Liu Yue took Xiaomeng back to her residence to pack her things. "I will come back by afternoon, be ready by then." She rode away on her sword to make her own preparations.
Xiaomeng went inside the large room. Her belongings had been moved here while she was still in her deep sleep. She went through the wooden cupboard and pulled out a single sect dress. Carefully folding it she then took out a small jingling pouch before closing the cupboard. A dress and some spirit stones were all she needed. Wrapping them in a cloth bundle, she made her way to the courtyard.
Liu Yue had already come back for her. She stood on the sword behind Liu Yue and was carried to the meeting place. A few moments after the two had disappeared, Zhao Feng entered the empty courtyard.
This morning when he had come out from his small room, he had seen unusual movements from Xiaomeng, Liu Yue and Xiao Ming. He had followed them to the Sixth Peak but was not able to understand properly what was going on. So, he had come here to get a good idea of what was going on. But now he was already late.
Just as he turned to go back the way he had come, he heard a voice come from beside the small room at the side. "Stop!" It was more like a command than a request. The door slid open to a thin crack and a small circular object was thrown at him.
Zhao Feng caught it and felt the intricately carved stone under his fingers. His gaze focused on the crack which slid close just as soon as it had appeared. "Use it when they are in a pressing situation." The voice said before going completely quiet.
That aloof voice unmistakably belonged to Tian Yao. Zhao Feng stood frozen for quite some time. Finally, he stuttered, "Do… you… remember… me?"
There was no reply. "Tell… me. Do you… remember me?" he pressed in his shaky voice only to be met with silence. Although his heart was in turmoil, he didn't dare get close to the door. Prior experiences had already dictated, if Tian Yao didn't say something the second time, it was better to never ask it again. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed his mind and followed after Liu Yue on his sword. One day for sure, he would get the answer.
The group going outside had already gathered; Xiaomeng, Liu Yue, Xiao Ming, Tieshan, Gu Da, Gu Yichen. Lingling had tagged along even with no invitation and Zhao Feng was standing in the background. Several large flying boats were floating just above the ground at the edge of the stone platform that stretched on for miles and at the opposite side the Central Peak loomed over them.
"Did you guys get the permission to leave the sect?" Gu Yichen gazed at the troublemaking duo.
"Umm…" Liu Yue paused for a moment and bloomed into a smile. "Don't worry about it. Everything is taken care of." Her eyes lingered on the back of Xiaomeng's head as she stood in front of her.
"Yes, yes, you don't have to worry about anything," Xiao Ming confidently chimed in from the side. Though, the thoughts that ran in her mind were a mystery that would definitely get her beaten up if exposed. After all, she was calculating how the punishment will be shared after they got back.
Zhao Feng stood at the side, wondering whether he had to give the stone token to Xiaomeng or had to keep it himself? Tian Yao had not given any further instructions.
"Since everything is prepared, let's get moving. We only have a day to get there." Tieshan said and took out his long halberd which floated in front of him. Climbing atop it, he flew towards the sect protection array. The others followed suit, Xiaomeng taking her place behind Liu Yue.
From atop the Central Peak, the sect master was eyeing the departing group. "Are you sure everything will be all right with so many of the little devils going out at once?" Lu Wancheng asked in his mind.
"Hmm..." the will of the world snorted. "Mind your own business."
Lu Wancheng raised his eyes. "What did you say just now?"
"Em, what did I say?" the will of the world's confused voice came back. "Did I say something just now? Is your mind playing tricks on you as you age."
Taking out a small parchment, Lu Wancheng began to write down several methods to torture a spirit at a very deliberate pace.
There was not much to speak about the journey itself. Since the group had to cover a large distance in just a single day due to their speed at Core Formation still being slow in this expansive world, they did not take any stops throughout their travel. The qi in their bodies continued to be drained and funneled into the flying weapons while also being replenished just as quickly from their surroundings, forming a self-sustaining cycle.
A little past morning, they had reached their destination. Arrays covered the whole city, invisible to the naked eye. Their concentration increased as they neared the center of the city. Tieshan pulled his hand back and began to accumulate his power. A thick murky layer of black enveloped his hand starting from the front of his clenched fist. Just as he was about to launch the attack, a hand fell on his shoulder, stopping him.
Gu Yichen floated forward and took out a long metallic disk from his storage ring. He inserted his qi into the Formation-Breaking Disk. The metal object floated from his hand and moved towards the sky above the city. Then, many different array formations emerged from it and clashed with the formations of the Rong city.
Gu Yichen had taken out a parchment and was recording his observations on it, the black ink from the brush splattering below. Feeling the gazes boring into him from the side he turned his head. "What?" he asked the others. Nobody said a word. "I didn't get a chance to use it in the sect," he continued. "Since we are already here, better to make use of it." He turned his attention back to the paper parchment.
What he said was true, except for a few caveats. If someone destroyed the formation with brute force, the materials used could still be salvaged, whereas his Formation-Breaking Disk would absorb the excess energy from the formation materials and render them obsolete.
After a few moments had passed, the sky above the city, or more precisely the arrays, shattered with a sound like breaking glass amplified a hundred times. The group covered themselves in black disguises and swooped down and broke through the roof of the building where Rong Ning was supposed to be present. Alas, they didn't know that she had already left. It didn't take them much time to join two and two together.
As they climbed upon their weapons and were about to flee, Xiaomeng's eyes fell on a familiar face. Her hands extended even before her mind could think and she had brought Merchant Wang out with them.
"The business in the Moongazing Pavilion must be thriving, right? So, what about the money I left with you?" Xiaomeng's eyes narrowed at Merchant Wang in front of her. For the past few days she had been awake, she had not heard a word about the commission from her deadly sect mission.
Under the gaze of half a dozen Core Formation cultivators surrounding Xiaomeng, Merchant Wang found it hard to even utter a single sound let alone defend himself. His knees went weak under the pressure subconsciously radiated by the crowd and he sprawled on the ground, foam coming out of his mouth.
Xiaomeng was stunned. Did asking for money actually kill a merchant? She picked up the unconscious man by his collar and slapped him twice, bringing him back to his senses. The others had also retracted their gazes.
"Young heroine!" Merchant Wang said in a sycophantic manner that made Xiaomeng's hands clench. Would letting him be better, she thought as she let go of the collar.
"Enough of this. Just tell me about the money I left with you," Xiaomeng said.
"Ah…" Merchant Wang made a puzzled face. "A week after the day you left, someone from the Jade River sect came to collect the fees. If I remember correctly, that person was from the Alchemy Peak." He explained in a meek voice.
Xiaomeng's eyes narrowed. She did not show any external reaction but her mind was busy cursing a certain Peak Master. Nobody else made a sound. Liu Yue and Xiao Ming covered their mouths, trying their best to prevent the laughter from bursting forth. Lingling just tilted her head, not understanding what was going on.
After her head began to ache from inventing several musical rhymes that will get her beaten if spoken publicly, Xiaomeng let out a long sigh. She focused her attention back on Merchant Wang. "What will you say if someone asked who kidnapped you?"
Merchant Wang felt the wind cool the sweat trickling down his temples. One glance at the people surrounding the girl threatening him and a chill ran up his spine. He squinted his eyes and spoke, "Who are you? Where am I? Who even am I?"
"Things here are taken care of," Xiaomeng nodded and turned her head to the others. "Let's get going. We still have to search for her."
The group got on their weapons and floated up in the air. Gu Da heard a message from the remnant spirit of the old man and took out his transmission mirror and saw that he was able to connect with Rong Ning once again since she was out of the city.
Some distance away from their location, a small lush forest covered one border of the Rong Kingdom. Rong Ning was standing upon the corpse of a large snake demonic beast. Her clothes were covered in green blood, giving off a foul odor. She felt a slight movement in her spatial ring and took out the transmission mirror.
Why are they here? Though, she already had a good idea after Gu Da told her the names of the people in the group. She sent her current location, inviting them to meet here and put away the transmission mirror. Under the array formations covering the capital city, the transmission mirror in its early stages was blocked, so she had not been able to tell others about her situation.
She made her way to the clear pond at the center of the clearing which the snake demonic beast was guarding. Step by step, she submerged her body inside and waded through the water to reach the shallow depths of the pond. A bone piercing cold was shrouding the water and was trying to invade her body, but all she felt was a tickling sensation on her skin.
Reaching the depths, there was a small cyan orb, barely the size of her fist, nestled between the gaping maw of another dead demonic beast whose skin had withered away, leaving behind just a massive skeleton. Her hand reached out and picked up the orb. The Ice Luan soul inside her chirped in excitement like a small child asking for a treat.
She clenched her hand and crushed the orb, letting the energy leak out and merge with the coldness in water that shared the same source. After it had properly mashed together, she began absorbing the cold energy in the pond. At first, it was just a few strands, that soon turned into a massive vortex that siphoned everything from the water and direct it to nourish the Ice Luan soul. By the time she came out, all that was left in the pond was clear warm water. A slight push and the Ice Luan would break through to the next stage.
Rong Ning didn't have to wait long before everyone else had arrived and landed before her. She took a few quick steps towards the group. Her hands extended and she caught the ears of the two people she thought were the most likely culprits for bringing everyone after her.
"Ouch. You witch. I brought so many people to help you and you are still doing this to me," Xiao Ming's words were filled with pain. Her neck was clenched and body raised in the air by Rong Ning.
"Next time I will not help you even if you beg me," Liu Yue said in the same pitiful voice from beside her. Her condition was similar to Xiao Ming. Looking at the situation, Xiaomeng unconsciously took two steps back.
Rong Ning tightened her grip. "Did you really come here to help me or enjoy yourself at my expense?" she pressed. The two culprits did not utter a single word. Feeling satisfied by their silence, Rong Ning let them go. "Next time, I will bring the thousand-year yin scale with me." The two culprits shuddered at its mention. It was the premium punishment stick of their Peak Master, praised even by the Fourth Peak for inflicting pain without any lasting repercussion.
Xiao Ming fell on Rong Ning's right leg and Liu Yue on her left. "We're sorry. We won't do it again. Promise." Their memory was very good and they still remembered laughing at the few troublemakers who got hit with the thousand-year stick and had to spend days without sleep. They both much preferred just watching from a distance, rather than performing.
"Is it tasty?" Lingling asked from the side. The Sixth Peak Master always complained of having less thousand-year ice on hand so she had not personally seen it yet. But from the records she had read, it turned hot dishes into exquisite cold ones while imbuing into them a special flavor not found anywhere else in this world.
"You can pick up some after going back," Rong Ning offhandedly replied.
"Yay," Lingling jumped in place.
At that moment Xiaomeng's stomach grumbled with a loud roar. There was utter silence. "Maybe we should talk over a meal. We have been travelling for a whole day straight just to reach here," Gu Yichen lightly waved his fan.
"Eating some mortal food every now and then seems like a good idea," Tieshan added from the side.
Rong Ning looked down at the two girls still crying over her legs. "If you don't get up this instant," she extended her hand and cold yin qi gathered on her fair palm. Xiao Ming and Liu Yue scrabbled to their feet and took a few steps back.
"So, where is the nearest inn?" Lingling asked.
"Follow me," Gu Yichen got on his sword and rose in the air. He led them toward the large city just outside the borders of the Rong Kingdom.
Sitting inside a reserved large pavilion, Xiaomeng and Lingling slurped down the thick chicken broth. The chopsticks in their hands were a blur, moving to finish the large spread of varied and colorful dishes on the wooden table. The others only ate a few bites and left the two gluttonous ones to their devices.
After the meal was over, Liu Yue raised a suggestion, "Since we are all already out here, why not go for an adventure?"
Just the sound of it made Xiaomeng's stomach squeeze. Her last adventure was certainly not something she wanted to remember.
"Definitely not," Rong Ning insisted. "We are going straight back to the sect."
Liu Yue sat down with a deflated look. Gu Yichen said from the end of the table, "How about spending the night at my clan before going back to the sect?"
"Right, you did say that your clan is located close by," Xiao Ming's eyes widened as a smile crept up her lips. "But I don't think I saw anyone from your clan when we invaded the palace."
"Nobody from the Gu clan had come there," Rong Ning clarified.
"Then it's decided. Let's go to the Gu clan for the night," Lingling got to her feet. "I hope we are not intruding." Her mind was filled with the new dishes she would eat at a renowned clan.
Everyone looked at Rong Ning for confirmation. Under the puppy-like eyes directed at her, she could only nod, even if she didn't want to.