Chapter 36: I Have a Plan!

Qi Yan’s expression shifted slightly. "What do you mean?"

Yun Zhao said with a distressed look, "I don't know what I might have done in the past. If you hear anything about me in the future, remember not to believe it."

She added seriously, "Only what I tell you is the truth. Everyone else is just trying to sow discord between us. Do you understand?"

Qi Yan stared at her fixedly for a long time. Just as Yun Zhao began to feel self-conscious under his gaze, he finally looked away.

"I understand."

"Zhaozhao."

Only then did Yun Zhao smile and lean close to him. "Call me that from now on. I like it."

"Mm."

Qi Yan brushed a lock of hair aside, attempting to hide his slightly reddened earlobes.

The young attendant stood guard at the foot of the mountain path. Seeing Song Zhiyuan approach, she personally escorted him off Qingyun Peak.

"Senior Brother Song," the attendant said with a smile, though her face remained icy cold. "Qingyun Peak does not welcome you. It would be best if you took a wider path around us in the future."

Having been frustrated by Yun Zhao, the attendant had no patience for him, and Song Zhiyuan was internally seething with suppressed anger. However, thinking of the day when he would marry Yun Zhao and Qingyun Peak would eventually become his, he held his temper in check.

"Do not worry, Junior Sister Xiaotong. I shall not come to disturb Zhaozhao without reason."

*Just a little beggar girl picked up by the old Sect Master, daring to speak to me like this. Once I control the Qingyun Sect...*

Song Zhiyuan’s lips curled upward. "But if Zhaozhao asks for me, I hope Junior Sister Xiaotong will..."

"Do. Not. Obstruct. Me."

He enunciated the last few words clearly and, under the attendant's suspicious gaze, turned and left.

"So certain," the attendant muttered to herself. "Could he have some leverage over Senior Sister Zhaozhao?"

*No, I must investigate this!*

More than ten days had passed since Bai Lingxiao and her two companions arrived at the Qingyun Sect. Whenever Hu Guichen asked Realizer Guiyuan when Bai Lingxiao would return, Yun Zhao would always brush him off.

However, cultivation could not be rushed. Even though Bai Lingxiao had been practicing without sleep or rest, she had only managed to advance by a single minor realm.

"This won't do," Yun Zhao said, slapping the table. "If you keep going like this, you’ll drive yourself mad."

Bai Lingxiao, who was absorbing spiritual energy even while eating, replied helplessly, "What else can I do? I have no choice but to reach the Nascent Soul stage as soon as possible."

Hu Guichen was the leader of one of the four great sects. His cultivation alone far surpassed hers, not to mention he had an entire sect of disciples at his command. If he wanted to drag her back, he could easily fabricate a few charges, and she would become the target of the entire Heavenly Sword Sect.

Gu Dinghan sighed as well. "Senior Sister Bai’s cultivation speed is already fast enough. Wen Chang and I can’t keep up. If Hu Guichen comes to take her, we probably couldn't hold him off for even a quarter of an hour."

Meng Wenchang remained silent, his expression equally dejected.

Yun Zhao scratched her head, and suddenly, an idea struck her. "I have a plan!"

She beckoned them to lean in, whispering a flurry of instructions. Gu Dinghan’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he finally gave a thumbs-up. "Junior Sister Yun, this idea of yours..."

"Is brilliant!"

And so, with Yun Zhao pulling Qi Yan with one hand and the attendant with the other, and Bai Lingxiao’s trio following behind, the six of them bypassed the guard disciples and slipped out secretly.

When Realizer Guiyuan arrived at Qingyun Peak again, the place was empty, save for a letter left behind.

The letter read: "To the Sect Master: By the time you read this, we will have already left the sect..."

After reading the letter, Realizer Guiyuan: "..."

*They’ve slipped away! How am I supposed to answer to Hu Guichen?*

Realizer Guiyuan thought to ask Mu Qianqian, but the moment he stated his purpose, she burst into loud sobs, wailing and asking why Zhaozhao hadn't taken her along—did she not like her anymore?

Realizer Guiyuan, his head throbbing from her crying, turned to find Lin Shu, hoping he might know where they had gone. But to his disappointment, Lin Shu cried even louder than Mu Qianqian, running toward Cold Moon Peak while shouting that he was going to comfort her.

Realizer Guiyuan: "..."

*Exhausting!*

Once Realizer Guiyuan left, Mu Qianqian and Lin Shu exchanged a look and simultaneously put down the handkerchiefs they had soaked in tear-inducing elixir.

The plan was a success!

Setting aside Realizer Guiyuan’s troubles, the six of them were currently aboard a small spirit boat, heading north.

"Junior Sister Yun," Gu Dinghan asked curiously, leaning on the table. "Where are we going?"

Yun Zhao had only mentioned slipping out of the Qingyun Sect, but not their destination.

Yun Zhao sipped a fruit drink prepared by the attendant, enjoying the breeze. "Anywhere is fine, but I recommend the Nanmu Forest to the north."

"Once we disappear into the deep mountains and old forests, even if they send people to search, they won't find us so quickly."

"Besides, the Nanmu Forest is full of spirit beasts; it’s perfect for training."

Qi Yan brought over some freshly baked pastries, handed one to Yun Zhao, and added, "Further north of the Nanmu Forest lies the boundary between the cultivation world and the demon realm, where there are many secret realms."

"Exactly!" Yun Zhao clapped her hands. "In case Hu Guichen loses his patience and comes to seize Senior Sister Bai, we can immediately hide in a secret realm. I doubt he’ll be able to find us anytime soon."

Bai Lingxiao listened quietly as they pieced the plan together. She felt a warmth in her heart, though she was also a bit puzzled.

"Junior Sister Yun," Bai Lingxiao said carefully. "You are helping me so much based on my word alone. What if I am lying?"

"What if Hu Guichen is actually the one in the right? Wouldn't your help make you an accomplice to evil?"

Yun Zhao was silent for a moment. *How could she explain this? She couldn't very well say she had read the plot.*

Yun Zhao thought for a moment. "I believe that a Sword Bone would not grow inside a bad person. Senior Sister Bai clearly exudes the air of a righteous cultivator."

"I trust my eyes."

"Besides," Yun Zhao glanced at Gu Dinghan and Meng Wenchang, "Senior Brother Gu and Senior Brother Meng come from prestigious righteous sects. They wouldn't act as accomplices to a tyrant, would they?"

Bai Lingxiao smiled faintly. "Junior Sister Yun makes a fair point."

"Senior Sister Bai, just call me 'Zhaozhao'," Yun Zhao said, handing her a pastry. "Try these; my attendant made them."

Bai Lingxiao smiled and called her "Zhaozhao."

The small spirit boat was slow, and it took them over ten days to reach their destination. Along the way, Yun Zhao was either discussing food with the attendant or listening to the trio share interesting stories from their past training, leaving no time to be alone with Qi Yan.

Perhaps because distance makes the heart grow fonder, as soon as they stepped off the boat, Qi Yan quietly took Yun Zhao’s hand.

[Favorability +1, current favorability 46]

Bai Lingxiao, trailing a step behind, suppressed a smile and walked with Gu Dinghan and Meng Wenchang. The attendant, however, seemed oblivious, calmly occupying the space on Yun Zhao’s left.

Seeing this, Qi Yan’s grip on Yun Zhao’s hand tightened.

Yun Zhao tilted her head. "A-Yan, are you afraid?"

Qi Yan: "?"