INE Chapter 100: Favorability

The next day, thick fog swept across the empty mountain.

It was early summer, and trumpet vines had climbed up the eaves of the temple, blooming in clusters of warm red.

Beneath the vivid blossoms stood a floating sky palanquin, half-shrouded in the mist.

Jiang Fei stood beside it, leisurely chewing on a piece of preserved plum candy. Standing beside her was Wei Zongqiu.

Ever since the Xu family case had been linked to Wanjian Sect, the Princess of Chu had summoned Wei Zongqiu back from Bixue Peak.

After the Prince of Chu was attacked and fell into a coma, the princess had become even more adamant about not letting her son return to Wanjian Sect.

Even though Wei Zongqiu had done his best to explain that Wanjian Sect had little to do with the incident and that the so-called “Heavenly Demon Seed” was a mere baseless rumor, he still couldn’t convince his mother.

Worried for his safety, the Princess had immediately sent him to Kongshan Temple and strictly forbade him from returning to the sect.

As a result, Wei Zongqiu had lived a miserable life for the past year, no meat, no distractions, and was forced to listen to Buddhist chants every day.

It wasn’t until Jiang Fei arrived at Bodhi Sect that his days began to improve.

With her arrival, he not only got to enjoy grilled mountain chicken from the forest with this unconventional Senior Sister, but also learned some news from the outside world.

Like how his father still hadn’t woken up, and his mother had gone half-mad, raving about capturing some “bastard child.”

Or how the so-called “Heavenly Demon Seed” was actually Junior Sister Gu, who had supposedly fallen from the summit of Tianji Peak to her death.

The news was too surreal for the pampered Wei Zongqiu to fully accept.

But the most shocking thing of all was the sight before him now, two figures slowly approaching along the stone path.

One wore a light gauze robe and held a fox in her arms. It was Ji Rong, who had vanished for half a year.

The other, 

The woman beside her had a tall, slender figure and a blade at her waist. Her face was half-covered by a silver mask, and she followed closely behind Ji Rong like a personal guard.

The mask concealed most of her face, revealing only a pair of dark eyes, making it impossible for Wei Zongqiu to clearly see her features.

But her silhouette, her demeanor… reminded him of a certain Junior Sister.

Yet that Junior Sister had been gone for over a year, that was what made it so disturbing.

Wei Zongqiu wasn’t wrong. The masked woman was indeed Gu Baiyi.

Though truthfully, Gu Baiyi wasn’t keen on wearing a mask.

The night before, Ji Rong had sat in the meditation courtyard, her gaze fixed on Gu Baiyi’s face by the light of a room full of candles.

That intense stare almost made Gu Baiyi think she had something dirty on her face.

But then Ji Rong looked away and said, “Junior Sister, Wei Zongqiu knows you. When we meet him tomorrow, you should wear a human-skin mask as a disguise.”

Gu Baiyi blinked in confusion. “Senior Sister, why would I be carrying a human-skin mask around?”

Ji Rong was stunned. Wasn’t that standard equipment for any female lead roaming the martial world?

But then she reconsidered. If everyone had a human-skin mask, crime rates would skyrocket, and the cultivation world would fall into chaos.

So Ji Rong compromised. She told Gu Baiyi to go down the mountain while the night market was still lively and buy a regular mask instead.

Gu Baiyi glanced around the room, just the two of them, and then at the calmly composed Ji Rong.

At this hour, she was supposed to go mask shopping?

So she started coming up with excuses.

The first: the poison “Doubtless.”

She insisted that if she left Bodhi Sect now, the Gu poison would activate.

Ji Rong sneered. Mo Yu had already said: “Doubtless” only acts when there is mutual suspicion.

Besides, even if it did activate, the effect would only be on herself. As the one who had taken the mother Gu, what was she hesitating for?

Under Ji Rong’s relentless insistence, Gu Baiyi reluctantly agreed.

But her expression dimmed. She gently held Ji Rong’s hand and said softly, “Senior Sister says she doesn’t belong here. If I leave now and come back only to find you gone, where would I even begin to look?”

Ji Rong listened to her saccharine words and thought, If this were a man talking, I’d have slapped some sense into him by now.

But the one speaking was a girl, a pretty one at that.

She looked down at Gu Baiyi’s slender fingers and noticed a particularly conspicuous scar, like one left by a heel grinding into flesh.

Seeing that mark, a rare sting pierced the calm surface of Ji Rong’s heart.

She swallowed the sarcastic comment she’d been about to make, sighed quietly, and squeezed Gu Baiyi’s hand. “Come on, let’s go.”

Feeling the warmth in her palm, Gu Baiyi feigned ignorance and asked, “Where are we going, Senior Sister?”

Ji Rong ground her teeth. “Down the mountain.”

The moment she heard the word “we." Gu Baiyi was satisfied. So satisfied that she smiled like a spring breeze, her eyes full of gentle warmth.

Every expression that shouldn't have appeared on her cold face bloomed all at once.

When it came time to wear the mask, Gu Baiyi looked at the silver half-mask Ji Rong had picked for her and asked, “Senior Sister, if I put this on, will you still recognize me?”

Heh. What do you think?

You’re the heroine. Even if you turn to ash, I’d still know it’s you.

Ji Rong raised her hand, fastened the mask onto Gu Baiyi’s face, and tied the straps securely.

After adjusting it and studying her for a moment, she replied casually, “Of course I’ll recognize you.”

With the silver mask in place, only Gu Baiyi’s eyes were visible, clear as still water.

When she smiled at Ji Rong, a faint ripple stirred in those calm eyes. “In that case, what difference does it make whether I wear it or not?”

Ji Rong stared at her masked face. The cold silver actually matched her aloof temperament quite well.

But she also thought, This little girl is still too naïve.

A heroine’s mask, is it really a mask?

According to the laws of transmigration, a female lead can cross-dress and wander the streets for dozens of episodes and no one would suspect a thing.

Ji Rong smiled faintly. “Want to make a bet?”

Gu Baiyi, gently brushing a finger over the mask on her face, looked intrigued.

Hearing that, she raised a brow and asked, “Oh? What are you betting on, Senior Sister?”

“I bet that once you put on the mask, Wei Zongqiu won’t recognize you.”

Gu Baiyi smiled, then asked, “If that’s the wager… then, Senior Sister, what’s the stake?”

Ji Rong couldn’t think of anything right away, so she casually replied, “Whoever loses has to obey the other’s every word for a whole day starting tomorrow.”

“Deal.”

Gu Baiyi removed the mask and agreed without hesitation, her face lit with a smile.

But for some reason, that smile didn’t sit quite right, it even carried a faint hint of excitement.

Ji Rong glanced away and thought, What are you getting so excited about, you silly girl? This time, there's no way I’m losing.

…

Inside the flying carriage.

The four of them sat in pairs, silent.

The others were relatively at ease, but Wei Zongqiu was clearly the most awkward one there.

A strapping man wedged between three women and a fox, there wasn’t much for him to say.

Especially since his once sharp tongue had been dulled by the hardships of recent years.

Gone was the carefree flair from his past; now, dark circles ringed his eyes, giving him a weary, worn-down look.

Ji Rong glanced at the jade-boned folding fan in his hands and thought of Xie Bai, who had chosen to stay within her obsession. The memory brought a pang of melancholy.

But it didn’t last long, soon, a surge of triumph swept it away.

As expected, Wei Zongqiu hadn’t realized the masked person was Gu Baiyi at all.

Ji Rong was already thinking of how to punish her. But before she could settle on an idea, she suddenly remembered, they were about to meet the original host’s parents.

The problem was, during the game, she’d only seen things from the heroine’s perspective. She had no clue who the original host’s parents really were, or how the host usually interacted with them.

After some thought, Ji Rong decided to ask someone familiar with Xuanji City and its influential families.

“Senior Brother Wei, I heard you traveled to Xuanji City when you were younger?”

Wei Zongqiu was momentarily surprised she addressed him, but he had indeed visited the city with his father and was somewhat familiar with its customs and people.

He smiled slightly and replied, “Indeed, I had the good fortune to witness Xuanji City’s splendor. I was just a child then, but I still remember how well the city lord governed, earning deep respect from the people.”

That was an outright attempt to flatter the heroine’s father, but Ji Rong wasn’t moved in the slightest.

That man may be the original host’s father, but he sure wasn’t hers, so what good did praising him do?

Wei Zongqiu went on, “After we toured the city, my father took me to meet Madam Mo. I must admit, at that age, what stuck with me most was her beauty, more dazzling than even the finest puppets crafted by the Heavenly Workshop.”

Ji Rong nodded. In the game, Madam Mo was a renowned beauty and a master of puppet-crafting. That much she knew.

Wei Zongqiu seemed to enjoy reminiscing. He twirled the fan lightly and added with a smile, “Madam Mo gifted my father two luminous pearls called ‘Qiming.’ They were said to be priceless, shining like stars at night, and capable of recording images.”

Ji Rong: “…”

So basically, those “Qiming” pearls were just high-end surveillance devices?

“But I was young and didn’t know their value. I thought they were boring and gave them away.”

He spoke of it so casually, as though it were some long-forgotten childhood whim. And perhaps it was.

But Ji Rong remembered what she saw in Xie Bai’s dream.

In that dream, those very pearls had changed the fates of Xie Bai and Hongzhi forever.

And yet, to the one who gave them away, they were nothing more than a toy from his youth.

Unaware of her thoughts, Wei Zongqiu looked a little more spirited after his story and said cheerfully, “But those were childhood memories. These next few days, we’ll be relying on you, Senior Sister, to show us around Xuanji City.”

Ji Rong was noncommittal. Rely on me?

I’m not even from here. What are you talking about?

She was just about to brush it off when, unexpectedly, Gu Baiyi reached out and took her hand, speaking before she could respond.

“Young miss, we’ve arrived at Xuanji City.”

Because she was still in disguise, Gu Baiyi deliberately lowered her voice with spiritual energy.

Unlike her usual gentle and clear tone, her voice now was low and husky, like rain falling on leaves, with a faint rasp to the trailing end.

The sound sent a tingling shiver down Ji Rong’s spine. It felt like Gu Baiyi’s fingers weren’t just brushing her hand, they were grazing her heart, too.

If this went on, she was going to fall not just for Gu Baiyi’s face, but her voice as well.

Unfortunately, Gu Baiyi didn’t seem too pleased at the moment, because the system chimed in.

[Beep! Gu Baiyi’s affection -0.01]

Ji Rong: “…”

You can lose 0.01 affection points??

[System report: Gu Baiyi’s current affection level: 1998.99]

Ji Rong looked at Gu Baiyi, speechless.

Watching the heroine’s half-smiling face, her lowered lashes, and the hand still gently holding hers, Ji Rong could suddenly read her thoughts loud and clear.

Gu Baiyi’s thin lips pressed into a line, lashes trembling slightly, as if saying:

If you keep ignoring me and talking to someone else… I’ll like you just a little bit less.

Ji Rong thought, It really is just a little bit.

That tiny deduction in affection didn’t hurt at all.

In fact… it was kind of cute.