Chapter 31: Something You Can’t Ignore

Chapter 31: Something You Can’t Ignore

31

Something You Cant Ignore

I

Hao Zhen did his best to clear his head. That Duo Lan was the daughter of the sect leader didnt surprise him much. That was one of the possibilities he had considered. Her previous wordsas well as Tian Jinswere what had him reeling. Duo Lan and Tian Jin being aware of the weird behavior of those around themand the implications of that factconfirmed many of his theories, but at the same, raised a lot of questions.

Right now, however, the priority was getting to the bottom of Duo Lans real identity and whether it could somehow be the key to turning this situation around.

Hao Zhen took in Duo Lans expression. Her crinkled nose, her narrowed eyes, her pressed lips, her tensed jawall of that conveyed clear distaste. There was also something fierce and defensive in her eyes as she looked at him and Tian Jin.

Hao Zhen braced himself for the rest of the conversation. He had an inkling about what was going on with Duo Lan. If he was right about his suspicions, this would be a rather painful talk, not just because of the topic, but also because of how prickly Duo Lan could be.

Hao Zhen glanced at Tian Jin. The other boy was giving Duo Lan a look of shock. Now that Hao Zhen thought about it, all he had discussed with Tian Jin before about Duo Lans identity was that she had something to do with the upper echelons of the sect. He had never voiced any of his more specific suspicions, and it seemed that Duo Lan being the sect leaders daughter hadnt crossed Tian Jins mind before.

I see, Hao Zhen said, deciding to take over the questioning before Tian Jin did something to set Duo Lan off. The ensuing conversation would require some level of subtlety, something that Tian Jin didnt exactly have in spades.

So, Duo Lanwell, Lan Yue, Hao Zhen said, correcting himself. He cringed a little. It seemed like Tian Jin wasnt the only one lacking in the subtlety department. Then again, out of all the recent revelations, that Duo Lan was actually called Lan Yue was the least important one, so it had ended up being pushed to the back of his mind. Why exactly are you hiding your identity?

Lan Yue focused on him, her dark brown eyes peering into his. Now that he thought about it, her plain appearance probably wasnt what she actually looked like, either. Important female characters in cultivation novels were always breathtakingly beautiful, and everything so far seemed to indicate that the same applied to this world. Lan Yue certainly wasnt ugly, but she looked too average for this to be what she actually looked like. Most likely, she was using some sort of illusion talisman to mask her true appearance. The fact that was one of the most common tropes in cultivation novels only reinforced that idea.

This was something he could address later, however. Whether Lan Yue was actually some kind of city-toppling beautyas female characters in cultivation novels were often describedwouldnt be of any help with the murderous inner elder situation.

I Lan Yue furrowed her brow, her jaw becoming tighter. I made a bet with my father.

Hao Zhen suppressed the urge to sigh. It seemed like he had been right, after all. This would be a pretty contrived conversation indeed. A bet? he asked, trying to sound intrigued instead of exasperated. If he was right about what was going on, Lan Yues identity as the sect leaders daughter could be of some help to them, but it wouldnt be easy to get her to use it.

He wants me to marry the son of the city lord of Drifting Clouds City. I refused, and he he told me that everything I had, I owed to him, so he had the right to decide my own fate. She was clenching her hands into fists. I told him that he was wrongthat I could do just fine on my own. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to calm herself.

By this point, Hao Zhen no longer had any doubts that his assumptions were correct, but he figured itd be best to let her continue explaining. He glanced at Tian Jin and saw that the other boy was giving Lan Yue a rather perplexed, confused look, as if he wasnt quite sure what to make of the situation.

So I made a wager with him, Lan Yue continued. In one year, Id be the top-ranked inner discipleand Id do it without his help, all through my own efforts. If I could achieve that, hed call the marriage off.

With that, Lan Yue fell silent, her expression grim.

Hao Zhen nodded his head. What Lan Yue said explained all her behavior so farher haughtiness, her knowledge, and more importantly, her competitiveness. Hao Zhen reckoned that Lan Yue was naturally competitive, but the bet only inflamed that aspect of her personality. After all, how could she expect to become the top inner disciple when she wasnt even considered the top outer disciple? It was no wonder she used to be so antagonistic of Tian Jin.

Hao Zhen decided to let Lan Yue cool down for a little while. They didnt exactly have a lot of timethe talisman Lan Yue had used wouldnt keep the inner elder imprisoned foreverbut he figured itd be for the best to continue this conversation once she was a little calmer. As he waited, Hao Zhen took this opportunity to sort out his thoughts and consider how to proceed. He peered down the magical cloud. The valley was even more massive than he had originally thought. In all directions, all he could see was a boundless ocean of green.

After a few moments, he returned his gaze to Lan Yue. She had relaxed a little, her expression losing some of its tightness.

All right, Hao Zhen said softly, drawing her attention. Tian Jin, who had his head lowered, immersed in his thoughts, also looked up at him. This bet of yoursif you used your identity to deal with the inner elder, what would your father say about it?

Lan Yue gave a bitter laugh. She looked like she had already been expecting that question. Hed say he won.

All right. What about your belongingsis there anything we can use? Perhaps another Radiant Light Imprisonment Talisman? Hao Zhen asked instead.

I only have another one of it. They were both a gift from my grandfather. He gave them to me before I took the entrance examinations. He said that if I ever found myself in a dangerous situation, I was to use one of them on myself and send him a sound transmission. She shrugged. Everything else I have, I got after becoming an outer disciple.

Another Radiant Light Imprisonment Talisman could be used to buy them some time, but not much more. If Lan Yue had her other sound-transmission token with her, itd be a different story, as they could use the talisman on themselves, as suggested by her grandfather, and use the token to call someone from Lan Yues family over. Then again, he didnt know if there was some kind of range limit to sound-transmission tokens, so maybe that wouldnt have been possible.

It seemed like their best bet was indeed heading over into the deeper regions of the forest and looking for help over there, then. Hao Zhen rubbed his forehead. It wasnt nearly as solid a plan as he had hoped, but he had pretty much exhausted all other options. Still, he went over the situation again in his head, just in case he had missed something.

Moments after he started thinking, however, he noticed the magical cloud start to slow down. Confused, he turned toward Tian Jin, who was looking out into the distance, frowning.

Tian Jin?

I feel something, Tian Jin said without turning around. He motioned with his head vaguely toward the direction he was looking at.

Hao Zhen frowned. He glanced at Lan Yue, who was also giving Tian Jin a look of confusion. You feel something?

Theres something calling me. Tian Jin finally turned his head back toward them. He looked as confused as them. I cant really explain it. Its strange. Its like I know theres something there?

Hao Zhens confusion gave way to suspicion. Could this be He looked deeply at Tian Jin. Tian Jin wasnt someone that would joke or lie about something like this, so there was definitely something going on. He didnt think Tian Jin was crazy, either.

Hao Zhen felt his heart skip a beat.

Sometimes, in cultivation novels, protagonists got these feelings they couldnt really explain. It was usually subtler than whatever Tian Jin was experiencing, but if Hao Zhen wasnt wrong about this

How far away are we from the inner disciples section of the forest? Hao Zhen asked Lan Yue.

She had been the one leading them through the forestsomething else Hao Zhen would have to ask her about, now that he thought about itso maybe shed have an idea.

About ten minutes, I think, she said.

And how long has it been since you used the talisman on the elder?

About half an hour. This time, it was Tian Jin who answered.

The two of them were both looking at Hao Zhen curiously.

He considered the situation. They had another Radiant Light Imprisonment Talisman, which could buy them another hour. Considering how close they were to their destination

Hao Zhen didnt like taking risks, but he felt that this one might just be worth taking.

He nodded at Tian Jin. Lets go.

Go?

You had a feeling, didnt you? Hao Zhen said. Lets see if theres something there.

If there was one thing Hao Zhen knew about cultivation novels, it was that the protagonists intuition should never be ignoredparticularly when they were running from danger.