Chapter 739: Another Hairpin Segment

If there was anywhere to hide, it would undoubtedly be this bottomless ice river. Dozens of feet deep, it was an excellent hiding spot. Moreover, there were no footprints nearby. If that scoundrel was hiding inside, it meant he hadn't surfaced yet.

Gu Xin'er chuckled, "If it were any other Nascent Soul cultivator, hiding in the water might indeed make you difficult to catch. But unfortunately, you've encountered me."

She raised her hand. A terrifying mass of purple flame descended into the long river. Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle— The long river boiled, rapidly evaporating and drying up, revealing the parched riverbed. She continued to throw purple flames along the entire length of the river, evaporating this ancient waterway until it was completely dry.

After a full hour, her face was slightly pale, clearly exhausted from overusing the purple flames. "I've almost burned this river back to its source," she muttered. "Still no sign? I refuse to believe it; where else could you possibly hide!"

Meanwhile, in the direction of the Qingyun Sect, a large group of its disciples was making their way back to the sect.

"Husband, why is your forehead covered in sweat?" Xu Youran gently wiped Jiang Fan's forehead with her sleeve.

Jiang Fan held the Heaven-Monitoring Mirror, which reflected Gu Xin'er's every move. Watching her relentlessly dry up the entire river, he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. This woman's vengefulness was truly terrifying. Fortunately, he had acted decisively. As soon as Gu Xin'er flew past the long river and pursued him beyond the Realm Mountains, he seized the opportunity to quietly leave the river by sword flight. If he had stayed in the river, he would have become a "comrade in misfortune" with the boiled fish and shrimp.

"N-nothing," Jiang Fan said, putting away the Heaven-Monitoring Mirror. He figured that unless he was extremely unlucky, he wouldn't encounter her again. After all, the Nine Sects and Ten Lands were vast, and she didn't even know his name. She wouldn't know where to begin asking around. As for the cultivation techniques he had displayed, he had only shown "Shadow in the Clouds." Very few people knew about it. His only concern was that he had appeared in his true form. If she were to draw his likeness and ask everyone she met, it would be troublesome. However, he had just destroyed the Giant Sect, and his deterrent power was still fresh. Who would willingly betray him and invite disaster, especially without any personal grudge?

"I should be safe now," Jiang Fan thought to himself. "But to be absolutely sure, it's better to go to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion as soon as possible and lie low. With the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion present, the people from Jiangshan First-Rank Tower will be much more restrained."

Seeing Jiang Fan's expression gradually return to normal, Xu Youran felt relieved. She looked at Xu Yining, who was still unconscious and covered with a blanket. Her heart was filled with tenderness. "Husband, what do you plan to do about my sister?" she asked. "Before Master passed away, she was most worried about her. She even asked the Sect Master to tell you to take good care of her."

Jiang Fan looked at Xu Yining, sighed softly, and said, "What exactly constitutes taking good care of someone? I haven't even taken proper care of you and Siling, so how can I take good care of her?"

Xu Youran also looked troubled. Those four seemingly simple words actually contained many difficulties.

Chen Siling said sympathetically, "Husband, why don't you give her a formal status? With the identity of your concubine, she could at least avoid being bullied while staying in the Nine Sects."

Marry her? Jiang Fan frowned. There was no affection between them. In fact, there was even a bit of entanglement.

Xu Youran took Jiang Fan's arm and softly pleaded, "Husband, please, help her."

Jiang Fan looked at her, then at Chen Siling. He suddenly realized, "You two planned this, didn't you?" Chen Siling wouldn't dare suggest such an idea without Xu Youran's approval. Clearly, it was Xu Youran's idea, and she had Chen Siling propose it while she herself subtly influenced him. If Jiang Fan refused, he would be refusing Chen Siling, leaving Xu Youran an opportunity to bring it up again later. If Xu Youran were directly refused, it would be difficult to bring up the matter again.

Xu Youran bit her lip slightly, hugged Jiang Fan's arm, and gently swayed him. "Just say whether you'll do it or not?"

Feeling the soft warmth emanating from his arm, Jiang Fan playfully poked her forehead. "Where did you learn all these tricks to coax people?"

Xu Youran's face flushed, but her eyes filled with anticipation. "So, Husband agrees?"

Jiang Fan sighed helplessly. He looked at the unconscious Xu Yining and said, "For your sake. When she wakes up, ask for her opinion yourself. If she agrees, she can use my name when she's out and about. But that's all it will be."

Xu Youran happily hugged Jiang Fan. "Thank you, Husband!" With them about to leave for the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, her sister was her biggest worry. Their master was dead, and she, Chen Siling, and Jiang Fan were all leaving. In the vast Qingyun Sect, there would be no one familiar left for Xu Yining. She would be all alone. But now, things were better. At least Xu Yining would have some protection. With this status, she would surely have an easier life.

A gust of wind blew past, and Xu Yining's disheveled dark hair drifted across her eyes, obscuring the tears that were about to well up.

Meanwhile, at the far end of the long river, the landscape was no longer ice and snow, but the extreme western region of the Nine Sects: a vast expanse of mud and swamps. Several winding streams converged into the riverbed. Miraculously, despite the continuous flow of water, the riverbed remained completely parched. Roasted crabs and shrimp were embedded in the dried mud, while scorched fish lay haphazardly, their innocent eyes wide open.

"Where did you go?" Gu Xin'er panted, her body slick with fragrant sweat. She couldn't believe it. She had actually lost track of a mere Core Formation junior!

"Heh heh…" a raspy voice suddenly said. It was an old woman's hoarse voice coming from her embrace. "It seems your name will have to be read backward now."

Gu Xin'er's face lit up, and she pulled out a broken hairpin from her bosom. If Jiang Fan were here, he would surely recognize it. This was precisely the other half of the Nine Phoenixes' Dao Hairpin! The difference was that this half of the hairpin contained the consciousness of an unknown entity.

"Master, you're finally awake!"

A kind, laughing sound emanated from the hairpin. "I woke up when that boy immobilized you."

Gu Xin'er suddenly understood. "No wonder the purple flames in my body appeared automatically to save me. So it was Master who acted! But why didn't you kill him? That scoundrel is truly detestable! To actually threaten me with an aphrodisiac—he's the most shameless of the shameless, the lowest of the low!" She stamped her foot and pouted, grumbling.

"Haha…" The hairpin chuckled hoarsely, "Killing him would have been easy. But it's rare for someone to get the better of you, and a bit of tempering is good. It proves you've indeed met your match. He's only at the Core Formation stage and yet he led you on a wild goose chase. If he were also at the Nascent Soul stage, you would probably have suffered a huge defeat."

Gu Xin'er said, embarrassed and annoyed, "I... I was just careless for a moment."

The hairpin chuckled, "Being immobilized was carelessness, being ambushed by the Incense Corpse Pill was carelessness, losing track of him was still carelessness? You haven't even figured out how he escaped your pursuit. You still have much to learn."

Gu Xin'er remained unconvinced. She ground her silver teeth and declared, "If I ever encounter him again, he absolutely won't get away!"

The hairpin gave a raspy laugh. "I wouldn't be so sure. This young man, despite his youth, possesses both courage and cunning. He's ruthless when he needs to be and knows when to flee. I encountered a few people like him in my youth. Later, without exception, they all became the protagonists of their respective eras. This boy certainly bears some resemblance to them."

Gu Xin'er felt a pang of jealousy. She had never received such praise from her Master, yet that scoundrel was so highly regarded by her? She couldn't help but scoff, "Is that so? Then I absolutely must catch him!"

The hairpin sighed, "Don't waste time. You traveled thousands of miles to come here for the supreme-grade crystal in the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. If the Divine Sects from outside this realm learn of its existence, it won't be yours for the taking."