Chapter 159: Farewell to Xianyun

Guan Yibai was so furious that his mustache twitched and his eyes bulged. He had a mind to strike this ungrateful scoundrel dead with a single palm, but doing so would mean suffering a total and irrecoverable loss. Gritting his teeth, he managed to swallow a mouthful of old blood, withdrew his magic power, and barked, "This debt is charged to Jiang Yan's account. Remember your own words, and get out of here!"

Hearing this as if granted a grand amnesty, and terrified that Guan Yibai might change his mind, Hong Jian fled the Immortal Garden without once looking back.

Leaving the Immortal Garden did not mean she was safe. The Roaming Cloud Sect was sealing the mountain and conducting thorough investigations, with search parties stationed everywhere. The disciples moved in groups of five or six; anyone acting alone and straying too far would immediately be rounded up.

Hong Jian was unaware that at this moment, all the rogue cultivators who had survived the mystic realm had been gathered together at the not-so-distant Jingduan Hall. She merely sensed that the atmosphere was somehow amiss, as the sights before her differed greatly from the recent chaos. After taking only a few steps, she ran into a patrol of Roaming Cloud Sect disciples. Fortunately, her spiritual sense was far superior to theirs; she detected them early and concealed herself in time.

After eavesdropping on their conversations with one another, Hong Jian realized that the situation had developed far beyond her expectations.

Everyone was searching for a rogue cultivator in black who had obtained a supreme treasure. The moment any surviving rogue cultivator from the mystic realm was discovered, he was immediately "invited" to meet the various elders.

While it was true that Hong Jian possessed the "Immortal Jade Rosy Clouds," this treasure did not literally transform her into an invisible entity capable of strolling unhindered in broad daylight; she could still be seen by others. Even in terms of concealing her aura, if she were to cross paths with veteran Nascent Soul experts like Yin Quan or Zhu Xian, a moment of carelessness or insufficient luck would result in her being exposed on the spot.

Left with no other choice, Hong Jian had no option but to hide obediently and wait for nightfall.

She thought to herself, "This is fatal. Did Jiang Yan actually recognize me or not? Even if he harbors suspicions, he should at least persuade Lu Yanchang and tell him not to worry."

She could easily imagine how anxious Lu Yanchang would become if he failed to receive any news of her. Hong Jian felt deeply anxious, fearing that in his overwhelming concern, he might act recklessly and court disaster.

As dusk fell, she saw Xi Xu, a Nascent Soul elder from Lesser Yingzhou, walking past in a hurry with his disciple Gao Hongli. The two of them appeared to be heading toward the Immortal Garden, as Gao Hongli said while walking, "Master, weren't they saying that the Immortal Epiphyllum produced nine flower buds in total? Why is it suddenly said that only one has bloomed?"

Xi Xu sighed, "Let's go and see. Since Guan Yibai has spread the word, it should be true. This trip has truly been unfavorable. Even if there is only one flower, after all, we are here to seek medicine for the Sect Master—which is vastly different from Madam Duan and the others who came for the Youth-Preserving Pill. The Roaming Cloud Sect will, out of mutual consideration, allow us to take this flower with us. However, it just so happens that an accident occurred in their sect's mystic realm, and I see that Sect Master Yin is in an extremely foul mood, making him unlikely to be accommodating. Regardless, your master will throw away his old face shortly and plead earnestly with them."

Gao Hongli muttered, "Master has gone to such great lengths, yet in the end, we still don't know whether the Immortal Epiphyllum will even be useful. If not for the Rune Diagram Sect, their mystic realm would never have collapsed. Logically speaking, the people of the Roaming Cloud Sect ought to share our hatred of the enemy, and curing the Sect Master's illness would also be immensely beneficial to them. Yet they still require us to go and beg them; I truly cannot fathom what they are thinking."

Not long after this master and disciple passed by, Madam Duan and Duan Qiurong also hurried past along the same path. Seeing that they were likewise heading for the Immortal Garden, Hong Jian felt a slight ripple in her heart.

"Has Guan Yibai sent word and summoned all of them to the Immortal Garden?" Guests visiting the Roaming Cloud Sect such as Xi Xu and Madam Duan were not at liberty to use spells to rush straight to the Immortal Garden. Having hidden here all along without catching sight of Yin Quan, Zhu Xian, and the others, Hong Jian deduced from Xi Xu's words that they must already be inside the Immortal Garden.

Night had now fallen, presenting such a golden opportunity for escape that it prompted Hong Jian to indulge in some wishful thinking: "Oh my, could this be Guan Yibai worrying that I might get captured and deliberately creating this opportunity for me? Otherwise, why wouldn't he have summoned people earlier instead of dragging it out until dark?"

Taking cover under the veil of night, Hong Jian slipped toward Jiang Yan's quarters while secretly feeling ashamed: "By comparison, I have treated the old man far too poorly; I acted completely ungratefully. No wonder he was so angry he was trembling."

To her surprise, Jiang Yan's quarters were completely empty. While Jiang Yan's absence was not strange, Lu Yanchang was missing as well. He must have caught wind of the news and quietly gone out to search for her too.

With no other choice, she could only wait.

After a full hour had passed, the first to return was Jiang Yan.

Upon suddenly setting eyes on Hong Jian, who had reverted to her disguise as "Chai Xiaohong," he was profoundly startled. Pointing at her, he stammered, "You, you..."

Hong Jian smiled brightly and said, "I'm back. Where is my brother?"

Jiang Yan took a deep breath. Disregarding whether his peak Foundation Establishment cultivation was entirely sufficient, he simply waved a hand to set up a restrictive barrier and blurted out, "Tell me the truth right now—was that person you? Oh goodness, when you didn't return, it scared me half to death. I thought you were going to be trapped in there forever. We searched for you all afternoon, and he was driven nearly out of his mind. By dusk, when the people from the Danxia Sect were preparing to leave, he insisted that no, we couldn't let Fei Chengji leave just like that. He practically forced me to figure out a way to smuggle him out of the mountain, saying he was going to kill that fellow surnamed Fei before coming back to look for you."

Now it was Hong Jian's turn to be astonished. Lu Yanchang had gone off to hunt down Fei Chengji; the two of them had no prior grudges, yet a cultivator at the early stage of Foundation Establishment was willing to risk his life against someone at the peak of Foundation Establishment—obviously because of the slight hint of regret she had inadvertently revealed concerning Fei Chengji right before entering the mystic realm.

Presumably, Lu Yanchang had believed she had truly met with disaster and would never return, and thus disregarded all danger to help her fulfill this unfulfilled wish.

A wave of warmth welled up in Hong Jian's eyes, and she asked, "How long ago did he leave?"

Jiang Yan replied, "Nearly half an hour ago." He was still staring wide-eyed, waiting for Hong Jian to personally confirm the scene he had witnessed with his own eyes inside the mystic realm.

For a cultivator, half an hour was enough time to fly a very long distance. Hong Jian was anxious to stop Lu Yanchang, yet she also needed to provide an explanation to Jiang Yan—especially with the fresh trouble involving Guan Yibai's end, which required a thorough clearing-up with Jiang Yan. She quickly said, "This is far too dangerous; I must go after him. Do you have a way to send me out? We can talk about the mystic realm slowly on the way."

Jiang Yan said, "I heard something happened at the Immortal Garden, and Uncle-Master Guan has summoned the Sect Master, my master, and all the rest over there. Change into another set of clothes, and I'll smuggle you out."

He turned and went outside, returning shortly afterward with a set of female disciple garments from the Roaming Cloud Sect for Hong Jian. Once she had changed into them, he instructed her to simply rearrange her hair and said, "Alright, let's go. Be careful on the way and don't let anyone spot you; the senior brother guarding the mountain gate is as dull as wood and never dares to stare at the junior sisters' faces."

The two of them quietly emerged and crept toward the mountain gate. Guided by Jiang Yan, their journey went smoothly. Seizing the opportunity, Hong Jian answered Jiang Yan's questions and recounted what had transpired in the Immortal Garden.

She explained, "Even though the Wood-Attribute Spiritual Seed is now inside my spiritual sea, I have zero control over it. I cannot restrain whatever it wishes to do, and I never expected things to turn out this way. Whatever Sect Master Yin and the others hope to find by tracking me down, I'm afraid they are bound to be disappointed."

Although he was mentally prepared, Jiang Yan's jaw still dropped upon hearing this, and he cursed under his breath, "Damn it, this thing has thoroughly wreaked havoc on our Roaming Cloud Sect."

There was no way for him to voice to Hong Jian that, following this ordeal—to say nothing of the long term—he would probably never live to see the Roaming Cloud Sect's mystic realm open again in his lifetime. He could only comfort himself by thinking: "If I hadn't let Fang Hong笺 in, this disruptive spiritual seed would certainly have fallen into Pu Pingping's hands, resulting in an even worse outcome. Who knows, all of us might have already died in there."

As for the Immortal Garden, although Hong Jian had caused a massive disturbance, Uncle-Master Guan had ultimately let her go. Remembering this, Jiang Yan consoled Hong Jian, saying, "I'll find a chance to visit Uncle-Master Guan. Don't worry about these matters; once you find your brother, there's no need to come back—just go look for your younger brother."

Jiang Yan let out a long sigh of relief. Because of Hong Jian, he had inherited the legacy of the "Wise-Heart Sword," but it had also brought him a fair share of trouble. Paradoxically, this made him feel much more at ease.

Recalling the cause and effect of these events, a thought struck him, and his expression turned somewhat peculiar as he said, "You mentioned that Junior Brother Shi insisted on having me bring you into the mystic realm—did he know something beforehand? Could it be that he anticipated this exact situation in advance?"

Such a statement was truly difficult to believe, prompting Jiang Yan to quickly shake his head. "It couldn't possibly be that bizarre."

Yet Hong Jian's mind was made up by these very words: "I will figure out a way to make a trip to the Danxia Sect, see if I can find him, and ask him face-to-face. At the same time, I also need to find out Fang Zheng's whereabouts."

Jiang Yan was initially startled, but upon reflection, he found Hong Jian's plan quite logical. His steps faltered slightly as he said, "The Danxia Sect has plenty of people who recognize you. How do you plan to sneak in? Will it be like here, relying on a friend for help?"

Finding the prospect difficult as well, Hong Jian pondered, "I haven't thought of a way yet, but there will always be a solution."

Jiang Yan nodded. "You must be careful. If you see Junior Brother Shi, tell him I miss him dearly. It's very difficult for me to get any news of him here, and I have no idea what condition his illness is in. If there is anything I can do to help, make sure to send word."

Hong Jian replied, "I will."

By the time they finished speaking, the two of them were already not far from the sect gate. Having scouted ahead and found nothing unusual, Jiang Yan said, "Let's go."

The two of them walked side by side, maintaining a distance of roughly a zhang apart. True to Jiang Yan's description, the disciple guarding the mountain gate looked thoroughly honest. Stepping forward and glancing briefly at Hong Jian's attire, he immediately shifted his focus to Jiang Yan: "Junior Brother Jiang, what have you been so busy running back and forth about all morning?"

With a completely relaxed expression, Jiang Yan fabricated a plausible excuse: "Word came from the bottom of the mountain that a few rogue cultivators are causing trouble at my master's shop, so the senior and junior brothers are all busy dealing with it. I asked Junior Sister Wei to accompany me for a stroll."

The senior brother maintained a serious, straight-laced expression as he said, "These rogue cultivators are simply too rampant; they certainly need to be taught a proper lesson." With that, he didn't even spare Hong Jian a second look, stepping aside directly to let them pass.

Hong Jian was immensely surprised by how smooth it went. She cast a grateful glance at Jiang Yan.

This time, Jiang Yan did not turn back immediately. He pointed out the direction in which Lu Yanchang had departed earlier, escorted her a short distance further, and only then waved goodbye.

Judging by the direction, Fei Chengji and Zhang Zhuo must have intended to return straight to the Danxia Sect. Half an hour was enough time for countless things to happen; if Lu Yanchang had already caught up, the fight might have long since concluded. Daring not to delay any longer, Hong Jian summoned her flight magical instrument and pursued them from behind.