Chapter 154: Separation

The Fire Crow cavalry advanced aggressively to plunder, but fewer than a hundred of them managed to scatter and escape.

The water turned scarlet.

Floating corpses drifted away with the river current.

The fires on the ship had been extinguished, but the hull was severely damaged and on the verge of collapse.

Jiang Ning appeared, standing on the third deck like a goddess treading on waves. Her voice resonated clearly: "Everyone, after the barbarians from Night City retreat, they will surely return with a large army and masters for revenge. I estimate they will find this ship again in two hours. By then, everything will be annihilated."

The joy of everyone on board, born from the great victory, was instantly extinguished, and they plunged back into panic.

Since Jiang Ning appeared openly before everyone, she naturally had no intention of hiding her identity further. She said, "Registrar Chen, Commander Wu, let's discuss this together. As for the two secret agents from the Attendant Hall, what about you?"

Her gaze fell on Li Ling and Li Weiyi.

Li Ling looked to Li Weiyi, deferring to his lead.

Li Weiyi originally intended to retrieve his seven Phoenix-wing Moth Emperors. However, the seven little creatures flew directly to the third deck, landing on Jiang Ning with extreme affection.

Ungrateful brats!

Seven ungrateful brats!

Everyone quickly gathered in the main hall of the third deck.

Jiang Ning's enchanting, ethereal form, enveloped in a misty aura of spiritual energy, appeared exquisitely beautiful. She said, "If we continue forward, Tiger's Lair City, under imperial jurisdiction, is only three hundred li away. But the water lions pulling the ship have been killed, and traveling against the current, the ship will be slow. The Night City barbarians will soon catch up to us."

Yin Shisan smiled and said, "We will all follow the Angel's arrangements."

After Wu Zhaonan learned of Jiang Ning's identity as a Phoenix Terrace Angel, he naturally showed increased respect and immediately flattered her in agreement.

Jiang Ning looked at Li Weiyi, who was still wearing his ghost-face mask. She said, "When the formation broke earlier, Agent Sima chose not to flee but stayed to fight alongside us, showing a desire to save lives. The current dilemma is either we stay and die together, or we take as many of the martial arts practitioners with decent cultivation as possible and leave. Everyone or just a few, how do you choose?"

Envy surfaced in Wu Zhaonan's eyes. He saw that Agent Sima had caught the eye of the Phoenix Terrace Angel and would surely have a limitless future.

There was no point envying him. With just his identity as an Insect Master, he could rise swiftly through the ranks.

"It's not necessarily a choice between them!" Li Weiyi said. "If we're to leave, we can all leave together, but we need to work as one."

Everyone present was startled. They doubted whether he was speaking from momentary bravado, forgetting that reality often required compromise.

Jiang Ning said, "Tell me more."

Li Weiyi said, "Everyone here is an imperial official; you should all have Dharma-artifact Jade Boats, right? How many are there in total?"

Yin Shisan revealed a delicate four-inch long boat. "I have one mid-grade Dharma-artifact Jade Boat," he said. "It can travel eighteen hundred li a day, and if we squeeze, it can carry ten people. But reaching Tiger's Lair City within two hours would be a stretch."

Wu Zhaonan said, "My Dharma-artifact Jade Boat is similar to Registrar Chen's."

Zhuang Yue said, "My Dharma-artifact Jade Boat is high-grade and can barely carry twenty people."

"I have a Hundred-Character Scripture Dharma-artifact Jade Boat, which can carry sixty or seventy people at its limit," Jiang Ning added. "Agent Sima," she continued, "This is still far from enough to get everyone away, and time is tight. What if the Night City barbarians catch up? Wouldn't everything be lost?"

Li Weiyi spoke at a rapid pace: "We can proceed in three steps. First, all those on board with high cultivation, surpassing Six Springs, should disembark and travel on foot at full speed. It won't take long for them to reach Tiger's Lair City. Furthermore, they are not the primary targets of the Night City barbarians, and they can escape more easily in the darkness."

"Second, the two of us have already used beast runes to control about fifty Fire Crows; carrying two hundred people will be no problem."

"Third, I will arrange for two Fire Crows to pull this damaged ship downstream along the Hui River, creating the illusion that we are escaping in that direction. This way, we can buy at least an additional half an hour."

"If we are to save people, let's act now! However, given your esteemed status and precious being, Angel, I wonder if you would risk yourself for a group of people not worth the danger?"

Zhuang Yue said, "Don't underestimate people. Do you think my young lady couldn't think of a solution? She was merely testing you!"

Jiang Ning clasped her hands behind her back, walked out of the main hall first, and looked out at the vast, misty river. She said, "What is 'worth it' or 'not worth it'? If all matters under heaven were judged solely by gain and loss, what a miserable world this would be. Let's act!"

The three-decked ship was brightly lit. Pulled by two Fire Crows, it sped rapidly downstream and out of sight.

In reality, the ship was already empty.

Four Dharma-artifact Jade Boats on the river under the night sky, like four white arrows of varying sizes, rode the wind and waves towards Tiger's Lair City, three hundred li away.

Nearly fifty Fire Crows, controlled by Li Weiyi's and Li Ling's psychic energy, flew above the river, carrying people.

Sitting on the back of one of the Fire Crows, Li Weiyi had also inwardly questioned "whether it was worth it." Perhaps, as Jiang Ning said, gain and loss were not the only principles by which one should live. Right and wrong were before his eyes; how could he ignore them?

"Come down and talk for a bit."

Jiang Ning's voice, accompanied by a wisp of spiritual energy, entered Li Weiyi's ears.

Li Weiyi looked down at the enormous Dharma-artifact Jade Boat below. The boat was enveloped by hundreds of complex and profound scriptures, and many women and children were onboard.

Dharma artifacts were classified into low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade.

Above that, they were further divided into Hundred-Character Scripture Dharma artifacts, Thousand-Character Scripture Dharma artifacts, and Ten-Thousand-Character Scripture Dharma artifacts.

The more scriptures inscribed within, the more powerful the Dharma artifact naturally was. Of course, for martial practitioners of lower realms, a stronger Dharma artifact was not necessarily better. Activating the scriptures consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual energy, potentially draining all their Qi Sea with a single strike.

High-grade Dharma artifacts actually had scriptures inscribed within, but their number was small, not reaching a hundred characters.

Each Hundred-Character Scripture Dharma artifact was incredibly valuable. Not even all Dao Seed Realm martial practitioners possessed one. Take Jiang Ning's Dharma-artifact Jade Boat, for example: it could not only travel four thousand li a day but also had the ability to fly.

However, even with her cultivation, controlling the Jade Boat for flight would consume enough spiritual energy to quickly exhaust her.

This was their final, life-saving treasure in this moment of life and death.

Li Weiyi leaped from the Fire Crow and lightly landed on the Hundred-Character Scripture Dharma-artifact Jade Boat.

Space on the boat was limited.

At the stern, beside Jiang Ning, there was only about three feet of standing room. Li Weiyi casually and gracefully sat beside her, dangling his legs over the side.

Jiang Ning sat cross-legged, part of her flowing gown beneath Li Weiyi where he sat. She paid it no mind, however, and asked, "What's your name?"

With nothing to hide, Li Weiyi replied, "Li Weiyi."

"That name sounds better than Sima Tan," Jiang Ning remarked.

Jiang Ning said, "However, impersonating a secret agent of the Attendant Hall is no small crime. As a Phoenix Terrace Angel, my killing you would be perfectly legal and justified. Chen Chuan would also not escape implication; he'd at least be imprisoned and exiled to military service."

So close, the fragrance emanating from her raven hair made one feel as if in an immortal realm, forgetting the passage of time.

But Li Weiyi remained calm. "With your cultivation, Angel, if you truly wished to do that, we would be utterly defenseless."

"Do you think Jiang Ning is that kind of person?" Jiang Ning asked.

Li Weiyi smiled. "Not quite! But then again, it's hard to say. After all, if you kill me, those seven little creatures will be yours!"

"Compared to them, it's you I value more."

Jiang Ning subtly turned her head. Her veiled, angelic face, from her delicately arched eyebrows and radiant eyes to her luminous skin and lustrous hair, possessed a fatal allure capable of drawing one into an abyss of emotion.

This was the charm of one of the Three Immortals of the World; her beauty alone was enough to make her famous throughout the land.

There were certainly not many men, perhaps only Li Weiyi, who could sit so close to her.

To meet her captivating, soul-snaring gaze at such close proximity was an even greater test of one's inner resolve.

Li Weiyi secretly performed the Jade Void Breathing Method, clarifying his mind. He said, "You think too highly of me, Angel! Heroes emerge constantly in this world; countless individuals of my age surpass me in talent, wisdom, and martial arts. With just the titles 'Phoenix Terrace Angel' and 'Feathered Immortal', if you casually spread a word, countless people would line up at your door. The top figures of the younger generation at the Fifth Stage of the Five Seas Realm would also be yours to choose from."

Jiang Ning did not deny her influence; her confidence radiated from within. She said, "I am well aware of your growth rate; there's no need to be modest. What I truly value is not just your strength, but also the fighting spirit within you that makes you willing to risk your life for your sense of responsibility and principles. The imperial court today desperately needs people like you."

"What makes you think I'm that kind of person? Just because of today's battle?" Li Weiyi felt Jiang Ning was being a bit too idealistic.

Jiang Ning said, "Immortal Burial Town, the Border of the Five Seas Realm."

"What do you mean?" Li Weiyi asked.

She said, "I was there at the time! You were willing to risk your life for those young martial practitioners of the Nine Li tribe, fighting for their chance to live. That quality, I cannot emulate, which is why I admire you. I had intended to save you when you were in the most danger, using the opportunity to bring you under my command, but unfortunately, I played mind games for too long and missed the best chance."

"Quite frank," Li Weiyi said.

Jiang Ning said, "The stage of the Nine Li tribe is too small! Why not join the imperial court and fight for all the beings under heaven?"

Li Weiyi laughed. "I think you've misunderstood! I'm not that noble. You only saw me battling fiercely at the Border of the Five Seas Realm, but you didn't see me making a fortune in Immortal Burial Town."

"Misunderstood? What about today, then?" Jiang Ning asked.

Li Weiyi said, "Today's harvest was so-so, and time was too tight; there wasn't enough time to loot the corpses. But these fifty Fire Crows, if herded to Tiger's Lair City, should fetch a considerable price, right?"

Li Weiyi's evasive answer made it impossible for Jiang Ning to continue the conversation. She smiled, a rare sight, and gazed into the distance. She said, "When these Fire Crows reach Tiger's Lair City, they will be directly confiscated and absorbed into the imperial army. Your dream of getting rich is destined to fail."

Li Weiyi was stunned. "How can they do that? Will you help me?"

"I won't help you, because I won't be entering Tiger's Lair City at all. In Zhizhou, if my whereabouts are publicly exposed, it would be extremely dangerous." Jiang Ning pressed again, "Are you truly not reconsidering?"

"My cultivation is too low; it's not my place to worry about the affairs of the world," Li Weiyi said.

Li Weiyi forcibly took his seven Phoenix-wing Moth Emperors, then bid farewell and returned to the back of a Fire Crow.

The journey was uneventful; any rebel scouts encountered were killed in advance.

When they were thirty li from Tiger's Lair City, six patrolling imperial soldiers, riding flying beasts, emerged from the city's protective array and sped towards them.

The four Jade Boats immediately pulled over to the shore.

Jiang Ning put away her Jade Boat and spoke with Yin Shisan. "I have a general guess about your identity, but it doesn't matter," she said. "These are extraordinary times; as long as you have the ability, there's a place for you in the imperial court. With your capabilities, escorting the concubines and family members of those incompetent high-ranking officials is a waste of your talent!"

"Currently, I am being pursued by powerful enemies. Come with me, escort me into Qiuzhou, and I will give you a higher position."

Yin Shisan looked towards Li Weiyi and Li Ling, showing hesitation.

Jiang Ning said, "Don't look at them. My opponents are very strong. Their cultivation is still a bit lacking; traveling with us would be too dangerous for them! Go say goodbye to them. I'll wait for you ahead for a quarter of an hour."

Jiang Ning and Zhuang Yue transformed into two blurs and swiftly vanished into the darkness.

Li Weiyi heard Yin Shisan's footsteps behind him. "I heard everything!" he said. "Jiang Ning is not bad. Cling to her, Senior Brother Thirteen, and you're bound to rise to prominence, while also securing more benefits for the Hidden Sect."