The night was deep. A crescent moon hung in the sky. Under the starry sky, the houses were scattered at different heights, stretching continuously into the distance. Fireflies glowed faintly in the grass.
Two figures flashed by one after another, startling the fireflies which scattered in all directions.
"Yaoji, when I entered the God - created World, an elder of the Shennong Clan said that there was another person from the Shennong Clan in the God - created World with extremely powerful divine power. Do you know who this person is?"
Jiang Yaoji raised her eyes and stared into the thick night. Keeping a straight face, she said, "I'm not sure about this. I've never found such a person in the God - created World."
"The elder didn't reveal his identity. If we can find this person, we'll achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"For now, let's leave Jincheng first and then make further plans."
"Okay!"
As they spoke, they quickened their pace. The howling wind whistled in their ears. In the blink of an eye, they reached the city gate.
Jiang Yaoji tapped her foot on the high eave. It was extremely quiet all around. Jiang Yansui stood behind her. "Once we get over this city wall, we can leave Jincheng."
"Yeah!" Jiang Yaoji nodded silently. She looked back at Jincheng deeply, bent her knees, jumped onto the city wall, and soared into the air.
"Be careful!" Jiang Yansui's anxious voice suddenly rang out.
In an instant, a cold light flashed. Jiang Yaoji tightened her eyes, did a backflip in the air, and landed lightly on a nearby tree branch.
With a "ding", an arrow was embedded in the wall.
The guards of the Xuanyuan Clan were on horseback, holding longbows. They surrounded the two of them in a circle. Some pointed their spears at them. "Surrender quickly. Don't struggle in vain."
"Pfft!" Jiang Yaoji let out a soft laugh. She kicked off and her skirt spun in the air, dazzling everyone. She waved her hands forcefully, and her magic flew towards the crowd like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
Those guards were no match for the divine power and were quickly subdued. This alarmed other guards, and more and more people surrounded them.
"Don't waste time. Finish this quickly." Jiang Yansui shouted at Jiang Yaoji.
"Okay." Jiang Yaoji opened her palm, and the divine power gathered in it. Countless fireballs rained down from the sky towards the ground. Those people were burned by the fireballs and let out loud cries.
"Don't sleep. Wake up quickly." The new recruit was extremely sleepy. He was shaken awake vigorously and still felt dizzy.
"What's going on? What's going on?"
He was just dreaming about eating drumsticks at home. He wiped the drool from his mouth. Seeing the fire everywhere and people wailing all around, he instantly lost all his drowsiness.
"You fool. Go and send a message quickly."
"Okay, okay, okay!" The man stumbled down from the sentry post and quickly ran away.
"Report! An urgent report from Jincheng!" A long cry pierced the silent night.
Ji Yunxi suddenly opened her eyes, put on her clothes, and got out of bed. She pushed open the door with both arms and walked quickly to the front yard.
A guard in armor was standing in the yard with a lot of blood on his body.
"What happened?"
"We failed to guard properly, and Jiang Yaoji and Jiang Yansui have escaped."
"I see. Go and rest first."
"Yes. Your subordinate will take his leave!"
As soon as the guard left, Rushou rushed over in a hurry, followed by Feng Xingzhi, who looked calm.
"What happened in Jincheng?"
"They've escaped."
"Escaped?" Ji Yunxi quickly realized that they were talking about Jiang Yaoji and Jiang Yansui. "What about the tens of thousands of soldiers in Jincheng?"
Rushou was stunned for a couple of seconds, then quickly came to his senses, his expression tense.
"The soldiers are still stationed in the city."
"This is so strange. They left the soldiers behind." There was some confusion in Rushou's expression.
"This is what puzzles me too. A war between the Xuanyuan Clan and the Shennong Clan is on the verge of breaking out. Abandoning the army at this time will surely dispirit the troops."
"Then there's only one possibility. They've come up with another way to deal with me." Feng Xingzhi, who had been sitting on one side, spoke slowly with a solemn expression.
Ji Yunxi was shocked. She looked into Feng Xingzhi's eyes, which were filled with an unfathomable coldness.
"Alright. Let's tell Zhuanxu about this first so that we can make some preparations."
"Good idea. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Everyone should be careful."
"Yeah!"
Ji Yunxi looked into the distance. The dawn was breaking. Through the mountains shrouded in the morning mist, a faint halo was shining, making one feel dizzy. It was dawn.
"We've been walking all night. Where are we now?"
"Let's go and visit an elder of the Shennong Clan."
Jiang Yaoji and Jiang Yansui were walking in the forest. The early - rising birds flapped their wet wings and flew out to look for food. The weeds were overgrown, and the leaves were covered with crystal - clear dewdrops, which wet their clothes. Jiang Yaoji waved her blade to clear the way.
"Is it the elder you mentioned last night?"
"Yes. We're here."
Jiang Yaoji looked ahead. There were two ordinary thatched cottages in front of them. The yard was enclosed by a bamboo fence. When they pushed open the door, there was a stone - paved path leading all the way to the door of the cottage. There were many green, newly - sprouted vegetables planted on both sides of the path. There were also a few lush trees in the corner. It looked like an ordinary family. The two of them pushed open the fence and walked in.
"Is anyone there? Is anyone there? I'm a descendant of the Shennong Clan. I have something to ask for today, so I've come to visit the elder."
"Thud, thud, thud." The door opened a crack, and several thin needles flew out from the room. Jiang Yaoji held a sword in her hand. Her graceful body danced lightly, and the flying needles were bounced off and stuck in the trees.
"They are the Nine - Yang Gold Needles of the Shennong Clan." Jiang Yansui picked up a gold needle and examined it carefully. He respectfully clasped his fists and knelt on one knee. "Senior, I have no ill intentions. I'm just here to find an answer."
"The sky has its own way, and cause and effect never fail. When you lose your sense of awe, what you've been insisting on will become an obsession, which will make you fall into an irredeemable situation. Even so, do you still want to insist?"
The old voice seemed to come from ancient times. Having been baptized by time, it was even more steady.
"Forget it, forget it. The fate is sealed. This is the answer you're looking for."
With a "swish", something flew out of the room. Jiang Yaoji thought it was a hidden weapon. She dodged to the side and firmly clamped it between two fingers. To her surprise, it was a piece of yellow paper.
When she turned over the yellow paper and saw the name, her eyes widened.
"Since you've already got the answer, you can leave."
"Thank you, senior. Your subordinate will take his leave." The two of them walked out of the yard. By now, the sun had completely risen and was shining brightly in the sky.
An old man in yellow slowly opened the door. He was energetic and his face was ruddy. He stood in the yard with his hands behind his back, watching the two of them walking further and further away. He sighed helplessly.
Jiang Yaoji and the other returned to another garrison. Jiang Yansui ordered a full - scale search for Jiang Linyin's whereabouts.
Jiang Yaoji was sitting in the pavilion to rest. Suddenly, there was a sound nearby. Jiang Yaoji gathered her energy and withdrew her magic. She looked around warily.
A little cat ran out from the side. Jiang Yaoji walked over and picked up the cat. A familiar voice came from behind her.
"Long time no see!"
The hand that was holding the cat suddenly tightened. The cat cried out in pain, struggled out of her hand, and escaped.