"...To prevent my child from falling behind in his studies, I need to find him a school there to continue his education. The expenses will definitely be considerable; so I plan to find a temporary job there when I get there."
Zhang Yao laughed after hearing Chu Lan's words and said, "That Chu Mei says she's not Chu Mei, but she takes very good care of you two!"
Chu Lan: "So, you shouldn't get angry with her anymore. She's just outwardly cold."
The three parted ways at the restaurant entrance. Chu Lan took Hu Xin to the school to complete the procedures for temporarily suspending her studies, and then took Hu Xin back to their apartment. After packing their things, they received a WeChat message from Zhang Yao informing them that she had bought train tickets for 11 p.m.
Chu Lan took her child and pulled her suitcase out the door, but before she even reached the stairwell, she heard Zhou Cong and Yang Qiuyu talking from behind the corner, which startled her so much that her face turned pale instantly.
She quickly turned around, pulling the child along, and walked to the elevator via another stairwell. Little did she know that her simple, mortal tricks could hardly fool two cultivators.
Thinking she had escaped the clutches of these two men, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief and took the child into the elevator. She pressed the button for the first floor, but the elevator abruptly stopped just as it reached the thirteenth floor.
However, the elevator doors did not open. She tried pressing the open button, but the elevator seemed to be broken and did not respond.
The elevator paused for a moment, then whooshed upwards. Chu Lan gasped in fright, guessing that Zhou Cong and Yang Qiuyu already knew she was trying to escape with the child, and must have used magic to pull the elevator back up.
Her guess was pretty accurate, but she underestimated the mindset of these people accustomed to being high and mighty. They looked down on ordinary people like Chu Lan, regarding their lives as worthless, but they didn't mind letting the mother and daughter find some amusement—after all, they actually tried to escape!
So, after the elevator went up a few floors, it suddenly stopped again.
"Mom, I'm scared!" Hu Xin said, trembling with fear.
What could Chu Lan do? She could only hold the child tightly in her arms, lean against the elevator, and hold onto the handrail.
The elevator started descending again, and this time it didn't stop, but went straight to the first floor.
Chu Lan breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed her child with one hand and her suitcase with the other, and quickly got off the elevator. She hurriedly left the building, but as soon as she walked along the path in the green belt of the apartment, she suddenly felt a gust of wind in front of her face.
At the same time, a mocking female voice said, "She actually walked out of the elevator safely!" As she spoke, Yang Qiuyu, whom they had met during the day, appeared in front of the two of them.
Startled, Chu Lan quickly pulled Hu Xin behind her and asked in a trembling voice, "What exactly do you want?"
"Ha!" Zhou Cong's laughter came from behind.
Chu Lan turned around and saw Zhou Cong walking out of the darkness. He said, "Chu Lan, we are not interested in you and your daughter. We just want to know the whereabouts of the Chu Mei you mentioned."
Chu Lan: "Do you think I could possibly know where someone like her is?!"
Zhou Cong: "You may not know this, but as long as we have control over you and your daughter, she should come to us on her own."
Yang Qiuyu said, "Don't blame us. We also lost something and just wanted to ask her about it."
Chu Lan asked in confusion, "What did you lose?" After a pause, she added, "Chu Mei wouldn't steal other people's things."
Yang Qiuyu chuckled twice and said, "You have no idea about the survival rules in our circle."
These days, there are very few people who practice cultivation.
Zhou Cong and Yang Qiuyu had analyzed the situation carefully. Since the community's surveillance footage did not capture any suspicious individuals, the person who stole the Night-Shining Pearl and the Ancient Sword was likely a cultivator like themselves, possessing magical abilities that would allow them to evade surveillance.
So when they discovered the scent of medicinal herbs on Hu Xin, they thought of the two valuable artifacts they had lost. Of course, they couldn't let this opportunity pass and were determined to find out the truth.
Zhou Cong said coldly, "Come with us!" As he spoke, he reached out to grab Chu Lan's arm.
Suddenly, Hu Xin called out, "Auntie!"
Zhou Cong and Yang Qiuyu were both startled. Following Hu Xin's gaze, they turned their heads to look and saw a bright-eyed, fair-skinned girl lying leisurely on the branch of a red maple tree in the green belt not far away.
Her features were exactly the same as Chu Lan's, but her temperament was exceptionally refined and extraordinary. She wore a white Tang suit that appeared to be made of silk, but there was energy swirling around it—it was actually a magic robe.
"You two, are you looking for me?" Chu Nian asked with a faint smile, gesturing for Chu Lan to leave with the child.
Chu Lan was about to leave with her child and luggage when Zhou Cong shouted, "Stop!"
Although Chu Lan was terrified, she didn't want to stop, but her feet moved on their own. However, she soon found that she had regained her mobility.
"You cowards, how dare you be so presumptuous!" Chu Nian's voice rang out, clearly indicating that she had used magic to remove the restrictions Zhou Cong had placed on the mother and daughter.
Chu Lan dared not delay any longer. She grabbed Hu Xin and Xing Li and fled the residential area as quickly as possible. They took a taxi and rushed to the station.
Seeing that Chu Nian easily broke free from his immobilization spell, Zhou Cong was quite surprised. You must know that he was once a Celestial Lord in the Immortal Realm, and even in terms of the magic of the Spirit Realm, the number and types he mastered were far beyond what those cultivators in the Spirit Realm could compare to.
Before Zhou Cong could even react with surprise, Yang Qiuyu coldly asked Chu Nian, "You are Chu Mei?"
Chu Nian: "I am not Chu Mei. They just mistook me for Chu Mei."
Yang Qiuyu: "Then who are you?"
Chu Nian smiled and said, "Guess."
Yang Qiuyu rolled her eyes and scoffed.
Zhou Cong said, "As far as we know, there are not many cultivators left in the world today."
Chu Nian: "I am not a cultivator."
Zhou Cong frowned and asked, "Then what are you?"
Chu Nianfu smiled again and said, "Guess."
Zhou Cong immediately felt short of breath.
Yang Qiuyu paused for a moment, then said, "Although it might be a bit presumptuous of us to say this, we still have to ask. We've lost two items; do you know their whereabouts?"
Chu Nian nodded and said, "I know."
Yang Qiuyu was startled and exchanged a glance with Zhou Cong. Although they had guessed that this woman might be related to their lost items because the number of cultivators in this world was very limited, they hadn't expected her to be so frank and admit it directly.
Zhou Cong asked, "Did you take them?"
Chu Nian pondered for a moment and said, "What you said isn't quite accurate."
Zhou Cong: "What do you mean?"
Chu Nian smiled coldly, her gaze towards the two becoming ten times colder, and said, "That knife is me." Suddenly, she transformed into her true form.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
