Chapter 221

She had discovered Luo Yuanming’s secret of sacrificing young girls and showed strong resistance, unwilling to associate with him. Miss Song was such a clever person; how could she not guess that Luo Yuanming harbored murderous intent?

And the use of the soul-swapping technique… isn’t it precisely for escaping from one’s body and borrowing another’s?

Ning Ning stared into the naturally seductive eyes of the woman before her, hesitating, “But the shopkeeper clearly said that soul-swapping is an ancient secret technique, and even he didn’t know the details.”

“The soul-swapping technique is just a means.”

Meng Tingzhou smiled gently, as if patiently guiding her, “If one method doesn’t work, there are always others.”

Other methods.

Of course.

Inquiring about the soul-swapping technique indicated that Song Xianning had been preparing to protect herself from Luo Yuanming early on, trying to find a suitable way to escape. Besides soul-swapping, the most likely way to deceive everyone would be—

Ning Ning blurted out, “Turtle Breath Pill!”

The Turtle Breath Pill can hide one’s breath and regulate breathing. If overdosed, it could even damage the sea of consciousness, putting one into a long-lasting state of suspended animation.

And conveniently, Luo Yuanming had prepared many such pills in the City Lord’s mansion.

If Song Xianning had indeed taken this pill and fallen into a state of suspended animation… wouldn’t that align perfectly with her “sudden death”?

Hearing this, Meng Tingzhou curved her lips, maintaining her posture against the boat, leaning back slightly, and lifted the thin black curtain outside the boat’s canopy to peer inside.

From Ning Ning’s perspective, she could see Meng Tingzhou’s delicate neck and pointed, fair chin, her mouth forming a beautiful arc, and her lips moving.

The beautiful woman in a white dress spoke clearly, with a light, cheerful tone, “I told you, she would figure it out.”

… Ah.

She was talking to someone behind the black curtain.

A jolt ran down Ning Ning’s spine, her heart pounding.

After a moment of stillness, a thin, pale hand reached out from inside the boat, gently lifting the black curtain.

And suddenly, Ning Ning found herself staring into a pair of dark eyes.

Song Xianning.

This name, buried in everyone’s memory, finally had a concrete form at this moment.

She had an elegant and beautiful appearance, her features as soft as distant mountains. Though her complexion was shockingly pale, it oddly brought a sense of calm, especially when she smiled at Ning Ning, like a breeze stirring the water’s surface, creating a faint ripple.

“Nice to meet you.”

She gazed steadily at the girl on the shore, finally speaking softly, “I am Song Xianning. Thank you, Miss Ning Ning.”

“She took a large amount of Turtle Breath Pill, making Luo Yuanming believe she had died suddenly. Though she escaped the City Lord’s mansion, she remained unconscious in a coffin for half a year due to the pill’s effects.”

Meng Tingzhou laughed, “Luckily, she woke up later. I was startled when I saw her—I couldn’t leave the City Lord’s mansion; the one truly guiding you step by step was her.”

So it had always been a story of two people from the beginning.

Ning Ning had guessed many tricks before, but never had she felt as emotionally stirred as now. After a moment of silent contemplation, she continued in a steady voice, “Now that the affairs of Luan City are settled, what are your plans?”

“Naturally, to travel the world, cultivating and seeing all the sights, righting wrongs wherever we find them.”

Meng Tingzhou looked at Song Xianning with a smile, a youthful enthusiasm in her eyes that hadn’t been there for a long time, “Where did we decide to go last night? The capital, Nanping, or Youzhou?”

Song Xianning smiled helplessly, “It’s Youzhou. You were so eager to go last night, how could you forget today?”

Ning Ning listened in silence, clearly knowing that it was time for them to part ways.

The small boat slowly moved forward, Meng Tingzhou in white smiled at her and said, “Thank you, Miss Ning Ning!”

She paused, then raised her voice, “Pei Ji treats you well—you should cherish it!”

Ning Ning’s smile froze along with her movements.

The laughter from the boat grew even more unrestrained.

At noon in midsummer, a small boat broke through the misty waters by the river.

Ripples spread out, accompanied by the endless sound of cicadas and flowing water, as a woman’s clear voice rang out.

“What? The boatman doesn’t know the way to Youzhou either? Oh no, I forgot to buy a map—should we head south or north? Ah, which way is south, and which is north?”

Then came another’s crisp laughter, like bellflowers clinking together, “Never mind, let’s go wherever the water takes us.”