Chapter 30: Cursing and swearing, Guan Wangzhen wondered why he was so unlucky!
The sound of horses neighing seemed so close just moments before. But as Ji Mingran followed the direction, the sound suddenly ceased, and even the initial roar was gone.
I wasn't hallucinating. Ji Mingran was certain of this, carefully memorizing the way back to the teleportation array while exploring further afield.
If there are still no clues within a thousand paces, she will return along the same route.
After all, she had promised Zhu Shibai.
It is said that Zhu Shibai is a disciple of Quanfeng. This place is unusually humid, and waterfalls can be seen everywhere. Could it be that this mountain range belongs to or is close to Quanfeng?
In comparison, the dense forest where Shen Qingluo was encountered was not as damp. Shen Qingluo was a disciple of Yaofeng. Although the dense forest between Luanfeng and Yaofeng belonged to Linfeng, it was actually close to Yaofeng, so it was normal for her to appear there.
But even if Shen Qingluo's horse is extraordinary, can it cross the peak region and run this far?
Ji Mingran made random speculations, and before he knew it, his pace had slowed down.
"I said, it's only been a few days, how come you've gotten into such a terrible state again?"
Who's speaking? Ji Mingran cautiously stopped in his tracks.
"It stinks!" The speaker was a man, and his voice suddenly became louder, full of disgust: "Go away, go away, quickly tidy yourself up."
Then a splashing sound of water rang out.
Ji Mingran silently squatted down, letting the thicket of broad leaves completely conceal him.
She moved so lightly that she didn't make a sound.
The man paused for a moment, then suddenly asked with great interest, "Hey, have you heard about what happened at Luanfeng?"
Luanfeng.
I'd love to hear about it.
Ji Mingran released some of his strength, and the bear arm on her back slowly slid down to touch the ground.
With the ground supporting her, the pressure on her back decreased dramatically.
But the man said dejectedly, "Huh? You know? How boring. Looks like you haven't been in seclusion for long, look at you in this state. What are you planning this time?"
He asked a series of questions, but no one answered; only the sound of rushing water.
He was talking to himself like a madman.
Ji Mingran stroked his chin, deciding it would be best to leave quietly after he was gone.
But this person's voice sounds somewhat familiar.
The voice on the other end rang out again: "Oh, you almost changed the subject. That's not my point. What I wanted to say is that Luanfeng is no good person!" He raised his voice again: "I gave her a ride, waited for her for a month, and she repaid kindness with treachery, kicking me down the mountain! My back still hurts! Look at that!"
Ji Mingran paused, his fingertips resting on his chin, and recognized who was speaking.
Silently listening to Guan Wangzhen's repeated accusations against her, Ji Mingran squatted in place for a long time until the sound of the water being stirred stopped. Only then did she slowly stick her head out from among the broad leaves and speak up to defend herself.
"I'm a good person. You were the one who kicked my kite first."
Her gaze met that of the two of them.
A man squatted on a rock, holding up two fingers with a half-burnt piece of paper emitting wisps of smoke between them. Behind the paper was Guan Wangzhen, who had fiery red hair and was dumbfounded after being caught talking behind someone's back.
Another handsome and refined man, dressed in a sky-blue robe, with his black hair tied up high and a white ribbon fluttering in the wind, stood by the pool with his hands behind his back, glancing sideways at Guan Wangzhen with a smile on his lips.
"You, you, you, what are you doing here?" Guan Wangzhen felt guilty at first, but then he thought to himself that he was just telling the truth, so what was there to be guilty about? So he immediately became righteous and said, "I did this in a hurry so that you could make it to the exam. You kicked me on purpose."
He turned his gaze to the refined-looking man and complained, "She's Ji Mingran, the new guy from Luanfeng! She attacked a fellow disciple, and she won't admit her mistake."
Ji Mingran said confidently, "I didn't launch a sneak attack. When the kite almost fell the first time, I warned you that if it happened again, you would be in trouble."
"Ji Mingran, you're talking nonsense! I don't remember anything about it. Even if it did happen, it was at least a month ago." Guan Wangzhen jumped up and down: "That's some kind of warning."
He wanted to say something more, but the man beside him spoke up to mediate: "Wang Zhen, your Grandmaster Ji has only recently entered Luanfeng, but she has always been of the same generation as your master. It is inappropriate to call her by her first name."
Guan Wangzhen huffed, "Why are you making such a fuss over such a small thing! Fine, fine, she's of the same generation as the old folks, I'll call her Grandma Ji, okay?" He pointed at Ji Mingran with his index finger, "She bullied me!"
Grandma? Ji Mingran, who was confronting Guan Wangzhen, was completely confused. In a flash, she felt she understood what the man in the sky-blue robe meant. She immediately acknowledged the seniority and said with her hands on her hips, "Yes, I am your grandma. Show some respect."
The man in the sky-blue robe looked at the two with a strange expression: "Regarding the form of address... that's not what I meant." He struggled for a moment and then sighed: "Uncle-Master, didn't you go back? Why are you here?"
go back?
Ji Mingran was taken aback, his gaze sweeping over the refined and handsome man.
"Zhu...Zhu Shibai?"
Although their appearances were identical, the muscular blacksmith from a short time ago had transformed into a handsome and elegant young man. The drastically different aura made her unable to recognize him at first.
Ji Mingran's gaze fell upon the pool. What kind of magical pool was this? One that could change a person's appearance.
So the sound of rushing water just now wasn't Guan Wangzhen washing his feet, but Zhu Shibai taking a bath.
Don't the people here know how to perform purification rituals? Why do they still need to soak in the pool?
Fortunately, she was cautious and waited until the sound of water stopped before coming out.
“I heard the neighing of horses, so I came here,” Ji Mingran answered truthfully.
"Horses neighing?" Zhu Shibai pondered for a moment and said, "Wild horses are rarely seen in the Quanfeng Peak area. Perhaps other disciples have arrived." He looked at Ji Mingran with a solemn expression: "Uncle-Master, just now, Fengshu Hall of Linfeng issued a new mission: to capture the Purple-Scaled Red Python that escaped from the Yaofeng Forbidden Area. Disciples from other peak areas are gathering here, perhaps they have already discovered the Red Python's whereabouts. The Red Python is already at the Golden Core stage, and its danger level is extremely high. Uncle-Master, it would be best to return immediately."
Ji Mingran was about to nod in agreement when Guan Wangzhen said, "She is also a direct disciple, so why shouldn't she participate in the mission? Feng Shu Hall has said that outer disciples should give way, inner disciples can participate voluntarily, but direct disciples must participate."
"Your martial uncle has just entered the sect and hasn't reached the Qi Refining stage yet, so don't be silly." Zhu Shibai frowned.
“She’s our grandma, don’t underestimate her. She may be small, but I think she’s very capable.” Guan Wangzhen muttered, “She even dares to kick people and cause trouble.”
Zhu Shibai ignored him and said to Ji Mingran, "I'll take you back."
Guan Wangzhen waved the still-smoky yellow paper in his hand: "Don't worry, the giant snake hasn't developed any consciousness yet. It's a wild beast that eats raw meat and drinks blood. There are no prey for it here. Besides, my Annihilation Talisman is still effective. It can cover up the presence of living people, so it won't come here unless there's something wrong with it."
"It's better to be safe than sorry." Zhu Shibai's gaze was serious.
“I think you’re the most dangerous one.” Guan Wangzhen wrinkled his nose, his face full of disgust: “After using the purification technique and soaking in the pool, the fishy smell on you is even stronger. Why don’t you wash again?”
Ji Mingran asked curiously, "You seem to know quite a bit about these beasts."
Guan Wangzhen said smugly, "Of course, no one in the sect knows the situation of the creatures in various places within the Dingsheng Sect better than me. Let me tell you something else: this snake loves to devour the sawtooth bears in the Yaofeng Peak area. Although I don't know how it escaped from Yaofeng, it will naturally return by following the scent of the sawtooth bears. I heard that those belligerent guys in Yaofeng are also chasing the sawtooth bears everywhere, trying to lure the snake back to its den."
“Sawtooth bear,” Ji Mingran repeated, then asked, “Is it a very ferocious black bear?”
“Yes,” Guan Wangzhen replied lazily.
"A ferocious black bear with a loud voice?" Ji Mingran asked again for confirmation.
"right."
"A ferocious black bear with sharp, long teeth and a loud voice?" Ji Mingran asked cautiously.
“Right…wait, that’s not right!” Guan Wangzhen turned to stare at Ji Mingran: “You’ve seen him before?”
Ji Mingran grabbed behind him, and half of a bear's arm tumbled out from the bushes.
"This might be the arm of a sawtooth bear. I found it near Luanfeng and brought it here, intending to carry it back as a reserve of food."
Guan Wangzhen stared blankly, then panicked: "No way, no way, you're lying, right?"
“It’s true.” Zhu Shibai said calmly and affirmatively. “I saw it. She was carrying it just now. I was with her just now, so I picked up her scent.”
Guan Wangzhen muttered, "It's over." Two more ignited talismans appeared at his fingertips, and he said quickly and urgently, "Come here! I don't want that bear arm anymore!"
Before he finished speaking, a radiant light shone beside him, and Ji Mingran appeared beside him, looking regretful: "Alright then."
A light reappeared in the distance, emanating from the spot where the bear's arm had been placed. Then, the bear's arm disappeared from the spot. Several beams of light reappeared in succession, and the bear's arm finally reappeared ten meters away from the spot.
As soon as the bear's arm appeared, an attack roared towards the spot where the arm had appeared. The shockwave from the attack carried branches and soil, which rolled and pressed down on the surrounding bushes and giant trees.
Ji Mingran changed position, Xiong Bi teleported, and attacked suddenly. All the changes happened in an instant, and Guan Wangzhen had just finished saying his warning.
He turned to look at Ji Mingran standing beside him, paused for a moment, and said, "Thank goodness I reminded you. Otherwise, I would have lost my life! How could this snake monster appear so suddenly?"
Whether in the past or present, decisiveness is an instinct ingrained in Ji Mingran's bones. He accepts all advice from others without needing to say anything more.
Ji Mingran stared blankly ahead.
This isn't a prehistoric creature?
A terrifyingly thick snake slithered through the bushes, its head and tail nowhere to be seen. Each of the purplish-red scales on its body was thicker than the waist of an adult man.
This was a real python; she had only ever seen such a colossal creature in books left behind by humans from her previous life.
Zhu Shibai withdrew his gaze and quietly released the hand seal he had formed: "The array that my martial uncle used is truly admirable." His reaction was equally swift, no less than that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The formation was activated in quick succession, and while dodging, they also decisively teleported their bear arms; otherwise, the place that was flattened by the snake tail would be where they are standing now.
Fortunately, for an adult purple-scaled red python, a single giant fang is too small. It smells the scent but fails to detect the bear's arm, and thus only attacks with a casual tail sweep. The fact that the bear's arm was knocked aside proves this point.
Despite being praised, Ji Mingran only frowned and stared at the bear arm in the same spot.
It's not easy to take. Although the Vajra Formation preserved the bear's arm intact, taking the bear's arm away...
Forget it. Ji Mingran quickly dismissed the idea and tried to use the teleportation array to send the bear arm to a more distant place.
However, after several attempts, she could no longer use the teleportation array by summoning it with her mind. With her current cultivation level, she could only barely use the array within a ten-meter range, and the teleportation distance was limited to that as well.
Ji Mingran glanced at the two people beside her. Even with their cultivation, array patterns, and a large number of spiritual items, she still couldn't reach the bear's arm, which was a hundred miles away.
Ji Mingran's eyes dimmed slightly.
Cultivation is a hurdle; if she doesn't break through it, she will always be passive.
Zhu Shibai stepped forward, brushing past her as she retreated. He formed a hand seal, and a mist suddenly rose around them, enveloping the three of them.
"Conceal your presence well." Zhu Shibai said in a low voice, "Feng Shutang warned that the Golden Core Purple Scale Red Python is not something that Foundation Establishment disciples can defeat. Foundation Establishment disciples and below should avoid it and hide when they see it, and then report their whereabouts. As long as the red python does not detect the presence of any living creature, it will go elsewhere to hunt for food."
The three of them were no match for it.
Fortunately, the Teng Snake did not seem to have noticed them, and its huge body was moving slowly.
Zhu Shibai pondered for a moment, then cast a sound-concealing spell.
Upon hearing this, Ji Mingran quietly squatted by the pool, her dress mostly soaked by the water, her dark eyes silently gazing at the giant python in the distance.
The bear's arm was quite large to her, but to the giant python it wouldn't even be enough to fill a gap between its teeth, and it couldn't even be found.
"How did it find this place? What a coincidence?" Ji Mingran asked in a whisper, voicing his doubts.
Guan Wangzhen's deliberately lowered voice came from above, "This beast likes to eat three things: black-armored giant-toothed bear, golden-scaled black-winged swallow, and white-frost snow-hoofed horse. You brought a bear arm, and I..." Guan Wangzhen paused, "I just roasted a whole bird here."
He said thankfully, "Luckily, I swallowed it clean, and the remaining smell can still be masked. We'll hide well and wait for it to leave."
So you lit the talisman to remove the smell just now, all to cover up that you were secretly eating.
Ji Mingran felt this was unlikely, so he lowered his voice and asked, "What if a White Frost Snow Hoof Horse appears?"
"Heh." Guan Wangzhen chuckled. "The Black-Armored Sawtooth Bear only appears in Yaofeng, and the Golden-Scaled Black-Winged Swallow is even harder to find. Only I could catch one!" Guan Wangzhen was about to boast, but then he remembered that this was not something to brag about at the moment, so he suppressed his voice, which was about to rise, and said, "Ahem, I just happened to catch one."
"So?" Ji Mingran urged him to get to the point.
"The White Frost Snow Hoof Horse is born with a spiritual nature, extremely rare, and treasured by the Qingzhou aristocratic families. The Dingsheng Sect doesn't have one." Guan Wangzhen said with certainty, a slight smirk revealing his white tiger teeth: "The White Frost Snow Hoof Horse appears here? Hahaha, impossible!"
Ji Mingran also looked up and stared at Guan Wangzhen, a bad premonition suddenly rising in his heart.
“Shen Qingluo’s horse is lost,” she said.
Zhu Shibai paused, then slowly turned his head.
"Telephone telephone..."
Suddenly, the sound of fast, orderly, and wonderfully rhythmic hooves came from afar, breaking the silence.
A snow-white figure emerged from the dark green bushes, speeding towards the pool.
"Why am I so unlucky!" Guan Wangzhen cried out in anguish, appearing alongside Zhu Shibai dozens of meters away from the edge of the pool. Together, they caused the water mist to suddenly spread. Guan Wangzhen stretched out his arm, palm up, fingers flicking, and a streak of yellow light shot towards the galloping white horse.
"The top-ranked disciple in this sect entrance competition, personally appointed by Elder Zhu, is Shen Qingluo." Zhu Shibai, the proud disciple of the Quanfeng Patriarch, who was known for his refined demeanor and calm self-control, just wanted to roll up his sleeves and give the slow-witted red-haired man a good beating.
We are in dire need of manpower right now.
He closed his eyes, pressed his forehead, pressed his throbbing temples, suppressed his emotions, and said in a deep voice, "The horse he was riding was indeed the White Frost Snow Hoof Horse."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
