Chapter 07: Unreliably Reliable
From the moment Xie Bailu called out Ling Song’s name to her disappearance, only an instant had passed. The spectators, who had turned their heads to see what was happening, saw nothing but a pile of mangled flesh a moment later.
They looked at each other, the dissipation of the Eye Demon’s domain now a minor detail.
Sun Yetong hesitated. “Was that Xie Hong just now?”
The male cultivator who had been praising Teng Anlan said, “She’s certainly bold, daring to call that person by his name.”
Sun Yerong was silent for a moment before saying, “Good courage, to dare to use him.”
Although she didn’t know the full story between Xie Hong and the madman, she could guess the gist of it. Xie Hong had snatched the Five-Star Cauldron, and the madman had pursued her into the Eye Demon’s domain. Xie Hong wanted to leave the domain but couldn’t defeat the Eye Demon, so she lured it over, used the madman’s power to kill it, and then took advantage of his fight with Senior Teng Anlan to escape.
She paused, then added, “Smart, bold, and lucky.”
The rather quiet male cultivator said, “A pity she’s been… targeted.”
So what if she escaped this time? This time was a perfect storm of timing, location, and people. No one the madman wanted to kill had ever escaped.
Sun Yetong sighed. “Sister, do you think living a life of swift vengeance and gratitude, like her, is what we cultivators should pursue?”
Sun Yerong gently tapped Sun Yetong’s forehead. “Read fewer novels and focus on staying alive first!”
Sun Yetong pouted but said no more.
In the sky, Ling Song had no time to worry about Xie Bailu’s escape.
Teng Anlan was someone who only had battle in her eyes. Ling Song’s distraction didn’t make her relax in the slightest. Her face was as cold as a snow-capped mountain, her life-bound sword glowing with a pale blue light, tracing dangerous arcs with every move she made.
Ling Song was at the mid-stage Golden Core realm, and Teng Anlan was at the peak. There was a considerable gap in their cultivation levels, but Teng Anlan was only sparring, so she wasn’t using her full strength. The two were fighting on almost equal footing.
Both were genius cultivators, forged in countless battles, and both had rich combat experience. There was just one difference between them—Teng Anlan fought for the sake of sparring, usually stopping before a fatal blow. Ling Song, on the other hand, had clawed his way through a sea of blood since leaving his family to train.
Therefore, with the thought of the escaping Xie Bailu on his mind, Ling Song finally lost his patience for sparring.
So what if he won? With Teng Anlan’s talent, the Teng family would have piled her with life-saving treasures. Since he couldn’t kill her, continuing the fight was a waste of effort.
Xie Bailu’s escape for the second time had already made Ling Song a little anxious. He suddenly faltered, deliberately taking a blow from Teng Anlan’s sword. Blood gushed from his shoulder, but he didn’t even look at it. He let the blood spray as he quickly retreated from the battlefield, a casual smile on his face. “I lose.”
Teng Anxiu, who had been nervously watching his sister, cheered. His sister had won! What did Ling Song mean he had never heard of his sister? Didn’t she still win? Ling Song was nothing special after all!
However, Teng Anlan in the sky had not yet sheathed her sword. She frowned. “You did that on purpose.”
Ling Song leisurely sealed the acupoints on his wound to stop the bleeding and said nonchalantly, “I have other matters to attend to.”
Seeing him about to leave, Teng Anlan said with displeasure, “You look down on me.”
Ling Song, who had already turned, looked back, his long, narrow eyes as sharp as a winter’s chill. “When you get rid of your life-saving treasures, and your Teng family promises not to hold it against me if I kill you, then come find me.”
With that, he ignored Teng Anlan, turning his back to her as if completely unguarded, and quickly chased in the direction Xie Bailu had fled.
Teng Anlan’s lips tightened. She stared at Ling Song’s retreating back and did not give chase.
When Teng Anlan landed, Teng Anxiu, who had heard their conversation, hurried over. “Sister, he’s just being stubborn. He clearly couldn’t beat you, yet he’s still so arrogant! He’s nothing special!”
But Teng Anlan shook her head. “He’s right.”
Teng Anxiu’s expression changed slightly. “Sister, you’re not really going to listen to him, are you?”
Although he thought his sister was the best, he was also well aware of Ling Song’s fearsome reputation. If they were to fight with only their swords, he was afraid something would happen to his sister.
But Teng Anlan shook her head. “No, not until my cultivation has improved. I’m not his match right now.”
Teng Anxiu frowned. “How can that be? Sister, your cultivation is clearly higher than his!”
Teng Anlan said, “He’s thirty years younger than me, and he reached the Golden Core realm ten years younger than I did.”
To be fair, at the same age, she was not as good as him. Moreover, when they had actually fought, even though her cultivation was higher, she had felt the strain. His sword intent was filled with killing intent, a ruthless determination to press forward without regard for himself, which she lacked.
Before Teng Anxiu could say anything else, Teng Anlan turned and walked in the opposite direction. “Let’s go, A’Xiu.”
Teng Anxiu could only follow sullenly. The other two Teng family members naturally followed suit.
Seeing this, the other four rogue cultivators simply nodded to each other and went their separate ways. Even though they had been in a temporary alliance today, the next time they met, it could very well be with swords drawn.
Meanwhile, Xie Bailu was running for her life.
She had, of course, thought about how to evade Ling Song’s pursuit after leaving the Eye Demon’s domain. Xiao Xing had given her an idea: a secret realm, or perhaps another demonic domain, though the latter was more dangerous.
If Ling Song hadn’t seen her enter the demonic domain, he would only feel his connection to her disappear. Both secret realms and demonic domains had the effect of blocking spiritual sense. Both were a kind of subspace, but secret realms didn’t block spiritual sense internally, while domains limited it.
If she could find a way to hide in such a subspace, Ling Song wouldn’t be able to find her for the time being.
But the problem now was, secret realms were opportunities that everyone sought. Would she even get a chance to enter one? As for demonic domains, no one wanted to enter them, but the problem was, she didn’t know where to find one! Besides, not every demon was as relatively harmless as the Eye Demon. Unless she was about to be killed by Ling Song in the next moment, it was best to avoid demonic domains.
After using the Divine Movement Art once to escape a hundred li, Xie Bailu sat down to meditate and took the opportunity to ask Xiao Xing, “Do you know of any secret realms nearby? Or perhaps a city with strict rules, the kind where fighting is forbidden?”
Xiao Xing said, “I don’t know about secret realms. Many cities have rules against private fights, but that won’t stop that madman!”
Xie Bailu said, “Never mind that. Help me look. If there’s a secret realm, we’ll go there. If not, we’ll go to a city. Staying in a place with rules is better than the wilderness.”
If she happened to run into a powerful figure or a city that dared to control Ling Song, she would have hit the jackpot.
According to Xiao Xing’s estimation, at Ling Song’s speed, it would take him about half an incense stick’s time to cover a hundred li. That meant she had less than ten minutes. She could only hope that Ling Song was still tied up with Teng Anlan.
Fortunately, after being chased like a dog for the past few days, she had gained some experience in quickly recovering her spiritual energy. Even Xiao Xing had praised her for her high meditation efficiency and fast recovery.
She was very proud of this. When it came to learning, she was never afraid.
Pride was pride, but Xie Bailu estimated the time. After recovering some spiritual energy, she didn’t delay and used the Divine Movement Art again, though she didn’t get as far this time.
Xiao Xing also grew anxious. “This is all wilderness! We’re still far from the nearest city!”
Xie Bailu appeared a little calmer than Xiao Xing. “Don’t panic. Let’s head in the direction where a secret realm is most likely to be. Show me your divine artifact dignity and tell me, which direction does your intuition point to?”
Seeing Xie Bailu’s calm demeanor, Xiao Xing quietly sensed its surroundings. It suddenly felt a strange fluctuation in a certain area not far ahead and pointed in that direction. “Over there, over there! Quick, go see! It might be a secret realm!”
It couldn’t help but think, As expected of the chosen one. The moment she wants to find a secret realm, one appears!
Xie Bailu got up and ran, not even daring to look back, afraid that if she turned her head, she would see that red figure silently following her. It would be just like a horror movie.
She hadn’t gone far when she saw a quiet village. She was surprised, but she didn’t stop. When it came to things related to the cultivation world, Xiao Xing’s judgment was definitely more accurate than hers.
But just as she stepped into the village, Xiao Xing suddenly let out a cry of “ah.”
Xie Bailu’s heart tightened. “What’s wrong? Is Ling Song here?”
Xiao Xing hesitated. “No, this seems to be… an evil array?”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…??”
Xie Bailu looked down at Xiao Xing, who had emerged from the Five-Star Cauldron, her expression indescribable. “This evil array you’re talking about, is it what I think it is? The kind of evil, blood-sacrificing array that uses human lives?”
Xiao Xing was surprised. “So you do know some things! I thought you knew nothing!”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…” Now is not the time to be sarcastic!
What could she say? It was not surprising at all. Xiao Xing’s judgment was reliably unreliable in a subtle way. Last time, it had said it was a secret realm, but she had run headfirst into a demonic domain. This time, it said it was a secret realm again, but it turned out to be an evil array.
Xiao Xing’s tone suddenly became obedient. “Master, I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear?”
Xie Bailu said, “The bad news.”
Xiao Xing’s tone was cheerful. “Then I’ll tell you the good news first! This evil array is similar to a secret realm and can block spiritual sense. Now that you’re in here, that madman won’t be able to find you!”
Xie Bailu said calmly, “The bad news is I’ll die in the evil array.”
Xiao Xing said, “…Well, not necessarily! If the cultivator who set up the evil array is very weak, you can defeat him. It’s better than facing that madman, right!”
Xie Bailu said, “Very weak? The kind of very weak that’s weaker than me?”
Hilarious. Even a Qi Refinement cultivator is stronger than me.
Xiao Xing was speechless. “…”
Xie Bailu tried to take a step back, but her vision blurred, and she was back where she had been. It was clear that this evil array was a one-way street.
However, she found that she wasn’t too nervous.
At least for now, she didn’t have to worry about Ling Song suddenly appearing like a ghost to kill her. Compared to the sword of Damocles named Ling Song hanging over her head, other dangers seemed trivial.
Xie Bailu said with a relaxed expression, “Let’s go. Let’s check out the village.”
No matter how long this evil array could hold off Ling Song, for her, it was like a break from prison.
Xie Bailu had expected the village to have a grim atmosphere, but as she approached a house at the entrance of the village, a middle-aged woman walked out of a small fenced yard with a wooden basin full of clothes, and was startled to see her.
Perhaps because Xie Bailu looked so disheveled, the woman didn’t realize she was a cultivator. She just said in surprise, “Daughter, what happened to you? Why is there so much blood on you?”
Xie Bailu was suddenly a little moved. This was the kind of question she should have encountered after transmigrating. Why did she have to face a madman’s relentless pursuit the moment she opened her eyes!
Xie Bailu was a little wary, but not much. With her cultivation level, she couldn’t beat anyone anyway. She said, “I just fell. It’s nothing serious. Auntie, do you have any clothes that would fit me? I’d like to buy a set from you.”
“Yes, yes!” The woman was very enthusiastic and quickly turned her head to shout, “Da Ni, where are the new clothes you made a few days ago? Bring them out!”
A young female voice came from inside the house. “Huh?”
Xie Bailu proactively took out a piece of silver and handed it over.
The woman was also very honest and quickly said, “You don’t need to pay so much. It’s just coarse linen. As long as you don’t mind, daughter.”
The female cultivator Xie Bailu was inhabiting was probably relatively poor in the cultivation world, but to these ordinary people, although her clothes were tattered, they could still tell the material was good. So the woman was worried she would dislike it.
Xie Bailu pressed the silver into her hand. “If it’s possible, could you give me some hot water? I’d like to wash up. My surname is Xie. You can just call me Xiao Xie.”
She hadn’t had a chance to wash since transmigrating. She was too busy running for her life. If this continued, she would start to stink.
Hearing that Xie Bailu also wanted hot water, the woman hesitated for a moment before accepting the silver, her smile becoming more genuine. “Then I’ll accept it, Auntie. My husband’s surname is Huang. You can call me Auntie Huang.”
Xie Bailu smiled. “Then I’ll have to trouble you, Auntie Huang. I’ll take a walk outside first.”
Auntie Huang agreed. “Alright. It takes some time to boil hot water. You can go to the east end of the village. There’s an orange grove there that belongs to my family. you can pick a few to eat. They’re very sweet.”
Xie Bailu smiled. “I understand!”
Auntie Huang turned and went back into the house. Her daughter happened to come out to see what was going on and was pulled back in by her mother. Xie Bailu, on the other hand, walked along the dirt road in the village, observing as she went.
Xiao Xing then whispered, “Did you see anything?”
Xie Bailu said, “Auntie Huang’s house is very clean.”
Xiao Xing was confused. “…?”
Xie Bailu walked and looked. It was afternoon, a time for rest, so there were few people moving about in the surrounding houses. Those who saw her would look at her with surprise. When she smiled, they would smile back.
After experiencing so much fighting and killing—mostly being killed—since transmigrating, the peaceful scene was particularly attractive to Xie Bailu.
If it weren’t for Ling Song and the evil array, it would be so nice to settle down in a village like this!
She whispered, “The whole village looks very peaceful. It seems they haven’t even noticed they can’t leave.”
Xiao Xing thought for a moment and said, “Maybe we’re just very lucky, and this evil array was just set up.”
Xie Bailu said, “…That’s pretty lucky.”
Xiao Xing’s tone was matter-of-fact. “You’re the child of fortune. If this evil array had been set up a little later, that madman would probably have caught up.”
Timing-wise, if Ling Song hadn’t been entangled with Teng Anlan for too long, he would indeed be close by now.
Because Teng Anlan wasn’t a killer and was from the Teng family, their fight probably wasn’t too serious. So Ling Song wouldn’t take three days to chase after her like last time.
Xie Bailu hummed in agreement. As long as Xiao Xing didn’t give up in times of crisis, there was no harm in it firmly believing she was a child of fortune.
She strolled to the east end of the village, saw the orange grove, and found no one who looked like an evil cultivator.
After picking a bright yellow orange, just as she was about to peel it, Xie Bailu suddenly paused and said, “Do you think, while I’m strolling around here, the master of the evil array is already performing a ritual outside, and then suddenly, everyone in the evil array, including me, will die?”
Xiao Xing said with certainty, “Absolutely not! You’re the child of fortune! You can’t die so casually!”
Xie Bailu was speechless. “…”
Although she had said it herself, seeing Xiao Xing believe it so firmly, she couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.
But she couldn’t take it back. She didn’t want to destroy the fragile “trust” she had just established with Xiao Xing.
She ate the orange and said, “Let’s go back.”
Before anything changed in the evil array, she had to go back and take a bath. This might be her only chance to wash in the next few days, if she could even survive today.
At the same time, somewhere far away, Ling Song stopped in his tracks when he suddenly felt the spiritual sense imprint on Xie Bailu disappear.
Had someone removed the imprint for her, or had she entered another domain-like place?
Ling Song couldn’t help but laugh, his long, narrow eyes glowing with a cold light. When he had casually left the spiritual sense imprint on her, he had never expected her to be so good at running, escaping from him so many times. She even dared to use him to kill the Eye Demon.
Interesting. For the sake of her amusing him, he would give her a quick death.
The farther away the spiritual sense imprint was, the fuzzier the perception. Ling Song couldn’t determine the exact location where the imprint disappeared. He could only search a large area nearby, looking for a hidden domain or secret realm.