Disgust colored Ji Lingxi's face as she said, "He's seventeen this year, two years younger than me."
Yue Rulan hesitated and said, "My brother is twenty-three this year …"
Ji Lingxi frowned and said, "Sister Lan, I only have respect for your brother!"
Yue Rulan smiled and said, "Of course I know that."
She seemed to want to say something but the words did not leave her lips. She only sighed softly.
Hopefully, I've guessed wrongly.
"Lingxi … if it weren't for your sudden breakthrough yesterday afternoon, I'm afraid … both of us might not even know where we would be now …"
Yue Rulan let out a long sigh.
Ji Lingxi was confused as well as she said, "You're not the only one, even I find it strange. I've just broken through to the seventh peak not too long ago and now I'm suddenly breaking through to the eighth peak … Other than being a little excited at first, the rest of it was all guesswork and a little scared."
"What's there to be afraid of? Breaking through is always a good thing, especially for us right now."
Yue Rulan smiled and said, "You've gained the most from this trip. Before we came out, your cultivation base was only at the fourth peak, but it hasn't even been a year and you've already broken through to the eighth peak. Breaking through four levels in a year, and you didn't even rely on rare treasures of heaven and earth or spiritual pills. This is the first time I've heard of such progress."
Ji Lingxi was full of doubts as well. She mumbled, "I don't know what happened earlier. I only saw that you were about to be captured and I didn't know where the strength came from, but I charged over without a care … Only then did I realize that I've broken through. I didn't even feel the breakthrough then … Until now, I still feel like I'm dreaming, I can't believe that I've really reached the eighth peak. Sister Yue, do you think there's any hindrance with my current cultivation base? Will I fall back to the seventh peak after a few days?"
Yue Rulan only hummed in response and did not answer. While it was strange, both girls were not experts in this field. Despite their family background, they had never heard of such a thing. He really couldn't tell what the pros and cons were. He could only hide this doubt in his heart and ask when he met someone who understood!
Just as Yue Rulan had said, Ji Lingxi's sudden breakthrough to the eighth peak was a good thing for the current situation.
However, if the martial experts, such as Ling Xiaozui and Dugu Chou, were to find out about this improvement, their eyes would pop out of their sockets!
After a short rest, everyone's mental strength had recovered somewhat.
Ji Lingxi washed her face with the mountain stream water and took a deep breath. "Sister Lan, let's go."
Yue Rulan smiled faintly, a hint of sadness on her face as she said, "I'm afraid we can't leave anymore."
Her eyes looked at the sky through the dense treetops.
Ji Lingxi followed Yue Rulan's gaze and looked up. In the sky, a giant crimson bird was circling back and forth, letting out a shrill cry.
"He actually caught up again!"
Ji Lingxi gritted her teeth in hatred.
Those pursuers were really like ghosts that refused to leave.
Yue Rulan looked worried.
If she had guessed correctly, this short rest was probably a gap that the other party had purposely left for them.
"Lingxi!" Yue Rulan said urgently in a low voice, "Remember what Sister Yue said … If we're separated, don't look for me! Don't go home and don't go to my house … "
Yue Rulan said resolutely, "Go straight to Tiantang City and look for Yun Yang! In the future, don't do anything else, don't care about him! "
Ji Lingxi kept quiet for a bit, a cold, murderous intent gleaming in her eyes as she said, "Sister Lan … so you've guessed it too."
Yue Rulan sighed deeply. "Yes."
"Something must have happened to our family … or perhaps, someone from our family wants to deal with us …"
"We've been away all these years, ignoring our family's orders … I'm afraid we've incurred the family's displeasure … I'm afraid they won't let us go this time!"
Yue Rulan said, "My heart is dead now, but you're different!"
Ji Lingxi gritted her teeth and said, "Sister Lan, I have an idea!"
"What idea?" Yue Rulan asked.
"Split up!" Ji Lingxi said, "But it's not the separation you're thinking of. We'll go our separate ways from the guards!"
"Both of us will go together, hiding our tracks and escaping quietly."
Yue Rulan shuddered. "We'll still be too big of a target if we go together."
"We'll live together and die together." Ji Lingxi gritted her teeth and quickly gathered the guards to make some simple arrangements. Then, she took out her and Yue Rulan's sachets and cut it open, allowing the guards to carry the spices with them.
"Everyone, take care. If we don't go with you, perhaps your chances of escaping will be higher … If you run into danger, there's no need to fight with your lives on the line. The priority is to stay alive … Let's split up and meet up in Tiantang City. "
Ji Lingxi ordered, "Go!"
Ji Lingxi's decisiveness in this critical moment stunned Yue Rulan.
Before she could react, she was pulled into the bushes by Ji Lingxi. Along the way, the grass, roots, and leaves were plucked by Ji Lingxi and rolled into a ball in her hand. She then rubbed it fiercely …
Then, she smeared the juices on both their bodies and faces.
"These juices are enough to get rid of the smell on us. Then, we'll go back. It's a surprise! "
Ji Lingxi gritted her teeth. "No matter what, we can't let them succeed!"
The crimson bird that had appeared out of nowhere was still circling in the sky, making all sorts of postures to give directions.
However, its postures were no longer as orderly as before; they were rather messy.
To be more precise, it was giving directions everywhere.
The targets on the ground were completely scattered. It was obvious that the beast was dumbfounded.
The people who were rushing over were all dumbfounded when they saw the bird's postures in the sky.
What was going on?
There should only be one direction of escape. Even if they split into two groups, there should only be two directions. However, according to the Crimson Bird's signal, there seemed to be seven or eight directions. Could it be that their people were everywhere!?
How many of them were left now?
However, there were also people who were familiar with the crimson bird's habits. They reacted after a moment of confusion. "They should've split up and run in different directions. Wouldn't that be what the crimson bird indicated? Send the signal immediately. Narrow the encirclement and surround them. Don't let anyone go!"
The enemy's hundreds of people immediately rushed into the mountain and launched the most rigorous search.
One of the young men in white looked grim.
If they were completely scattered like this, the spies he had planted would be completely useless.
Ji Lingxi pulled Yue Rulan along as they walked back as carefully as they could. The direction they had intended to head in was already a mess now. Noises could be heard from time to time.
Each time there was a commotion, it meant that one of the eighteen people on their side had been discovered, captured, or killed!
Both the girls' expressions were grim.
It was heavy.
Occasionally, they would glance at each other and see the seriousness and doubt in each other's eyes. What they could be sure of now was that something had gone wrong with their families, but what exactly had gone wrong?
They were still baffled.
…
On the same night.
When Han Wufei left the Residence of Crown Prince, he seemed rather preoccupied. The tower's higher-ups had been coming one after another during this period of time. The situation made Han Wufei feel that something big was about to happen.
What could it be?
Why would so many higher-ups of the tower gather in Yutang's capital? It was inexplicable!
Other than the Four Seasons Tower's matters, there was also the matter of the Residence of Crown Prince that he was responsible for. The crown prince had used a very far-fetched reason to forcefully take it away from him and hand it over to someone else.
Although Han Wufei was still the crown prince's advisor in name, he was actually idle and had become an advisor in name only.
Sitting in his own house with nothing to do, Han Wufei could not help feeling like he might as well go home.
His wife and children were all in his secluded villa; it had been a long time since he had seen them.
Should he make use of this time to go back?
Han Wufei asked the kitchen to prepare a few dishes and drank by himself. He did not know why, but his desire to go home was growing stronger. After a few glasses of wine, the feeling was like a wildfire that could not be controlled.
"I'll bid farewell to His Highness tomorrow morning and go back for a short stay. The capital's situation is strange anyway, it's good for me to leave temporarily," Han Wufei decided inwardly.
Just as he was making up his mind, a sudden gust of wind blew and a loud explosion came from the door.
That was because the entire door had been smashed into smithereens in all directions.
A few guards of the residence were the first to bear the brunt of the impact, their faces bloody and mangled from the flying splinters.
The unforeseen event this time came abruptly and without the slightest sign.
A black silhouette charged in from the door like a phantom, carrying a boundless murderous aura. All the lanterns along the way were extinguished, bringing endless darkness to the Residence of Han.
The uninjured guards of the Residence of Han went forward together, intending to stop the intruder, but the intruder charged at them like a whirlwind, like a dragon that was overturning the seas and rivers. As the cold gleam flashed, blood spurted into the air.
Han Wufei, who was in the room, could hear the sound of the incoming weapon slicing through the air. He knew that the newcomer was not friendly, so he dashed out of the room with a whoosh. Unexpectedly, the masked man in black dashed to him like a hot knife through butter, accompanied by a rain of blood. The masked man's palm was like a knife as he slammed it down!
There was not the slightest bit of sloppiness.
Behind him were the Residence of Han's guards who had been flung out in all directions, but they had yet to land on the ground.
Everything happened abruptly, and it was also extremely fast.
The palm fell with the force of a collapsing mountain!
…
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