Chapter 705: Encountering Old Acquaintances
Jiang Chen recalled the voice he’d heard earlier, but felt it to be rather unfamiliar. It probably belonged to someone he didn’t know. That being said, a person’s voice could be changed. Although Jiang Chen looked like he was pushing his way out along with the bustling crowd as best he could, he eventually split away from the traffic and fell to the back of the crowd on purpose. Suddenly, he glimpsed a man and a woman standing at the city gates. These two figures caused him a great deal of shock.
The woman wasn’t tall, and her countenance wasn’t one that Jiang Chen recognized. However, the curve of her full breasts gave Jiang Chen a distinct sense of deja vu. He was further shocked when he swept his consciousness across the man and found out who they were. Why are they here?
He never would have imagined that he would encounter them in this place! No wonder the curve of that woman’s breasts had seemed so familiar to him. She was none other than Ling Hui’er! Moreover, the man next to her was none other than Ling Hui’er and Ling Bi’er’s father, Ling Su!
Ling Hui’er had disguised herself slightly, but her awe-inspiring breasts were still eye-catching. Jiang Chen naturally wasn’t unfamiliar with them. Although he’d never observed Ling Hui’er’s wonderful breasts on purpose, the woman herself had once daringly grabbed his hand and pushed it onto her own breasts. This incident had left a deep imprint in Jiang Chen’s mind. That was why it was almost impossible for him to mistake Ling Hui’er’s curves. Ling Su himself hadn’t changed much in temperament, although he had gone to the effort of altering his appearance too. Jiang Chen naturally recognized him with a single glance.
Jiang Chen had always thought that the father and daughter duo had been killed back when the Regal Pill Palace had been destroyed. If not dead, he’d thought that they’d at least been captured and sold to the Veluriyam Capital already. How had they possibly turned up here?
For a while, Jiang Chen almost suspected that this was yet another ploy by the Eternal Celestial Capital. However, upon closer inspection, he discovered that the presence they projected was absolutely genuine. He immediately used his consciousness to send them a message, “Junior sister Hui’er, is that you? If it is you, then please head to the eastern side of the city. Don’t say anything or change your expression. I’ll watch over you two.”
Ling Hui’er had obviously been paying attention to the exiting cultivators. She was overjoyed when she heard Jiang Chen’s voice out of nowhere, but immediately calmed down after hearing the instructions that came after. She led her father Ling Su in a dead run to the eastern side of the city.
The Ling father and daughter duo stopped at a certain corner at the eastern side of the city roughly fifteen minutes later. By now, roughly one hundred thousand people had gathered at this part of the city. Jiang Chen and Huang’er took advantage of the crowd to walk up to them. It was obvious that no one was paying attention to them, and they hadn’t drawn any suspicion despite now gathering as a group of four.
“Is that you, senior brother?” Ling Hui’er’s eyes overflowed with expectation. She looked like a lost child who had suddenly found a relative and could hardly hold in her excitement.
“Why are you here, junior sister Hui’er? How did you escape the destruction of the Regal Pill Palace?” Jiang Chen was also curious.
Ling Hui’er’s eyes were dim when she spoke, as if she was about to cry, “When the Regal Pill Palace was destroyed, father and I happened to be picking herbs away from the palace. We heard of the Great Scarlet Mid Region’s invasion when we were outside. I wanted to go back, but father wouldn’t allow me to. Wahhh, senior brother, I miss big sis so much…”
Ling Su stood beside Ling Hui’er. He knew that the person standing right in front of him was Jiang Chen, his benefactor. “Little brother Jiang, Ling Su has not had the chance to thank you for saving my life. I didn’t allow Hui’er to return to the Regal Pill Palace during its plight, and I hope that you won’t blame Hui’er for it. You can place the blame firmly on me…”
Jiang Chen shook his head, “Uncle Ling, you did the right thing. You couldn’t have changed anything even if you had returned. There is more meaning to keeping the hopes of the Regal Pill Palace alive than heading towards certain death. I’m just wondering if the news of the Eternal Celestial Capital capturing Palace Head Dan Chi is real…”
“It’s most likely false. I’ve also heard about this, which is why I’d come to Tai-ah City at the first sign of those rumors. I wasn’t afraid of their inspections since I’m not part of the Regal Pill Palace to begin with. I’ve observed the situation in secret for a while, and believe that it’s a trap set up by the Eternal Celestial Capital. To put it bluntly, they’ve set up a trap right in the open and waited to see if you would step into it,” Ling Su analyzed the situation skillfully.
Jiang Chen nodded, “I too suspected that this is a trap for me. You were the one who shouted just now, right?”
Ling Su chuckled, “I saw that they were moving a large group of wandering cultivators away and worried that you might be inside that group. It would be extremely troublesome if you were taken away by them. I had the idea to announce false news so that things would become just chaotic enough for you to escape. To be honest, it was a pure gamble, but you really were part of that group!”
Jiang Chen was inwardly impressed by Ling Su’s ability to adapt and deal with unexpected situations. While he wasn’t a member of the Regal Pill Palace, he wasn’t lacking in worldly experience in the jianghu at all.
“Oh right. Little brother Jiang,1 you attended the Myriad Grand Ceremony too, right? How is my daughter Bi’er doing?” Ling Su was obviously worried for his other daughter.
“Senior sister Bi’er and I got split up from each other, but she’d already escaped danger when we parted ways. I’m not sure where she is either right now.” Jiang Chen was sad as well when he recalled the destruction of the Regal Pill Palace, and how everyone had become separated from each other once again.
Ling Su’s worries abated when he heard that Ling Bi’er had escaped danger and hadn’t been captured by their enemies. “Bi’er is a lucky girl. I believe that she is fine as well,” Ling Su consoled himself.
Jiang Chen nodded and asked, “Uncle Ling, you’ve just recovered. Why did you suddenly think of picking herbs?”
Ling Su looked a little embarrassed, “Well, I’m not afraid if you laugh at me for this. Back then, I had gotten greedy and accidentally gotten poisoned with the Divine Befuddlement Miasma, right? But this time I have the antidote you made, which is why I thought of going back to check if the fortuitous occurrence I found back then was still around.”
A single stroke of fortune could change a person’s life forever in the martial dao world. It was common for cultivators to take risks in order to discover their fortune. Jiang Chen naturally wouldn’t judge Ling Su’s desire to do so.
“Did you find anything?” Jiang Chen asked curiously.
“That place is fra too dangerous, and there were a lot more poisonous things in there besides the Divine Befuddlement Miasma. Although I am a spirit alchemist, I was unable to go any deeper. I was going to head back and make some more preparations, but the news of the great changes happening in the Myriad Domain reached us right after we emerged from that place. That was why we didn’t dare return. We’ve been roaming around for the past half year until we heard of Palace Head Dan Chi’s capture. That’s why we came to Tai-ah City,” Ling Su sighed when he recounted this experience.
“Wait. Where is that place you mentioned earlier? Is it very close to Tai-ah City?”
“It’s not far. It’s at best a three to four day journey from here. Are you interested as well, little brother Jiang?” Ling Su asked curiously.
Jiang Chen’s response was noncommittal. He asked again, “What’s that place called? Do you have a map?”
“I do.” Ling Su took out a simple map while he said this, “This place is a valley called Infant Shriek. Eerie, strange noises that sound like howling and crying babies echo all year long . At the same time, it’s a deserted place that’s very difficult to find. Most cultivators aren’t willing to enter that place at all because of how much yin energy there is. However, this is a characteristic that actually attracts spirit alchemists. The thicker the yin energy, the more likely there are to be valuable spirit herbs.”
Jiang Chen accepted the map and looked at it for a moment before returning it to Ling Su. A valley called Infant Shriek. Jiang Chen memorized the name. He suddenly asked again, “Uncle Ling, were you poisoned by the Divine Befuddlement Miasma in the valley?”
Ling Su smiled wryly, “Indeed. As the saying goes, the goose hunter had his eyes poked out by a goose instead. I had only entered the outskirts back then, but was poisoned before I’d known it. If I had gone any deeper, I may have been lost entirely.”
“Did you notice anything amiss after you were poisoned?” Jiang Chen asked curiously.
“It was impossible for me to detect anything. I wouldn’t have left at all if I hadn’t hurt my leg. In fact, I didn’t even realize what was going on even after the poison took effect, much less detected that it was the Miasma. It was only after I woke up that I learned from Bi’er it was the Miasma. Speaking of which, your skills are amazing, little brother Jiang.”
Jiang Chen nodded quietly. Ling Su’s experience actually shed some light on certain things. He didn’t delve any deeper into the topic. Ling Hui’er walked up to Jiang Chen and asked, “Senior brother, can we travel together from here on out?”
Jiang Chen smiled wryly, “Junior sister Hui’er, Uncle Ling and you are already safer without anyone interrogating you. You may be in more danger if you come along with us.”
This was the truth. Jiang Chen had a bounty on his head, and who knew how many pairs eyes were watching out for him. Even the slightest mistake could trigger an endless onslaught. Ling Su and Ling Hui’er were both origin realm cultivators. They hadn’t even reached the sage realm yet. If they were to come with him, they would actually become a large burden if the group were ever to be hunted. Ling Hui’er pursed her lips and asked, “You wouldn’t have turned my sis down if she was the one asking, would you?”
Jiang Chen smiled wryly, but wasn’t sure how to answer. Ling Su took over the conversation and scolded her, “Stop making trouble, Hui’er. Little brother Jiang is right. We are both safer if we part ways.”
Ling Su had a wealth of experience and naturally understood that they would only be burden if they were to join Jiang Chen. They wouldn’t draw attention if they were to part ways. Jiang Chen didn’t remain conflicted on this matter. Instead, he took out several high rank escape talismans, “Uncle Ling, here are three high rank escape talismans. If you encounter any forces that you can’t battle, you only need to crush one to escape. I will be heading to the Veluriyam Capital next. If possible, let’s meet there.”
Ling Su wasn’t one to put on airs, but he still accepted only one escape glyph, “Little brother Jiang, these escape talismans are far more useful to you right now. The two of us only need one.”
The quartet had been conversing with each other through silent transmission. That was why they hadn’t drawn anyone’s attention. However, a clamor of swearing suddenly broke out from the front, “Bloody hell, which bastard sent out that fake news just now? There isn’t any great battle on the eastern side of the city at all!”
“Damn it! I’ll dismember that heartless bastard alive!”
“Alright, alright, time to go back. Who knows, maybe Jiang Chen’s already slipped into Tai-ah City and rescued Palace Head Dan Chi already!”
“Hehe, is this another diversion?” There were plenty of furious looking wandering cultivators returning back to the city, cursing loudly as they jockeyed for the best position.
Jiang Chen threw Ling Su a glance and parted ways with the father daughter duo. He wasn’t being cruel, but that it really wasn’t convenient for them to stay in contact with each other for much longer. If he was discovered, he would only implicate the Ling father and daughter as well. It was at this moment an enormous amount of sect disciples suddenly appeared in this area. The leader of the group cried out, “All wandering cultivators are not allowed to leave the city! You will all enter the city! Only those who have been inspected will be allowed to leave! All those who do not heed our orders will be killed!”
The overbearing Eternal Celestial Capital was obviously planning to lock down the entire city!
1. Ling Su’s use of “little brother” here is actually a mark of great respect, he means to call Jiang Chen his older brother, but obviously it’s a little weird to call someone your kid’s age “older brother”, hence the translation.