Chapter 473: Rescue Troops

The two from the Stargazing Pavilion also shed their Heaven Refining Sect robes, returning to their original black attire.

Faced with the Stargazing Pavilion coming to take people away, Young Master Nan was helpless and could only watch as Shi Chun and his group were led off.

All he could do now was follow the group up the mountain towards the summit, a gesture that felt somewhat like seeing them off.

Everyone in the Bright Mountain Sect felt extremely uneasy.

Shi Chun, too, kept reassuring himself, "It's fine, it should be fine. If we were truly involved with the Demonic Dao, they wouldn't wait until the competition was over to deal with us."

On the terrace, Gong Shaoci had just seen off the expert named Wang. He then pulled out his parent-child talisman to check a message, looked up at the dispersing crowd in the mirror, and said gravely to his father and the others, "The Stargazing Pavilion has really made a move. They've already sent people to intercept and take away the Bright Mountain Sect group."

Miao Yilan looked at her mother with some concern.

Lan Qiaoyan's expression was grave, but she remained silent, offering no opinion.

After a moment of thought, Gong Yuanzhi stood up and said, "Since Shi Chun is an old acquaintance of yours, I will look into the matter. If there's any news, I'll have Shaoci contact you."

With a polite bow, he then left with his son, asking the mother and daughter not to bother seeing them off.

Once the outsiders were gone, Miao Yilan worried, "Will Shi Chun and the others come back alive?"

"Heaven knows what trouble they've gotten into," Lan Qiaoyan sighed, appearing helpless.

Miao Yilan also felt helpless. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "Mother, earlier, when we spoke of the 'Desolate Breaker Shard,' you wouldn't let me speak. Was it because you feared getting involved with the Demonic Dao?"

Lan Qiaoyan gave her a side-eye. "It has nothing to do with the Demonic Dao. You wanted to ask Shi Chun to give the item to Shaoci's father, didn't you?"

Caught red-handed, Miao Yilan didn't deny it, saying shyly, "I would buy it from him, not just take it."

Lan Qiaoyan tapped the tea table. "Does the Gong family lack money? If the Gong family's money can't buy it, and you're able to buy it just by asking, is that truly buying it?

"Lanlan, it's one thing for Shi Chun to give you something, but it's another for you to ask for it. So many people in the Divine Fire Domain chased them, and they fought desperately, poured their heart and soul into it, even went gray, just to obtain that item. What do you think their lives are worth? Some favors, once owed, must be repaid.

"You rejected his pursuit, yet you want to use something he risked his life for to curry favor with another man? What were you thinking?

"If you don't want to accept his advances or marry him, then don't ask for his things—not even a hint. That's basic etiquette!"

Miao Yilan was overcome with shame.

On the mountaintop, the Bright Mountain Sect group was led outside the pavilion, while Young Master Nan watched from a distance.

Mu Lan Jin stood with his hands behind his back inside the pavilion, staring at Shi Chun. Shi Chun, naturally, saw him and pretended to be weak and cowardly.

The Stargazing Pavilion members, disguised as Heaven Refining Sect disciples, entered the pavilion and reported to Mu Lan Jin what had happened after Luo Yan led them away.

After hearing the account, Mu Lan Jin was somewhat taken aback. According to this, it was Situ Gu who was now facing trouble, and Shi Chun had cleared his name?

This meant he probably didn't need to show up in person for this trip at all, and the Emperor's directive regarding it seemed somewhat redundant.

But since things had come to this, what could be done? Just continue the act.

After a moment of silence, he hummed and said, "Take them away."

He was about to turn and leave.

Just then, two figures swiftly ascended the mountain.

They were two women: one dressed in official green, the other in snow-white robes. They were none other than Gu Lianni and Mu Lan Qingqing.

Gu Lianni's complexion was still poor, clearly not having fully recovered from her previous state.

However, there was no choice. Mu Lan Qingqing had suddenly contacted her, naturally because Qi Yun Valley was the territory of the artifact-refining world, not a place outsiders could trespass. Mu Lan Qingqing herself wasn't familiar with Qi Yun Valley and had few friends; if she had any, Gu Lianni was certainly one.

Seeing Mu Lan Qingqing arrive, Shi Chun's spirits lifted, and he secretly held great expectations.

To curry favor with this woman, his address for her in the parent-child talisman had changed from "Mu Lan" to "Qingqing."

He was also surprised that Gu Lianni had come along, then remembered Gu Lianni mentioning before that she knew Mu Lan Qingqing.

He had previously thought it was just a casual acquaintance and didn't pay much attention, but now it seemed they were quite familiar with each other.

His daughter's sudden appearance left Mu Lan Jin speechless. Mu Lan Qingqing merely glanced indifferently at Shi Chun and his group before walking unimpeded into the pavilion, standing before Mu Lan Jin, facing him with an icy demeanor.

The group watched in silence.

Gu Lianni was clearly somewhat afraid of Mu Lan Jin and dared not approach the pavilion.

Finally, Mu Lan Jin broke the silence, "Why are you here?"

Mu Lan Qingqing: "Didn't your subordinate convey my message to you?"

Mu Lan Jin calmly said, "Whatever you have to say, we can discuss it later."

Mu Lan Qingqing: "I said, if he's going to die, it can only be by my hand. He still owes me a duel!" She bit her lip, hesitated, then added, "Leave him here. I stand by what I said."

Others didn't understand the meaning of that last sentence, but Mu Lan Jin did. He had received a message before: if he protected Shi Chun this time, she would acknowledge him as her father.

Whether she acknowledged him or not, he seemed not to care; his emotions showed no fluctuation. Yet, he gazed into his daughter's eyes, seemingly trying to read something there.

Mu Lan Qingqing, however, seemed a bit guilty and averted her gaze.

Mu Lan Jin slightly frowned, but his tone remained calm. "In contests and battles, victory and defeat are common. Let bygones be bygones; there's no need to cling to the past..." He paused, seemingly unsure if he should say certain things, but finally decided that bitter medicine was necessary. "You are not his match right now. We can talk about a duel later."

Mu Lan Qingqing, however, said confidently, "My cultivation has already broken through to the Grand Completion of High Martial realm."

Mu Lan Jin was slightly surprised. After a moment's thought, he glanced at Gu Lianni outside the pavilion, then leaned closer to his daughter and whispered, "If you truly want to duel him, first go talk to Gu Lianni about someone."

Mu Lan Qingqing looked at him, puzzled.

"Li Hongjiu. Go ask Gu Lianni what kind of strength Li Hongjiu of the Derivation Treasure Sect possesses. Most people in the Divine Fire Domain only saw Li Hongjiu forcing Shi Chun and his group to flee in disarray, but they didn't see Li Hongjiu challenging Shi Chun one-on-one. Li Hongjiu is also at the High Martial realm, yet he was injured by Shi Chun, even nearly losing his life, and only saved himself by tricking Shi Chun into fleeing. If you want to duel Shi Chun, you should first gauge whether you are a match for Li Hongjiu."

Mu Lan Jin's soft-spoken words ended there. Having finished, he brushed past his daughter.

Mu Lan Qingqing suddenly turned to watch him leave. She, of course, knew what her father did; his ability to gather information and his channels were extremely extensive, making it easy for him to know things others didn't. Such a statement was certainly not made idly.

As he left, Mu Lan Jin gestured to his subordinate to release them. At the same time, he crooked a finger at Shi Chun, who was cautiously watching him, as he walked away.

Shi Chun dared not disobey and obediently followed him.

The two walked some distance, one behind the other. Once they stood at the edge of the high mountain, Mu Lan Jin, with his back to Shi Chun, said faintly, "You want to duel my daughter?"

Shi Chun immediately made a bitter face and said, "That's what she said, but I don't want to fight!"

Mu Lan Jin: "Who do you think would win?"

Shi Chun immediately flattered him, "It would definitely be her. Your esteemed daughter clearly shows greatly increased strength."

"I don't like people who don't keep their word." Mu Lan Jin gave him a cold, icy look, then vanished and flew into the sky.

The entire group from the Stargazing Pavilion also swiftly followed him into the air.

Shi Chun stood frozen, pondering for a good while.

Wu Jinliang suddenly trotted over and tentatively asked, "What's going on? Did they let us go?"

Shi Chun took a deep breath, turned, and looked at the woman in snow-white robes in the pavilion. "Fortunately, we found the right person. It was indeed correct to have his daughter intervene."

He then immediately put on a smiling face and scurried off to express his gratitude.

After Shi Chun and his group were sent down the mountain, and with no one else around, Mu Lan Qingqing finally asked Gu Lianni, "If I were to compete against him again, do you think I could win?"

Gu Lianni shook her head directly. "Qingqing, he's very strong and very cunning. You're not his match."

Mu Lan Qingqing: "Even though my cultivation has broken through to the Grand Completion of High Martial realm?"

Gu Lianni sighed. "In the Divine Fire Domain, he infiltrated a group of high-level martial artists to assassinate them and still managed to retreat unscathed. Honestly, you might not truly be his match right now, and he also has a bunch of magic artifacts."

Mu Lan Qingqing fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Is Li Hongjiu's combat skill very strong?"

"Li Hongjiu? Oh, he's amazing, of course he's amazing! It's probably not an exaggeration to call him the strongest below the immortals. You wouldn't believe it, his power is truly terrifying..."

As she spoke of Li Hongjiu, a light returned to Gu Lianni's tired eyes, and she launched into a torrent of effusive praise.

It was one thing not to hear about it, but after hearing about Li Hongjiu's terrifying strength, Mu Lan Qingqing looked at the descending figure and recalled her father's words about Shi Chun nearly killing Li Hongjiu. Only then did she truly understand the gravity of the situation. She was genuinely a bit stunned; how was she supposed to compete now?

She had always considered herself quite excellent, but now she suddenly realized she had no right to be proud in front of Shi Chun.

Young Master Nan, who had been occasionally looking up at the mountaintop, suddenly hurried to catch up with Shi Chun and asked, "What happened? How did they let you go? Mu Lan Qingqing isn't your summoned aid, is she?"

Shi Chun patted his chest, still shaken, and said, "What else? Would they just let us go for no reason?"

Young Master Nan chuckled upon hearing this and gave him a thumbs-up. "You're capable! I heard their father-daughter relationship isn't good, yet you managed to sort this out. Impressive!"

The Bright Mountain Sect group felt relieved to have survived the ordeal and were also excited, feeling that their trip hadn't been in vain and that they had struck it rich.

As soon as they exited Qi Yun Valley, they met the long-waiting An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin, who rejoined the group.

Xiang Lan'er, Feng Chi, and Duan Xiangmei were also there, having rushed to the valley entrance to wait.

In full view of everyone, Duan Xiangmei uncontrollably rushed towards Wu Jinliang. Wu Jinliang was tall, and her petite figure made it seem as though she was hanging around his neck.

Feng Chi was also overcome with excitement. She rushed to embrace Shi Chun, wildly kissing his face again and again, leaving no part untouched—his eyes, nose, and mouth all received a barrage of kisses.

Shi Chun was somewhat dazed by the kisses. It took him a while to come to his senses and forcefully push her away. He felt his face was covered in saliva, wiped it several times, and cursed, "Is it really that necessary?"

He believed he could understand her feelings; after all, he had completed the Demonic Dao's mission.

Feng Chi, who had been pushed away, showed no offense. Instead, she looked at him with a cheerful smile, finding him pleasing in every way.

Shi Chun, however, walked towards Xiang Lan'er, displaying an adoring expression.

Xiang Lan'er, fearing he might embrace her publicly too, reminded him, "Let's go back to the inn first, then we can talk."

"Alright," Shi Chun said, appearing very obedient.

The group then headed straight for the inn. Along the way, people from various sects continually greeted them, mainly addressing Tong Mingshan.

Young Master Nan personally escorted the group to the inn, arranged for some protection, and then left to attend to his own matters.

Back at the inn, everyone rested as needed. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang slipped into Xiang Lan'er and Feng Chi's room again.

With no one else present, Xiang Lan'er immediately asked, "Didn't they say the Stargazing Pavilion was going to arrest you?"

Shi Chun: "They did arrest us, but I asked Mu Lan Jin's daughter, Mu Lan Qingqing, to intervene, which temporarily resolved the crisis."

Wu Jinliang chuckled mischievously.

Feng Chi exclaimed excitedly, "Miss, wasn't I right? I kept saying he'd surely find a way to resolve it."

Shi Chun, however, waved his hand, his expression grave. "But this crisis was resolved a bit suspiciously, wasn't it too easy? If the Stargazing Pavilion is truly targeting us, can it really be this simple? It might not be suitable to just give you the 'Desolate Breaker Shard' directly. I think you should suggest to your superiors that it's best to find someone to buy it from me for a reasonable price with a significant sum of money. Then, the buyer could suffer an unfortunate accident, and the 'Desolate Breaker Shard' could be stolen or something similar. That way, it would make sense no matter where the item reappears later."

Wu Jinliang's eyes immediately lit up, and he chuckled again.

Feng Chi pondered for a moment, then also firmly agreed, "Exactly, that's how it should be!"

(End of Chapter)