Chapter 333: Spirit Sense Mark

Translator: Tim Editor: Fish Creek

Ye Mo, sitting on the flowerpot, stood up as a woman entered. He asked, “Jingwen, why are you here? I just got back.”

Su Jingwen looked more fatigued and stressed than a year ago. Pleasantly surprised to find Ye Mo, she exclaimed, “Ye Mo! I thought it was Xu Wei.”

Ye Mo smiled. “Jingwen, long time no see. You seem unwell. By the way, did Xu Wei move?”

Su Jingwen’s face fell at first, but brightened at Ye Mo’s question about Xu Wei. “Yes, Xu Wei’s been gone a long time. I always hoped you or Qingxue would return. I saw the door open, so I came to ask. I thought I was dreaming.”

Hearing Qingxue’s name, Ye Mo’s face fell. After a moment, he asked, “Jingwen, have you seen Qingxue? Did she come back?”

He knew Ning Qingxue likely wouldn't return, but he still hoped. He’d come back to Ning Hai instead of going to Xuan Jiang, clinging to that hope. Even the silver heart grass she’d cared for had died.

A sliver of disappointment flickered in Su Jingwen’s eyes. Ye Mo’s concern had made her happy, but his questions about Xu Wei and Ning Qingxue made it feel like a simple errand.

She quickly adjusted her attitude. They were only friends, and Ye Mo had saved her and her mother.

Despite feeling disappointed and hurt, Su Jingwen replied to Ye Mo’s question about Ning Qingxue. “Qingxue returned to Yu State after she was hurt in Ning Hai. She never came back. I called Li Mumei to arrange a visit. Li Mumei said Qingxue seems to have lost some memories, but her mother doesn’t want her to remember anything, so…”

Ye Mo understood. Ning Qingxue’s mother was likely preventing anyone from Ning Hai who knew Qingxue from seeing her.

Su Jingwen knew something about Ning Qingxue, information from Li Mumei. It was probable that Ning Qingxue had forgotten her time with Ye Mo. Seeing Ye Mo’s disappointment, Su Jingwen sighed. The student she once knew had become a mature man, burdened by love.

Seeing his disappointment, Su Jingwen thought: perhaps Ning Qingxue hadn’t loved Ye Mo deeply. If she had, she would remember him, however slightly.

Ye Mo realized he hadn’t asked about Su Jingwen’s own troubles. He quickly asked, “Jingwen, I just got back, the house is a mess. Can I help you with anything?”

“Oh, Ye Mo, are you free?” Su Jingwen asked.

Ye Mo nodded. “Yes.”

Su Jingwen said, “I’d like to treat you to dinner. Is that alright?”

Ye Mo smiled. “Of course. If I’m short on cash, I should be treating you. You’ve already treated me once.”

Su Jingwen’s face lit up. “Let’s go. My car’s outside.”

Hearing this, Ye Mo realized she hadn’t just dropped by—this was intentional, perhaps a daily occurrence.

Su Jingwen’s car smelled faintly of her perfume. She clearly favored the scent.

As Ye Mo closed the car door, Su Jingwen turned. “Ye Mo, how about West Lake restaurant again?”

Ye Mo remembered the elegant Fang sister, the uniformly priced dishes, and his first dinner with Su Jingwen.

“Yes, I like Fang sister’s tea. Let’s go there.”

Su Jingwen started the car. Before they’d gone far, her phone rang. She frowned, looked at the number, and hung up.

But the phone rang again. Ye Mo said, “Jingwen, let’s switch. You sit here, I’ll drive.”

“Mhm.” Su Jingwen stopped and switched seats. As her soft, plump bottom brushed past Ye Mo, he reacted. Luckily, it was brief.

Ye Mo felt awkward, realizing his self-control wasn't as strong as he thought. He even thought of the deep cleft in Ning Qingxue’s chest at the bottom of the Shen Nong Jia cliff.

Ye Mo shook his head, focusing on driving.

Su Jingwen, though pretending nothing happened, blushed slightly.

Su Jingwen answered her phone. “Cousin, what do you want? Oh… I’m out with a friend. I can’t go. You can go yourself… at night? Sorry, no time. I’m hanging up…”

Ye Mo didn’t ask. If Su Jingwen wanted to share, she would.

A silence fell. Breaking it, Su Jingwen said, “Ye Mo, you’re the master who sold me the charms, right? Thank you. You saved my mother and me.”

Ye Mo guessed she’d recognized him, so he didn’t deny it.

Knowing Ye Mo was the charm seller, Su Jingwen was excited. “It really is you! Thank you, Ye Mo, and thank you for the bracelet you made.”

Ye Mo noticed Su Jingwen’s simple bracelet with two beads. He remembered Ning Qingxue’s three-beaded bracelet, probably given to her by Su Jingwen. He remembered the better bracelet he'd asked Ning Qingxue to deliver. He asked, “Jingwen, I asked Qingxue to bring you a bracelet. Why aren’t you wearing it?”

He was curious. The other bracelet was far nicer. Su Jingwen hesitated. “Ah, I like this one. Did you give me the other? I’ll wear it on my other hand.”

Ye Mo nodded. It was her choice.

“Are you coming back to Ning Hai?” Su Jingwen asked, noticing his pensive mood.

“No, I’m looking for a friend to ask about Qi Yang Mountain. I’m just passing through.”

“Qi Yang Mountain?” Su Jingwen repeated, oddly.

Her strange tone made Ye Mo ask, “Jingwen, have you heard of Qi Yang Mountain?”

Su Jingwen quickly shook her head. “No, but I saw pictures online last week. Someone touring Mount Kun Lun found a black plate. It had ‘Qi Yang’ in traditional characters.”

Ye Mo thought, then asked, “Just those two words?”

Su Jingwen shook her head. “No, ‘Qi Yang Shadow Cliff,’ and ‘He Liu Thousand River.’”

It was in the Mount Kun Lun region. He needed to ask Zhang Zhihui. As they approached West Lake restaurant, Ye Mo abruptly turned, following a black Audi. He sensed his spirit sense marker again—the one he'd placed on the Gu bug on Chen Qing. He hadn’t expected to sense it so soon.

Su Jingwen said, “Ye Mo, West Lake restaurant isn’t this way.”

Ye Mo realized Su Jingwen was still in the car. “Sorry, Jingwen, I just saw someone important. I forgot it was your car. I’ll get out, finish this, then treat you to dinner.”

Though unhappy, Su Jingwen said, “Why get out? Can’t I come with you?”

“Okay, but this is personal. I’m worried it might cause trouble.” As he spoke, he noticed the car pull up to a bar called Wei Xian.

Knowing the nature of bars, Ye Mo hesitated about bringing Su Jingwen.