Chapter 110 Taking the Initiative
When she opened her eyes, Mu Jin was no longer beside her.
Walking through the courtyard, there was no sign of him in any room.
He only left a note, asking her not to look for him.
From day to night, and from night to dawn, she went to every place he might be, but he was not there.
Jiao Ran couldn't figure out where he would go. Could he be back at the Governor's Mansion? She wanted to leave immediately, but she felt that since Mu Jin had left the Governor's Mansion, there was no reason for him to go back. Besides, it was the cage he had always wanted to escape from.
She had no choice but to write a letter to her senior sister and wait for her reply at home.
Only then did she realize how big the world was, so big that if Mu Jin turned around, she would never find him again.
He must have felt that she was in so much pain because of him, so he left. He wanted to keep her away from the pain and struggle.
But without him, her joy was gone.
Jiaoran sat by the water. When dawn came, her long hair was covered with dew. She had sat by the water all night, thinking about the past with Mu Jin.
They were always one step short, and their time together was too short because they cared about each other too much.
She sat quietly in meditation by the water, shaking off the dew on her body. Her eyebrows looked even darker because they were wet with dew, and her eyes looked clearer.
She takes off the bracelet on her wrist and calls her out.
"You know where he went, don't you?"
Ji Feng denied it, "I entered the Fish Dragon Wonderland with you, how could I know where he went?"
"Stop talking nonsense. You know why I've been searching for him for days without any reaction. The only possibility is that you know where he went and think my efforts are in vain. You think that once I get tired and bored of searching, I'll just stop caring about him."
Ji Feng was helpless. "You have a long way to go. You can't let him tie you down. Mu Jin is just a mortal. Do you understand? Even if everything is settled, he is still a mortal. You are different. You have your own——"
"My Tao?"
"Did he tell you?"
"I don't care what Zhu Su said is right or wrong. I just want to protect the people I should protect right now."
Seeing that she wouldn't listen, Ji Feng surrendered. "He did leave. I sent Jin Die to track him. After he left Chang'an, Zhou Zhi appeared and took him away."
"You mean, he's in the hands of Phoenix Chick and the others now?!"
"Nine out of ten."
"Why are you telling me now? I want to go find them right away."
Jifeng called out to her, "But do you know where they are staying?"
Jiaoran shook his head. "I don't know, but will it be at Huiying Inn?"
Ji Feng said, "You are stupid. Zhou Zhi's appearance near Chang'an means that they have already left Xiu Tu."
Jiao Ran said, "Zhu Su said he would come to kill me, so I should just wait patiently for Phoenix Chick to find me."
Suddenly, a fish flicked its tail on the surface of the water, creating a ripple. Then, Zhu Su's figure appeared, reflected on the water. "Leave this place immediately. He'll soon be able to find us here. You're no match for him right now. Fighting him will only lead to your death."
Jiaoran came up with a plan, "Instead of constantly fleeing, it's better to take the initiative and attack."
The water surface trembled slightly, and Zhu Su's shadow shattered. He was a little annoyed. "Take the initiative to attack? Even if you have mastered the "High Mountain Longevity" like him, you are no match for him. Kuang Heng has a thousand years of cultivation, and you have practiced for less than ten years in over twenty years. Moreover, you have only just learned the "High Mountain Longevity", so the internal energy is not yet integrated with your body. It will take time. You should leave and hide somewhere else. Ji Feng, erase the aura here and remain hidden."
Jiao Ran didn't think so. "Tell me where the Phoenix Young is now. I want to sneak into their team, hide in their sect, and kill him."
Zhu Su burst out laughing, "What are you talking in your sleep!"
Jiao Ran said, "I'm serious. Phoenix Chick is looking for me. Don't you understand the principle of darkness under the lamp? I took the initiative to deliver myself to him. He certainly didn't know I would be so bold as to dare to assassinate him."
Zhu Su saw that she had other intentions, "Kill him? I see you're not going to kill him, but to save your Mu Jin."
Jiao Ran was seen through by him but did not explain, "When the time comes, I will just kill the Phoenix Young and it will just be a matter of convenience."
He still flatly rejected Jiaoran's bold idea, "You are courting death."
Ji Feng thought it might be possible. "I thought about it, and what Jiao Ran said makes sense."
"Nonsense."
Jiao Ran said, "I'm not kidding. I really think that if I can get close to Fenghuang Chu, I can wait for an opportunity to kill him. Mu Jin is also in his hands, and I can rescue him. It's a two-pronged approach, which is more effective than hiding."
Zhu Su wrote a few words on the water surface, "Zongxun Sect."
Jiaoran immediately remembered that Fenghuangchu was the leader of this sect, "Is their headquarters in Zongxun Sect?"
"right."
Zhu Su was worried. "Mortal disguises are nothing but trifles in front of him. Even your mother's disguises were taught by him. I will teach you the art of transformation and the art of concealing your presence."
"Magic? But I'm just a mortal. Can I learn it in such a short time?"
Zhu Su said, "Stop talking nonsense and just follow me."
As he was speaking, someone knocked on the door outside the yard, knock knock knock...
All three of them were stunned. Jiaoran looked at Jifeng, Jifeng looked at Zhusu, and Zhusu looked at Jiaoran.
After a moment, Jiaoran said, "Could it be that the phoenix chick has arrived?"
Zhu Su said, "It doesn't seem to be him."
Hayate said, "It's not his smell."
"Can you smell it?"
Hayate said, "I've known him for a long time. His scent is very familiar to me."
"What if he also hides his scent?"
Hayate said, "How clever, it's possible."
Jiaoran thought for a moment and said, "It shouldn't be him."
"How do you know?" Zhu Su asked.
She said, "If it was him, he would have opened the door and killed me. Why would he bother knocking on the door over and over again? That's too polite."
Ji Feng was ready and went forward to open the door, and Zhu Su disappeared.
As soon as the door opened, Mei Wan'er's smiling face came into view, "Jiao Ran!"
Jiaoran took a few steps forward and hugged her, "Wan'er!"
Yuan Jianlu smiled wryly, "Were you deaf just now? You knocked on the door for a long time but no one came to open it."
He glanced inside and asked, "Are you alone?"
Jiaoran said, "That's right," "Come in."
Mei Wan'er was a little confused. "Didn't you bring Mu Jin out too? Where did you hide her in your golden house? Are you afraid that if I come and see your stunning beauty, he will look down on you?"
Jiao Ran sighed, "You came at the right time. Mu Jin has been taken away."
"What!" Mei Wan'er exclaimed, "Are you injured?"
Jiao Ran said, "It's a long story."
Yuan Jianlu poured himself a cup of tea to quench his thirst. Mei Wan'er had been urging him to hurry along the way, and he was almost dying of thirst. "Then just make it short."
Jiao Ran said, "We had a misunderstanding. He thought it would be better for me if he left. I took a nap, and when I woke up, I couldn't see him anymore."
Mei Wan'er asked, "Then how did you know he was taken away?"
Jiao Ran was stunned by the question. "This... I just guessed it. He must have been taken away."
Mei Wan'er said, "Not necessarily. If a man has legs, he will run."
He gave Yuan Jianlu a fierce look and said, "Look at him, he's just running around every day."
Jiao Ran didn't have time to explain to them, "He is already in Zongxun Sect. I'm going to rush over to Zongxun Sect to find him."
"Zongxun Sect?" Yuan Jianlu repeated.
"Do you know where it is?" This question was not asked by Jiaoran, but by a woman in yellow after a flash of golden light.
Mei Wan'er and Yuan Jianlu didn't recognize her, "This is..."
Jiaoran didn't expect Ji Feng to appear in front of them, "Don't you recognize him?"
Mei Wan'er said, "Looks a little familiar, but not too much."
Yuan Jianlu looked at it again and again, "You even bought a maid to take care of you? You really know how to enjoy life."
Jiao Ran sighed, "They can't see it, so you should tell them."
Ji Feng raised his head and howled, filling the entire room, and a huge dragon appeared before them.
Yuan Jianlu's tea spurted out of his mouth, "Puff——"
Mei Wan'er hadn't expected Ji Feng to appear in the human world. "Why did you sneak it out?"
Yuan Jianlu asked, "Wasn't Mu Jin frightened when she saw it? After all, in the Legend of the White Snake, Xu Xian was frightened to death when he saw a snake bigger than a human appear in his house."
Ji Feng transformed into a human form again, "You are all people who have visited the Wonderland by chance, so I will not hide from you."
Jiao Ran said, "Mu Jin doesn't know. If she knew, she would probably be shocked."
Mei Wan'er had never seen Ji Feng transform into a human form. She pulled her back and forth to look at him, but was pushed away by Ji Feng.
Jiao Ran asked, "Have you heard of the Zongxun Sect?"
Mei Wan'er pointed at Yuan Jianlu and said, "You asked at such a coincidence. Their sect received invitations these days. They are from Zongxun Sect and Huiying Sect."
Jiao Ran was puzzled, "Why would Fenghuang Chu send an invitation to your sect?"
Yuan Jianlu said, "It's not just our sect, all the prominent sects in the martial arts world have received it."
Mei Wan'er was a little unhappy, "What do you mean by all the famous people have received it? Our sect doesn't like them and doesn't want to go."
As a result, Jiaoran was taken by Yuan Jianlu to find his senior brother.
Jiaoran learned the art of transformation within two days of her journey, and got a pill from Jifeng that could shape her face. She dissolved it in water and washed her face with the water, and it transformed into a new face. Yuan Jianlu and Mei Wan'er were completely unrecognizable.
A small Zongxun sect was actually going to hold a martial arts conference. People who had never heard of the Zongxun sect would naturally not go to the conference based on the invitation they submitted. However, some sects had already gone out because the name of the owner appeared on the invitation, signed: Zongxun sect, daughter of the bright moon, Jiaoran.
Jiao Ran also began to wonder after seeing the invitation, "Why would Fenghuang Chu use my name to gather these people from the Jianghu?"
Yuan Jianlu said, "Be careful there's a conspiracy. Do you really want to sneak in?"
Mei Wan'er also felt that something was wrong. "If there is a trap inside, you will step into it. Saving Mu Jin is important, but your life cannot be taken lightly."
At first, Yuan Jianlu's senior brother did not dare to accept Jiaoran as his disciple directly, so he asked the master for permission.
Seeing a dark-skinned man approaching, he asked Jiaoran, "What's your name?"
Senior Brother Yuan Jianlu replied for her, "The man's name is Afeng."
"Afeng?"
Jiaoran nodded, "Yes, my name is Afeng, nice to meet you, Master."
"He looks smart, and Jianlu recommended him. Let's have him come with us."
"Yes, thank you, Master." Jiaoran bowed.
The senior brother's name is Song Xiaoshan. He is as greedy for money as Yuan Jianlu. Jiaoran gave him fifty taels of silver, and he changed his arrogant look. He put his arm around Jiaoran's shoulders and called her brother. If Jiaoran had not turned into a man, she would have punched him twice.
When they arrived at the Zongxun Sect, they were placed halfway up the mountain. The Taoist temple here had dozens of rooms. Jiaoran and Song Xiaoshan lived in the same room, but there were two beds in it.
Song Xiaoshan looked at the larger one, then said to Jiaoran, "Brother, you can't sleep on that small bed. If you roll off, you'll get hurt."
Jiaoran lay down on the small bed tactfully.
After a while, she heard Song Xiaoshan ask her, "Did you really join us just to learn martial arts? Or do you admire Junior Brother Yuan's martial arts prowess?"
Jiaoran said, yes.
He laughed continuously. "Yuan Jianlu, that idiot, you can admire anyone else but him. By the way, have you ever learned martial arts?"
Jiaoran said no, "I only did some farming work at home before. I have some strength, but I don't know any martial arts."
He sighed and said, "Well, just wait and see. When I get back this time, I'll teach you. I'll definitely teach you. From now on, you'll be able to walk around your village with all your might."
Jiao Ran asked, "Your martial arts skills are very high?"
He said, "Compared to my junior fellow apprentice who was not very successful, he is naturally much better. He has already left the sect and will retire from the sect in the future. He wants to be an ordinary citizen, get married and have children."
Jiao Ran nodded, "Everyone has their own aspirations." "To be honest, I didn't want to come out to this shabby place to find a sect. Our sect is also well-known. Master just received the invitation and came here. It's really..."
"Who is Jiaoran, please?"
Song Xiaoshan said he didn't know. "According to Master, she defeated masters from dozens of sects. I don't know how she sent invitations to so many sects. Our sect has never fought with her. I guess it was from the nearby Leopard Mountain."
"Leopard Mountain?" Jiaoran thought it sounded familiar.
"Yes, there's a sect on Leopard Mountain called the Leopard Fist Sect. Someday, they were defeated by a man called Jiaoran, so the Zongxun Sect sent out invitations to several nearby sects. You're new here, so you might not know how much our master loves to join in on the fun. Let me tell you, years ago, Master heard from the Zongxun Sect about a secret manual. I've forgotten what it was called, but it was highly praised, claiming that mastering it could grant one eternal life. Think about it, isn't that just nonsense?"
Jiaoran scratched his head. How should I put it? Could it be considered nonsense?
He continued to himself, "But our master was not smart enough to believe it and even sent many disciples out. Your Senior Brother Yuan was captured alive during that trip."
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