Chapter 739: 739 Another Section of the Hairpin

Chapter 739: Chapter 739 Another Section of the Hairpin

If one were to find a place to hide.

There’s no doubt it would be this bottomless icy river, right?

It stretches dozens of zhang deep.

A perfect hiding spot.

And clearly, there are no footprints nearby.

If that little thug is hiding within, then it means he hasn’t come out yet.

“Hah~”

Gu Xin’er laughed: “If it were another Nascent Soul cultivator hiding in the water, it might actually be quite difficult to catch them.”

“But unfortunately for you, you’ve encountered me.”

She raised her palm.

A terrifying orb of violet flames descended into the river.

Hisssss——

The river began to boil furiously, rapidly evaporating into dryness, revealing its barren riverbed.

She cast violet flames along the entire length of the river, systematically evaporating the ancient river till it ran dry.

After a full two-hour cycle.

Her face had turned slightly pale; it was clear that excessive use of the violet flames had taken a toll on her.

“I’ve nearly burned my way to the river’s source.”

“You mean to tell me I still haven’t found him?”

“I refuse to believe it. Just where could you possibly be hiding?”

Back in the direction of Green Cloud Sect.

A procession of Green Cloud Sect members was heading mightily toward the sect grounds.

“Husband, why is your forehead covered in sweat?”

Xu Youran gently wiped Jiang Fan’s forehead using her sleeve.

Jiang Fan was clutching the Sky Observation Treasure.

Inside, it reflected every move Gu Xin’er made.

Watching her relentlessly dry up the river as she pursued, a bead of cold sweat involuntarily rolled down his forehead.

This woman’s thirst for revenge was seriously terrifying.

Thankfully, he had acted decisively.

Long before Gu Xin’er had flown over the river in pursuit of the space beyond Boundary Mountain.

He had seized the moment, stealthily escaping via Sword Flight.

If he had stayed in the river.

He would have ended up as the unfortunate brothers to the boiled fish and shrimp in the waters.

“It’s…, it’s nothing.”

Jiang Fan stowed away the Sky Observation Treasure.

As long as his luck didn’t sour, he likely wouldn’t encounter that woman again.

After all, the Nine Sects and Ten Lands are vast.

And the woman doesn’t even know his name.

If she wanted to inquire about him, she wouldn’t even know where to start.

As for the cultivation technique he showcased, it was merely Cloud Shadow.

There were exceedingly few people who knew about it.

The sole concern was that he had appeared in his true form.

If that woman managed to draw his likeness and asked around one by one, it would certainly spell trouble.

Nonetheless.

Having just wiped out the Giant Sect, his reputation still lingered in fearsome dominance.

Without grievance or enmity, who would dare sell him out and invite calamity upon themselves?

“It should be safe now,” Jiang Fan muttered internally.

“But to be safe, it’s better to hide in the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion sooner rather than later.”

“With the Pavilion Master presiding, the people from Jiangshan First-class Building would certainly behave themselves much more.”

Seeing Jiang Fan’s expression gradually return to normal.

Xu Youran finally relaxed.

Looking at Xu Yining, who was still unconscious under a layer of fur blanket in front of them.

Her heart brimmed with tenderness: “Husband, what do you plan to do about my sister?”

“Master, in his dying moments, was most concerned about her.”

“He even passed a message through the Sect Master, asking you to take good care of her.”

Jiang Fan gazed at Xu Yining, sighed slightly, and said:

“What does it truly mean to take good care of someone?”

“I’ve barely managed to care for you and Silin, so how can I possibly take care of her?”

Xu Youran also grew troubled.

Those weightless four words were laden with deep complexities.

Chen Silin spoke with some sympathy: “Husband, why not bestow upon her an official status?”

“With the title of your concubine, she can at least avoid being bullied while she remains in the Nine Sects.”

Marry her?

Jiang Fan furrowed his brow.

The two of them shared no affection to speak of.

In fact, there was a history of entanglement between them.

Xu Youran locked her arm around Jiang Fan’s, her voice soft and persuasive:

“Husband, I beseech you, help her just this once.”

Jiang Fan looked at her, then at Chen Silin.

He suddenly pieced it together: “You two must’ve discussed this beforehand, didn’t you?”

This idea? Chen Silin wouldn’t dare suggest it alone without Xu Youran’s permission.

Clearly, this was Xu Youran’s idea, with Chen Silin broaching the matter while Xu Youran delivered her persuasive charm.

If Jiang Fan refused, it would count as a rejection of Chen Silin’s proposal.

Meanwhile, Xu Youran could always bring it up again later.

If Xu Youran’s proposal met denial upfront, there would be no easy way to revisit the subject again in the future.

Xu Youran gently bit her lip, wrapping both arms around Jiang Fan and playfully swaying them.

“Can’t you just say ‘yes’ or ‘no’?”

Feeling the soft warmth pressing against his arm, Jiang Fan affectionately tapped her on the forehead:

“Where do you learn these tricks for coaxing people?”

Xu Youran blushed, but her eyes glimmered with hope: “So… Husband agrees, then?”

Jiang Fan let out a helpless sigh.

Glancing at the still unconscious Xu Yining, he said: “For your sake, fine.”

“When she wakes up, you ask for her opinion yourself.”

“If she’s willing, she can use my name when out and about in the future.”

“But that’s as far as I’m willing to go.”

Xu Youran joyously embraced Jiang Fan: “Thank you, Husband!”

With their move to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion imminent, her greatest concern had been her sister.

Her master was dead.

She, Chen Silin, and Jiang Fan were all leaving.

In the vast Green Cloud Sect, there was no one familiar left.

Just her, all alone.

But now things were better.

She had finally secured some measure of protection for Xu Yining.

With this status, life would at least be a little better for her.

A gust of wind blew by.

Xu Yining’s disheveled black hair swept across her cheeks.

Covering the glistening tears that were about to fall.

Meanwhile.

At the end of the river.

The region was no longer coated in icy snow but had transformed into the extreme western terrain of the Nine Sects.

A murky expanse of mud and marshland.

Several meandering streams converged into the riverbed.

Mysteriously.

No matter how much water trickled downstream.

The riverbed remained persistently dry.

One after another, roasted crabs and shrimp were embedded in the baked mud.

Fish, charred and scattered about in disarray, stared with pitiful wide-open eyes.

“Where the hell have you gone?”

Gu Xin’er was panting heavily, her body drenched in fragrant sweat.

She couldn’t believe it.

She had actually lost track of a Jiedan Junior!

“Heh…”

Suddenly, a raspy voice came from the item she carried.

“Looks like your name will have to be read backward now.”

Gu Xin’er’s face lit up with joy, as she pulled out a fragmented hairpin from within her embrace.

If Jiang Fan were here, he would instantly recognize it.

This was none other than the second piece of the Nine Phoenix Chao Dao hairpin!

But unlike before, this hairpin held a mysterious consciousness within it.

“Master, you’ve finally awakened!”

The hairpin emitted a kindly chuckle.

“I woke up the moment that boy immobilized you.”

Gu Xin’er suddenly understood: “Ah, that explains it. I was wondering why the violet flames in my body acted on their own to save me.”

“So it was Master intervening!”

“But why didn’t you kill him?”

“That little thug is utterly vile!”

“He actually used an aphrodisiac to threaten me—shameless beyond measure, the epitome of depravity!”

She stomped her foot, pouting with indignation.

“Haha…”

The hairpin chuckled hoarsely: “Killing him would have been easy.”

“But it’s rare for someone to make you suffer a defeat; a little tempering is useful for you.”

“As proven, you’ve encountered a proper adversary.”

“The other party, merely in the Core Formation Realm, managed to toy with you completely. If he were in the Nascent Soul Realm as well, you’d likely take a serious fall.”

Gu Xin’er muttered irritably: “I… I was just careless for a moment!”

The hairpin laughed:

“Being immobilized was carelessness, being tricked by Fragrant Corpse Pills was carelessness, losing him during the chase was still carelessness?”

“You don’t even know how he escaped your pursuit.”

“There’s much you still need to learn.”

Gu Xin’er was utterly disgruntled.

She ground her silver teeth repeatedly, saying: “If I meet him again, he won’t escape next time!”

The hairpin let out a raspy laugh: “I wouldn’t be so sure.”

“That young fellow, despite his age, already shows courage, wit, and audacity. He’s ruthless when necessary and quick to flee when the situation demands.”

“When I was young, I also encountered a few people like him.”

“Later, without exception, all of them became the leading figures of their eras.”

“This boy reminds me of them to some degree.”

Gu Xin’er felt a pang of jealousy.

She herself had never received such praise from her master.

Yet her master regarded that little thug so highly?

With a huff, she replied:

“Oh really? Then I must capture him for sure!”

The hairpin sighed:

“Don’t waste time.”

“You’ve traveled thousands of li to reach this place, and your goal is the top-grade crystal stone in the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.”

“If the Outer Realm Divine Sect learns of the existence of the top-grade crystal stone, it won’t end up in your hands.”