Chapter 85: The Only Possibility……

“Really? Sister, are you telling the truth?” Xia Yuanba, who had been in a state of panic, suddenly brightened his eyes and shouted excitedly upon hearing Lan Xueruo’s words. It was as if he had grasped a life-saving straw in desperation.

“When has your sister ever lied to you?” Lan Xueruo smiled faintly. “It’s a good thing Prefect Qin didn’t immediately hand you over; instead, he managed to secure ten days for you. Otherwise, even if I had a solution, there wouldn’t have been enough time.”

“That’s great!” Xia Yuanba’s face flushed crimson. The excitement triggered his internal injuries, causing him to wince in pain.

Yun Che looked at Lan Xueruo with surprise for a while, then smiled ambiguously. “Sister Xueruo, you’re so good to me. Could it be that… you’ve fallen for me? Although I know my looks are quite perfect for a man, and I also like Sister Xueruo very much, I am a married man after all. Does Sister Xueruo really not mind at all?”

“I mind your head!” Lan Xueruo pursed her lips in exasperation. “I, Lan Xueruo, would never be interested in a younger man who is also married! I’m helping you simply because I’m your senior sister and it just happens to be convenient.”

“Yes, yes, yes, yes!” Xia Yuanba nodded repeatedly, saying sincerely, “Sister Xueruo has always been this kind of person—especially gentle and caring towards everyone. When I first arrived at New Moon Profound Palace, I didn’t know anyone around me. And with my low profound strength, I was placed in the first class, which led to a lot of criticism and ridicule. It was Sister Xueruo who took care of me a lot. Sister Xueruo is the gentlest and kindest person I’ve ever met.”

Whenever Xia Yuanba mentioned Lan Xueruo, his eyes would sparkle, and his face would be filled with affection and admiration, almost treating her like a perfect goddess. And Lan Xueruo indeed possessed such a gentle and graceful temperament, disposition, and charm.

“Of course,” Yun Che nodded in agreement. “Sister Xueruo is so beautiful, she must be an angel from heaven, which is why she’s so gentle and kind… But, Sister, do you really not consider men who are younger than you and already married? Actually, younger and married men have many advantages that single older men will never have, for example…”

“Within ten days, are you coming back to蒼風 Imperial City with me or not?” Lan Xueruo could no longer listen and pretended to look stern.

“Yes, yes, yes, yes! Of course!” Before Yun Che could answer, Xia Yuanba eagerly nodded in agreement, afraid that Lan Xueruo would change her mind. Originally, Xia Yuanba was deeply worried that Yun Che would not be able to escape this great disaster, but Lan Xueruo’s suggestion was nothing short of a heaven-sent surprise; he would cling to it no matter what.

Yun Che, however, thought for a moment and said cautiously, “Sister, I am very grateful for your kindness. But this matter I’ve stirred up could involve the main branch of the Xiao Sect. If Sister takes me away then, and they insist on pursuing it… I don’t want to implicate Sister, or your family.”

Lan Xueruo smiled sweetly and said, “It’s good that you have a conscience and think of your senior sister. However, since I dare to help you escape New Moon City, I naturally have enough confidence that I won’t bring trouble upon myself. You can rest assured on that point; I wouldn’t be so foolish as to joke with my own life and the lives of my loved ones.”

“Although the Xiao Sect members have left, there are definitely still people watching outside the gate. If you go out, you might immediately fall into their hands. So these next few days, just stay in the Profound Palace obediently and don’t go anywhere. Once my family arrives, I will take you away immediately. Once we reach蒼風 Imperial City, you should be completely safe.”

Lan Xueruo spoke with great certainty and ease, clearly trying her best to put Yun Che at ease. Yun Che no longer hesitated, and said gratefully, “Then… Sister, I’ll be relying on you. After escaping this calamity, I will definitely repay your life-saving kindness well.”

Lan Xueruo’s pink lips curved slightly, and her eyebrows arched into two delicate crescents. “If you want to repay your senior sister, then stay here safely and protect your life. Only if you’re alive can there be a day to repay me.”

“Understood! I’ll listen to Sister.” Yun Che nodded vigorously, then changed the subject and suddenly asked, “Sister, do you… have any profound pellets from profound beasts on you? Low-grade ones are fine. If not, where in the palace can I find some?”

“Profound pellets? What do you need profound pellets for?” Lan Xueruo asked, puzzled.

“It’s a secret for now. Does Sister really have some?” Seeing Lan Xueruo’s expression, Yun Che’s eyes lit up.

Lan Xueruo reached into the spatial ring on her slender finger and rummaged for a while before pulling out a dull-colored spherical bead. “I only have one lowest-grade sub-profound pellet on me; I got it from a Crimson Scaled Lizard recently. But Prefect Qin should have a few true profound beast pellets. If you need them, I can go…”

“A sub-profound pellet is enough.” Yun Che reached out and took the sub-profound pellet from Lan Xueruo’s hand, instantly feeling relieved.

Ordinary beasts do not have profound pellets. From sub-profound beasts onward, adult profound beasts have profound pellets inside their bodies, just like the core of profound veins in humans. Among profound pellets, sub-profound pellets are the easiest to obtain and consequently the lowest in price, usually ranging from dozens to a few hundred Yellow Profound Coins. However, for every grade increase, the price grows exponentially. In the Azure Wind Empire, any Earth Profound Pellet would sell for a sky-high price, and a Sky Profound Pellet was already an invaluable treasure. As for King Profound Pellets, they were basically mythical.

On the way to New Moon City, Yun Che had indeed acquired a few lowest-grade sub-profound pellets, but he had used them all to refine more efficient Profound Recovery Pellets. As he carried heavy iron along the journey, he virtually ate Profound Recovery Pellets as food.

“Junior Brother Yun, you must be tired today. Rest early. Don’t worry about anything else. With Prefect Qin here, the Xiao Sect won’t cause trouble for these ten days. After these ten days, I have absolute confidence in keeping you safe.”

“I understand, Sister… You should also rest early, Sister.”

Lan Xueruo slowly departed, leaving a faint orchid fragrance in her wake, and Yun Che fell into thought.

“That’s great, Brother-in-law! Since Sister said so confidently, she’ll definitely be able to save you.” Xia Yuanba said excitedly, “Uh… Brother-in-law? Why don’t you look very happy? Don’t you believe Sister Xueruo?”

“Yuanba, are you and Sister Xueruo related?” Yun Che asked abruptly.

“No, why does Brother-in-law ask?” Xia Yuanba scratched his head.

“Then, have you, or your family, ever saved Sister Xueruo or her family or anything?”

“No! I’ve never even met her family. Besides, my profound strength is so low, it’s impossible for me to save Sister Xueruo. And my family, well, even more so.”

“This is strange then.” Yun Che tapped his chin with his right hand, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Not related, no apparent reason, we’ve only exchanged a few words in total. Why would she help me?”

“Oh! You mean that. Brother-in-law, you’re really overthinking it. I already told you, Sister Xueruo is just that kind-hearted. When I first arrived at New Moon Profound Palace, I wasn’t related to her either, and she helped and cared for me a lot. All the senior brothers and sisters in the Profound Palace like her very much.”

“No, this is different.” Yun Che shook his head, his expression serious. “Her help to you could be due to her nature; I wouldn’t find that strange. But her taking me to escape New Moon City is completely different! She clearly knows that the trouble I’ve caused involves the main branch of the Xiao Sect… Although I don’t particularly like the Xiao Sect, I have to admit that the main branch of the Xiao Sect holds immense power in the Azure Wind Empire, capable of dominating everything. How many people in the entire Empire don’t feel a jolt of fear when they hear the words ‘Xiao Sect’? How many dare to provoke the Xiao Sect? How many dare to risk being implicated to help someone who has offended the Xiao Sect escape its judgment?”

Xia Yuanba opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.

“If we were life-and-death friends, doing this would be understandable. But I’ve only known her for a day, we’ve only exchanged a few words, and there’s no obligation or grudge between us. Yet she’s willing to take such a huge risk to take me away from New Moon City. It’s too strange.”

“Also… Yuanba, you’re in the same class. Have you heard her mention anything about returning to Azure Wind Imperial City recently, or any signs of it?” Yun Che asked.

Xia Yuanba was momentarily stunned, then thought seriously and shook his head. “I don’t think so. But if she’s going home, she probably doesn’t need to tell us in advance.”

“She never mentioned returning to the Imperial City before, and now she suddenly says she’s going back, ten days from now. And the time Prefect Qin secured for me is also exactly ten days… This is a bit too much of a coincidence, wouldn’t you say?” Yun Che mused.

After hearing Yun Che’s reasoning, Xia Yuanba also started to feel that something was amiss. He certainly knew the reputation of the Xiao Sect. Taking such a huge risk to offend the Xiao Sect to save someone he had only known for a day, someone who was practically unrelated, seemed too abnormal when he thought about it. Even a slight misstep could lead to utter disaster! He vigorously scratched his scalp, then shook his head abruptly. “No, no, no! Sister Xueruo is such a good person; she couldn’t possibly have any other ulterior motives for Brother-in-law. Besides… besides, Brother-in-law isn’t rich, nor are you some master. If she’s saving you for some purpose, what purpose could it be?”

“That’s the strangest part to me,” Yun Che raised his gaze, touched his face, and murmured, “So… when I asked Sister Xueruo just now, ‘Have you fallen for me?’… I wasn’t joking at all. For a girl to do so much for a man she just met, the only possibility I can think of is that Sister Xueruo… well, fell in love with me at first sight.”

“What!?” Xia Yuanba’s legs went weak, almost making him kneel directly before Yun Che in shock.

“I have no power, no strength, no background, not even the most vulgar money. Instead, I’ve brought a great disaster upon myself. So the only thing Sister Xueruo could covet from me is my good looks. Women are emotional creatures; if they fall for a man, they might do anything, no matter how exaggerated or crazy, for him. It’s perfectly normal that she’d risk immense danger to save me.”

“Phew… As expected, no matter which plane I’m in, the era of judging by looks doesn’t change. Being good-looking is not only a strong asset, sometimes it can even save your life.” Yun Che pinched his face, and for some reason, he grinned.

Yun Che’s smile at this moment seemed to have an obscene meaning to Xia Yuanba. He widened his eyes and stammered, “But… but… but… Sister Xueruo is so beautiful, so gentle, and so many people like her! How could she… And Sister Xueruo also said that she has no interest in men younger than herself, or those who are already married. This… this…”

Yun Che rolled his eyes at him and said leisurely, “Yuanba, you really don’t understand women at all. Women are creatures who love to say the opposite of what they mean. If she says she doesn’t like men younger than herself, that means she actually likes men younger than herself. If she says she doesn’t like married men, that means… er…” Even Yun Che himself felt this explanation was a bit far-fetched, so he had to press on. “…Although this preference is a bit unusual, perhaps she really does like married men.”

“!#￥…” Xia Yuanba went crazy. “That can’t be right! Why didn’t Brother-in-law just ask her when Sister Xueruo was here?”

“Can’t ask.” Yun Che waved his finger in front of Xia Yuanba, saying earnestly, “Men don’t like overly intelligent women, and women, likewise, don’t like overly intelligent men. If I had asked, it would have spoiled the mood.” At this point, Yun Che’s eyes became unusually deep. “My previous guess is the only possibility I can think of right now. I don’t know if it’s right or wrong. But what’s certain is that she wants to capture me, to make me some kind of ‘prey,’ and I…” Yun Che curved his lips. “—the same! Next, we’ll see who gets the upper hand first! If she wins, I’ll be hers as she wishes; if she loses, heh heh heh heh…”

Xia Yuanba: “…”