Chapter 274: Chapter 166: First in the Monthly Report Again; The Theory of Providence

In the dead of night.

Two hundred and sixty li southeast of Qingyang County.

Xiao Chen’s figure suddenly materialized on the once-empty road.

From pushing his Escape Techniques to their limit, the Magical Power within him had grown slightly chaotic, and his face had turned a pale white.

Being abruptly pulled from that profound state left him feeling a little disoriented.

But after taking a moment to adjust, he continued on his way in the same direction without hesitation.

Theoretically, he should have been safe by now.

If a Demon Dao Golden Core cultivator had indeed snuck in for a surprise attack, they certainly wouldn’t have dared to linger.

They should have been on the run by now as well.

Then again, theoretically, Xiao Chen shouldn’t have been attacked tonight in the first place.

He had only killed a few Foundation Establishment cultivators. Was it really necessary to go this far?

Considering the possibility that his enemy had lost their mind, this distance wasn’t necessarily safe.

If some crazed Demon Dao Golden Core cultivator managed to trade their life for his, it would be a terrible loss.

’It’s a good thing I didn’t choose [At Any Cost]. Otherwise, I’d be wiping out the Divine Fire Sect tonight.’

But the choice was made, so he had to think long-term.

Xiao Chen didn’t actually know who had attacked him, but it didn’t matter. Sooner or later, he could just annihilate the entire Divine Fire Sect to get his revenge.

As long as he eliminated all his enemies, no one would slip through the cracks.

He fled for over a thousand li in one go, not stopping until the sky began to show the fish-belly white of dawn.

Only then did Xiao Chen relax a little.

With no pursuers after so long, he should be safe.

He landed on the ground, calming his Inner Breath while reconsidering last night’s events and his next course of action.

After calming down and thinking it over for a while, Xiao Chen started to see things more clearly.

It was likely that no Demon Dao Golden Core True Man had snuck in last night. The enemy had probably used some kind of long-range magic.

Otherwise, there would have been no need to indiscriminately attack the entire Qingyang Mountain.

Not only would that have been a waste of Magical Power, but the commotion would have been too great, making it easy for the Golden Core True Men on his own side to notice and surround the attacker.

The fact that there had been no news from the direction of Luoyan Mountain so far also supported this theory.

Besides, the ability to take someone’s head from a thousand li away...

...was no empty boast for someone at the level of a Golden Core True Man.

"Xiao, what are you doing here?"

Chang Shunping brought his Flying Sword down, landing beside Xiao Chen.

After learning of Xiao’s needs yesterday, Chang Shunping had traveled through the night, hoping to leave a good impression as someone who gets things done efficiently.

In a single night, he had journeyed from Qingyang County to Willow County, a distance of 1,330 li.

He hadn’t expected to see Xiao Chen on the road just one li from the city gates, before he had even entered the city.

At first, Chang Shunping even thought his eyes were playing tricks on him.

But he quickly realized they weren’t, because he was all too familiar with that attire.

Xiao Chen was also surprised to run into him here. "Chang! I... I thought about it and, well, I’m actually in a bit of a hurry. I wanted to get to the Black Market sooner."

This was, of course, a lie.

The main reason was that he hadn’t yet figured out how to hide the fact that he had been attacked.

The Blade of Night was his life-saving trump card, and a trump card, by definition, must be kept hidden. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Not a single word about its secrets could be revealed.

In that case, if he was on-site when Qingyang Mountain was flattened, it would be a little difficult to explain how he survived.

Therefore, the best solution now was to not mention the attack at all.

Xiao Chen had been wondering how to cover his tracks.

Seeing Chang Shunping, his eyes lit up—here was a ready-made excuse.

Chang had to come to Willow County, so he conveniently wasn’t on Qingyang Mountain last night.

So, Xiao Chen could use the excuse that he had felt uneasy and followed him, meaning he wasn’t on Qingyang Mountain last night either.

That way, he would have coincidentally avoided the enemy’s attack.

"Xiao, the Black Market is usually held at set times. Just showing up doesn’t guarantee you’ll catch it."

Hearing Xiao Chen say he wanted to attend the Black Market early, Chang Shunping was afraid he would get his hopes up only to be disappointed, so he quickly gave him a reminder.

But Xiao Chen just smiled faintly. "I’m just trying my luck. It’s fine if I miss it."

Huh?

Chang Shunping was a little confused. ’Is he in a hurry or not?’

He immediately sighed to himself. ’Is this the flexible, ever-changing mindset of an expert?’

’Since Xiao Chen is doing this, he must have his reasons.’

’And I can’t even begin to follow his train of thought. Perhaps this is the gap between us.’

The two of them entered Willow County together.

With Chang Shunping leading the way, they navigated with practiced ease to the local Yixiang Courtyard.

The manager, Yunniang, greeted them warmly. "Chang, it’s been a while! The girls have missed you to death."

"Oh my, and this handsome... "

She sidled up to Xiao Chen as she spoke.

Chang Shunping quickly stepped in. "Yunniang, this is Xiao."

"We’re here on official business. Where is Lan? Take us to her, quickly."

Hearing the respect in his tone, Yunniang immediately took a step back. "Look at me, failing to recognize a distinguished guest. How rude of me."

"This way, you two."

"Chang, Lady Lan is in the Changchun Garden right now."

They passed through the central courtyard of Yixiang Courtyard and down a covered walkway, arriving before a small, secluded courtyard in the back.

Chang Shunping went straight to a small, hidden door on the side. "Xiao, this is it."

He then knocked and called out, "Lan, open up! A distinguished guest is here to see you."