Gnashing her teeth, Qingque tilted her head up, ready to shoot a glare.
"What I meant was! We're fellow gamblers, Sylvia. You're not the type to tattle, are you?"
"Pfft, what was I even worried about? As if I could ever be someone who likes snitching."
Hearing that, Qingque also let out a relieved sigh, her little face immediately breaking into a grin.
"See, I knew I wasn't wrong about you, considering we've shared a card table."
As she spoke, Qingque glanced left and right, then randomly picked a direction and started leading Sylvia away.
While walking, she said: "Alright, now let's get down to business."
Sylvia was taken aback.
"What business?"
Qingque didn't beat around the bush, stating directly:
"Well, the truth is, I came looking for you partly because I got roped into being a tour guide, and partly because I wanted to warn you—someone might have their eyes on you."
"Originally, I thought we could just play cards together at the parlour. Even if we stayed out late and headed straight to the Divination Commission, those people wouldn't dare make a move openly in a crowd, no matter how bold they are. But then, the Master Diviner herself had to go and be unreasonable! So don't blame me for this, okay?"
Qingque sighed dramatically, clearly still stewing over tomorrow's overtime.
Sylvia gave a slight nod, understanding now why someone from the Divination Commission had been sent to assist her.
In terms of pure combat ability, Sylvia could easily handle those elite Disciples of Sanctus Medicus, so she didn't need much help in that department.
But Sylvia wasn't familiar with the situation on the Luofu, and with the enemy lurking in the shadows while she was out in the open, sending a diviner to help was a logical choice.
As for why it was Qingque specifically, it probably had something to do with Fu Xuan's trust in Qingque's capabilities.
"They are definitely watching me. I can feel someone tailing us."
"Eh? Really?"
Qingque turned her head, looking at Sylvia in surprise.
But this is a busy area! So many people coming and going—are you sure it's not just your imagination?
"Mhm."
Sylvia nodded affirmatively.
Knowing how to distinguish malice in a person's gaze, along with sharp perceptive abilities—these were skills that Acheron had drilled into her, hand by hand, through relentless 'training'.
"If we'd stayed in the card parlour the whole time, it would've been harder for me to make a move. Coming out here is perfect."
"Ah? No, wait, sister?"
Qingque had meant that staying in the parlour would deter the bad guys from approaching recklessly—not that it would restrict her from taking action!
When the Master Diviner briefed her, she never mentioned Sylvia was this... impulsive!
Seeing Qingque's expression, Sylvia knew the little sparrow had definitely gotten the wrong idea.
"Where's your head at? I never said anything about fighting."
"If not fighting, then what 'move' are you talking about?"
Hearing Qingque's confusion, Sylvia smirked.
"Just get your Jade Abacus ready to record. Watch and learn."
After saying that, Sylvia patted Qingque on the shoulder, then turned and pointed to a shop they had just passed.
After muttering a few words under her breath, she led Qingque back the way they came.
The street was bustling with people; not exactly shoulder-to-shoulder, but certainly lively and packed.
Qingque's clear eyes darted left and right, one moment feeling like everyone on the street was watching them, the next feeling like no one paid them any mind at all.
Without casting a few divination sticks, she had no hope of pinpointing exactly who was tailing them in such a crowd.
Just as Sylvia passed a small street vendor, her left hand lightly brushed against Qingque's arm.
"Jade Abacus."
"Huh? Oh, right…"
Qingque immediately pulled out the device, and as they passed a certain Xianzhou woman, Sylvia leaned slightly to the side, her shoulder accidentally bumping into the other's.
Qingque only had time to see Sylvia's right hand seem to twitch faintly.
Then, a folded piece of paper appeared in Sylvia's grasp.
"?"
Tiny question mark, massive confusion.
Qingque had stared intently but still failed to follow Sylvia's hand movements; the paper had practically materialized like a magic trick.
Sylvia unfolded the paper, let Qingque record its contents, then with another flick of her wrist—
This time, Qingque swore she was focusing with all her might on Sylvia's right hand, but she still couldn't see how that piece of paper vanished without a trace.
"Alright, put it back."
But instead of awe or praise, what met Sylvia was Qingque's deeply peculiar stare, her eyes scanning Sylvia up and down.
"You... how did you do that?? I didn't feel any strange energy either."
"This is called skill."
Qingque stared wide-eyed at Sylvia's proud expression, then suddenly her eyes shifted craftily. She struck a divining pose and asked curiously:
"Then try picking something from me, let's see?"
Sylvia watched the act, then gave Qingque a look.
Then, without Qingque having the faintest idea when it happened, by the time she looked down, a 'Salted Fish' tile was already in Sylvia's hand.
And next, Sylvia simply raised her hand and lightly brushed it against Qingque's body. Her hand vanished from Qingque's sight for just an instant, and the tile disappeared, reappearing in Qingque's pocket.
Dumbfounded, she pulled the tile from her pocket. Qingque stared at the hexagram she'd cast and the tile, looking utterly incredulous.
"That skill of yours... have you done this before?"
It wasn't that Qingque was suspecting anything, it's just that Sylvia's deft technique and confident movements really didn't seem like something an ordinary person would have.
Her own speed at casting hexagrams wasn't even as fast as Sylvia's sleight of hand!
Sylvia knew immediately that this girl wasn't thinking anything proper.
"Done what? I'm a respectable person!"
"What kind of respectable person practices this?"
Hearing that, Sylvia looked at Qingque with a complicated expression. After all, she'd acquired this skill from Qingque herself.
If you weren't so fond of slacking off and playing cards, I wouldn't have picked up this skill.
Seeing Sylvia's strange expression, Qingque pinched the tile and spoke in a grave, earnest tone:
"...Sylvia, for the sake of our card-playing friendship, just turn yourself in. The Cloud Knights are everywhere out here."
"???"
Only when she saw Sylvia's composure break did Qingque finally beam, reaching up to pat Sylvia's shoulder:
"Hehe, just kidding! Let me see…"
Having said that, just as Qingque was about to check what she'd recorded, she suddenly flipped her hand over, covered the Jade Abacus, and shoved it into Sylvia's grasp.
"Wait, no, you look at it yourself. If this is some kind of trouble, better I don't see it."
The way Qingque was acting, anyone would think she was handling a live bomb.
Sylvia resisted the urge to reach out and pinch her cheek, taking the Jade Abacus to have a look.
It was a secret order, commanding the person Sylvia had pickpocketed to specialize in monitoring Sylvia's movements.
The text specifically mentioned that because of Sylvia, a plan had failed, and the leader of the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus was furious. The person in charge had been called to account.
It emphasized several times that they must not initiate conflict under any circumstances. They only needed to record her movements and contacts.
Although the order didn't state it explicitly, perhaps the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus didn't know the full details of her involvement.
But the underlying meaning seemed very wary of Sylvia's combat ability. Not only did it stress multiple times to avoid conflict, it also seemed to hint at a desire to recruit Sylvia.
Looks like nothing major should happen for a while.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.