NCCnovel #604 - By mistake
#604 - By mistake
The two of them were just going through the motions, the atmosphere somewhat awkward, taking only small sips of their drinks. Neither of them really touched them.
As for the dishes on the table, Zhang Chen only ate in the order that Zhang Gaoqiu had, refusing to touch anything Zhang Gaoqiu hadn't tried.
They exchanged toasts for another fifteen minutes, during which Zhang Gaoqiu urged the servants several times, but Wang Xifeng and Shen Ling still didn't arrive.
"Perhaps something unexpected has delayed them. I'll go and invite them myself. Brother, please wait here a moment," Zhang Gaoqiu said to Zhang Chen, rising from his seat and leaving.
Zhang Chen watched Zhang Gaoqiu's departing figure in silence, putting down his chopsticks.
The Zhuge Family
The tenth-order deity of the Shen family stood with the experts of the Zhuge family. The head of the Zhuge family held a broken mirror in his hand and handed it to the Shen family's deity: "This item is a secret treasure of my Zhuge family. It can reverse the power of time and should be able to help you find the thief."
The Shen family deity was overjoyed upon receiving the fragment: "Good! If this is successful, my Shen family will reward you handsomely."
Meanwhile, Zhang Gaoqiu passed through the long corridor and several decorated gates to reach Wang Xifeng's residence, where he found both Shen Ling and Wang Xifeng.
"How is it?" Shen Ling asked as Zhang Gaoqiu entered.
Zhang Gaoqiu said, "That kid is already trapped. Aunt, now is the time to go. We'll catch him like a turtle in a jar."
Wang Xifeng glanced at Zhang Gaoqiu: "Boy, there can't be any mistakes this time. If something goes wrong, I won't be able to face anyone."
Meanwhile, Zhang Chen sat upright in the room, pondering what Zhang Gaoqiu was up to. Suddenly, he heard whispers outside the courtyard. Zhang Chen listened carefully and found that there were actually two maids cooking in a small stove in the corner of the neighboring courtyard wall.
One of the maids complained, "That Third Madam is so annoying, always making us cook in this small stove. If we don't do it well, we'll get whipped. It really makes us feel like we're living in hell."
"I've been whipped three times this month. It hurts so much that I'm afraid to turn over when I sleep."
"Who isn't?"
...
Along with the maids' whispers, the flames gradually rose, and wisps of smoke emerged.
Just then, someone shouted from a distance: "Caiyi, Caidie, the Madam wants you to come over for questioning."
The two maids ignored the stove fire, responded, and quickly left.
Zhang Chen paid no attention to the smoke rising from the neighboring courtyard wall. However, after a while, as the smoke drifted over, Zhang Chen felt restless after inhaling a few breaths, and many inappropriate images inexplicably appeared in his mind.
However, Zhang Chen didn't think much of it, assuming that his body was gradually growing up and he was starting to think about women.
After a while, there was a sudden sound of footsteps, accompanied by a clear voice, gradually approaching: "Is Big Brother here?"
It's Jiang Nan!
In order to plot against Zhang Chen, Zhang Gaoqiu had dispersed all the maids and servants in the courtyard in advance to prevent the smoke from affecting innocent people and causing trouble.
At this time, as the smoke spread, Jiang Nan, unprepared, walked into the courtyard. She didn't see any servants in Zhang Gaoqiu's residence and saw smoke rising from the backyard. Thinking there was a fire, as the great fire in the Shen family's mansion had been shocking, Jiang Nan was startled and quickly walked in.
However, as soon as Jiang Nan entered the area where the smoke was, her face turned flushed and her body felt weak as she inhaled the smoke.
"So it's Little Cousin," Zhang Chen said, standing up in the room and calling out to Jiang Nan.
However, as Jiang Nan gradually approached, a delicate fragrance wafted over, and Zhang Chen's heart couldn't help but beat faster. His mind was in a chaotic haze, and a strange desire surged into his heart.
Inside the room
Chairs and tables were scattered, and food was scattered all over the floor. Two figures were entangled together. When Wang Xifeng arrived, the smoke in the courtyard had dissipated. From outside the door, she heard a series of seductive sounds, which made her face flush. At the same time, a doubt arose in her heart: "Something's not right! This doesn't match Zhang Gaoqiu's arrangement. Why is there a woman here? And it's emitting such seductive sounds? Could it be that some unknown accident has occurred, and a female member of the mansion has accidentally broken in and fallen victim to that Zhang Chen's evil deeds?"
Wang Xifeng was shocked at this time, thinking of stopping Zhang Chen and salvaging the loss. So, she quickly walked towards the room with anger on her face, but as soon as she stepped into the room, she saw two bodies entangled on the table, which shocked her: "Jiang Nan!!!"
Wang Xifeng's brain exploded, and hot blood rushed to her heart: "Why is this girl here?"
Jiang Nan was the person Shen Qiu liked, also her designated daughter-in-law, and even the old lady's darling. Now that this has happened, it's afraid that the sky is about to fall.
At this time, Wang Xifeng's mind was in a daze, her only thought was to quickly separate the two. She rushed up with anger on her face and slapped Zhang Chen's face: "You evil creature! What kind of evil are you doing!"
Wang Xifeng was a sixth-order bloodline cultivator. At this time, she struck with hatred, even if Zhang Chen's consciousness was chaotic, he would react instinctively in the face of a life-and-death crisis.
He flipped his hand, and a body-fixing talisman appeared. Before Wang Xifeng could react, the golden talisman flew out and entered Wang Xifeng's body, fixing her in place like a puppet.
Then, Zhang Chen casually pulled her, and Wang Xifeng also fell on the Eight Immortals table, engulfed by Jiang Nan and Zhang Chen. Before long, clothes were scattered all over the floor. Although Wang Xifeng was fixed, her consciousness was still clear. Realizing that she was fixed on the Eight Immortals table, her brain exploded: "It's over! I only hope Zhang Gaoqiu arrives quickly, otherwise, something big is going to happen."
Meanwhile, Zhang Gaoqiu and Shen Ling stood outside the courtyard, silently calculating the time. After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhang Gaoqiu said: "It's almost time. Let's go invite the old lady and the master to come here and watch this good show."
The two of them rushed towards the old lady's residence. Since they wanted to plot against Zhang Chen, they had to do all the details well. The two of them had to start from Zhang Gaoqiu's courtyard and be seen by many servants along the way, so that it would seem more real.
Inside the ancestral hall
The tenth-order deity of the Shen family stood in front of the ancestral hall, with more than a dozen Shen family deities standing behind him. Looking at the empty objects on the offering table, the tenth-order deity of the Shen family took out a broken mirror fragment from his sleeve: "Bring Zhang Gaoqiu here. I want to trace the origin in the ancestral hall and reflect the traces of time on his body. This artifact was borrowed from the Zhuge family at a great price and can trace the past."
"Zhang Gaoqiu is a direct descendant of the Zhang family. We are just calling him over for investigation based on suspicion, which may not be appropriate. What if we see some secrets that we shouldn't see..." A ninth-order deity of the Shen family showed a hint of hesitation on his face.
"Then can't you use some means to make him come here 'unconsciously' to cooperate?" The tenth-order deity said meaningfully.
Hearing this, the ninth-order deity's heart moved, already understanding the ancestor's thoughts, and then his figure flashed and disappeared in place.
Meanwhile, Zhang Gaoqiu and Shen Ling were rushing towards the old lady's residence, but before the two arrived, a point of divine light flashed in the void, and the two fainted directly in place without any defense.
As the two fainted, the ninth-order deity revealed his traces. Looking at Shen Ling, who had fainted, the ninth-order deity shook his head: "Catch two birds with one stone. Although Shen Ling is a member of the Shen family, she is too close to Zhang Gaoqiu. If the news is leaked, it may cause big trouble."
Then he grabbed the two of them and disappeared in place.
A group of people came to the ancestral temple. The tenth-order deity mobilized the broken mirror fragment and saw the mirror fragment capturing the aura in the void. Then a picture appeared on the mirror, like a movie playing in reverse, countless pictures appearing before his eyes.
When he returned to that night, the tenth-order deity concentrated and looked at the mirror, staring at it intently: "I want to see, which minor deity dares to come to my Shen family to steal my treasures."
As the words fell, the picture appeared on the mirror, showing Zhang Chen stealing the Six Paths of Reincarnation that night.
However, because Zhang Chen controlled the power of time and interfered with the power of time, Zhang Chen in the mirror was shrouded in a divine light, completely covering him. The figure's aura was hazy, and he couldn't see it clearly at all.
"Hmm? Can't see clearly? The old guys from the Zhuge family said that as long as this treasure is activated, the picture in the mirror can be seen clearly, but they didn't say anything about not being able to see it?" The tenth-order deity frowned.
However, even if he couldn't see clearly, he still refused to give up, playing the picture of that night over and over again, trying to see something from the traces of the other party's actions and the details of the picture.
After five hours of verification, the tenth-order deity put down the mirror fragment, frowning: "It's not Zhang Gaoqiu! That person is shrouded in a layer of mysterious light, even the mirror can't see the other party's form clearly."
"Send them back!" The tenth-order deity said.