Chapter 2478: Ignore

Zu An and the Saintess exchanged glances. The Saintess quickly pointed to someone and asked, "Where did you see her?"

"I saw her outside the town," the person quickly recounted, feeling honored to be addressed by the Saintess. "She was about to enter the town when she encountered a group of adventurers from out of town. Seeing her beauty, they harbored ill intentions and tried to harass her. But the girl quickly killed them."

A hint of fear appeared on his face as he described the scene.

Zu An quickly asked for details about the fight. The person, pale-faced, replied, "Black flames. The fire was terrifying. Even a small touch would make it unquenchable, and soon their entire bodies were reduced to ashes."

Zu An's heart stirred. It seemed to be Manman indeed. That was her innate black flame. Her resorting to such lethal force clearly indicated that those adventurers had brought their demise upon themselves.

"What happened next?"

"I was too scared to look anymore, so I ran far away," the person said with an embarrassed laugh. "I don't know where she went after that. But she's so strong, she probably won't encounter any danger."

"I know where she went," another person interjected. "She entered the town later and even bought a string of sugar-coated haws on the street."

Zu An couldn't help but smile. Manman might appear like a stunning, mature woman, but she clearly had a girlish side.

"Later, near the sky bridge, she seemed to be asking about the Saintess, but since no one knew her background, they didn't dare to tell her anything casually."

"Around noon, she came to this inn and ordered a few dishes."

"I saw her in the south of town..."

Hearing the flurry of clues from all around, Zu An's expression darkened. "Why do so many of you remember her?"

He knew that finding one or two such clues would be fortunate, yet a whole flood of them suddenly appeared here, which felt rather strange.

At that moment, one person weakly said, "That young lady was so beautiful, and so... so..."

He stammered, trailing off.

The Saintess's face turned cold. "So what exactly?"

Frightened by the Saintess, the person quickly blurted out, "And so well-endowed! No one who's seen her once could ever forget her."

The Saintess: "..."

Zu An: "..."

He thought of Big Manman's impressive figure and mused that what the man said was indeed reasonable.

He then questioned further, able to roughly outline Big Manman's movements after entering the town.

By the afternoon, she had likely gathered information about the general location of the Saintess and the Demon Race resistance army. After leaving the town entrance, she was about to head in that direction.

However, she suddenly received a letter. Her expression changed drastically, and she immediately altered her course, heading in the opposite direction from the Demon Race resistance army.

Zu An's brow furrowed. What was written in the letter? Why would she immediately change her original plan and rush in another direction?

More importantly, who sent Big Manman a letter?

She didn't belong to this timeline; she couldn't possibly have any acquaintances here. How could anyone send her a letter?

At this point, the Saintess spoke. "Brother Zu, what do you think Sister Pei saw that made her leave? Could someone have tricked her into thinking you were in danger?"

Zu An shook his head slightly. "No."

There was already a complete understanding between him and Big Manman; they even had some private codes. No one could deceive her.

Furthermore, she was aware of her own cultivation level, so self-preservation was certainly not an issue. How could she encounter danger so quickly?

"After thinking it over, there's only one possibility," Zu An said gravely. "She must have received news about the Glazed Hairpin Flower, the Heaven-Defying Spirit Tear, or the Aurora Poison Dragon. That's the only reason she would leave." He reasoned that only something related to Ji Xiaoxi's detoxification would cause her to suddenly alter her plans.

The Saintess suddenly let out a soft "Oh?" and, seeing his puzzled look, explained, "I'm not familiar with the other two, but the Glazed Hairpin Flower seems to grow near the Demon Imperial Tombs."

"Demon Imperial Tombs?" Zu An was taken aback. "I've been there in later times, but I never saw that flower."

The Saintess thought for a moment and said, "It does exist in this world, but it's extremely rare. It was cultivated by successive Demon Emperors for sacrifices to the heavens. If it wasn't seen in later times, it most likely became extinct in subsequent history."

"Although information about the Glazed Hairpin Flower is confidential, some in the Demon Race do know about it. It's likely that Sister Pei was inquiring around, and someone found the information and delivered it to her."

Zu An nodded. It seemed to be the most logical explanation now.

"Then I'll head to the Demon Imperial Tombs immediately." Zu An was worried. He knew the Lord of Slaughter was there now, and if Manman went rashly, she might be in danger.

Furthermore, Ji Xiaoxi and the others were also looking for the Glazed Hairpin Flower, so they might also be heading towards the Demon Imperial Tombs. They could meet up there.

The Saintess immediately said, "I'll go with you!"

Zu An tried to dissuade her. "Sister Ling'er, as the current Saintess of the Demon Race, you bear too many responsibilities. The resistance army also has many matters that require your attention. If you suddenly leave, there will certainly be chaos among them."

"But..." The Saintess knew he was telling the truth, but she was reluctant to part with him.

Just then, an elven female scout quickly flew over. "Saintess, urgent news from the front lines! The demon armies seem to have made recent movements. Everyone is worried they are coming for us, so they sent me to ask you to return for discussion."

The Saintess's expression changed, and she looked at Zu An with difficulty. "Brother Zu..."

Zu An patted her shoulder. "Sister Ling'er, you should go back quickly. I can handle things on my own. And your presence here, attracting the demon armies' attention, is indirectly helping me."

The Saintess finally nodded. "Alright then, I'll go back and handle the military affairs first. Once I'm done with my tasks, I'll come find you as soon as possible. Please take care of yourself."

Zu An was startled. "Don't come alone! You're currently at the top of the demon wanted list. The Imperial Tombs are now under demon control. If you go there, wouldn't you be walking straight into a tiger's den?"

The Saintess smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, Brother Zu. I'm not a reckless person. It won't be easy for the demons to catch me."

Zu An then realized that she had been battling the demons with wits and courage for many years, and his worries were indeed excessive.

Since that was the case, he stopped trying to dissuade her. Instead, he stepped forward and held her tightly. "Sister Ling'er, once we've dealt with this time fragment, I'll take you back to our original timeline."

The Saintess hummed in affirmation. "I believe Brother Zu can do it."

The two embraced for a long time.

"When I go back, Sister Qingwu will definitely ask about your whereabouts. Should I tell her?" the Saintess suddenly asked as she pulled away from his embrace.

Zu An shook his head slightly. Better a short pain than a long one. It was a good opportunity for Princess Peacock to forget him.

The Saintess nodded, understanding that their respective positions truly offered no future. With reluctance, she bid him farewell.

As the two flew away, the elven female scout couldn't help but look back at Zu An, clearly curious about the man who had captured the Saintess's heart.

Zu An thought to himself that this female elf might be distantly related to Xue'er. Elves have long lifespans, so she would be roughly 34 generations senior to Qiao Xueying.

However, he quickly reined in his thoughts. The most important thing now was to find Pei Mianman as soon as possible.

A biting cold wind blew in his face from above. Zu An felt as if he had overlooked something, but what could it be?