Chapter 130

Walking ahead of them,Liu Ying was oblivious to everything and was still trying to strike up a conversation with Pei Ji. Clearly, she was deliberately flirting, yet compared to the people behind her, she seemed exceptionally pure and unaffected.

Ning Ning’s expression remained unchanged as she kicked a small stone by the roadside. “So, we shouldn’t focus on the jade pendant.”

Both He Zhizhou and Xu Ye were stunned, listening to her continue in a soft and gentle tone, “Have you forgotten? Besides the jade pendant, there’s another very important item to obtain the Sun Blaze Bow—the secret door.”

The key is indispensable, but if the keyhole is wrong, it still can’t be opened.

“Now, everyone’s attention is on the jade pendant. Naturally, we can do the opposite and tamper with the secret door. Who would specifically check whether that secret door is an illusion?”

Ning Ning explained calmly, “This is where we have to rely on Miss Qiao Yan to cooperate with us in acting. I have already made an agreement with her. When I deliberately ask about the location of the Sun Blaze Bow later, Miss Qiao will give an incorrect location—right after the waterfall.”

He Zhizhou didn’t understand. “But if it’s a fake location, there won’t be a secret door there. What if they see something wrong and leave early?”

“If there isn’t one, we’ll create one.”

Ning Ning explained patiently, blinking at him softly. “Although our concealment skills are not as good as Niguang Island’s, and we can’t set up illusions before they arrive, are there not other people living near the waterfall?”

“You mean—” Xu Ye slapped his forehead. “The fox clan!”

The fox clan is best at using illusions, and coincidentally, besides Qiao Yan, there is another child in the clan who can move freely.

When she and Qiao Yan were “exploring the mountain,” she used a messager talisman to inform him in advance, setting up an illusion behind the waterfall and imitating the appearance of a secret door.

Niguang Island could never have expected that while the key was real, the door was fake.

In addition, Ning Ning and Liu Ying had previously fought over the jade pendant, so it was logical to assume that the jade pendant had been replaced at that time.

“The more interesting thing is still to come.”

Ning Ning seemed to have thought of something, her smile deepening. “Think about it; once they discover that the jade pendant is fake and we still have another one, Niguang Island wouldn’t dare to confront us head-on. With their character, what would they do?”

“They would—”

He Zhizhou paused halfway, then realized, laughing, “They would think they’re being sneaky and swap the two jade pendants back.”

Genius! It’s pure genius!

Niguang Island could never have imagined that the jade pendant in their hands was genuine, and their elaborate plan ended up unwittingly delivering it back into Ning Ning’s hands, making all their efforts in vain.

“Wait, wait, wait! There’s still something I don’t understand.”

Xu Ye was a curious little fellow, his mind full of small question marks. “We don’t have the materials to make the jade pendant. Fake jade can only be created using illusions. What if they are cautious? Check again and find out it’s fake?”

“The chances are very small.”

Ning Ning had a nonchalant attitude; seeing Pei Ji becoming impatient and ready to draw his sword ahead, she hastened her pace of speech. “First of all, after the second exchange, time is tight. If they want to arrive at the waterfall before us to get the Sun Blaze Bow, they will certainly not slack off or delay. Secondly—”

She paused for a moment, glanced quickly at Xu Ye, and continued at a rapid pace, “Secondly, there’s also an element of gambling. According to human cognitive bias, they would value hope regained after failure. They would think they were deceived before, so they would be very vigilant this time and believe that it’s the real jade pendant.”

He Zhizhou just wanted to applaud, admiring her expertise and silently rejoicing that Ningning was a junior from their own sect.

If he were on the opposite side, being played within the palm of her hand like Niguang Island without knowing it, life would be worse than death.

“But that’s not important.”

Ning Ning still had a pure and gentle demeanor, her long skirt swirling slightly, with floral patterns blooming on the ground. “Anyway, by then, the real jade pendant will be in our hands.”

“In that case,” Xu Ye scratched his head. “Why bother to make a fake jade pendant for them?”

As he said this, Ning Ning had already taken a few steps forward, trying to stop Pei Ji from drawing his sword.

She turned her head slightly at his words, the corners of her eyes lightly curved. “Of course, it’s a gift to be given to them along with the jade pendant.”

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Before the waterfall, the situation was particularly tense.

Rong Ci stood in the icy-cold water pool, feeling the water flow up along his ankles, piercing through layers of meridians, and soaking his whole body with a chill.

“So,” he almost squeezed out these words from his throat, his voice rough and hoarse, “when you and Liu Ying were fighting over the jade pendant, you deliberately took it away and then deliberately lost it to her?”

Ning Ning nodded gently. “That was a psychological suggestion, with the purpose of making her think at the first time the secret door couldn’t be opened that I had switched the jade pendant with a fake one, thus tempting you to come and exchange the jade pendant again. There’s no piece of jade in my storage bag all the time; I couldn’t produce such a lifelike fake.”

“And when I used the rabbit to lure that fox clan,” he was so angry his teeth itched, “you were intentionally acting, deliberately letting your guard down?”

Ning Ning was full of righteousness. “How else could I make you voluntarily hand over the real jade pendant to us?”

No wonder Qiao Yan’s expression was off at the time. She wasn’t like the group of movie stars and drama queen around her, knowing she was acting and feeling nervous subconsciously.

This sentence was extremely damaging, and Rong Ci felt like he was going to vomit blood.

He would never have imagined that everything was set up as a scam from the moment they first met Liu Ying.