Chapter 50: The Barbarian

At this moment, Qian Ye and Ji Tianqing were actually not far from the two, hiding in a shallow pit, using the natural terrain to block Luo Bingfeng’s line of sight.

Behind them lay another person, motionless, covered by a strange blue cloth placed by Ji Tianqing, with no trace of breath leaking out. According to Ji Tianqing, this person was Cui Yuanhai, but to prevent him from talking or moving around, she had simply knocked him unconscious.

Qian Ye and Ji Tianqing were now tightly pressed together, with Ji Tianqing still burrowing into Qian Ye’s embrace. This was necessary, as Luo Bingfeng’s perception was exceptionally sharp, his gaze could travel thousands of miles in an instant, and any slight hint would be detected by him.

Qian Ye was fully activating his bloodline stealth, making his aura almost imperceptible, like the moles scattered throughout the mountains, which was even more deceptive. However, Ji Tianqing did not have Qian Ye’s abilities, and her aura kept leaking out. This might fool ordinary powerhouses, but it was unlikely to deceive Luo Bingfeng.

So, Qian Ye had no choice but to hold her in his arms, using his body to cover hers as much as possible, reducing the outward leakage of her aura. The blue cloth that could conceal the aura, however, was only one, and it had already been used to cover the old man, leaving Ji Tianqing uncovered.

The two of them carefully hid in the pit, concealing themselves in a simple and primitive manner.

If Luo Bingfeng ascended another hundred meters, he would be able to see Qian Ye and Ji Tianqing at a glance. However, after he and the woman appeared, they remained suspended in mid-air, motionless.

Seeing how serious he was, the woman chuckled, covering her mouth, and said, “With your status, you still want to snatch something from juniors? Moreover, in the path of cultivation, even the slightest difference can lead to a thousand-mile divergence, especially for someone with my unique constitution. Even if you get their cultivation method, I might not be able to use it.”

“Even if I can’t use it, it’s still good to take a look and learn from it,” Luo Bingfeng insisted stubbornly on this matter.

The woman sighed helplessly, “Such cultivation methods are all top-tier treasures, and you know better than me how valuable they are. Even just borrowing it to look at is a huge favor. You can’t shortchange them. Though we are stranded here, we must not lose our spirit.”

The man nodded, “Don’t worry, I will offer sufficient compensation. If he is smart, it will be fine, and I’ll owe him a favor. But if he isn’t, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

Ji Tianqing discreetly nudged Qian Ye, asking in lip-reading, “What cultivation method are you using? It sounds very powerful!”

“…A very ordinary method.”

“Do you think I would believe you?”

“I really am not lying.”

Qian Ye was indeed telling the truth; the Bingfa Jue (Soldier’s Method) was a common practice in the Empire, and the Song Clan’s ancient scroll was not highly regarded by the Song family. It could be seen that Song Zining had no qualms about giving it to Qian Ye.

Clearly, Ji Tianqing did not believe him, glaring fiercely at Qian Ye, meaning she would settle the score with him later.

Luo Bingfeng, having failed to find anything, shook his head helplessly and disappeared with the woman.

Qian Ye did not let his guard down, slowly releasing Ji Tianqing, gesturing to her, and then carrying the old man wrapped in the blue cloth, they walked step by step towards the distance. Ji Tianqing silently followed behind Qian Ye, using the cover of night to distance themselves from Chaocheng City.

Their speed was similar to that of ordinary people, and they walked for most of the night before the feeling of being watched finally vanished. Only then did Qian Ye let out a sigh of relief, knowing they had left Luo Bingfeng’s range of perception.

Ji Tianqing’s face was pale, showing that the entire night had taken a toll on her.

They walked in silence for a while without speaking. Luo Bingfeng’s range of perception and his ability to attack with his gaze far exceeded their expectations. The Lord of Chaocheng City, who had hidden his true strength, had means that were unfathomable. It seemed that he was somehow restricted from leaving Chaocheng City, which allowed them to escape. Otherwise, whether they could have escaped was uncertain.

If Qian Ye used Void Flash and Bloodline Stealth, he might have been able to escape. But taking Cui Yuanhai along was impossible.

After a while, Qian Ye found a cave, put down the person he was carrying, and lifted the blue cloth. Under the cloth was indeed Cui Yuanhai, still unconscious, with no breathing or heartbeat. However, several faint threads of origin power were slowly flowing through his heart and body, a life-saving measure set up by Ji Tianqing.

Ji Tianqing came over and patted Cui Yuanhai’s chest, stimulating his vitality, causing his heart to revive and his blood to flow again. Cui Yuanhai did not wake up but fell into a deep sleep. After a period of hibernation-like sleep, he needed rest.

Cui Yuanhai showed no signs of abuse or torture, and there were no restrictions on his origin power. Apart from some weakness, his condition was quite good. It seemed that he had been treated well in the weapon workshop of Chaocheng City.

After checking Cui Yuanhai’s condition, Qian Ye felt relieved and asked, “Is the method you mentioned to deal with the Divine General the token?”

Ji Tianqing, surprisingly generous, took out a token and threw it to Qian Ye, “Here, it’s for you!”

Qian Ye looked at it and couldn’t help but laugh. This was no token; it was clearly a piece of iron cut unevenly, with two ancient characters carved on it: Buzhou.

Judging from the style and text, it was supposed to be a replica of Zhang Buzhou’s token. However, even Qian Ye could see that the characters Buzhou were poorly carved, not even neat, let alone elegant. As the leader of the human race in the neutral territory, Zhang Buzhou’s token could not be so shabby.

This token could not even fool a child, yet it deceived the Lord of Chaocheng City, Luo Bingfeng.

“This token…” Qian Ye examined it closely and could not find anything special about it. It was made of the most ordinary iron, the kind that would rust in a day or two.

“It’s a replica of Zhang Buzhou’s personal token. I spent an entire silver coin to have it made.”

Qian Ye was speechless.

“Does this look like Zhang Buzhou’s token?” Qian Ye found it hard to imagine that such a powerful figure would use such a poorly designed token.

“Of course not, I’ve never seen what his token looks like. I just made this randomly, as long as it has the characters Buzhou. It doesn’t matter if we don’t think it looks like it, as long as the other party does.”

Qian Ye realized that Ji Tianqing must have used some secret technique to interfere with Luo Bingfeng’s perception, making him believe that this was truly Zhang Buzhou’s confidential order, thus hesitating and letting them go.

Once they had escaped, with Luo Bingfeng’s cultivation, he would soon realize the deception and come after them. But it gave them time to prepare and hide.

However, Luo Bingfeng’s willpower, sharp perception, and ruthless methods were truly rare in Qian Ye’s experience. Despite its unassuming appearance, Ji Tianqing’s secret technique was terrifyingly effective.

In fact, this secret technique had a precedent. Her true appearance and actual cultivation level were always a mystery. To Qian Ye, she was simply a beautiful woman, but he could not describe her beauty.

Even Qian Ye, who was familiar with her, could not pinpoint her beauty. Let alone others.

Although Ji Tianqing’s origins were mysterious, she had always been on Qian Ye’s side since they met, and they had helped each other. Therefore, Qian Ye did not dwell on her identity, as every powerhouse had their own secrets, and knowing too much was not a good thing.

Qian Ye stored Zang Xin and Dongyue in Andu Ya’s space, returned the blue cloth to Ji Tianqing, and picked up Cui Yuanhai, preparing to return to Nanqing City.

However, Ji Tianqing did not move, her eyes fixed on the necklace around Qian Ye’s neck.

“What’s wrong?” Qian Ye asked, somewhat puzzled.

Hearing his voice, Ji Tianqing came back to her senses and said, “Nothing, I’ll tell you later.”

Qian Ye nodded and ran towards Nanqing City. He didn’t think Ji Tianqing was interested in the necklace. Even if he gave her Andu Ya’s mysterious space, she couldn’t use it without the corresponding bloodline. Besides, Ji Tianqing had similar equipment, and its grade was no less than Andu Ya’s space.

They kept running on the ground, not flying, to avoid being detected by anyone Luo Bingfeng might send. In fact, running on the ground was faster than flying, except for those near the level of Heaven King, like Zhang Boqian, who could cross the void.

Seeing Ji Tianqing following him at a steady pace, Qian Ye, young and competitive, started to increase his speed. He ran faster and faster, but Ji Tianqing managed to keep up.

Qian Ye was secretly amazed and wanted to test her limit, so he released all his physical strength, bounding forward, leaping dozens of meters with each stride, disappearing in an instant.

At this point, Ji Tianqing could no longer maintain her leisurely pace, and trails of afterimages appeared behind her. With each afterimage, she would flash a hundred meters and continue to follow Qian Ye.

Seeing that she had finally used her secret technique, Qian Ye felt a little relieved. He relied on his physical strength, supplemented by origin power, which gave him exceptional endurance, far surpassing Ji Tianqing, who used a secret technique. If she had no higher-level secret techniques, she should be outmatched in speed by Qian Ye.

Even if she had other secret techniques, Qian Ye still had Void Flash, giving him a chance to win.

After so long, Qian Ye had finally gained the upper hand, and he couldn’t help but feel pleased, so he slowed down.

Ji Tianqing caught up, gritting her teeth, “Brutish and crude! Not elegant at all!”

Qian Ye knew she was criticizing him for relying on brute force, but a win was a win, and that fact could not be changed. He did not argue with her, just let her complain, and smiled as they ran towards Nanqing City.

By midday the next day, Nanqing City was in sight.

They had run for thousands of miles without rest, and even Qian Ye felt a bit tired. Ji Tianqing’s face was pale, showing no attempt to hide her fatigue. Seeing Nanqing City, she sighed in relief, “I’m done. I need a big meal and a whole day of sleep!”