Chapter 335

Chapter 335: Jiang Yu Wei’s Suspicion

While the Jiang Clan brothers were still struggling over whether to choose Cultivation, Chen Ruo Lan walked gracefully into Jiang Yu Wei’s room and said with a gentle bow: “Big Brother.”

At that moment, Jiang Yu Wei was planning how to use the talismans he had. He had twenty-five left-Heavenly Thunder Talismans and Purification Talismans-and one Protective Talisman. With these talismans in hand, even if the scum of the Demonic Cult jumped out again, he was confident he could finish them off. There would be no more shameful escapes. He could even lead a team to strike straight at the Demonic Cult.

The Demonic Cult had existed for over a thousand years. Ever since there was a Martial World, the Demonic Cult had stood on the opposite side, harming the common people. Every Martial Alliance Leader made it their duty to wipe the Demonic Cult out. But the Demonic Cult was like weeds that never die; whenever people thought they were finally eradicated, they would sprout up again. The only difference was whether they made big trouble out in the open.

And everyone knew: when one cockroach shows up, countless more are already breeding in the dark.

To utterly destroy the Demonic Cult had always been the wish of every Martial Alliance Leader. Jiang Yu Wei was no exception.

Pulling his thoughts back, he asked evenly: “Ruo Lan, what is it?”

“There is something,” Chen Ruo Lan said, her smile soft and sweet. Although she was nearly forty, time seemed to have left few marks on her. If anything, it had made her more mature and elegant. She didn’t look old, nor did she carry the bitterness many older women did. Her charm remained.

Beautiful things are pleasant to the eye. Jiang Yu Wei had never had improper thoughts about her, but in the past, whenever Chen Ruo Lan visited, he would quietly appreciate her beauty. Because of her gentle manner-and, most of all, her identity-he rarely refused her requests. For example, after the old Alliance Leader died, she wanted to move to a quieter place “to avoid gossip.” Jiang Yu Wei thought it unnecessary, but he still agreed.

Today, though, his head was full of talismans. He barely spared her an extra glance.

Chen Ruo Lan felt the slight and, inside, her temper spiked: [Ever since that little wretch came back, nothing goes my way.] She pressed down the anger and, pretending not to mind, said softly, “I happened to get something very good. I know I don’t deserve such a treasure, so I want to give it to Big Brother.”

Hearing the words “something good,” Jiang Yu Wei finally focused: “What is it?”

Chen Ruo Lan took out a sheet of yellow paper.

Jiang Yu Wei: “…”

As if expecting that reaction, Chen Ruo Lan spoke before he could: “Big Brother, it looks like a simple sheet, but it isn’t ordinary paper. It’s a talisman.”

Jiang Yu Wei’s expression turned odd. What was with today? Things he hadn’t seen in nearly fifty years just kept piling up in front of him.

Thinking he didn’t believe a piece of paper could be that amazing, Chen Ruo Lan hurried on: “This is a Spatial Talisman. It has about one cubic meter of space inside, and you can store things in it.”

She added, voice warm and caring: “Big Brother often travels on business. You usually go light and live hard when you’re out. With a Spatial Talisman, you can carry more supplies. It also keeps your money from getting stolen.”

Jiang Yu Wei frowned, deep in thought.

“If Big Brother doesn’t believe me, you can try a drop of blood,” she suggested.

He wasn’t actually doubting her; he was remembering what his niece had said. She had said that the array in the back mountain was set up by a Demonic Cultivator. Demonic Cultivators wouldn’t target the Martial Alliance for no reason, so the direction that the Luck-Shifting Array was channeling to was most likely a force within the Martial World. To set such an array, the person had to live on the mountain for a while-maybe even the whole time.

When his niece said this, the hint had been obvious. Aside from the guest experts invited from the Martial World, the only “outsiders” living on the mountain were Chen Ruo Lan and her daughter.

But Jiang Yu Wei didn’t want to accept this kind of conclusion too quickly. After all, back then, Chen Ruo Lan had nearly caused his niece to die in the womb and had made her drift outside for almost twenty years. That was a great hatred. Later, Chen Ruo Lan had knelt before his father, the old Alliance Leader, and before Jiang Yu Chuan, crying for forgiveness. She even knelt in the courtyard for three days. In the end, his father decided to let the matter pass, and it was laid to rest.

Even so, none of them were his niece. Only she had the right to forgive.

And, if you looked closely, blaming Chen Ruo Lan for all of it was a bit forced. Xiao Qing Xuan had run away on her own, and someone else had stolen the baby. It was a total tangle.

In short, Jiang Yu Wei neither forced his niece to get along with Chen Ruo Lan, nor did he jump to the conclusion that Chen Ruo Lan was the mastermind. He believed that everything needed evidence. Talismans had sounded absurd too, but once he saw their power with his own eyes, he accepted the skills of the Mystic Sect.

Now, though, Chen Ruo Lan had taken out a Spatial Talisman. That didn’t prove with certainty she was behind everything, but it did prove she had contact with people of the Mystic Sect. And the one who set the array in the back mountain was at least connected to the Mystic Sect-or she herself was from the Mystic Sect.

Jiang Yu Wei felt his heart go cold.

“Big Brother? Big Brother?” Chen Ruo Lan’s gentle tone carried a hint of annoyance. What was with him today, drifting off again and again?

“Oh-I was thinking about the Demonic Cult,” Jiang Yu Wei said smoothly, giving a reason no one would doubt.

Sure enough, Chen Ruo Lan didn’t question it. Not long ago he had suffered at the hands of the Demonic Cult; it was normal for him to worry over them.

She put aside her doubts and smiled: “This Spatial Talisman is a fine thing, and it’s easy to use. Once Big Brother lets a drop of blood recognize it, you can store and retrieve items with just your thoughts.”

Jiang Yu Wei put on a look of amazement: “It’s really that wonderful?”

“Would Big Brother like to try?” she asked, eyes bright with expectation.

He nodded slightly: “All right.” He took the Talisman Paper and, under Chen Ruo Lan’s shining gaze, was just about to prick his finger.

Suddenly he stood up, face tightening: “Oh no!”

“Big Brother?” Chen Ruo Lan blurted.

Jiang Yu Wei moved like a gust of wind. In the blink of an eye he vanished from the room, leaving only his steady voice echoing in her ears: “Ruo Lan, wait a moment. Something came up. I’ll be right back.”

Chen Ruo Lan: “?!!”

When Jiang Yu Wei arrived, Yu Zhi Yi was in the middle of shooing the younger brothers out. She didn’t have a Spirit-Testing Stone on hand, so she couldn’t decide whether the two could enter the path. More importantly, she had suddenly remembered that, although Cultivation is a personal choice, it affects the whole family.

It was one thing with Jiang Liu Yun; that was easier. But if Jiang Liu Bin really tested as having a Spiritual Root without telling his family first, should she accept him on behalf of her sect? That was a real problem.

This kind of thing, she thought, should be discussed clearly with the family first.

Jiang Yu Wei arrived right as she was pushing them out the door.