Yan Yuanqing swiftly put down the roast pigeon and appeared before Yan Zhao with a whoosh.
“Say that again.” Yan Yuanqing’s eyes were shining, practically glowing.
Yan Zhao: “?”
Yan Yuanqing urged her: “Call me ‘Mother’ one more time.”
“…”
Yan Zhao pursed her lips and turned her head away.
Ah.
Yan Yuanqing sighed again.
Forget it, forget it, there’s plenty of time ahead.
Yan Yuanqing consoled herself. Yet, inwardly, her heart bubbled with sweet happiness, and she silently chuckled at Yan Zhao: Such a stubborn child.
Yan Yuanqing patted Yan Zhao’s flushed little cheek and said with a smile: “This spell can’t be taught to you, you’re still too young.”
What did age have to do with it?
Yan Zhao thought Yan Yuanqing refused to teach her because she wouldn’t call her “Mother.” Her mouth pursed, and her cheeks puffed up in a silent sulk.
Yan Yuanqing offered her the roast pigeon: “Taste it?”
The rich aroma rushed straight into her nose.
Yan Zhao took a bite directly from Yan Yuanqing’s hand.
The meat was tender, fragrant, and smooth. Yan Zhao swallowed it whole, bone and all, and after it went down, she gave her evaluation: “Tasty.”
Yan Yuanqing’s smile curved her eyes.
Just as she was eating, a voice suddenly broke into her ears.
“Junior Sister Yan, we’ve arrived.”
It was Bi Lan.
Yan Zhao lifted her head, looking around for where the voice had come from.
“Outside the Immortal Abode,” Yan Yuanqing told her, stuffing the pigeon into Yan Zhao’s hand. “Finish eating before you go out.”
Yan Zhao gobbled down the pigeon in a few bites.
She dusted off her hands. With a single thought, she returned outside.
Before leaving, she stole a glance at Yan Yuanqing. Lowering her eyes, two words surfaced in her heart: Mother.
She has a mother now.
Even if it was just a dream, it was a good dream.
Not scary, and the food was good.
Yan Zhao opened her eyes. Bi Lan had already landed and was steadying her shoulders.
“Where is this?”
Yan Zhao’s eyes were sleepy. She yawned lazily.
Daylight was just beginning to break. The moon had hidden itself within the clouds, and a red glow spread where heaven and earth met.
Bi Lan answered her: “The foot of the mountain of a Minor Immortal Sect.”
“Oh.” Yan Zhao remembered Bi Lan saying she needed to go challenge an Immortal Sect for the Immortal Sect Disciple Assembly.
An Immortal Sect, no matter how small, is complete in form. After reaching the foot of the mountain and entering the range of the Sect-Protecting Grand Array, outsiders could no longer ride their swords and had to climb the mountain on foot along a winding path.
Bi Lan had originally wanted Yan Zhao to wait for her at the foot of the mountain, thinking she’d be back down quickly.
But remembering their earlier encounters, Bi Lan feared something unforeseen might happen. She said to Yan Zhao: “Junior Sister, let’s go up the mountain together.”
Yan Zhao nodded.
The two of them climbed the mountain path. After roughly an hour, they arrived at the Mountain Gate just as the sun was rising.
Mountain Guard Disciples stood on either side of the gate. Seeing arrivals, one stepped forward, cupped his fist, and bowed. “Two Immortal Friends, may I ask what business brings you to my Great Saber Sect?”
What sect?
Little Fox poked her head out from Yan Zhao’s embrace.
Bi Lan’s gaze traveled past the disciple’s shoulder to a large boulder behind him.
Three bold, powerful characters were engraved upon the stone: Great Saber Sect.
She then carefully noted the clothing of the two disciples in front of her. They were the same style worn by the corpses they had seen earlier in the forest.
“…”
Bi Lan and Little Fox fell silent in the same instant.
“Ahem,” Bi Lan cleared her throat. “Actually…”
“We’re here to challenge you,” Yan Zhao stated plainly.
Bi Lan stiffened.
Little Fox placed a paw over her face.
The two Great Saber Sect disciples: “…”
“I see.” The disciple recognized the Inner Disciple clothing from the Fuyun Sect that Bi Lan wore. He nodded, understanding. “Please, both of you, come inside.”
Yan Zhao immediately stepped forward. Bi Lan couldn’t stop her in time and had no choice but to follow, confused.
Soon, they were led to the Martial Arena by the Great Saber Sect disciples.
At this hour, most disciples were still meditating in their Cave Abodes. The Martial Arena was empty and quiet, with only a few diligent early risers finding space to practice their blades and swords.
“Please wait here a moment.”
After saying this, the guiding disciple quickly entered the main hall to report the arrival of disciples from another sect seeking a sparring match to the Duty Elder.
As soon as the disciple left, Bi Lan tugged Yan Zhao’s sleeve. “Junior Sister Yan, let’s just retreat right now.”
Yan Zhao turned her head, not understanding.
Bi Lan didn’t know how to explain it to her. Her expression was awkward. “In short, this place is a bit dangerous. It’s the same if we just go challenge another sect.”
Yan Zhao asked in return, “Since we’re already here, why not fight before we leave?”
“…” Bi Lan had no retort.
Explaining why this was dangerous would clearly be impossible with Yan Zhao.
Bi Lan even considered just knocking Yan Zhao unconscious and dragging her away.
Just then, two black-robed men ascended the mountain in succession, in a hurry to report new investigation findings at the main hall.
As they passed through the Martial Arena, one of them suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He turned back and saw Bi Lan and Yan Zhao.
“It’s you!”
Hearing the voice, Bi Lan turned to see the hostility in the man’s eyes, and her heart sank.
In an instant, she stepped back, shifting her stance to protect Yan Zhao behind her. She frowned and demanded: “Who are you? What do you want?”
Yan Zhao tilted her head, feeling utterly baffled.
The black-robed man’s lips curled into a cold sneer. “Well, well! We chased you for ages and couldn’t find you, yet here you are, delivering yourselves to our doorstep! You killed disciples of my Great Saber Sect and still dare to come provoke us on our own grounds? You’ve pushed your arrogance too far!”
As his words fell, the other man beside him also stopped, both turning their attention to Yan Zhao and Bi Lan.
These two were both above the Body Tempering Realm. Being locked onto by their spiritual intent simultaneously, Bi Lan’s scalp prickled with numbness.
But still, she tried to explain: “Sirs, I fear there’s a misunderstanding? We didn’t kill your esteemed sect’s disciples.”
“If you didn’t kill them, why are you hiding?” The lead black-robed man let out a cold snort. “Coming from the southeast, passing through the Immortal Market, heading straight for the Great Saber Sect—only you two, disciples of the Fuyun Sect! How can there be any misunderstanding?!”
Bi Lan found herself unable to argue her way out.
The two black-robed men spread out, blocking Yan Zhao and their retreat.
The Duty Elder and the guiding disciple also emerged from the main hall. The situation was turning increasingly dire.
Who could have known she’d run into such terrible luck? She should have forced Yan Zhao to leave just moments ago. Bi Lan thought bitterly: I fear today’s prospects are grim, fraught with catastrophe.
“Yuzhen, what’s going on?”
The Duty Elder arrived nearby. The black-robed man called Yuzhen gave a concise account of what had happened at the foot of the mountain.
Bi Lan, listening nearby, cried out her innocence: “It wasn’t like that! You’re really misunderstanding! When the two of us passed by, they were already dead!”
“Hmph, anyone can make excuses,” Qin Yuzhen gave Bi Lan an icy sidelong glance.
The Duty Elder also darkened his expression and said in a deep voice: “Seize these two first!”
Qin Yuzhen and the other man sprang into action, surrounding Yan Zhao and Bi Lan completely.
Yan Zhao, who habitually paid no heed to conversations, had been listening for a while but still couldn’t understand what Bi Lan and the Great Saber Sect people were arguing about.
But as the two blocked their path, it seemed Bi Lan would be at a disadvantage if they fought.
As the Great Saber Sect members closed in inch by inch, Yan Zhao suddenly tugged Bi Lan’s sleeve. “You just want that plaque, right?”
Bi Lan followed the direction of Yan Zhao’s finger and glanced over.
Before the main hall stood a tall, pillar-like pedestal, reaching into the clouds. Atop the pedestal, suspended in midair, was a bright yellow Token.
That was the entry pass for the Immortal Sect Disciple Assembly.
“Right,” Bi Lan nodded, then immediately let out a bitter laugh and shook her head. “Don’t even think about it.”
They were surrounded by Great Saber Sect disciples, the gleaming blade tips glinting coldly. Bi Lan was under immense pressure.
To escape with their lives today would already be a stroke of fortune. How could they possibly obtain the pass?
She took a deep breath, brought out her compass, and said to Yan Zhao: “Junior Sister, find somewhere to hide.”
Misunderstanding or not, since the Great Saber Sect was being so unreasonable, Bi Lan felt further explanation was pointless.
If they wanted to get away, they’d have to force a breakthrough.
Qin Yuzhen and the other man engaged Bi Lan. Whoosh, whoosh! Saber Qi cut through the air, ferociously sharp, brimming with killing intent.
Bi Lan had never fought two Body Tempering Realm cultivators at once. She was only at the Foundation Establishment realm. Her spells were disrupted before they could even be released. She had no power to retaliate and could only retreat again and again.
Qin Yuzhen shot a meaningful glance at his companion beside him. “Keep an eye on that other one over there!”
The companion immediately turned, saber in hand, and charged towards Yan Zhao.
“Junior Sister Yan!”
Bi Lan was worried, but she couldn’t free herself to help, and she nearly had her nose sliced off by Qin Yuzhen’s blade.
The black-robed man clawed at Yan Zhao.
But he grasped empty air.
On the other side, Qin Yuzhen’s saber slash also struck nothing.
“?”
The two exchanged glances. They simultaneously searched around them, but Yan Zhao and Bi Lan were nowhere to be seen.
Behind them, the Duty Elder’s face was filled with shock. “Just now, one of those two women was at the Foundation Establishment stage, and the other looked like a mere Mortal. What kind of Movement Technique did they use to be so terrifyingly fast!”
Fast as a thunderbolt, they had vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.
Despite his Soul Formation Realm cultivation, he had failed to even catch the trajectory of the female cultivator’s movement.
Bi Lan felt a force seize her, and then the Astral Winds were slapping viciously against her cheeks.
She felt the skin on her face being whipped swollen from the wind. The scenery around them, flowing backward like streams of light, suddenly screeched to a halt.
All around, trees grew lush and green. The sun overhead was shedding its orange-red hues, beginning to shine with dazzling golden light.
Bi Lan was utterly dumbstruck.
In just the time it took to blink, they had already descended from the Great Saber Sect.
She suddenly understood the meaning of lightning speed.
Truly, stillness like placid water, motion like a raging thunderclap.
Bi Lan looked back behind her. Wherever Yan Zhao had run, a clear trail was visible.
Over a dozen trees, as thick as bowls, had snapped at the waist and were lying on the ground.
Bi Lan found it difficult to articulate the shock in her heart.
What grade was this Movement Technique Yan Zhao had just executed?
“Can’t run anymore,” Yan Zhao said, promptly sitting down right where she was.
Bi Lan: “?”
We just made it to the foot of the mountain, now is not the time to stop!
Bi Lan reacted swiftly, hauling Yan Zhao to her feet and summoning her Flying Sword.
Suddenly, a clatter sounded.
A bright, golden Token fell from Yan Zhao’s sleeve.
Behind them, from within the Great Saber Sect’s mountain gates, a furious roar rang out without warning.
“The Immortal Profound Token has been stolen by those two Scoundrels!!!”
Bi Lan: “…”
Oh no, now we’re truly done for!
