Chapter 1666: Important Character
After the commotion Dao Leng caused, He Nongying was not stopped again for the rest of the journey. She did not enter another city in the Azure Region. Instead, she continued on her way for five full days until she got out of the Azure Region.
Northeast of the Azure Region was the Dragon Region. This was the Long Clan’s territory, but the Long Clan was subordinate to the Azure Supreme Thearch. He Nongying did not dare to stop there to teleport the rest of the way either, much less let Jiang Yi out. She continued on her way and flew for two full days before the war chariot finally stopped in a huge city atop a mountain.
“Greetings, Young Mistress!”
This may have been the Dragon Region, but the City Lord of this city was from a clan that supported the He Clan. He Nongying followed the City Lord into a huge castle, then stretched her limbs and back, and waved her hand, saying, “I’m tired. City Lord Ge, be dismissed.”
After flying for several days, He Nongying was indeed very tired. The white hall appeared in her hand, and she let Jiang Yi out. Then, she walked into her room and stopped at her door to say, “Jiang Yi, stay in the castle and don’t go out. Once we are rested, we will teleport to the Qilin Region.”
“Qilin Region?”
Jiang Yi blinked, not understanding what she was saying. Auntie Shuang explained, “The Azure Supreme Thearch has very wide influence. We will have to consume a lot of resources and take huge risks if you want to go to Nine Yang City directly. We’ll make a detour to the Qilin Region and then teleport to Nine Yang City from there.”
“Oh, oh!”
A realization dawned on Jiang Yi. He cupped his hands and said, “Thank you for explaining this to me, Elder.”
“Hur-Hur!”
Auntie Shuang did not really like Jiang Yi. She tutted twice and then entered her own room, not bothering about Jiang Yi anymore. It was obvious that she was still mad at Jiang Yi over what happened with Dao Leng.
The restrictions around the castle had been activated, and Jiang Yi did not dare to get out. He walked around the main hall, grabbing the spirit fruits on the table to snack on. He had more than ten of those fruits before he really became frustrated. He entered a random room and took the divine tree leaf out, planning to continue realizing the Quintessence.
Time flew by when he cultivated!
In a blink of an eye, half a day had pa.s.sed. Jiang Yi was jolted awake by the flas.h.i.+ng restrictions around his room. He walked out and saw that He Nongying was well-rested. She led Jiang Yi and Auntie Shuang out of the main castle and into another lone castle in the backyard. There was nothing inside that castle apart from a huge Teleportation Formation.
“Activate the Teleportation Formation!”
He Nongying waved her hand, not bothering to waste any time spouting nonsense. Jiang Yi felt curious, but he did not dare to ask too many questions. Instead, he walked straight into the Teleportation Formation with the two others. Very quickly, a blinding white light appeared, and the three of them disappeared into the Teleportation Formation.
It was most definitely the longest time that Jiang Yi had ever spent teleporting. His soul spirit was stronger, but he still felt giddy and light-headed. It felt like at least ten whole Lower-Domain days before their feet finally touched solid ground.
Plop!
His bottom fell to the floor. Without bothering about anything else, he closed his eyes and began to meditate. Slowly, the giddiness dissipated. An hour later, he finally opened his eyes. The good thing was that this was also a castle. There were not too many outsiders around them, apart from a t.i.tled G.o.d Thearch, who was waiting quietly by the side.
“Sir, you’re awake?” The t.i.tled G.o.d Thearch smiled politely and said, “Young Mistress Ying instructed me to lead you to see her.”
Jiang Yi scanned his surroundings and realized that both He Nongying and Auntie Shuang were gone. He quickly followed the t.i.tled G.o.d Thearch out of the castle and into another main hall.
He Nongying was seated in that hall, sipping tea. When she saw Jiang Yi enter, she waved her hand, gesturing for him to sit down. Then, she said, “This is Qilin City. Will you stay here for several days first, or are you going straight to Nine Yang City?”
“I’ll go to Nine Yang City,” Jiang Yi replied after pondering for several seconds. He was not used to inconveniencing others for so long. Staying here would make him feel like he was living off He Nongying and depending on her for everything.
“I think you should remain here for several days.”
He Nongying thought about it for a while and said, “Some people from the Dao Clan have gone to Nine Yang City and locked down the Teleportation Formation leading to the Chaos Sea. I don’t think they will leave any time soon. You will be discovered if you go there. Stay here for a couple of days and wait for the situation to settle down.
“What’s more, Dao Leng stopped me on the way here. I think he suspects that I brought you out. I’m guessing he’s keeping an eye on us in secret. If you teleport away now, it is highly likely that you would be exposed.”
“Very well then.”
Jiang Yi thought about what He Nongying said and then nodded. It would indeed be dangerous for him to leave now. He had no choice but to remain here and cultivate for several days.
He Nongying stood up and pointed to the t.i.tled G.o.d Thearch, saying, “This is the real He Da, the son of my old housekeeper. He will take care of you these few days. Tell him if you need anything.”
“The real He Da?” Jiang Yi immediately felt slightly awkward. He did not think that there really was a ‘He Da’ in the He Clan.
After, He Nongying left, without showing too much favor to Jiang Yi. She did not even try to persuade Jiang Yi to stay in the He Clan. Jiang Yi remained in the city, not leaving his castle. Instead, he remained in seclusion and focused on cultivating.
He cultivated for four to five days, and He Nongying left him alone the entire time. This made Jiang Yi feel a deep admiration for her. It looked like He Nongying had no intention to recruit him. She was only helping him in order to prevent a talent from dying. This was to maintain a shred of hope for the human race. This woman was truly amazing, righteous, and kind-hearted.
The sixth day!
The real He Da came to look for him, telling him that a mysterious Lord was looking for him.
“He Da, who is it?” Jiang Yi asked curiously.
He Da shook his head and said, “I don’t know exactly who it is either. My father was the one who sent me a voice transmission, telling me to bring you there.
The old housekeeper of the He Clan.
Old housekeepers like him were likely of high status in the clan. Could the Family Head of the He Clan be summoning him? Jiang Yi had a lot of questions in his head as he followed He Da out into the backyard.
The He Clan’s yard was extremely huge. They walked for a full hour past thousands of castles before they finally arrived in a garden. An old man with a crooked back stood at the gate of the garden, waiting for them.
“Are you Sir Jiang?”
The old man was smiling and he looked very kind. He bowed his body and gestured in front of him, saying, “Follow me.”
The old housekeeper led Jiang Yi into the garden. Then, a white flash of light appeared, and both of them disappeared into the garden. Jiang Yi felt like he had just teleported a short distance before the white light disappeared. The two of them were now at a valley with a clear pond. A palace stood in the valley, but there was not a single soul there.
What confused Jiang Yi even more was that the old housekeeper did not lead Jiang Yi towards the palace. Instead, they walked towards the pond next to the palace. When they arrived at the pond, he bowed and said, “Qilin Empress, Jiang Yi is here.”
“Qilin Empress?”
Jiang Yi’s eyes widened. He had not thought that the important lord who wanted to see him was the Qilin Empress. She was one of the sovereigns of the Heaven Domain! He quickly bowed and said, “Jiang Yi pays his greetings to the Qilin Empress.”
“He Yong, be dismissed.”
Jiang Yi heard a clear voice. Then, the old housekeeper bowed and walked away. Jiang Yi did not even dare to move. He kept his body bowed and waited for the Qilin Empress to give him instructions. The Qilin Empress did not say anything either. However, the ripples began to appear in the pond. Jiang Yi felt a light breeze blow past him.
“Divine senses?”
Jiang Yi was secretly shocked. This formidable martial artist was inspecting him with her divine senses, and yet he did not feel anything intense. He guessed that the Qilin Empress had let him feel the light breeze on purpose.
Burst!
A moment later, the patterns in the pond appeared again. A face congealed in the water. It was big and clear and looked slightly seductive. It was the face of a beautiful, young woman. What’s more, it was not formed out of water. Instead, it looked like it was hidden inside the water. It was all very strange and chilling.
“Jiang Yi!”
The Qilin Empress spoke once again. “I have read up on you. I want to give you two options: submit to me or die!”
“Uh?”
Jiang Yi’s expression hardened. He did not think the Qilin Empress would summon him to ask him to submit to her. What’s more, it did not seem like she was seeking to recruit him. It seemed more like she was seeking to make him her slave.