Chapter 122: The Wealth of the Cheng Family

The fact that Cheng Dongkui could become the current head of the Cheng Family Fortress proves he is not as boorish or brainless as he appears.

After landing on the small hill and carefully scanning the corpses with his divine sense, he concluded that there were no other cultivators nearby. He noted that both the old man and the young woman had been killed by attacks resembling the sharp claws of a demonic beast. "Furthermore," he added, "there are lingering fluctuations of high-grade talismans here. It seems that vixen and the spirit pet she keeps have some tricks up their sleeves. Second brother, do not be careless when we encounter them."

Since his elder brother’s cultivation level was far superior to his own, the Second Master of the Cheng family naturally did not question his judgment. The two men carefully sensed the residual aura in the air, gathered the fragmented remains of Cheng Fang, and set off in pursuit.

Chu Xin’er was not there to see it, but had she been, she would have been shocked to find that the flight path of Cheng Dongkui and his brother was identical to the one she had taken earlier. However, every time she had deliberately changed direction, Cheng Dongkui had been forced to stop and recalibrate.

Two hours later, Cheng Dongkui and the Second Master stopped by a river crossing the plains, both looking grim. Although the river was tens of feet wide and deep, it was not turbulent, and flying across would have been effortless. Yet, the faint aura of Chu Xin’er had abruptly vanished here. Water can not only block divine sense but also wash away subtle scents. After a long silence, Cheng Dongkui withdrew his divine sense from the water. "That vixen must have escaped along the riverbed. We don't know if she went upstream or downstream. Let us split up and search."

Hearing this, the Second Master recalled that a few days ago, while hunting the culprit who harmed his nephew, he had lost the target’s scent at a lake as well. It was clear the target used this method to evade his tracking. Consequently, he did not object to his brother's proposal; after Cheng Dongkui headed downstream, he flew upstream.

Shortly after they departed, faint ripples emerged from the river, and the slim figure shielded by a light barrier vanished from the riverbed. A moment later, in the void hundreds of miles away, a ripple appeared, and Chu Xin’er emerged.

"That was close, too close..."

Steadying herself, the young girl patted her heaving chest, reached out to take a few Qi-gathering pills, and fled at top speed.

If she hadn't suddenly sensed the impending danger and happened upon that river to hide, she likely would have been discovered. Those were two Foundation Establishment experts, one of whom was in the late stage of the realm. Had the water not blocked their divine sense while she suppressed her own aura, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

For this reason, Chu Xin’er had gritted her teeth and used a random teleportation talisman. Now, to be safe, while fleeing, she held Cheng Fang’s storage bag to her forehead to erase the lingering imprint on it. Truth be told, had it not been for the fact that the bag was a mid-grade vessel and she knew he managed shops for the Cheng family—meaning it likely contained many treasures—she would have discarded it the moment she realized she was being pursued.

With Cheng Fang dead, the imprint on his storage bag was slowly dissipating. Before long, Chu Xin’er broke the internal formation seal and peered inside with her divine sense.

"Oh? There are so many spirit stones! I'm rich—not throwing this away was definitely the right call."

As the Sixth Master of the Cheng family, Cheng Fang managed their shops in Yunfeng Market. While he didn't carry all his wealth, the spirit stones and materials inside were far beyond the means of an ordinary Qi Condensation cultivator. The spacious storage bag was ninety percent full of spirit stones, spirit herbs, and various ores. A rough count revealed no less than ten thousand spirit stones, some of which were mid-grade, more than enough to compensate for the talismans she had consumed. Chu Xin’er’s joy was immense.

She did not know that a large part of the reason Cheng Dongkui was chasing her so relentlessly was precisely because of the wealth Cheng Fang carried—earnings from the Cheng family shops for several months. Had nothing gone wrong, the family would have come to collect them in a few days. Now, however, it was all hers.

Unaware of these details, but suspecting that the enemy’s ability to track her was linked to the bag, Chu Xin’er dared not keep it. As she continued to fly, she moved all the verified spirit stones and materials into her own storage bag, then used her willow-leaf blade to shatter and destroy the mid-grade bag and the jade slips that might have carried tracking imprints.

After doing this, she remained vigilant, moving at full speed and changing direction frequently.

Hundreds of miles away, Cheng Dongkui, who had been searching the river for a long time, stopped with a dark expression. Half an hour ago, he had sensed the tracking aura vanish and concluded she had escaped into the depths of the river. Yet, after searching over a hundred miles downstream, he had found nothing. Logically, even if the vixen were skilled in water-evasion techniques, she could not stay submerged indefinitely. She was only at the Qi Condensation stage; she could hold her breath for a short time, but not for long.

Could she have gone upstream?

With this thought, Cheng Dongkui changed direction and sped off. He did not know about Chu Xin’er’s short-range random teleportation talisman. He was certain that with two Foundation Establishment experts searching separately, she could not possibly have escaped unless she had a way to remain hidden at the bottom of the river.

However, his confidence was soon shaken. When he reunited with his brother and learned he had also found nothing, his expression turned as gloomy as a gathering storm.

Chu Xin’er fled continuously, changing directions and occasionally hiding in rivers or lakes to mask her aura. By the time dusk fell, having flown over a thousand miles without encountering the enemy, she finally slowed down.

After flying for another two hours, Chu Xin’er stopped on a barren mountain. She found a clean stone slab, gave a few instructions to Xiao Wenzhi, and sat cross-legged to meditate and regulate her breathing. She was exhausted; since the battle ended, she hadn't stopped for a moment. Although pills could restore some spiritual energy, she was nearly spent.

Fortunately, Xiao Wenzhi was energetic. With him guarding her, Chu Xin’er could focus entirely on recovery. Although the unknown mountain had wild beasts, there were no high-grade demonic beasts. Even when a few first-tier creatures approached, they were struck down by the sudden, sharp flashes of wing-blades before they could get too close.

Time passed slowly. Dawn broke, and the morning sun rose in the east. After a night of meditation, Chu Xin’er opened her beautiful eyes. She glanced at the dead beasts scattered dozens of feet away and a relieved smile touched her lips.

"Xiao Wenzhi, let's go." Built on mutual trust, there was no need for words of thanks. Chu Xin’er beckoned to him, transformed into a streak of light, and soared away into the sky.