Chapter 35: A Calculated Deception

The three junior sisters’ eyes widened considerably the moment they saw the sparkling spirit stones. Even the tearful girl stopped crying instantly. Her dress, for which she had saved for three months, had only cost ten spirit stones. Now, with one hundred spirit stones before them, she could afford eleven dresses!

What? You say ten spirit stones for one? Ten should be one hundred spirit stones? Haven’t you heard of ‘buy ten, get one free’?

“Thank you, Senior Sister Mu, thank you!”

“Senior Sister Mu, you are truly too kind!”

“Senior Sister Mu, we promise to complete the task!”

Wang Qiu’er watched as the three junior sisters flattered her with shining eyes. The junior sister who had burned her dress even deliberately bunched her arms together, making her already somewhat deep cleavage appear even more pronounced. This elicited a scornful, ‘Hmph, manipulative woman, always resorting to petty tricks,’ from Wang Qiu’er.

Despite her internal disdain, Wang Qiu’er’s tone remained remarkably gentle. “Hehe, everyone, work hard. Do not disappoint my expectations.”

Wang Qiu’er then left the three junior sisters, preparing to head to the mine to inspect the situation.

****

As time passed, Wang Qiu’er’s puppet, Senior Sister Mu, arrived at the mine where Ye Xiaozi was working.

At this moment, the various mine overseers and the chief overseer had not left after work. Instead, after dismissing all the mortals, they had gathered to hold a meeting.

Looking at the group, the chief overseer, who was at the late stage of Qi Refinement, suddenly adopted a serious expression. “Originally, I intended to observe for another two days before speaking, but I keep feeling that something isn’t right. That’s why I asked you all to stay tonight.”

“Big Sister, did Ye Xiaozi approach you afterward?”

“Yes! That area was surveyed hundreds of years ago, and over these centuries, it has been surveyed no less than ten times. The conclusions have always been roughly the same. I imagine Ye Xiaozi will give up after digging for a while.”

“Haha, how could we let her give up? Since she decided to work there, she shouldn’t even think about coming back!”

“Exactly, exactly!”

“…”

The girls chattered amongst themselves, discussing Ye Xiaozi’s overestimation of her abilities. However, the Big Sister, in the late stage of Qi Refinement, raised her jade hand and waved it, her expression utterly serious. “No… that’s not it. I waited all day, but by the time work ended and everyone had left, Ye Xiaozi still hadn’t come to find me. From the looks of it, if nothing unexpected happens, Ye Xiaozi might even bring those mortals back to dig there tomorrow. So, I can’t help but wonder, could that place truly be a treasure trove? Otherwise, why would Ye Xiaozi bring those mortals to start working there? Could it be that Ye Xiaozi knew it was a treasure trove in advance? Or is Ye Xiaozi simply foolish?”

Although the Big Sister, in the late stage of Qi Refinement, had successfully completed her task that morning and felt immensely pleased, she had even experienced a tiny pang of guilt for deceiving Ye Xiaozi.

However, the more she thought about it later, the more she felt something was amiss. After all, Ye Xiaozi was no longer a child; her words might deceive a three-year-old, but a normal person? It felt unlikely anyone would believe such a blatant lie. This growing suspicion made her feel that something was truly off with Ye Xiaozi.

Ultimately, she called everyone together that evening to hold a meeting.

After all, when they had first received the spirit stones, these junior sisters, though they received less than she did, still received a significant amount compared to the usual market rate.

Yet, the fact was, after she had merely spoken a few words, Ye Xiaozi had agreed directly—it was simply inconceivable. The other junior sisters who were supposed to collect money had no chance to even make a move. This was why the Senior Sister, in the late stage of Qi Refinement, had called everyone who had received money together.

She simply felt that Ye Xiaozi was somehow off.

“This…” For a moment, everyone fell silent.

After a brief pause, one of the girls cautiously suggested, “Could it be that Ye Xiaozi has some plan in mind? Remember what Senior Sister Mu once said? Apparently, Ye Xiaozi was noticed by an important figure, and that figure plans to rescue her heroically in the future. That’s why we were told to bully her, and to keep her here, we were instructed to use ‘soft knives.’ Do you think Ye Xiaozi already knows she’s been noticed by some powerful figure, and that’s why she’s pretending to be naive and sweet?”

These words instantly made everyone’s eyes light up.

If there had been any men present, they would undoubtedly have scoffed at this idea. However, these were all genuine young women, whose hearts burned with gossip. They often imagined themselves in such dramatic scenarios.

Stories like ‘The Overbearing Saintess Falls in Love with Me’ or ‘The Secret of the Peerless Saintess, Number One on the Beauty Rankings’ were frequently referenced by these girls, who borrowed plotlines to insert themselves into.

“I think that’s highly probable. I’ve seen through that Ye Xiaozi; her usual display of unyielding resilience is all an act. She’s a master of manipulation. I heard the newcomers around Ye Xiaozi even call her Ye Xiaohei—she’s utterly dark inside!”

“I’m starting to feel the same way; it’s absolutely outrageous! That damned Ye Xiaohei, I bet when that senior truly comes to her heroic rescue, she’ll expose all of us. Then, not only will we not get our bonuses, but we’ll also incur the powerful figure’s wrath. What if that influential person becomes displeased and uses us as cannon fodder for their seniors?”

“This… that damned Ye Xiaohei is truly sinister. She wants to drag us all down!”

At this moment, all the girls displayed expressions of righteous indignation. After all, they had initially thought this task would be easy—essentially just acting alongside the Big Sister, playing a role for a naive and ignorant girl. Afterward, once the big shot appeared and they received a symbolic scolding, they would clock out and collect their wages.

But this Ye Xiaohei was truly ‘dark’; she actually wanted to ensnare them all in one fell swoop. She was ruthless and heartless.

Looking at the Big Sister, as her junior sisters’ conjectures unfolded, she felt as if enlightened. She finally understood. If Ye Xiaohei caused trouble and then cried in the powerful figure’s arms, putting on a classic tea-art performance, they might truly end up in the back mountains, serving as consumables for the senior experts.

“No, I must go and confirm this with Senior Sister Mu first. If it’s true, then I’d rather leave this place and stay far away from Ye Xiaohei.”

“Exactly, Big Sister, please hurry and confirm with Senior Sister Mu! If anything goes wrong, our small bodies won’t be enough for those high-level cultivators to toy with.”