Saving the White Moonlight Chapter 43

When Yan Zhuguang woke, several hours had already passed.
She had not expected herself to sleep so deeply.
Yan Zhuguang had always kept at least a little guard up against the outside world. This time, she had slept like the dead and noticed nothing around her at all. It was hardly like her.
Vaguely, she remembered sensing a familiar aura not long after falling asleep. It seemed to be… Senior Sister?
Waking also felt different from when she had first fallen asleep. The hard chair back behind her had been replaced by something soft and warm. It was very comfortable to lean against.
The only person who would do such a thing was Senior Sister.
Yan Zhuguang opened her eyes and looked beside her. Sure enough, she saw Senior Sister.
Yun Mixue sat beside her, holding an old book and reading with great focus.
The moment Yan Zhuguang woke, Yun Mixue sensed it. Only after Yan Zhuguang fully opened her eyes did Yun Mixue lift her head from the old book. “Awake? Did you sleep well?”
Yan Zhuguang nodded.
She turned back, picked up the blanket Yun Mixue had placed behind her, and walked over to Yun Mixue with a guilty look. “I’m sorry, Senior Sister. I promised to watch these people for you, but I got lazy and fell asleep.”
Yun Mixue shook her head. “It was not your fault. When I came back, you looked very tired, so I used Fragrant Snow Sleep on you. That is why you slept without sensing anything.”
Yan Zhuguang suddenly understood. “So that was it.”
No wonder she remembered smelling a strange floral scent. It had been the scent of Fragrant Snow Sleep.
Fragrant Snow Sleep was a special spiritual plant that grew in spiritual caves on snowy mountains. It could calm the mind and help with sleep. Mortals who smelled its fragrance would fall into a deep sleep. It was useful even on cultivators, though the stronger the cultivator, the weaker the effect.
Of course, it only worked on people who did not resist it. If someone had bad intentions and wanted to use it to make another person sleep, it would not work. The moment the target resisted, the fragrance would lose its effect.
Using such a flower truly suited Senior Sister’s nature.
In fact, besides calming the mind and helping with sleep, Fragrant Snow Sleep had another use. It could soothe mental strength and restore mental energy.
Yan Zhuguang thought for a moment. With Senior Sister’s character, since she had thoughtfully chosen to leave, she definitely would not secretly watch. Then had Senior Sister noticed that her mental strength had been consumed?
With Senior Sister’s strength, it was normal for her to notice something strange. After all, Yan Zhuguang was only in early Foundation Establishment. To Senior Sister, she was still a low-level cultivator.
“Thank you, Senior Sister.” Yan Zhuguang returned the blanket to Yun Mixue.
Yun Mixue did not take it. “This was meant for you. Zhouxue Peak is bitterly cold. Senior Sister has always wanted to make you a cold-resisting magic robe, but I could not find suitable material. I happened to obtain the hide of a downy zhu sheep demon beast, so I made it into a blanket first.”
“Now that I have given it to you, keep it.”
“For me?”
Yan Zhuguang had not had time to look at it carefully before. She opened the whole blanket. It was not very large, just a little longer than Yan Zhuguang’s height.
It was bright red all over and looked warm at a glance. The whole blanket was fluffy, soft, and cozy. Just looking at it made the heart feel warm.
It felt gently warm in her hands and very comfortable to hold. Yan Zhuguang could not help lowering her head and rubbing her cheek against it. “Thank you, Senior Sister. I like it very much.”
Seeing that she liked it, Yun Mixue also felt happy. “As long as you like it.”
Yan Zhuguang lifted the blanket and draped it over her back. She spun once and said to Yun Mixue, “I think it can work as a cloak too. Why not wear it like this?”
Yun Mixue did not know whether to laugh or scold her. “Naughty. Who wears a blanket on their body?”
“Take it off quickly. This is not Zhouxue Peak. Are you not hot wearing that?”
Yan Zhuguang grinned at Yun Mixue, then slowly took the blanket off, folded it, and stored it in her storage ring.
After putting the blanket away, Yan Zhuguang looked at the four people still trapped in the illusion.
Qiu Qiao’s expression was very peaceful, as if he were having some sweet dream. The other three were different. Their faces had turned various shades of gray and green, as if they had encountered something unpleasant.
It seemed Yan Zhuguang’s illusion art had worked.
She only wondered what they would do after waking. Would they pretend to forget everything that had happened in the illusion, or would they turn on their master directly?
Yan Zhuguang was honestly looking forward to it.
“Senior Sister, have the Qiao family members not arrived yet?”
“No.”
Yun Mixue closed the book in her hand, came to Yan Zhuguang’s side, and straightened the clothes Yan Zhuguang had rumpled while sleeping and playing with the blanket.
Yan Zhuguang stared without blinking at Yun Mixue’s delicate chin. “Right, how is Miss Su?”
“There has been no movement.”
Of course, Yun Mixue would not use her spiritual sense to monitor Su Qian’er. After they left Su Qian’er some space, Su Qian’er’s side had stayed quiet. She had not come out, and she had not left either.
Yan Zhuguang thought for a moment. “Why don’t I go check on her? So much time has passed. Who knows if something happened? While I am there, before the Qiao family arrives, I can also ask her about her grandfather and the drawing.”
“That is fine.” Yun Mixue nodded. “Thank you, Zhuguang.”
Yan Zhuguang waved her hand and went to the back courtyard.
Earlier, Yun Mixue had placed Su Qian’er on a reclining chair in the back courtyard. When they left, Su Qian’er had been there. When Yan Zhuguang came back, Su Qian’er was still there.
Only, before, she had been half-lying on the chair. Now she was sitting on its edge, staring blankly ahead with a heavy heart. Who knew what she was thinking?
Yan Zhuguang withdrew her aura and walked over. Her footsteps were almost silent. Su Qian’er was absorbed in her thoughts and did not notice her.
Yan Zhuguang studied her and found two tear tracks still wet on her cheeks. Her whole aura also carried a hint of grief.
If Yan Zhuguang had not sensed something wrong with Su Qian’er’s memory, then judging by her current appearance alone, she fit her situation very well.
Betrayed by her fiance, all her past love thrown away. Was that not exactly how a person would look when their heart had turned to ash?
But Yan Zhuguang had already decided something was wrong with her, so now everything about her seemed suspicious.
If Su Qian’er had really lost her memory, what was she crying about now? Had something been hard for her in the past? Or was she crying because Yan Zhuguang had told her Qiu Qiao had betrayed her?
But if she had lost her memory, then after meeting two strangers like Yan Zhuguang and Yun Mixue, should she not first doubt them? How could she become sad because of words from two strangers?
If she had not lost her memory, then what exactly had changed in her?
Yan Zhuguang’s thoughts moved. She suddenly asked the system, which had stayed quiet since she woke and seemed a little guilty, “System, could this Su Qian’er have the same origin as me?”
She had been reborn into a little beggar’s body. It was not impossible for someone else to be reborn in another body.
Su Qian’er had been hunted by Qiu Qiao and the others, and her body was so weak. Even with her servant risking his life to protect her, she might not have survived. Perhaps when Yan Zhuguang and Senior Sister arrived, the real Su Qian’er was already dead, and the one now inside Su Qian’er’s body was some wandering ghost who had taken it over.
Or perhaps it was even worse. Before the real Su Qian’er had died, someone had directly seized her body.
The system rejected Yan Zhuguang’s first guess. “If it were a soul from another world, its aura would be different from the souls of this world. I would definitely notice.”
“As for whether it is body seizure, I cannot detect that.”
“But,” the system thought for a moment and said, “if it were body seizure, the person doing it would definitely be some great expert. Su Qian’er’s body is so weak. What would they want with her?”
Yan Zhuguang thought about it. Su Qian’er herself was an orphan without parents. Now, she only had one missing grandfather and one maternal grandfather who was the head of a branch family.
Su Qian’er was not surnamed Qiao. No matter how much her maternal grandfather loved her, she could not obtain the Qiao family’s things. Looking at it this way, neither Su Qian’er’s body nor her family background was enough to make her a target for body seizure.
But Yan Zhuguang did not completely rule out the possibility.
The person seizing a body might not have prepared in advance. If they were cornered and their life was at stake, saving themselves would matter most. They might not have the luxury of choosing whether the target was suitable.
Yan Zhuguang stopped hiding her gaze. Su Qian’er seemed rather sensitive. Almost the same moment Yan Zhuguang no longer concealed her stare, Su Qian’er noticed her presence.
She turned and saw Yan Zhuguang, then hurriedly wiped the tears from her face. “Miss Yan, when did you come?”
Yan Zhuguang looked as if she had just arrived. She walked toward Su Qian’er. “Is Miss Su still grieving? For a scum like Qiu Qiao, it truly is not worth it.”
Su Qian’er forced a smile. “I was only thinking of the past and could not help myself. I’m sorry. I have made Miss Yan laugh at me.”
Yan Zhuguang sat beside her and sighed softly. “Miss Su, do not be sad. Believe me, you will meet someone better in the future.”
Su Qian’er seemed to think of something. She shook her head with a bitter smile. “What better or worse is there? With this body of mine, I fear this is all my future will be.”
Yan Zhuguang did not speak again. She sat with Su Qian’er for a while. Only after Su Qian’er calmed down a little did Yan Zhuguang say, “Actually, when I came back this time, Senior Sister and I had a question we wanted to ask Miss Su. We simply did not expect to run into…”
She shook her head.
Su Qian’er looked at her in confusion. “What does Miss Yan want to ask? Miss Yan and your Senior Sister are my lifesavers. Whatever you want to ask, I will tell you everything I know.”
Yan Zhuguang confirmed that Su Qian’er seemed to have calmed down. “Actually, an elder of our sect had some dealings with Miss Su’s grandfather. We wanted to ask about that elder, so we wished to find Miss Su’s grandfather.”
“Unfortunately, Perfected Su’s whereabouts are uncertain. We searched everywhere and could not find him, so we came to ask Miss Su whether you know where Perfected Su is.”
“My… grandfather?” Su Qian’er paused as if thinking. Yan Zhuguang noticed a flash of doubt in her eyes. It vanished quickly.
Su Qian’er gave Yan Zhuguang an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Miss Yan. Grandfather comes and goes without a trace. I do not know where he is either.”
“I see…” Yan Zhuguang looked disappointed. “It is fine. Senior Sister and I will look elsewhere.”
After a while, Yan Zhuguang said, “Your family should arrive soon. Do not be sad. They will definitely support you.”
“That Qiu Qiao is truly nothing good. Because of your body, he actually… even attacked you so cruelly. A person like that cannot be forgiven. You must ask your family to stand up for you.”
Su Qian’er nodded, and a sharp look actually appeared in her eyes. “I understand.”
A faint, unreadable look crossed Yan Zhuguang’s eyes.
The system secretly shook its head. Su Qian’er really did have a problem. Host had fooled her again. As long as this “Su Qian’er” did not know, there would be no fear of the drawing’s matter leaking.