outside, and it was this clarity that made him instantly feel a chill surge in his heart!

Outside... a desolate wilderness, obviously far from the city. But they had been in the carriage for less than half a quarter of an hour, how could they have reached outside the city so quickly? Normally, it would take two hours to leave Lyuzhou City to be considered fast...

The carriage is abnormal... the person driving the carriage is probably abnormal too...

Taking a deep breath, Wang Ye's body went cold, and he looked at Cui Yan again, who remained calm, and then resumed writing on his palm, "When did you discover there was something wrong with Weichi Peng?"

"Before boarding..."

"Why didn't you say anything at the time?"

"Couldn't speak, he was too close to me..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ye fell silent for a few seconds before writing again, "Although the Weichi Clan might not have many strong descendants, there must still be capable people on guard. How could a Fox Demon infiltrate it?"

Cui Yan took his hand and directly wrote two words: 'female relatives'!

Female relatives?

Wang Ye frowned in thought. In houses of noble lineage, the women brought into the family were all ordinary people. Moreover, there were opportunities for them to be targeted, as many noble women had the habit of going out to worship Buddha and pray to the gods. He also recalled that during the days of Cui Yan's death, the temples were bustling.

"But I did not meet any female family members from the Weichi Clan before I left the capital!" Wang Ye wrote in response: "According to what you're saying, in order to confound my memory, they must interact with me face to face, right?"

"Is My Lord certain you've never met one?" Cui Yan wrote back in response: "You'd better think again!"

Wang Ye was about to write 'no', but something flashed in his mind. Yes... there actually was one!

The Old Madam Wei Chi of the Weichi Residence, the eldest member of the Weichi Clan, well over ninety years of age!

Yes, he remembered now. At that time, because he needed Weichi Peng's assistance, he had gone to the Weichi Residence, planning to visit the former Family Head who had been replaced by Weichi Peng, Lord Weichi Jiawu.

But Lord Weichi happened to be out, and the one to receive guests was the Weichi Residence's oldest elder, Old Madam Wei Chi...

This Old Madam had not seen outsiders for years, and her enthusiasm at the time took him by surprise because she repeatedly asked about his acquaintance with Weichi Peng.

Because she was an elder, he had also thought she simply wanted to know the details of her proud grandson's friendships and did not conceal anything. Thinking about it now...

Wang Ye involuntarily shivered but still found it unbelievable and hardly dared to believe that the Old Madam of the dignified Weichi Residence had been replaced by the Thousand-Faced Fox. But upon reflection, it seemed increasingly possible!

The identity of the Old Madam would be the least suspected and held enough prestige to avoid scrutiny from younger generations. If she claimed illness, who in the Weichi Clan would suspect?

Such an identity might raise doubts over an extended period, but in the short term, it was the most inconspicuous!

"Lord Wang!"

While Wang Ye was immersed in shock and uncertainty, the carriage stopped!!

And from outside the carriage came a series of strange taunts, "Now that you've noticed something is amiss, why play dumb and deaf? How about coming out for a chat?"

"You're right!" Wang Ye looked towards Chen Qing, whose face was pale but still feigned composure.

"Do you have a way to escape?" Chen Qing asked, zeroing in on his most pressing concern.

Wang Ye stared intently at him, at the young man who had been able to approximate the location of the Thousand-Faced Fox from thousands of miles away, and a decision formed in his heart!