Chapter 272: Chance Meeting?
Hearing Youqi, Wei Chen was startled. "What? Destroy the entire kingdom? You’re joking, right? I don’t think she would do such a thing. She’s such a sweet girl."
As soon as those words left his mouth, Youqi smiled strangely.
"She massacred the combined armies of the three hidden forces because she believed they had hurt you. Later, she calmed down after realizing it was your plan to lure them into attacking you so you could drain their spiritual qi and use it as fuel for your breakthrough."
"Also, I heard from Lian Cheng’s report that Dream Butterfly, or Long Meng Yu, was supposed to become the Demon Empress who destroyed the entire lower realm in his timeline. So... I think a healthy amount of caution is in order.
Isn’t she the one who listens to you the most? So, telling her about your job and making her a part of it might actually make your job easier. Who knows?" Youqi explained.
Wei Chen thought about it for a moment and nodded. "Okay, I’ll tell her. What do I need to do?"
Youqi pointed at the form in Wei Chen’s hand. "Easy. Just fill out the form, then tell her yourself later."
Wei Chen let out a sigh before taking a pen from the desk and starting to fill out the form.
Meanwhile...
In the forest not far from the Emerald River, Ximen Ren, who had escaped using his escape technique, slowly manifested beneath the cover of a large bush. He looked around to see if anyone was searching for him.
Then... he heard voices in the distance.
"Search over there!"
"No one here! Continue searching!"
At that, Ximen Ren panicked and ran in the opposite direction of the voices. He lowered himself to the ground, practically crawling through dirt and mud as he tried to put as much distance as possible between himself and the search party.
Ximen Ren didn’t dare use his cultivation, as it would immediately expose his whereabouts. His demonic cultivation possessed a unique spiritual qi that contrasted sharply with the ambient spiritual qi.
It wouldn’t take an expert to pinpoint his location. It was like black ink spilled onto white paper. The contrast was that obvious in this environment.
"I... I need to get to an ancient battlefield or an ancient graveyard!" Ximen Ren muttered to himself as he crawled toward freedom.
Those places were ideal hiding spots for demonic cultivators because the qi there was cold and turbid. It would be like pouring black ink into a pool of crude oil, making it nearly impossible to distinguish one from the other.
"There! I heard something moving over there!"
The shout from the search party alarmed Ximen Ren. He crawled even faster, hoping the dense bushes would conceal him long enough for him to escape.
"There! Over there!"
It was useless. The rustling of the shrubs was drawing too much attention. He could even hear the sounds of people running after him.
{Come this way, and you’ll be safe.}
A telepathic voice, sweet and feminine, echoed inside his mind. It guided him toward a large tree not far away.
Ximen Ren quickly crawled toward it. He had to gamble on this opportunity. Even if it was a trap, he didn’t care. It was his only chance to survive.
He arrived at the tree. No, it should be called a giant tree. It stood over a kilometer tall, and beneath its massive roots was a narrow passageway.
Ximen Ren quickly ducked down and entered the passage.
The tunnel was small, clearly dug by someone. The airflow was surprisingly good, and his breathing never became uncomfortable. Although the air inside couldn’t conceal his demonic qi, this hidden passage would have to do.
Ximen Ren soon arrived at a small cavern that appeared to have been excavated by human hands. In the middle of the cavern stood a woman wearing a hooded black robe.
"Stand here, with me."
It was an order. Ximen Ren had no choice but to reluctantly obey.
Not long afterward, the search party arrived. They naturally noticed the passageway and entered to investigate.
{Stay still... don’t breathe.}
The order came once again, calming Ximen Ren.
The search party drew closer. Ximen Ren could clearly see the face of a warrior clad in black armor. They searched every corner of the cavern. They even dug into the ground and struck the walls with their palms to check whether anyone was hiding.
They repeatedly released waves of spiritual qi to scan the area before finally giving up.
"It seems no one is here. Search somewhere else!" one of the search party members shouted. Before leaving, however, he glanced one last time at the spot where Ximen Ren and the mysterious hooded woman were standing, as though he had sensed something.
Ximen Ren could even sense an extremely concentrated wave of spiritual qi sweeping over the area, checking whether anyone was standing there. Yet the man showed no reaction, as though the space before him was completely empty.
In the end, the search party left as if no one had been there, leaving Ximen Ren alone with the mysterious hooded woman.
After some time, Ximen Ren let out a sigh of relief. The hooded woman also stepped away from her spot and turned toward him.
Ximen Ren smiled and cupped his fists.
"This humble one must thank you for your grace. I will remember this favor. If there is anything you need this humble one to do, please do not hesitate to ask."
Ximen Ren immediately put on the mask of a learned scholar.
"You don’t need to wear your mask. I know your true nature. I helped you. Now it’s your turn to help me."
Hearing her commanding tone, Ximen Ren’s face grew solemn. What he hated most, aside from Ximen Hao and that bastard Wei Chen, was being ordered around. However, he sensed that if he caused a scene here, he would be the one to die.
"What do you need?" Ximen Ren asked.