96 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Lan Yi Nu breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the other female cultivators being released. After releasing the captives, the members of the Hong Hua Hui surrounded her, their leader speaking coldly, "Alright, we let them go. Now hand over the bracelet, quickly." Lan Yi Nu smiled gracefully, looking at the encroaching circle of people, and whispered softly, "No way." Upon hearing this, one of the men in black immediately drew his longsword and threatened, "You better not choose wine in the face of punishment." At this moment, Ming Zhu sensed that something was amiss. Standing beside Lan Yi Nu, she felt an impending event, a feeling perhaps heightened by her spirit form, making her premonitions particularly sharp. Before the Hong Hua Hui could make a move, a flash of golden light enveloped them, and both Lan Yi Nu and Ming Zhu vanished. "They’ve disappeared!" The Hong Hua Hui disciples cried out in shock. "Don't panic. That blue-robed woman must have used the bracelet. I’ve heard before that the golden bracelet can create space, but I didn’t expect her to master its use so quickly," the leader explained. "What do we do now?" Staring at the spot where Lan Yi Nu had disappeared, the leader of the Hong Hua Hui nodded after a moment of thought, "We stay here. I don’t believe she can pop into another space and not come out the same way she went in." "But Honorable Protector, what if that space can keep her for a long time?” “We wait. With so many of us here, I refuse to believe she can stay inside forever." The protector was indeed correct. The created space defied world laws, devoid of any life-sustaining elements. Even cultivators need spiritual energy to maintain their bodily functions, and this space lacked it entirely. Ming Zhu perceived the golden flash and found herself in a barren place, filled only with rocks and mud, with spiritual energy too sparse to even support grass. "I must have entered the bracelet along with Lan Yi Nu," she muttered. The space was about a dozen acres, which might seem large, but it was so desolate and stagnant that only a sense of oppressive dullness remained. Lan Yi Nu lay motionless on the ground, possibly drained from activating the bracelet. Ming Zhu, feeling a bit frustrated, observed as she planned to steal the bracelet but ended up trapped in this impoverished space instead. As time passed, it felt as though she had been there for over ten days, even though there was no distinction between night and day. Ming Zhu worried that Yehe and the others might leave if they thought she'd been gone too long. Filled with anxiety, Ming Zhu decided to leave immediately, regardless of whether Lan Yi Nu woke up or not. She approached, picked up the golden bracelet, but as a spirit, she seemed unable to use it. Frustrated, she materialized her physical skeleton—somehow concealed—and with a pull, revealed a shimmering crystal skeleton. Marveling at her skeletal form, she sighed, "All that's left of my body is these bones. I wonder where my flesh went. I feel as if I was split apart when I came to this world. It’s likely they’ve forgotten me by now." She merged with the skeleton, her limbs slowly regenerating flesh until a maiden in pink materialized in the barren space. With delicate fingers, she slipped on the golden bracelet, wiping away its prior owner’s mark effortlessly. "This high-grade artifact couldn't have been easily bonded," she remarked. After examining the bracelet, she turned to the still-unconscious Lan Yi Nu and said, "Taking this from you seems unfair, but your group can't use it in this barren land. Take it as my gift. I’ll give you a grand present when I’m out." She picked Lan Yi Nu up without a hint of gentleness and carried her out, viewing her beauty—fluttering eyelashes, peachy lips, delicate frame—as just another piece of meat, not comparable to Yehe's exquisite scales and claws. Exiting the space, Ming Zhu returned to her spirit form, invisibly drifting back to the main street and eventually to the second floor of a building by Moon Lake. Reverting to human form, she knocked on Bai Fan's door, "Knock, knock, knock." Bai Fan, who was mending her internal injuries, woke from meditation and wondered who could be at her door—perhaps He Jiman needed something? Opening the door, she found Ming Zhu instead of He Jiman. "Where have you been today?" Ming Zhu put a finger to her lips, then tiptoed into the room before closing and locking the door. Bai Fan frowned at her sneaky behavior, wondering if she’d gotten herself into trouble, potentially costing them spiritual stones. "Ming Zhu." "What's up? Why do you look so suspicious?" "I didn't do anything wrong." "Then why are you acting like this?" Ming Zhu, with a mysterious air, pulled out a golden bracelet from her sleeve. Bai Fan stared at the familiar design and gemstones, her mind racing. "Is this... from the auction?" "Yes." Ming Zhu didn’t let Bai Fan finish, slipping the bracelet onto her wrist, praising, "It truly suits Yehe’s wrist." As the cool metal touched her skin, Bai Fan cried out, "What did you do?" Seeing Bai Fan's frightened reaction, Ming Zhu quickly reassured her, "Don't worry. The owner is no longer a threat. If Yehe likes it, it’s yours. The space inside is vast, perfect for storing many things." "Did you kill her?" Ming Zhu shook her head. "No." "Then what did you do to the seller?" After a pause, Ming Zhu decided to be honest, "She's still inside the bracelet." "What? You brought her back?" Bai Fan exclaimed, feeling the bracelet burn like a hot iron despite its cool touch. Seeing she had no enthusiasm for the bracelet, Ming Zhu explained, "I saved her. She was being hunted and cornered. If I hadn’t taken the bracelet, she would’ve been caught anyway." Bai Fan felt her mind go blank, just wanting to find He Jiman to get rid of this troublesome object. As the two spoke in whispers, someone knocked again. "Knock, knock, knock." Bai Fan and Ming Zhu exchanged glances. "It’s me, Shang Wu Fang." A male voice echoed from outside the door, and Bai Fan immediately recognized who it was. Annoyance flared in her mind; why did this guy seem to cling like an unshakable shadow? "Oh, it’s Daoist Shang. What can Bai do for you?" Ming Zhu’s face pinched with displeasure when she heard the man's voice outside. She had been enjoying her chat with Yehe, and now this man had to show up and ruin the moment. There were still so many things she wanted to discuss with Yehe. "It’s like this, Shang just ran into some trouble but can't handle it alone. I wanted to ask Miss Bai for help." "Oh, really? But Bai is currently in the midst of practicing and can’t be disturbed." After speaking, Bai Fan could hear the jingling sound of bejeweled birds outside the door. "Miss Bai, I’m really in a bind. I urgently need your assistance." "I’m at a critical stage in my cultivation and can’t help right now, Daoist Shang. Perhaps you should seek assistance elsewhere." "But you see, this is my first time in Loulan City and I don’t know anyone else. You’re the only person I recognize here." No matter what Bai Fan said, Shang Wu Fang wouldn’t let up, leaving Ming Zhu gritting her teeth in frustration. Finally, unable to hold back, she burst out furiously. "Will you ever stop? She already said she can’t go, and yet you keep pestering. Why should we help you? Just get lost already!" Bai Fan was taken aback by Ming Zhu’s sudden outburst. She remembered Ming Zhu being quite gentle generally, so this abrupt fierceness was something new. Realizing what she had just said, Ming Zhu's expression flickered with regret. She had always tried to maintain a dainty image, but now she had turned into a virago in front of Yehe. Quickly retracting her fierce expression, she tried to look innocent, tugging at her sleeves. "Yehe, this person is really annoying." "Hmm." ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ Ming Zhu: “Ahhh, my image, my delicate façade! I wanted to be like Lin Daiyu. Don't worry about me.” Previous Chapter Table of Contents Next Chapter Home Desktop Version Bookshelf Novel Collection Popular Novels