Xuanling chuckled and dodged away. After this little commotion, Yun Qingran's tense mood relaxed considerably.
There were many skilled warriors in the wedding procession, and these warriors drew long swords from the dowry and went to meet them.
The sixty-four shadow guards hiding in the shadows also flew out and fought with the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Just as Yun Qingran was about to rush into the battle with her sword, the High Priest stepped through the air and landed steadily in front of her.
"It's you." Yun Qingran's pupils dilated when she saw the high priest. This old man was the one who had followed her and fought with her that day.
Unexpectedly, his true appearance was like this: he wore a black robe with red trim and gold embroidery, and held a bone staff taller than himself. He was over seventy years old, with a full head of white hair. Perhaps due to his high level of martial arts skills, his face was well-preserved, giving him a youthful appearance despite his white hair.
"Little girl, I told you long ago, we will meet again," the high priest said with a smile.
"Tch, an old codger, who wants to see you again?" Yun Qingran scoffed disdainfully.
High Priest: ...
"Little girl, would you like to come and play in our Demon Valley?" The high priest pretended that nothing had just happened and continued to ask with a smile.
"I don't want to. Goodbye." Yun Qingran turned and ran as soon as she finished speaking.
The Heavenly Demon Sect wasn't after Nangong Ye and Yun Xiyue, but after me. If I don't run now, when will I?
High Priest: ...
By the time the high priest realized what was happening, she had already run quite a distance.
Don't doubt her speed in escaping. Back when she was hanging out with her third uncle, he wasn't always in control either; there were plenty of times when he had to flee in a sorry state. She had long since honed her skills in running away.
I ran for who knows how long, until I was too exhausted to run anymore, and then I stopped by leaning against a big tree.
"Finally, I've shaken off that old geezer." Yun Qingran put her hands on her hips, panting heavily as she laughed heartily.
"I am not called an old man, I am the High Priest of the Heavenly Demon Sect." A smiling voice rang out.
Yun Qingran felt a chill run down her spine. She slowly turned around and saw the old man standing quietly behind her, smiling at her.
“You’re quite skilled and fast, but you lack internal energy. Without internal energy to support you, neither your attack power nor your escape speed will last long,” the high priest said with a smile.
"Really?" Yun Qingran nodded, then suddenly looked behind the old man and shouted, "UFO!"
Upon hearing her words, the high priest turned to look.
Just as he turned around, Yun Qingran took out two smoke bombs from her bag and threw them behind him. The smoke bombs exploded, and Yun Qingran immediately took off running in the opposite direction.
She improved the smoke bombs, adding not only pungent pepper powder but also a sleeping potion that would cause unconsciousness.
Yun Qingran had run several dozen meters when a figure suddenly darted out and blocked her path a short distance in front of her.
Upon closer inspection, it was the high priest.
Damn it, it's like a ghost that won't leave you alone!
"Weren't you just tricked?" Yun Qingran couldn't help but ask the question that was on her mind.
He clearly believed himself just now and turned around to look, so why didn't he get hit by the smoke bomb?
“My inner strength is profound. I can detect whether there’s anything behind me even without looking. I was just teasing you. Besides, in the face of absolute power, your little tricks are useless,” the high priest said, shaking his head.
"Hmph." Yun Qingran snorted, her mind racing as she planned how to escape.
Before she could come up with a solution, the high priest acted swiftly, moving to her side with lightning speed, knocking her unconscious with a single chop, and then taking her away.
Yun Qingran woke up slowly, not knowing how long she had slept. She looked around and realized she was in an unfamiliar room. She touched herself and found that Zhanlang Sword was not with her; it must have been taken by that old man.
Then she got out of bed, walked around the room, and touched everything. There were no mechanisms or secret rooms in the house; it should just be an ordinary room.
Yun Qingran arrived at the door. She thought it would be locked, but it opened easily when she pulled it.
As soon as the door opened, beams of sunlight rushed in, so bright that she had to raise her hand to shield her eyes, and it took her a while to adjust to the sunlight.
She stepped out of the room and into the outside world. This should be the Demon Valley that the old man had mentioned, the lair of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
The name "Demon Valley" doesn't sound like a good place; it should be a desolate and bleak place, filled with the terrifying sight of white bones scattered everywhere.
Unexpectedly, what I found upon exiting was lush greenery, vibrant flowers, and winding paths, unlike the Demon Valley, but rather like a secluded paradise.
She walked slowly through the valley, occasionally encountering passersby who would look at her curiously and then ignore her.
"That old man isn't going to kidnap me to be his wife, is he?" Yun Qingran was completely bewildered. She had never seen a prisoner who could move freely and roam around on enemy territory without any hindrance.
As she walked, she came to a bamboo grove. There was a house in the grove, partially hidden by the bamboo leaves, and she could hear shouts coming from inside.
"Big big big big..."
"Little, little, little..."
"Two, two, four, small."
A group of people were gambling inside the house, having a great time, when the door opened. Everyone immediately put away their gambling equipment and, startled, quickly pretended to be reading a book.
The rules of the valley are strict. If the high priest and the valley master catch them gambling, they will be punished, at best, by cleaning the toilets for a month, and at worst, by emptying the chamber pots for a month.
"Hey, are you guys gambling? Can I join?" Yun Qingran stood at the door, smiling brightly.
Hearing her voice, everyone looked towards the door. Instead of the High Priest and the Valley Master, they saw a group of beautiful, charming young girls. The sunlight shone on them, making them seem to sparkle.
"When did such a beautiful female disciple enter the valley?"
"She is not a female disciple, but a prisoner brought back by the high priest. She seems to be Princess Rongchang of Beiyin."
"Shouldn't prisoners be locked in the water dungeon? How come she's here?"
"I don't know. We've probably misunderstood. She's not a prisoner; she's a friend the high priest brought back."
"Should we let her play?"
"Did you see that jade pendant at her waist? It's worth at least a thousand taels."
No sooner had she finished speaking than someone enthusiastically invited her, "Hey pretty girl, wanna gamble? Come on in."
Judging from her young age, she couldn't possibly know how to gamble. If she were to play, she would definitely lose everything.
"Thank you, everyone." Yun Qingran skipped in and sat down on the ground with the others as if they were old friends.
"Young lady, are you Princess Rongchang of Beiyin?" a middle-aged man with a full beard asked.
"Yes, you can call me Ranran." Yun Qingran grinned at everyone, looking innocent and harmless.
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