Chapter 80: Let's Go Together

Jiang Yu and her party were all called down from the teleportation array.

A moment later, two cultivators arrived in the hall with a group, chatting and laughing.

"Both of them are at the Yuan Hou cultivation level; it's strange that they ask you to make way," Thus: Xuantang Xingjun said, as he had long been accustomed to it.

Sure enough, Jiang Yu heard the Jie Dan cultivator step forward and address one of them as the city lord, but she stood behind the crowd and did not look up to see the lord.

"Jiang Yu, you're being overly cautious.

Spending every day with the Transforming God cultivators, I've never seen you get stage fright," Ao Ze teased, a rarity for him.

Jiang Yu shook her head silently; she chose to follow the many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the hall, lowering her eyes and remaining mute for safety.

But the city lord did not step onto the teleportation array; instead, another Nascent Soul beside him and his attendants boarded it.

Unexpectedly, the other Nascent Soul laughed, "Brother Gu, there are only five of us here; a single teleport would be wasteful.

Why not see who is heading to the border town, and we all ride together?"

"Hahaha, the host follows the guests; when Brother Qi returns, don't forget to come to Jin Yue City and duel with me a few rounds," the city lord said, needing no further words.

The Jie Dan cultivator who greeted him turned and stood before Jiang Yu and the others, casually gesturing, "Leave five people behind; the rest go up."

Jiang Yu happened to be among the others, leaving her no choice but to grit her teeth and ride with the Nascent Soul cultivator.

Fortunately, the true lord called Brother Qi restrained his aura like an ordinary mortal.

When she boarded the teleportation array, she realized that among the people the Nascent Soul cultivator brought was Qi Haohao.

The latter's complexion was pale, her face drooping, no longer as delicate as before.

Jiang Yu quietly stepped away from her, and after the teleportation array completed, she watched them depart before transmitting a voice to Thus: Xuantang Xingjun:

"Is this a side effect of soul-searching?"

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun immediately retorted, "What do you mean, you suspect I secretly harmed a junior?"

"No, no, I was merely seeking your advice," Jiang Yu said, hurrying through the crowd to find an inn.

The border town lies at the junction of the Dao, Demon, and Yao races; she must secure lodging before sunset, otherwise at night the town has no patrols and safety is self‑managed.

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun expressed disbelief: "Hmph, I soul‑searched four people; apart from that possessed youngster, they will suffer a two‑ or three‑year stagnation due to the original damage to their heart meridians.

Their spirits will not bear any side effects.

My soul‑searching technique was passed down from the Buddhist sect, entirely different from the Demon Sect's violent soul‑searching, and it only probed roughly two years of memory."

He paused, then added, "As for that little girl, she must have awakened, duelled with others, and encountered a poisonous cultivator, which damaged her eyes.

Did you not notice she's blind?"

Thus: Xuantang Xingjun did not mention that the possessed Hong Gongzi often experiences a prolonged period of devouring sleep and many dreams.

"I didn't notice," Jiang Yu said, glancing at Qi Haohao with the corner of her eye.

When she checked into a third‑class room at the inn, she also failed to realize that she and Qi Haohao were staying under the same roof.

At this moment, in a first‑class private suite a short distance away, Qi Zhenjun was speaking: "Haohao, any discomfort from this teleport?"

Qi Haohao waved her hand: "No, Grandfather, I'm using the Stabilizing Pill and Protective Talisman."

Thank you for your concern; please take me personally to find the antidote."

She now deeply regrets that, because of her inner guard against a few fellow sect members, she left alone and fell victim to a rogue cultivator's poison.

"Grandfather, have you traced our itinerary that day?

Brother Xing, Brother Chen, and several others—how did they end up in the Cloud Mist Mountains?"

"Take a look," Qi Zhenjun handed her a jade tablet.

Qi Haohao, though blind, her spirit sense unharmed, examined it carefully: "They were in Floating Tower City; after hearing Min Wu speak of a dragon‑race beast undergoing tribulation, they formed a team with others to seek opportunity?"

Qi Zhenjun nodded: "Hmm, you don't need to worry about that.

It's only a day's memory; it has no real impact.

However, they brought out a treasure, proving that beneath Cloud Mist Sect lies a vault; the sect has already sent a Nascent Soul elder to investigate."

"There are also spiritual stones: fourteen top‑grade, five hundred mid‑grade, and tens of thousands low‑grade," Qi Haohao recalled angrily; those ten top‑grade spiritual stones were Foundation Establishment gifts from several sect elders.

She had no recollection of who took them.

"Money is extraneous; at least they didn't take anything else and even set up a defensive array for you.

Think about it, the Hong youngster lost more spiritual stones than you did; calm down," Qi Zhenjun, who knows how to counsel, said.

"……" Qi Haohao was speechless, only cursing the thief in her mind.

Unaware of the scolding, Jiang Yu at dawn the next day rode a sword skyward toward the Demon Sect city.

There was no choice; to reach the Western Sea one must go through either the Demon Sect or the Yao Race's Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

Weighing the two evils, Jiang Yu could only choose the human‑aligned route; at least the Demon cultivators have a teleportation array, and she could use the spiritual stones they offered.

While flying swiftly, four streaks of evading light suddenly darted in diagonally.

Jiang Yu instantly turned to evade, and those four turned their heads to pursue and block.

She couldn't help but complain, "Why do I always run into murder‑and‑loot situations?

Can't it just be a smooth flight?"

"Because in the cultivation world, killing and looting is the fastest way to make money," Thus: Xuantang Xingjun said, amused by the spectacle.

But Jiang Yu gave them no chance; she leapt with her flying sword, made another sharp turn, and at the moment the four turned, she suddenly reversed course and surged into their midst.

Bang bang bang

Several white spheres struck the four; they instinctively swung, then were choked by the dense smoke from the explosions.

Cough cough cough.

The four streamed tears and snot together; after a hard struggle to stop, when they tried to chase Jiang Yu again, her evading light was already gone.

"What poisonous pill?" Thus: Xuantang Xingjun asked, mildly curious.

Ao Ze immediately wanted to buy a few to play with.

"Tear-inducing Pill." Jiang Yu, in her early years, had said this vicious trick to Senior Sister Wan; the latter, before closed-door cultivation, sent her a batch of test samples.

I hadn't thought to use it before, but today one try gave excellent results.

"Also give me a few to play with." As soon as Thus: Xuantang Xingjun's words fell, a broken-cloud boat flew to right before him.

To be precise, it was not far in front of Jiang Yu.

From the ship's hold walked out a pink-robed female cultivator: "Fellow Daoist, it's better to meet by chance than to invite; let's chat on board."

"No need..." Jiang Yu saw it was Qi Haohao and decisively refused to leave.

Helplessly, a laugh came: "Look, little friend, you're also heading to the Demonic Sect; let's go together."

Jiang Yu's scalp went numb hearing that voice—it was the Nascent Soul True Lord's; her speed and tricks were nothing before these cultivators.

"Best of luck to you." Thus: Xuantang Xingjun no longer looked at the Dragon Stele, pulling Ao Ze to go water the spirit fields.

The boat Jiang Yu boarded arrived; she first bowed toward the ship's hold, saying, "Thank you, senior, for the ride."

If you're good friends with Haohao, then no need to be polite.

"Haohao, this reception room is yours." After just a glance, True Lord Qi knew Jiang Yu was different from the loose cultivators who used to fawn over his granddaughter.

"Thank you, grandfather; we'll chat more outside before leaving." Qi Haohao stared directly at Jiang Yu.

She whispered: "You're quite hard to invite."

After several meetings, I still don't know your honorable surname.

"Jiang Yu."

"I am a disciple of the Myriad Immortal Sect; which sect are you from?"

"A loose cultivator." Jiang Yu didn't know what the other wanted from her, and those spirit stones bore no markings.

"Hehe, you don't seem like it." Foundation-establishment loose cultivators in their teens are rare; Qi Haohao well knows Foundation Establishment Pills are hard to buy.

She pondered a moment, then said: "You're not curious? It's only been a few days since we last met, and my eyes are already blind."

Jiang Yu countered: "Will Fellow Daoist Qi say such a thing to someone we've only met a few times?"

"No."

"Then what do you want from me?"