"Immortal Master?" Shen Fang glanced behind her, finding it empty. "Where's the food?"
"I had them take it away," Liu Shuyue replied coolly. "Please go back. These people won't pose a threat to Zhangwei City. By tomorrow, you won't see the refugees outside the city anymore."
"What do you mean?" The adjutant frowned. "Where are they going?"
"Anywhere's fine, as long as they don't stay here."
"What a joke! The famine isn't over; wherever they go, they'll turn into bandits too!"
"I'll be watching them all the way, so you needn't worry."
What? Shen Fang's heart trembled. Didn't that mean...
"The Immortal Master is headed to the Royal City. How could you have time to watch over them!" The adjutant's face darkened. "Please step aside, Immortal Master. If we inadvertently collide with you, it won't be easy to explain it later. If these people refuse to hand over the food, just leave it to me to handle."
Liu Shuyue remained motionless.
The adjutant cursed softly, raising his whip decisively, "Brothers, charge!"
"Attack!"
The cavalry shouted in unison, lowering their bodies and beginning to accelerate.
Just then, Liu Shuyue unfolded a Talisman in front of her. Thunder rolled loudly in the sky, with purple lightning flashing through the thin clouds, dimming the stars. Then two bolts of lightning leaped down, striking directly on the path of the charging horses, causing a burst of blue smoke and a shower of sparks!
The momentum of the troops was instantly halted; the warhorses neighed and raised their hooves, stubbornly refusing to take another step forward! Several riders at the front were even thrown off their frightened horses, almost trampled by those behind.
She knew this technique was impressive in appearance but not very powerful. However, the chasing soldiers and horses were unaware; to them, it was the Unintentional Celestial Thunder.
"Liu! Shu! Yue!" an angry roar came from the back of the troop.
The troops parted to the sides, opening a path for the newcomer.
"So it's General Gong... Have you enjoyed the show?" Liu Shuyue looked expressionlessly at the young lord.
"What do you mean by this!? Blocking the army and disrupting military orders, even if you're an Immortal Master, it doesn't exempt you from crime!" Gong Lingwu gritted his teeth. "Liu Shuyue, are you planning a rebellion!?"
This statement sent a chill down everyone's spine.
In such a situation, anyone would instinctively defend themselves first.
But to Shen Fang's disbelief, Liu Shuyue ignored it!
Her attitude was even more intimidating than being scolded or cursed.
He glanced back at the city gate, slightly adjusting his position...
"As long as no one crosses the line I just drew, you may report back as you wish."
A line...
Only then did everyone realize that the lightning had etched a shallow groove in the ground.
"You want to protect these people?" Gong Lingwu glared at her viciously for a long while. "Fine, I'll spare them, but you must return to the Royal City and explain today's events to His Majesty in person."
"Didn't you hear me before? I'm not going back to the Royal City. I'm not going anywhere until these refugees find a new place to settle," Liu Shuyue shook her head.
"How dare you—this is an imperial order!"
"I've said all I need to say. Farewell, everyone." Liu Shuyue turned her horse and rode towards the refugee group.
"Stop!" Gong Lingwu was about to chase after her, but the lightning in the sky suddenly became active again, as if waiting for prey to cross that line.
"General, please reconsider..." Shen Fang hurriedly advised, "She's an Immortal Master, capable of Immortal Techniques!"
A hundred years were so long that many had forgotten... an Immortal Master's sword could slay demons or people.
"She... she's courting death!"
Watching her receding figure, Gong Lingwu gritted his teeth so hard they bled.
That contemptuous gaze, that indifferent attitude, was exactly as it was when he first saw her at the Royal City five years ago.
He knew Liu Shuyue looked down on him.
But so what?
Someone who considered herself superior still had to obey the king's orders and return to the Royal City with him. Every part of her journey had to be arranged by him—wasn't that ironic?
Little did he expect it to turn out this way.
Clearly, she had resigned herself to fate at the beginning...
"Liu Shuyue, you will regret this!" Gong Lingwu dared not chase after her, only shouting angrily, "Defying the agreement, Lotus Cloud Sect won't tolerate you, and neither will His Majesty. Just wait—you, or those you wish to protect, none will escape severe punishment! Pleading for mercy then won't help!"
Liu Shuyue did not stop.
She did not even look back.
Of course she heard.
But those words were drowned out by others, becoming insignificant.
They were words Chen Xuan had said to another guest; had he not been forced to repeat them afterward, she might have missed them herself.
Now, she unexpectedly felt those words suited her as well.
Liu Shuyue looked at her outstretched right hand and said in a low voice, "Now... destiny is in my hands."
...
...
"Camera ready, 3, 2, 1... action!"
"Good evening, viewers. Welcome to the Urban Channel. I'm your reporter, Yan Xin. We all know that the famous landmark, a one-to-one replica of the Champs-Élysées at the Window of the World here in our city, was completely closed recently due to restoration work. Now the repairs are almost complete. We see the barriers being dismantled and believe this attraction will soon reopen for tourists to visit. If you want to experience it first, you can make reservations now on the app! To find out what has been repaired and updated, we've specially invited Engineer Zhang for an interview. Hello, Engineer Zhang!"
"Not bad. This setup should suffice," said a man with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, watching the interview from a distance. "Is Honglian alright? I've felt something off about her since yesterday."
The young man beside him shrugged, "She's fine, very fine indeed. If a dog went up to her now, it would probably be kicked away."
He even turned his head to check, ensuring the red-haired girl standing afar with her arms crossed didn't hear him.
Isn't it obvious?
The ultra-low pressure surrounding her and her foul expression showed her mood was terrible. However, seeing the bandages on her head and hands did bring the young man some comfort.
Serves her right for always overshadowing me—looks like she met her match!
But certainly, her deepest frustration wasn't getting beaten up but completing her mission unexpectedly. Now the deviated channel has shrunk to an impassable extent, leaving her no chance to redeem herself.
"You should comfort her more often, don't let her sulk alone," the man said, shaking his head helplessly. "You two are the best fighters in our team; getting along better wouldn't hurt. Did you hear that, Wang Baihu?"
"Yeah~~," drawled the young man lazily, "If I get kicked too, there'd only be one fighter left in our team. Speaking of which, Honglian's abilities are top-notch, aren't they? She should have had no trouble correcting a C-level deviation, yet she ended up with a bloody head. Is something wrong? Are there such strong Wanderers in our area?"
"I don't know. It's still under investigation, but no results are likely soon," the man said gravely. "This time, the deviation was timely handled; however, the disturbances during intrusion will still give rise to a new batch of anomalies, few or many. Over time, these numbers grow significant, and from such a base, Wanderers emerge. So your question is not whether or not, but how many."
The young man scratched his head, "According to the Doctor, won't this situation unfixable?"
"Correct. In theory, now that this door is open, it can't be closed again. But the slow fusion and rapid changes are different matters entirely. Sacrifices are acceptable, but let's not have countless ones. Extinction is unacceptable, and that's our effort's goal," said the man. "Let's head back; there's work to do tomorrow."