Blue Lion City was not far from the Drizzling Mountain Ridges. If one took a Divine Boat, the journey would only take three Lower-Domain days. The problem was that Jiang Yi had no Divine Boat. If he used the China Root Elixir, his speed would not be that bad; but once the China Root Elixir wore off, the Divine Boat would be at least a hundred times faster than him.
The good thing was that after resting for several hours, Jiang Xiaonu’s soul spirit was much stronger. After Jiang Yi’s medicine’s effect wore off, Jiang Xiaonu was the one who would be carrying Jiang Yi. After transforming, Jiang Xiaonu’s speed would be comparable to those in the God General Realm. What’s more, even if she remained in her transformed state for a few months, she would not become weak. She would be able to maintain her speed, and they’d only need eight or nine days to arrive at Blue Lion City.
After sprinting for several days, Jiang Yi and Jiang Xiaonu realized a problem. The entire journey back was smooth and unhindered. They did not meet any Chaos Beasts or any martial artists. It was so calm that it was frightening.
Jiang Xiaonu did not think too much into it, but Jiang Yi smiled bitterly. Mu Hongcha and company must be nearby. Their soul spirits were so strong; there was no way that either of them would be able to detect Mu Hongcha and company even if the latter were following them. Once they arrived at Blue Lion City, Jiang Xiaonu’s parents would probably already be waiting.
Yet, where could they go?
Given their skills and speed, there was no way they would be able to get away from Mu Hongcha and the rest. Jiang Xiaonu’s parents would come looking for her at any time. At last, Jiang Yi decided to head back to Blue Lion City. No matter what was awaiting them, they could not run away. They could only face it.
“Xiaonu!”
Jiang Yi was almost completely recovered by now, but he was too slow. He could only depend on Jiang Xiaonu to carry him on the way. As he called out to her gently, Jiang Xiaonu turned around, a sweet smile on her face. “Young Master, what’s the matter?”
“Xiaonu, Mu Hongcha sent a voice transmission to me, telling me some things.”
Jiang Yi’s expression turned solemn. “She said that your mother was hunted down back then so she had no choice but to hide you in a concealed cave. When the fight was over, you went missing. I’m thinking it might be possible that Mom walked past and thought you had been abandoned. That was probably why she picked you up and brought you back to Stellarsky Domain. I hope you won’t blame Mom; I don’t think she meant any harm.”
“En!”
Jiang Xiaonu nodded profusely. “I might never have met Madam, but Young Master, you are such a good person. Madam must have been a very, very good person as well. Of course, I won’t blame her. Instead, I’m thankful for her. Without her, I would not have met you. En… Young Master, let’s not talk about those things. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Alright, alright! I won’t talk about it, I won’t talk about it!” Jiang Yi smiled bitterly and patted Jiang Xiaonu gently on the head. “No matter what, Young Master will always be your closest kin. That’s true in this life, the next, forever, and ever!”
“En, en!” Jiang Xiaonu grinned, evidently becoming happier. “To be together with Young Master forever would complete my life. Even if I die now, I will not have any regrets!”
Swish!
The two of them stopped talking. Jiang Xiaonu carried Jiang Yi across the sky towards Blue Lion City.
All around them were people following them. Jiang Yi was right. Not only were Mu Hongcha and the five others following them, but the group would not even let a beast get near them, much less any Chaos Beasts or martial artists.
…
Six days later, they finally could see Blue Lion City in the distance. Jiang Yi’s expression hardened more and more. Both his and Jiang Xiaonu’s lives would be forever changed the moment they arrived there. As for whether the ending would be a bad one, Jiang Yi did not know. All he could do was grit his teeth and charge towards Blue Lion City with Jiang Xiaonu.
Blue Lion Tribe was extremely calm. The city above it was very calm as well. The gates to the city were closed. Everything was scarily quiet.
Jiang Yi and Jiang Xiaonu entered the east gates of the tribe and walked onto the main streets. Many people were walking around… but evidently much fewer than before. What’s more, all of them looked slightly uneasy.
“Let’s go!”
Jiang Xiaonu grabbed Jiang Xiaonu’s hand and walked towards the city plaza at once. Along the way, they discovered a problem. There were a lot of secret guards in the tribe now. They were from the Earth Emanations Army, and they were planted all over the place. Once they arrived at the city plaza, Jiang Yi discovered that there were at least ten times more secret guards there. There were even ten peak-stage God Kings leading the entire team.
Although none of them were paying particular attention to the two of them and Jiang Yi did not find any especially powerful martial artist’s presence, he knew that all these people were after Xiaonu. He kept silent for a moment and then led Xiaonu to the most elegant inn on the city plaza. They checked into a single castle where he led Jiang Xiaonu in wait quietly.
Jiang Xiaonu seemed to have realized something herself, and she was clearly feeling uncomfortable. Jiang Yi led her to sit in the main hall and then gently massaged her arm. Smiling gently, he said, “Don’t be afraid. No matter what, you have me.”
Before long, the restrictions around the castle flashed. A voice transmission entered Jiang Yi’s head: “Good day. I am Su Ning’er, her mother. May I come in?”
The voice was very pleasant and polite. Jiang Yi smiled bitterly, but he still relaxed considerably. If these people were as aggressive as Mu Hongcha and the others, he would not let them in for sure.
One would not strike against someone who’s playing along! He got to his feet and opened the restrictions. In a gentle voice, he said, “Please come in!”
Jiang Xiaonu did not know what was happening, but at that moment, she was still afraid. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and she immediately stood up and ran into the room, locking the restrictions around it.
Sigh…
Jiang Yi sighed and turned to look outside. A green figure walked in slowly. Jiang Yi’s eyes glinted. This woman was a top beauty indeed.
Only one person came. There were no guards or soldiers following her. This woman looked young and looked nothing like Jiang Xiaonu’s mother. Instead, she looked young enough to be her older sister. She was dressed in a long, green dress; and she did not have much jewelry on. She looked both simple and clean. Her aura was very similar to Jiang Xiaonu’s—pure and uncontaminated. Her gentleness made people instinctively want to burrow in her arms for safety.
Apart from looking pure, this woman also looked very elegant. People around her certainly would not dare to treat her rudely. She reminded Jiang Yi of a lotus flower on a sacred mountain; one would admire from afar but would not have the heart to pluck it out.
The impression that she gave Jiang Yi was that she was a just woman. Her pearl-like eyes seemed to be able to tell right from wrong easily. They carried within them a deep story that beckoned for one to keep reading and finding out more. One phrase popped up in Jiang Yi’s mind, that he felt best described this woman’s looks and aura: youthful and unparalleled!
Su Ning’er slowly walked in front of Jiang Yi, smiling. “Are you Jiang Yi?”
Jiang Yi nodded and said politely, “Greetings, my Lady. Please sit.”
Su Ning’er was Jiang Xiaonu’s mother. Logically, Jiang Yi should address her as ‘Auntie’ or something, but he instinctively addressed her as ‘Lady’. This was because he neither wanted to form any connections with the Ink Feather Race nor suck up to Su Ning’er. Instead, he feared that this woman would take Jiang Xiaonu away from him although he knew that there was likely no salvaging the situation.
Su Ning’er heard the words ‘my lady’, and a strange look flashed across her face. She scanned Jiang Yi from head to toe, a gentle smile appearing on her lips. Then, she walked further into the castle, spotting the room that Jiang Xiaonu was hiding herself in. She sat down at the host’s seat, without standing on ceremony. It was almost as if she had the right to do these things.
When Jiang Yi followed her in, she cut right to the chase and went to the heart of the matter. “Jiang Yi, I’m very grateful for your care towards my daughter all these years so I will not hold it against you that your mother took her away. Now, I have come to take her home. The two of you will be completely unrelated from now on, and I hope you will forget her. Do not… see her again.”
