The Journey of Immortal Cultivation-Chapter 859 - 473: Tracking the Trail (Part 2)

With the rich patron’s command, his legs immediately became nimble, taking Ning Xiaoxian through several side paths, going deeper into the desolate area. After about an hour, he led them into a snow-covered pine forest and stopped, saying: "This is the place." He pointed to the cliff above the forest, saying, "I was hiding right there." Ning Xiaoxian and the others looked up. Indeed, there was a gentle slope on the cliff about thirty meters from the forest. It was quite a hidden spot if someone were to hide there.

This forest covered at least four or five hectares, filled with pines and birches. The patch of ground where they stood was originally dense with trees, but now it was dotted with short wooden stakes. No traces were left behind here; the ground was covered with loose snow. Apart from the footprints of their group, there were no footprints, no traces of blood, not even any tracks or fallen trees. According to the lean man’s account, there should have been a fierce battle here last night.

"Didn’t it snow from last night to today?"

"No." The lean man pointed to several pine trees and said: "The trees have marks on them that people from our town couldn’t have made. I think they must have been left by the Immortal Masters."

Ning Xiaoxian went over to touch the tree trunks, studied them for a while, and sighed. She tossed some silver to the lean man and said, "You can leave now."

He cheerfully caught the silver and made to leave, but as he ran a few steps back, he heard the girl behind him say, "Try not to do immoral things so often; maybe you can find yourself a wife." The lean man didn’t dare to look back or make a sound, and just ran forward, his heart pounding with every step, "How did she know I took the money from someone? How did she know I haven’t married yet?"

"Ning Xiaoxian, I didn’t think you had such a good heart, actually sparing him." As a shadow slowly appeared in the forest and spoke, "How did you spot his flaw?"

The other party called her name directly, showing that this trap was indeed set for her. Ning Xiaoxian said plainly, "The words were taught by you, so the flaw was exposed by you, not him." She pointed at the pine trees, "The marks on the trees were scratched by Gang Qi. The trees in the field were all pulled and taken away by you, leaving only these distant ones with subtle marks. He saw the battle yesterday evening and only returned here an hour later, after dark. Haha, how could a mortal’s eyesight see the tiny, hair-thin scratches on the trees in such light?"

"Since he couldn’t have seen them, someone must have taught him what to say." She said slowly, "If someone taught him, it means they purposely wanted to lure us here. Am I right?"

The person clapped and said, "Ingenious mind, seems you’re quick in learning from one’s mistakes, I like that. Once you’re captured, I’ll personally train you, so all men will fall under your spell." He stepped into the light, a handsome man with jade-like features, a red-lipped, finely dressed with a high crown, appearing righteous, yet his words were laced with lewdness and malice. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Ning Xiaoxian was also angry, but her temper was far better than before, so she merely asked, "And who are you supposed to be?" Before he could answer, she lazily added, "Forget it, I don’t care to know. Where is Dou Er now?"

Her nonchalance made the person slightly annoyed: "Dou Er, that traitor, has been detained, waiting for your companions to join him."

She thought, since he used the word "traitor," then this person must be from Mingshui Sect or the Heavenly Residence. It had been quite some days since the maidservants were kidnapped by robbers; even Mingshui Sect, slow as they might be, would have reacted by now. Those female slaves were to be sold at Heavenly Residence in a year; losing them would be a significant loss, so they would definitely have people sent to retrieve them. Mingshui Sect also knew that these twins were different from other beauties; losing one significantly lowered their value, making this trade less profitable than before. This was all about how many beauties they could retrieve and how much loss they could recover. Especially since there was a woman with a gravel gold physique on this journey, Zhongli Hao had already sent her portrait back to the sect.

Sure enough, he continued, "... I, humble as I may be, am the Deputy Sect Master of Mingshui Sect, Wenren Bo. Ning Xiaoxian, surrender peacefully, and I guarantee you won’t suffer later."

Every word he said was full of suggestion, making it unbearable for the woman to hear. Ning Xiaoxian frowned, determined not to waste words with him. Changtian casually ordered, and Qi Zai beside her immediately darted towards Wenren Bo.

Yet the man neither dodged nor avoided; seeing Qi Zai charge at him, he even smiled confidently. And sure enough, before Qi Zai could reach him, a wave-like blue light appeared in front of him. The light flashed by, seemingly insignificant, but it bounced Qi Zai back!

You should know, after gaining the Seven Symbols Power, even without full force, the momentum and speed of his charge would be considerable. Yet this blue barrier completely rebounded his attack without missing a beat. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick, and after being bounced back, he changed direction mid-air, landing softly beside Ning Xiaoxian, though he shook his head several times, apparently dazed by his own strength.

Is there an ambush on the ground?

Qi Zai, who hadn’t spoken, suddenly stomped on the ground. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)