Chapter 128

“I’ve been deceived.”

Liu Ying gritted her teeth, clutching it in her palm, wishing she could smash this fake jade into a thousand pieces. “She switched it during the fight. This is fake.”

“But I carefully inspected it, and this jade pendant doesn’t have any illusions.”

Rong Ci, perhaps still haunted by the psychological shadow of being fooled last time, kept furrowing his brows. “Could they really find a jade stone that matches the stone door in such a short time?”

Liu Ying was also puzzled.

Although there was a Fox clan member among them who must have a clear understanding of what the real jade pendant looked like, from her revealing her identity to the struggle for it, how did Ning Ning manage to find a substitute in such a short time?

“Could it be” Rong Ci’s expression became serious, and he thought of the same possibility, “that they had already realized your true identity and guessed that you would snatch the jade pendant, so they started preparing this fake one from the beginning?”

Liu Ying felt unwilling, biting her lip tightly.

This was the only explanation that made sense now, especially since Ning Ning had indeed suggested going ahead to scout the road after seeing her, leaving her sight.

In the storage bags of cultivators, there were all sorts of odds and ends. It was possible that Ning Ning had carried the jade stone on her. If she had already seen through everything and made a substitute at that time…

Liu Ying’s chest felt stuffy, and a fishy taste rose in her throat.

No wonder Ning Ning had brought the fox with her. Only the fox would know the size and appearance of the real jade pendant!

“Don’t worry.”

Rong Ci was much calmer than her, still analyzing calmly until now. “We still have a chance. The spiritual energy of those people from the Xuanxu Sword Sect is damaged, and besides, flying with swords is not allowed in the secret realm, so their speed in coming here must be slow. Although there is still danger in fighting them head-on… we can set another trap to get the real jade pendant back.”

=====

In the dense forest, the wind rustled through the grass.

A handsome young man dressed in light green robes quietly hid in the shade of the trees, his jet-black eyelashes lightly closed, casting a dim shadow.

He almost merged with the surrounding vegetation, making it difficult to detect any breath from him. In the distance, a group of young people with swords at their waists walked along the forest path.

“Miss Liu Ying really just snatched the jade pendant and ran,” He Zhizhou said, a blade of grass between his teeth, mimicking a move he learned from a martial arts drama, “but unfortunately, it’s a fake. Do you think Niguang Island will be so angry that they’ll come looking for us and start a fight?”

“No, they won’t.”

Xu Ye shook his head. “Our cultivation levels are not low, and sword cultivators are best at fighting. They won’t seek trouble for themselves.”

After a pause, he added, “Thanks to Ning Ning this time, she saw through Miss Liu Ying’s true identity at a glance. It’s not easy to cooperate with her acting.”

Rong Ci clicked her tongue in his heart.

“Since the real jade pendant is in our hands, there’s no need to rush to the waterfall. Fighting with the Fire Phoenix has exhausted us, so it’s better to rest here for a while.”

Ning Ning stretched lazily, smiling lightly at Qiao Yan. “Remember to keep the jade pendant safe.”

The little fox felt inexplicably nervous, keeping a wooden expression all along. After hearing her words, she nodded heavily, her voice sounding just as stiff. “Yes!”

So the group took a brief rest halfway through the journey. Xu Ye and He Zhizhou continued discussing the issue of electricity, while Pei Ji called Ning Ning aside and handed her a healing pill.

Only Qiao Yan wasn’t very familiar with them, sitting alone and examining the jade pendant in her palm.

It was the perfect opportunity for him to take action.

With a flick of his fingertips, Rong Ci manipulated his spiritual energy to conjure a white rabbit from the empty grassland, which hopped into Qiao Yan’s view.

The fox girl blinked slightly.

After all, she was just a little girl, and seeing a rabbit filled her with joy. She approached, holding the jade pendant in her hand, to chase after it.

Rong Ci patiently waited in the shadows, and when the timing was right, he made the rabbit kick forcefully the moment she picked it up—

Directly hitting the jade pendant in her hand.

The jade pendant wasn’t large; its color perfectly matched the verdant trees around. A faint arc of light descended and quickly disappeared without a trace.

“Oh!”

Qiao Yan didn’t expect such an accident to happen. She quickly put down the white rabbit and crouched in the grass, carefully searching. Just as her gaze fell, she found the emerald jade lying flat at her feet.

Rong Ci pursed his lips, a surefire smile shimmering in his eyes.

The jade pendant couldn’t possibly appear at her feet after being kicked by the rabbit. What Qiao Yan saw was the fake jade that Liu Ying had snatched away.

When he saw Qiao Yan sitting alone, he quickly devised a plan in his mind.

First, he placed the fake jade here in advance, then used the rabbit to lure her into the woods. When they arrived at the location of the fake jade, he made the rabbit stop and let her catch it, then kicked it hard.

Qiao Yan, an inexperienced young girl, wouldn’t think too much about schemes and tricks. She simply thought it was good luck, happily picked up the jade pendant, and went to meet the others outside the forest.

This seamless switch was flawlessly executed, and after some twists and turns, the jade pendant ultimately returned to the hands of Niguang Island.