As like Huangfu Rui said, Cui Ying was indeed a Soul Puppet. In comparison to Ye Zhiqiuâs father, Cui Ying had been under the influence of Soul Puppetry for far longer.
It happened when Hua Yueying wasnât even a part of the Tang. The âbrainwashingâ consisted of her continuing her duties as Hua Yueyingâs maid, but she was ready to carry out any missive of the Soul Refining School whenever called upon.
Hua Yueying wasnât a part of a small household of soul cultivators. Members of her house were often under heavy watch so any strange behaviors could be easily seen and caught. But who would ever pay attention to an insignificant maid?
Not even Hua Yueying realized something was wrong with Cui Ying.
But the maid was only just a pawn for the Soul Refining School, one that was basically insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Given the right circumstances, however, and even a pawn could carry out the most nefarious of plots.
For exampleâŠthe reason behind Chu Qingxueâs poisoning! It was because of Cui Ying that the ambush occurred!
All it took was for her to send a single message for the Soul Refining School to act. The target had actually been Hua Yueying, since she was the wife most loved by the head of the Tang at the time. However, a mistake occurred and it was Chu Qingxue that was the one poisoned.Â
The mission was considered a failure and all other plans fell through after that. In fact, the Soul Refining School had practically forgotten about Cui Ying after that.
The upheaval planned by the Soul Refining School and prince Hao took many many many years to plan. A small subplot like this one was negligible in comparison.
In the end, the Soul Refining School did revisit their plans for the Tang, a plan that caused no small amount of trouble for Bai Yunfei.
It was when Tang Xinyun was kidnapped and Bai Yunfei went after her. By the stroke of a pen, Mo Ni had Cui Ying activate the poison in Chu Qingxue to draw Tang Xinyunâs attention, which in turn drew Bai Yunfeiâs attention.
Cui Ying wasnât given any other instructions after that mission failed. And without those instructions, Cui Ying was left attending to Hua Yueying as was normal without ever once thinking about the Soul Refining School.
âŠâŠ
All of the above-mentioned was said by Cui Ying due to the pill she was given, but not a single person there was able to properly say a word about what they had just heard.
Bai Yunfei had never imagined that the trail would go so far back. And neither did he realize that there was such a cause behind the poisoning of Chu Qingxue.
âThisâŠhow could this have happenedâŠ?â
Hua Yueying was the most shocked. She stood there, quivering in disbelief as she stared at her maid. A myriad of emotions ran through her face, though none of which could be properly voiced by her.
Staring at the statue-like Cui Ying, whose condition was like that due to the truth pill, Bai Yunfei sighed.Â
âAunty Hua, her Soul Puppetry can be undone, but however she will be treated after thatâŠis up to you.â
Cui Ying was but a pitiful pawn that was being used. She was innocent. Bai Yunfei had neither the heart nor the hatred to kill the woman.
He turned back to Huangfu Rui then. âWeâll be counting on you, AhâRui.â
âYes yes,â Huangfu Rui smiled, âItâs my pleasure to help!â
Given the gravity of the situation, no one wanted to reminisce about the old times as Huangfu Rui sought about to undoing the Soul Puppetry. Allocating her a room, they all waited for her to finish her job.
Since this wasnât her first time doing this, Huangfu Rui found herself having a much easier time undoing the Soul Puppetry than before.
Free from the shackles of Soul Puppetry at last, Cui Ying fell into a deep sleep after that. Standing above her sleeping form, Hua Yueying was once again lost in deep thought. She was conflicted about the situation, as was Zhao Mancha and Chu Qingxue. All three of them had fond memories of the maid, so knowing that she had been a Soul Puppet for the Soul Refining School had left all of them dejected. Although Cui Ying was in the end, innocent, it was still a mercy on Bai Yunfeiâs part to not kill her. If Tang Qianlei were to know about this and weigh in on the matter, her death would be for certain.
âSighâŠletâs wait for her to wake first. Iâll give her some traveling expenses and have her leave this householdâŠâ
Hua Yueying decided at long last. Calling for another maid to do as she tasked, Hua Yueying left the room with Chu Qingxue afterward.
âSister,â She faced Chu Qingxue, âPlease allow me to apologize for what Cui Ying has done. I would also like to thank you for sparing her lifeâŠâ
âThereâs no need for such words, sister. Am I not fine now? Her body wasnât hers to control, I see no reason to end matters at thatâŠâ
âThank you, sister.â Seemingly aged by several years by the matter, Hua Yueying changed the topic, âThere must be so much you wish to talk with your daughter about. I am finding myself rather tired, so by your will, I will be taking my leaveâŠâ
With a nod to Bai Yunfei, the woman soon left with another maid in tow. Worried for his mother, Tang Ming followed after her.
Feeling rather down spirited by the matter, Bai Yunfei turned his attention to Tang Xinyun, âXinyun, have a nice conversation with your mother. Li Chengfeng and I will take a strollâŠAunty Xue, Iâll pay my respects upon a later time.â
Chu Qingxue smiled lovingly at him, âThank you for everything, Yunfei.â
âPlease donât worry about anything, aunty Xue. Please have a nice talk with XinyunâŠâ
âŠâŠ
Bai Yunfei watched the mother and daughter retreat into their courtyards before he finally left with Li Chengfeng. Huangfu Rui had opted to stay with Tang Xinyun and went into the same courtyard.
He had plenty to think about as he walked across the cobblestone path. Finding out the reason behind Chu Qingxueâs poisoning had been a stroke of luck. Certainly, without the âanti-Soul Puppetâ weapon, Huangfu Rui, theyâd have never found out about it. And that only served to make Bai Yunfei more fearful of the Soul Refining School and their tactics. Without her, theyâd never have known about any of this. Who knew just how many Soul Puppets there were? They could save anyone Huangfu Rui found, but what about those who werenât? How many more deaths would be had because of these Soul Puppets? Perhaps there were still plenty of people stuck as tools for the Soul Refining School.
The Soul Refining SchoolâŠthe sooner they are destroyed, the better!
Bai Yunfei found himself unknowingly clenching his fist at the thought. Then he realized something else was off.
âChengfeng, whatâs wrong?â
Li Chengfeng had been oddly quiet throughout all this. Even now, when Bai Yunfei was looking at him, Li Chengfeng was also lost in his own thoughts.
Li Chengfeng blinked, âI donât know why, but I have an odd feeling that something terrible is about to happenâŠâ
âWhat!?â Bai Yunfei raised an eyebrow, âIs this another prediction of yours?â
âNo, nothing like that. Itâs just a feeling, butâŠâ
Were it anyone else, like an ordinary person, Bai Yunfei wouldâve dismissed such a sentence. But Li Chengfeng wasnât an ordinary person. The premonitions of someone from the Fate School were something everyone should be cautious for.
âSomething terrible is about to happen? Donât tell me the Soul Refining School is up to their nasty tricks again?â Bai Yunfei thought to himself.Â
âPah! It leaves a terrible taste in my mouth that our enemies are like this! Thereâs basically nothing we can do but wait until they do somethingâŠSooner or later weâll stamp out their nest and end this disaster once in for all!â
He slapped Li Chengfengâs shoulder comfortingly, âForget it, we canât do anything if we donât know anything. Weâll adapt with the situation and work hard to crush their plans. We were able to do it once before, we can definitely do it again a second and third time!â
The two stopped by the edge of a lake. Noting the small pavilion constructed at the center of the lake, the two strode over and sat down by the tables offered underneath it. Quickly, a bottle of wine and two cups were placed onto the table so they could drink.
Bai Yunfei wasnât an avid drinker of alcohol, but a bonding moment between brothers like this certainly called for it.
âYunfei,â Li Chengfeng sipped from his cup, âI wonât hide the truth. Sooner or later, the Fate School will be in a crisis, one large enough to destroy our school. I suspect this feeling of mine has to do with that, and if Iâm not wrong, this crisis isnât too far in the future. If possible, I hope that youâll be able to help us when the time comesâŠâ
âWhat? Even the Fate School will be in danger?!â Bai Yunfei cried out, shocked. âAnd âif possibleâ? Letâs not even talk about us being brothers, senior Ge Yiyun has helped me out a lot in the past. Iâll be sure to do all I can for as long as Iâm able!â
He couldnât help but think about the past at the mention of Ge Yiyunâs name. He had only been a vagrant back then, a nobody without anything to his name. The Bai Yunfei of back then, as ignorant of the world as he was, promised to repay the favor Ge Yiyun gave him, and now it seemed like it was finally time for that favor to be repaid.
The eyes of Li Chengfeng glistened at his words. Moved, he raised his cup up, âIâll spare you the grateful words, Yunfei. Having a sworn brother like you is the greatest gift I, Li Chengfeng, has had. Cheers!!â
âBrothers for life!â Bai Yunfei roared with laughter, âCheers!!â