Regardless of the two tailing her, Yao Ranran urged her Lotus Petal Cloud-Stepping Boots to full speed. Within a few breaths she had widened the gap.
Shen Yuefu's eyes grew more solemn.
He knew his own strength well. He was a Nascent Soul elder, Central Continent's foremost Sword Master. Yet now, he had been left behind by a little girl.
Yao Ranran… what secret was she hiding?
He could swear that before going to the Eastern Wilderness, she had never possessed this kind of power.
All around, dead trees shook as sharp winds lifted ice and snow into the air.
Shen Yuefu turned into a streak of light, accelerating further.
Sha sha sha!
Pei Xianqiao clutched at a swaying tree trunk, hiding behind it to shield herself from the biting storm.
She stared at the shrinking figure of Shen Yuefu disappearing into the distance, her voice full of astonishment. "Elder Shang, can you tell what technique Yao Ranran used to move that fast?"
Elder Shang squinted. "Xiao Pei, this old man cannot see a thing."
Yao Ranran had already dashed beyond the reach of his divine sense.
Pei Xianqiao: "…"
"But that girl is strange," Elder Shang's tone dropped, his eyes glittering. "Most likely she has been possessed by some high-ranked cultivator. Otherwise, how could one so young have such speed?"
Murderous intent flickered faintly around him.
Pei Xianqiao slipped out three speed Talismans and held them in her palm. "Good thing I prepared a stack of acceleration talismans ahead of time. Otherwise, finding Yao Ranran's weakness today would be impossible."
Elder Shang's smile deepened with satisfaction. "Once you expose her false mask, Shen Yuefu will naturally return to your side."
When Shen Yuefu was dealt with, this girl could then devote herself to growing stronger—enough to help him reclaim his place in the Spirit Realm. His sharp gaze fell upon the talismans in her hand.
With a fated girl of luck, and a high-grade talisman master by her side, his return to the Spirit Realm and eventual ascension to the Immortal Realm was inevitable.
The three talismans worked wonders.
Soon, Shen Yuefu noticed a shadow tailing him closely.
His face darkened, cold blue eyes flashing with restrained irritation.
Yao Ranran's speed was beyond his expectations. If he stopped even for a moment, he risked losing her trail. He couldn't waste time dealing with the burdens behind him.
Let them follow if they wished.
…
Flying light as a swallow, Yao Ranran split a sliver of her attention to examine the sound transmission talisman in her hand.
"Isn't this Physician Zhou's talisman? I had planned to meet Wan Huaiyuan and him at Yunwen Inn, but it seems that won't work now."
Her gaze flicked back to the two pursuing lights behind her. Injecting spiritual power, she activated the talisman. Nie Rong's deliberately lowered voice came through.
"Master, Zhou Lili and I have already escaped the claws of the Holy Palace elders. Whatever you do, don't fall into their trap and become some so-called Holy Palace Holy Maiden!"
"So, they've already escaped?"
Yao Ranran's expression faltered.
Then didn't that mean the tens of thousands of spirit stones she spent to teleport here were wasted?
"No… I need to find them and bring them back to the Eastern Wilderness!" Her gaze firmed.
"And it wouldn't be too much to ask them to pay a little transmission fee afterward, right?"
She smiled faintly, tossing the talisman up between her fingers.
Now to think of a way to ditch those two tails.
In a blink, the white glow ahead wavered. Shen Yuefu's vision blurred, until only a vast field of white snow remained before his eyes.
"…What's going on?"
He paused, then immediately swept away the illusion with a burst of sword light.
The white glow flickered once and vanished. He managed to catch only a vague direction.
"Yao Ranran, I will not let you escape again!"
Without hesitation, he swung the Lǚshuang Yǔn Immortal Sword. Sword light carved a deep scar across the ground, the force of the wind propelling him forward even faster.
Behind him, a yellow radiance flared. Five talismans burned at once, leaving long streaks of golden light across the night sky.
…
"Qingshui County?"
Yao Ranran lifted her gaze to the several-zhang-tall county gate plaque, reading softly.
Traveling westward from Quanchi City had brought her here.
By now, night had fallen, yet Qingshui still glowed with lantern light, as if beckoning travelers to enter. She stared at the plaque for a moment, then slowly walked in.
The streets were quiet, tinged with the soft yellow of lamplight. She made her way toward a tall inn. Each step echoed with her breathing in the silence.
The inn's doors were shut tight. Yao Ranran looked up at the thousand-year-old tree growing out front.
Black threads clung to the sparse leaves.
Creak… creak…
Wind rattled the windows and doors from within.
Yao Ranran suddenly pushed the door open. A black shadow lunged at her with a blade. The sharp glint of steel made her twist aside, leaping into the pitch-dark inn. She pulled out a glowstone, its light revealing five black shadows surrounding her.
"So this is a black inn?"
The one who struck first wore luxurious robes. His face was fat, ears large, and spiritual energy seeped from him—obviously the innkeeper.
The others, judging by their garb, were the server, the accountant, and the chef. The fat-faced innkeeper strode forward heavily. Behind him, the doors slammed shut.
"Heh heh heh. It may be dark tonight, but our Four Seasons Inn is no black inn."
"Not a black inn? Then why are you holding a sword, he a cleaver, and that one an abacus like a murder weapon?"
Yao Ranran swept her gaze around. Nothing about this place looked proper.
"Heh, so you noticed?" The innkeeper grinned greedily. "Then stay. Drink this cup of red tea, and you will be our honored guest."
He lifted a steaming bowl of crimson tea, approaching with a smile.
"Wait!" Yao Ranran stopped him with a sharp voice. "So inns these days come with bundled services? Tell me, if I drink this red tea, how many spirit stones are you going to charge me?"
"Spirit stones?" The innkeeper's face twitched.
He thought she had seen through the poisoned tea. Who would have guessed she simply assumed it was overpriced spirit tea for sale?
"Not a single spirit stone. This cup is my gift to you."
He smiled again, raising the tea higher.
"Free?" Yao Ranran eyed him suspiciously.
"Free!" he confirmed with a firm nod.
"Then how many spirit stones for a night's stay here?" she asked.
"Not a single one!" the innkeeper beamed.
"No stones, free tea… it's obviously poisoned. Does swindling nowadays require no brains at all?"
Yao Ranran hadn't been out in the world for a while, but she hadn't expected the bar for con artists to have fallen so low.
The innkeeper's smile stiffened, then turned cold. "You think I'm coaxing you? This tea, you'll drink whether you want to or not!
Brothers, take her!"
At his signal, the five men stirred restlessly, ready to strike.
"Fellow Daoyou, everything can be discussed. Harmony brings wealth. There's no need to resolve things by killing, is there?"
Seeing them prepare to attack, Yao Ranran hurried to dissuade them.