Chapter 53: To Return or Not to Return?

Jiang Xu was stunned.

’What is going on???’

The others clearly didn’t understand what was happening either.

Weren’t they supposed to set off for the Endless Forest to pick the Little Jade Qilin Fruit today?

So why were they all suddenly being told to return to the Sect?

And in such a hurry, too.

Even Shan Lanlan didn’t know what was going on.

She wasn’t even sure when Yan Chunyu had given her the Sound Transmission Talisman.

Jiang Xu forced himself to calm down and asked,

"Senior Sister Yan told us to return to the Sect on our own, but how are we supposed to get past the Sect’s Grand Array?"

Shan Lanlan took out her Identity Token.

"Both my token and Ding Shiping’s will grant us entry. As long as you all stay behind us, it shouldn’t be a problem."

"So what’s our next move? This is all too sudden and suspicious. What if it’s a trap...?"

"It is a bit suspicious, but that was definitely Chairman Yan’s voice in the Sound Transmission Talisman. There’s no mistaking it."

"So what’s your plan?"

Everyone fell silent.

Zong Ziqi suggested two options.

"Right now, we have two options.

One, we trust the Sound Transmission Talisman. We do as Senior Sister Yan said and return to the Sect immediately, forgetting about the Little Jade Qilin Fruit.

Two, we don’t trust the Sound Transmission Talisman. We have Brother Ding use his Seeking Technique to find Senior Sister Yan and determine whether this is real or not."

It was no wonder Jiang Xu and the others were suspicious.

From start to finish, Yan Chunyu hadn’t shown any sign of anything being wrong.

She’d seemed completely focused on the mission from the start.

To ensure they could find the Little Jade Qilin Fruit in time, she had even brought along a Jade Heart Association member like Ding Shiping, who could use the Seeking Technique.

So why would she suddenly issue such a command just two days after her departure?

With Yan Chunyu gone, the only ones left in charge were Shan Lanlan and Ding Shiping.

And since Ding Shiping couldn’t speak, the final decision naturally fell to Shan Lanlan.

Shan Lanlan hesitated, torn between the two options Zong Ziqi had proposed.

In truth, she also felt something was wrong.

But the fact that the Sound Transmission Talisman had emerged from her Storage Bag signified Yan Chunyu’s trust in her.

She had to repay that trust!

No longer hesitating, Shan Lanlan stated decisively,

"Let’s go! We’re returning to the Sect immediately!"

At Shan Lanlan’s command, the group, already prepared to depart, promptly left the inn and headed for the Marketplace gate.

...

The group left the city without incident.

Jiang Xu kept his Concealing Breath Spell active the entire time.

He had no intention of stirring up more trouble.

It would be foolish to think about getting revenge on his ambusher under these circumstances.

’Anyway, judging by how practiced they were, they’re probably a local gang. They should be easy enough to find.

It won’t be too late to get my revenge next time I’m here!’

...

Without Yan Chunyu’s Silver Moon Ship, everyone had to travel by riding their own Magical Artifacts after leaving the Marketplace.

Before Shan Lanlan could even speak, Ding Shiping rushed over to Jiang Xu and pulled him onto his own Magical Artifact, acting like they were the best of friends.

Zong Ziqi, in turn, got onto Shan Lanlan’s Magical Artifact.

And so, the four of them began their journey back to the Sect.

Jiang Xu stood on Ding Shiping’s rod-shaped Magical Artifact. He had expected it to be difficult to keep his balance, but he felt a force under his feet holding him up, allowing him to stand perfectly steady.

Just as Jiang Xu was marveling at the novelty, Ding Shiping let out a long sigh, looking utterly refreshed.

"I can finally cast some Magic! And since Chairman Yan said this mission is abandoned, I don’t have to maintain my Silent Meditation anymore! Phew, I was about to burst! By the way, Junior Brother Jiang, you haven’t reached the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, so you haven’t learned the Exorcism Spell yet, right? The Exorcism Spell is a Tier One Middle Grade magic, and the prerequisite is owning a Magical Artifact. Once you learn the Exorcism Spell, you can control a Magical Artifact from afar and even ride it to fly. It’s extremely convenient..."

As Ding Shiping rambled on, Jiang Xu’s eyes lit up.

’So I’ll be able to fly once I reach the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer?’

’In that case, raising my Cultivation level needs to become a priority after I get back to the Sect this time.’

’With the hundred-odd Spirit Stones I have left, I should have enough to quickly reach the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage.’

’Flying?’

’I wonder what the Exorcism Spell is like once you’ve mastered it.’

’Although my Light Body Spell already makes me incredibly fast...’

’...but learning the Exorcism Spell means I’ll be able to fly. Actually fly!’

Although one had stepped onto the Immortal Path at the Qi Cultivation Early Stage, there wasn’t much difference compared to an ordinary mortal, other than being slightly stronger.

It was only upon reaching the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage, when one could achieve flight with a Magical Artifact, that a hint of the extraordinary nature of an Immortal Family began to show.

’But my Magical Artifact is a gourd. When the time comes, how will I fly on it? Do I... ride it?’

’The waist of the gourd does seem pretty well-suited for riding, though.’

’Thinking about it, flying on a sword is definitely cooler.

Whether I’m standing on the gourd or straddling it, it just sounds awkward no matter how I picture it!’

Seeing that Jiang Xu remained silent, Ding Shiping paid it no mind and continued,

"I don’t know what’s going on with Chairman Yan this time. Now that I think about it, it’s not like her to leave the mining area so suddenly. She would’ve at least checked every other detail first. And for her to bring us into the Marketplace only to leave by herself so quickly... that was also really out of character. I’m guessing Senior Sister Yan must have run into some trouble she couldn’t get away from, which is why she had us leave first. Or, to put it more bluntly, she might have encountered some kind of danger and was worried we’d get caught in the crossfire, so she sent us away..."

"What you said makes sense, Brother Ding. We should hurry back to the Sect."

"Don’t be afraid, Junior Brother Jiang. I maintained my Silent Meditation for two days, so the power of this Exorcism Spell is naturally a notch higher. Even if a Qi Cultivation Late Stage Cultivator were chasing me right now, I wouldn’t be scared. Don’t mind that I’m going slow. It’s only because I’m waiting for Shan Lanlan. If I were flying solo, I’d be going WHOOSH! Speaking of which, the longest I ever maintained Silent Meditation was for a full five days. The power I unleashed afterward... you could say it was world-shaking, enough to blot out the sun and moon..."

Jiang Xu despaired.

’When are we ever going to get back to the Sect?’

’If I listen to any more of this, my ears are going to start bleeding!’

...

Riding one’s own Magical Artifact was, of course, not as fast or convenient as traveling on a Flying Spiritual Artifact.

After all, Flying Spiritual Artifacts were powered by Spirit Stones.

Riding their own Magical Artifacts, on the other hand, consumed their own Magical Power, and they were carrying two people each.

Furthermore, since they were outside the Sect and had to be on guard for any unexpected incidents, Shan Lanlan and Ding Shiping had to stop and take Qi Replenishing Pills to recover their Magical Power every time they had used up about half of it.

As a result, the return trip took twice as long as their journey out.

It wasn’t until dusk that Jiang Xu finally saw the outline of the Sect Protection Array.