Chapter 17 The Night Before Farewell
The carriage moved steadily along the city streets.
The carriage was spacious, with thick white velvet cushions everywhere and a heater burning in the middle, completely blocking out the cold from outside.
As soon as Ji Mingran stepped into the carriage, he was steadily supported by someone:
"Be careful."
Ji Mingran didn't hold back at all, leaning against the arm supporting her like a deflated balloon, and poured out all her pent-up words: "Yu Tianxing, this county town is really big, with cultivators running around everywhere, it's really interesting. I just saw a cultivator use a teleportation spell, but when he appeared, he bumped into a cultivator who was still invisible. The two of them started arguing and fighting, with spells flashing back and forth, but everyone else just continued to walk around and do business as if nothing had happened..."
"Speak slowly, catch your breath." Yu Tianxing settled the incessantly talking person on the central couch covered with mattresses, and then used a thick plush cushion to surround her completely.
Ji Mingran sat in the center of the carriage, surrounded by thick cushions, so he felt no bumps at all.
A cup of hot tea was handed to me.
"Drink it first." Yu Tianxing remained seated by the window, carefully observing her expression: "Are you alright?"
Ji Mingran was very excited: "I think it's okay." As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes, nose, mouth and ears felt hot and something slowly flowed down.
Ji Mingran: "..." What does it mean to be slapped in the face? This is what it means to be slapped in the face.
Yu Tianxing remained calm, nudging the teacup in Ji Mingran's hand: "Drink up." His usually unhurried voice held a barely perceptible hint of urgency.
Without saying a word, Ji Mingran tilted his head back and downed the tea in one gulp. The tea was warm but not scalding, and as soon as it went down his throat, wisps of steam rose from his stomach.
Blood was flowing from all over his face, but he couldn't care less. Ji Mingran immediately closed his eyes and focused on absorbing spiritual energy.
Yu Tianxing moved closer, staring intently at the pale, blood-soaked face before him, which resembled a vengeful ghost. His gaze followed the flow of blood downwards, the blood droplets teetering on the verge of falling.
He stretched out his hand in a daze, and a thick, dark bead of blood smashed open in his palm, causing his long, thick eyelashes to tremble.
"Click." The drawer of the desk clicked softly. Without turning his head, Yu Tianxing took out a handkerchief and wiped the person in front of him.
However, the bleeding continued, soaking the handkerchief thoroughly and even causing blood to seep out.
Yu Tianxing put the handkerchief aside, took out a clean handkerchief, and wiped her again and again.
The bleeding gradually stopped.
Ji Mingran opened his eyes and met a pair of dark, deep eyes.
"Not bad?" he said.
Ji Mingran rolled his eyes around. The once dazzlingly white carriage was now covered in bloodstains, and Yu Tianxing was surrounded by layers of blood-stained handkerchiefs, making it seem like he was at a murder scene.
The crimson blood reflected on the pure white background was glaringly obvious, all of which indicated the moment she had been slapped in the face. Ji Mingran sat up straight and said sincerely, "It seems I've overdrawn my energy a bit."
When she first entered the city, she felt a sharp, tingling pain in her head, as if she were being pricked by needles, and she was also cold. But at that time, she was new to the bustling city and everything was new and exciting. In her high-spirited and focused state, she felt that nothing serious happened.
It wasn't until she got into the carriage, where it was comfortable and warm, and she saw Yu Tianxing, that her tense nerves relaxed, and her exhausted body began to show a violent reaction.
“I told you, I can take you into the city. You didn’t have to force yourself.” Yu Tianxing stared at her intently, his eyes as black as ink, as if the drop of dark blood had just fallen into them rather than into his tightly clenched hand.
"There's no need to make a big fuss; my method will work. Besides, we're running out of time."
Yu Tianxing's brow twitched slightly, and he lowered his eyes: "If you think it can be done, then it definitely will be done." He paused, his cold voice carrying a hint of helplessness: "No matter what."
Activating a formation using spiritual power is not difficult for her, so it shouldn't be this difficult.
Yu Tianxing took the teacup from Ji Mingran and refilled her teacup: "Three."
Ji Mingran gave a thumbs up and nodded vigorously: "You still managed to find out."
Over the years, she has memorized all the books in Boss Jiang's room. The books were often obscure and difficult to understand, so she would ask Boss Jiang whenever she had the chance. When he was in a good mood, he would occasionally offer some guidance, briefly summarizing the meaning.
Boss Jiang was only talking about formations.
She wanted to learn. But the boss said her skill level was too low and he would only teach three students, and the others would be taught after her skill level improved.
After careful consideration, she selected the Vajra Array, the Teleportation Array, and the Domain Blessing Array. The first two were used to save her life and escape, respectively, while the last one was used to enhance her ability to save her life and escape.
The reason is simple: in her past life, she made a fatal mistake and died in her tattered protective gear.
She calmed herself down and resolved that she would never repeat the same mistake in her life.
As Mr. Jiang said, her cultivation level was insufficient, and she learned very slowly.
She studied these three formations day and night, practicing diligently.
Even now, at only the Qi Refining stage, she can easily convert external spiritual energy into her own and control any one of the three formations.
But only "one of them" is allowed.
The idea of simultaneously activating and driving multiple formations had sprouted many years ago. However, despite her profound familiarity with formations, she was always limited by her own spiritual power and could not draw upon Boss Jiang's high-level spiritual power, so she could only ever think about it.
Now, needing to enter the city and encountering Fu Daolan, the opportunity to hone her skills came at just the right time. There were risks, but she succeeded in the end.
Ji Mingran smiled with satisfaction at the thought.
Staring at the man with a bloodied face who was still grinning, Yu Tianxing's brows furrowed slightly, and his voice was icy: "Didn't you find a single one of those people from the Void Sect?"
Upon entering the city, he realized something was amiss. In order to obtain the medicine as soon as possible, he had no choice but to instruct Ji Mingran to stay where he was and leave immediately to make arrangements and retrieve the elixir.
She had hoped that the Nihilists could look after her for a while, but they left without hesitation, abandoning her right there.
He clenched his fist and then relaxed it.
Fortunately, we got back in time.
"Discovered?" Ji Mingran's face scrunched up. After racking his brains for a while, he gave an irrelevant answer: "Oh, Shao Qing discovered that I had activated the formation and asked me how I managed to borrow spiritual power."
Ji Mingran had never been in contact with other cultivation sects and had no idea that his manipulation of multiple formations during his Qi Refining stage not only completely overturned Shao Qingshang's understanding but was also enough to shake the entire cultivation world.
She naturally assumed that Shao Qingshang knew that he had activated three formations, and that he was just curious about how he could borrow spiritual power.
However, Shao Qingshang believed that Ji Mingran had cleverly taken advantage of the gaps in the great formation and received the help of Fu Daolan's peak Foundation Establishment spiritual power, thus enabling him to activate the teleportation array and resist the city's protective formation in one fell swoop, successfully entering the city.
If Shao Qing knew the truth, she would not be fooled by her energetic appearance and would definitely examine and treat her injuries no matter what.
However, the person involved was not so kind.
"Oh, by the way, Shao Qingshang didn't look well at the time, so I seized the opportunity to do some business. The income was considerable. I'll send a message to Xiao Can to make arrangements later!" Ji Mingran said excitedly. "Also, I met..."
Looking at the person who was smiling so openly and calmly, Yu Tianxing knew that she had misunderstood his question again.
As long as people are alright.
"No rush, tell me more later." He reached out and gently placed his hand over Ji Mingran's eyes: "Go to sleep first."
She has always been in the habit of ignoring how tired she is, and if not reminded, she will always push herself to the point of exhaustion before she will stop.
Ji Mingran wanted to say something more. But the room was warm, and the faint scent of plum blossoms had just touched his face when a deep weariness swept over him like a flood.
In a moment of distraction, her consciousness seemed to finally find an opportunity to immediately shut itself off, and she fell asleep instantly.
*
Even at night, Minghua County remains bustling with activity and brightly lit. Shops and vendors still have their doors open for business, and taverns and teahouses are packed with guests.
The number of patrolling soldiers was even greater than during the day, their tense and menacing expressions fixed on every corner of the street.
The county town was even more bustling at night than during the day, with crowds seemingly pouring onto the streets to play and have fun, as if they would never sleep.
However, at the slightest disturbance, everyone paused slightly, their smiles faltering for a moment, before quickly regaining their composure and continuing their playful antics.
Beneath the noisy atmosphere, a subtle, indescribable tension permeated the air.
Nowadays, people of all kinds in Minghua County are preoccupied with their own thoughts and unable to sleep, so they simply wander around and have fun outside.
There was only one place where, while the outside was enveloped in layers of noise, the inside was surprisingly tranquil.
In the darkened room, only the dim, hazy moonlight stubbornly climbed through the windowpanes, onto the bed, and fell upon the face of the sleeping person.
The person on the bed was sleeping soundly, like a corpse.
"Is he alright?" The maidservant who was waiting couldn't help but wonder. Just as she was about to check his breathing, the person who had been sleeping like a corpse suddenly sat up.
There was a cracking sound; something was broken.
"Young Miss is awake?" The startled maid regained her composure and groped in the dark to hide the teacup that had broken in two.
She lit the candle and came over to drape a coat over the person who had just woken up. "The weather has been getting colder these days, young lady. You must keep warm and avoid catching a cold. Did you get tired from going out today? You were sleeping so soundly, it scared me to death."
Ji Mingran stared at the maid without moving and did not respond.
The maid continued, "Young Miss has been sleeping for a long time. The young master has been waiting for you, saying he would have dinner with you when you wake up."
Ji Mingran remained silent, but let the maid do as she pleased and followed her out of the room.
The room is spacious, and the area outside the door is so large that it can make you lose your way.
The covered walkways wind and twist, their destination unknown.
The maid led the way, with Ji Mingran following behind.
The other maids and servants she encountered along the way would stop and bow to greet her naturally, saying, "Greetings, young lady."
Then, someone claiming to be her wet nurse suddenly appeared, shouting that she hadn't put on a cloak and was wrapped up tightly, and nagging about how she had been so playful and hadn't paid attention to the time, tiring herself out, and so on. Then, suddenly remembering that she hadn't eaten, she released her and herded her like a sheep, ordering her maid to take her away quickly.
Everyone treated her with extreme familiarity, as if she had always lived there and was the "little miss" they referred to.
But Ji Mingran was certain that she had not time-traveled again.
The maid led her to an exquisite courtyard and stood in front of a tightly closed door, saying, "Miss, please go in. The young master is waiting for you." The maid bowed and then withdrew.
There was no one else in the courtyard. Ji Mingran pushed open the door. The room was brightly lit by candlelight, and a man sat upright at the table, dressed in fine clothes, his hair tied with a jade crown. He was tall and slender, exuding an air of noble elegance. He looked at her with a smile, like a plum blossom blooming proudly in the snow.
Just then, a hairy head peeked out from his collar, also staring at her expectantly.
"Is it okay to be so ostentatious?" Ji Mingran stepped across the threshold. The room was warm, and she placed her cloak aside.
Yu Tianxing nodded and showed Ji Mingran the table full of delicacies, saying, "Come and eat." Upon hearing this, the little chick excitedly stretched its neck, wanting to jump onto the table as well, but Yu Tianxing pressed it down with his hand, saying, "You wait here."
The chicks were drooping their heads.
Ji Mingran sat down and leaned closer to observe the listless chick: "It's so energetic, it seems that the battle formation didn't affect it."
“It’s very good.” Yu Tianxing looked down at Ji Mingran, a smile in his eyes, and explained carefully: “The Bai family is a native aristocratic family in Minghua County. They have always been at odds with me and have been suppressed by me. Their elders were bullied to death by me, leaving only their young children. Therefore, they are my sworn enemies. Later, the Bai family reported me for treason and was rewarded. After my downfall, they were supported by my brother’s faction and became the richest family in Minghua County. As comrades who share the same hatred, they will not be suspected here.”
"Where did the original Bai family children go?" Ji Mingran asked in confusion.
Yu Tianxing added some meat to Ji Mingran's bowl and said slowly, "There has never been a Bai family clan, let alone any Bai family children."
"Okay." Ji Mingran understood; he had secretly planted his own people long before anyone could have predicted it. She took a couple of bites of meat, then leaned closer to offer some minced meat to the chick, and continued to ask, "Aren't all of these people yours?" Otherwise, why would everyone be putting on this act?
“Yes, all of them. But only if I believe it myself will others believe it,” Yu Tianxing said.
Ji Mingran looked up and met Yu Tianxing's gaze: "Judging from this, you're very well prepared." He's the richest man in the city, so there's no need to elaborate on other matters.
“Yes.” Yu Tianxing did not deny it, and the corners of his mouth turned up. He even revealed a little-known detail: “Long before I took control of Minghua County.”
Those eyes, usually as desolate as a night pool, seemed to fall into the moonlight, reflecting a clear and bright radiance.
His eyes were full of hope.
But Ji Mingran seemed to have finished asking questions, and instead showed a stronger interest in the food on the table. He stopped feeding the chicks and turned back to focus on eating.
Yu Tianxing's upturned lips slightly pursed.
Over the years, he has always answered Ji Mingran's questions, but she has never asked many.
She only focused on what was in front of her, such as the new ingredients on the table or the new items he brought back. She was never curious about what he had done after his sudden disappearance or what would happen to him in the future.
She only focuses on the present.
But tonight is different.
Tonight is different.
"There are sixteen cities and counties in the Qiwang Mountains, and my men are lying in ambush both inside and outside the cities." He said softly, "Mingsheng is the most important city in the mountains. I will launch a night raid to take it and cut off the junction between the cities."
"The moment the Heavenly Gate Formation is activated will be the moment when troops rise up everywhere. At that time, cultivators will move in unison and will be unable to attend to everything. I will take all sixteen cities in one night."
"That's great!" Ji Mingran, who was wolfing down her food, finally looked up, her clear eyes filled with joy. "You've been planning for so long, I think your chances of success are very high." After saying that, she didn't forget to clap her hands.
Yu Tianxing paused for a moment, then finally raised his eyes to meet Ji Mingran's gaze. His dark pupils swirled with hidden emotions, and he smiled gently, saying, "If you stay, you can have whatever you want in the future."
Ji Mingran flatly refused: "No way."
Yu Tianxing's upturned lips stiffened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure and said, "Indeed. I expected it."
"You want my help?" Ji Mingran wasn't completely oblivious to his emotional fluctuations. He said seriously, "Then I'll stay. I said I would definitely help you."
Yu Tianxing lowered his eyes, hesitated several times as if he wanted to say something, and looked conflicted.
Finally, he sighed, "I don't want to lie to you."
"I am fully confident of victory."
His long, slender, fair hands clenched into fists under the table. His usually cold, aloof, and composed voice was now low, hoarse, and dry: "Go do what you want to do."
Ji Mingran asked in return, "Do you want to come with me? If you do, I will protect you with my life."
The flickering candlelight seemed to fade for a moment.
Yu Tianxing closed his eyes and then opened them again, whispering, "I can't."
For a moment, the air fell silent.
The two remained silent.
They knew all too well that their minds were made up.
The arrow is already on the bowstring; there is no reason for them to stop.
"Clatter." The crisp sound of bamboo chopsticks hitting the chopstick rest broke the silence.
Ji Mingran reached out and patted the head of the quiet chick, and said simply, "Then let's set off."
Yu Tianxing remained silent for a long time before looking up at her: "I will send a signal to see you off."
As they traveled outwards, those carrying lanterns to lead the way, those preparing, and those at hand all performed their duties in an orderly and skillful manner. Servants encountered along the way remained unhurried as they bowed and gave way.
The maid and wet nurse rushed over. The former kept saying, "Miss, you should wear something warmer," while carefully tying her cloak. The latter kept nagging, "It's so late, and Miss still wants to go out and play. Only the young master spoils you." After saying that, she stuffed a hand warmer into her hands.
It was as if this was just an ordinary, impromptu night outing for the Bai siblings.
The four horse-drawn carriages, which had been waiting quietly outside the door during the day, were already there.
The two boarded the carriage, and the tall, fine horse galloped swiftly and lightly toward the rear gate of Minghua County.
Inside the carriage, Yu Tianxing was quietly pondering something, without uttering a word.
Ji Mingran closed her eyes and focused her breathing. She had sensed something when she first entered the county.
Although it was negligible, her Qi cultivation was indeed not as smooth as usual, with a slight stagnation. Now, by replenishing her depleted spiritual energy with spiritual tea and food, her body has recovered most of its strength, but the faint feeling of stagnation still lingers.
Since it's not due to physical reasons, there must be a place quietly absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
It was not caused by the formation that enveloped the town.
Although the formation was complex, she was able to deduce the direction of the spiritual energy flow.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth comes from the sky, disperses to the earth, and then gathers back up. In short, it is widely dispersed and gathered in all directions.
Aside from external interference, spiritual energy always flows freely among all things in the world.
Like the complex array that covers the entire town, or the spiritual energy of heaven and earth absorbed by a great cultivator, no matter how diverse the flow, it will eventually only gather and condense in the center, and will not flow outward in a unified manner.
Ji Mingran's spiritual sense touched a wisp of spiritual energy, which was about to be absorbed by the protective array. She slowly redirected the energy, drawing it towards herself. Suddenly, the spiritual energy trembled slightly, but then recovered.
The extremely subtle and fleeting change was precisely captured by Ji Mingran.
The spiritual energy is attempting to shift.
Ji Mingran opened his eyes. Apart from the spiritual energy absorbed by the array surrounding the town, the spiritual energy within the prefecture was quietly flowing in another direction.
What can cause the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to change direction?
Only earth-shattering magic and grand formations can achieve this.
Tianmen is an example of such a formation.
Ji Mingran lifted the car window curtain, letting the chilly night air fill the car.
Before they knew it, they had already left through the back gate of the county town, departed from Minghua County, and headed towards Qiwang Mountain.
The towering mountain peaks appear as if they have been cleanly severed on one side, with a new peak abruptly rising from the cut, its tip pointing straight to the sky. Because of its unusual shape, resembling the horn of a giant beast forcibly inserted into the cut, it is named Half Cliff Corner.
Ji Mingran reached his hand out of the window, his fingertips swirling with the spiritual energy that seemed to be struggling to break free and escape.
Just a moment ago, it was facing that direction, but it was slightly off.
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