The other side.
"Granny! Don’t eat me! Qing Jun isn’t tasty! Not tasty at all, the meat is sour!"
In the backpack, the little White Furred Ball was tightly bound by hemp rope, like a beastling awaiting slaughter.
She curled up in the narrow space,
through the gaps in the bamboo, she could only see Wang Po’s wrinkled, slightly impatient profile and the rapidly receding dark sky above.
The little girl was terrified!
How did she wake up sleeping here?
Where is Master? Where is Senior Sister?
The warm bed and familiar home were gone, replaced by this bumpy darkness and the unpleasant smell of this bad old woman!
She remembered talking to her senior sister before sleeping, how did everything change when she woke up?
"Shut up! You’re so noisy!" Wang Po hunched over, but her aged legs moved swiftly, "Make any more noise, and I’ll skin you!"
The incense she used, was the Three-Breath Soul-Softening Incense given specifically by the lord of the Emotion Crossing Sect!
This incense was overwhelmingly powerful, colorless, and odorless, a secret incense of the Emotion Crossing Sect!
Inhaling it could make even Qi Cultivation Middle Stage cultivators sleep for several two-hour periods, their divine souls weakened, allowing others to exploit them.
Just not long ago, she used this incense to knock out the troublesome Artifact Refiner Ping Zhuo.
This allowed her to sneak into his courtyard during the chaos at the Market and smoothly extract his heart... Although Ping Zhuo was seriously injured, he was a cultivator with Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer, even after inhaling it, he remained unconscious, letting her cut him open and take his organs!
But this frail little girl in front of her,
obviously inhaling the incense as well, how come she woke up in less than a half two-hour period?
And crying so energetically?
Could it be this girl has a special constitution?
Or is it that... the incense given by the Lord of the Emotion Crossing Sect isn’t as effective as claimed?
Wang Po was a bit anxious in her heart, her pace quickened even more.
She specifically chose a secluded path and covered the opening of the backpack with a tattered black cloth, leaving only tiny gaps for air.
Normal people would only assume she was carrying worthless junk or trash to be discarded, no one would think there was a living little girl inside.
But since the little girl woke up and kept crying, these covers were essentially useless.
Thankfully, they were already out of the Market.
As long as they didn’t encounter any Loose Cultivators, there wouldn’t be any issues.
And in the current environment, no Loose Cultivators would dare roam outside.
"Granny, where are you taking me? Are you going to sell me for candy? Qing Jun can walk by herself, no need to carry..."
"Granny, do the clouds in the sky look like cotton candy? Qing Jun is hungry, wants to eat cotton candy..."
"Granny, why aren’t you talking? Are you mad? Then just leave Qing Jun behind..."
"Granny..."
All along the way, Qing Jun’s little mouth didn’t stop, sometimes pleading in fear, other times chattering innocently.
Various thoughts mixed together, making Wang Po annoyed and irritable.
This little girl looked frail, but her energy was quite abundant!
"Shut up!" Wang Po finally couldn’t help but shout hoarsely, her voice rough and unpleasant, "Keep nagging, and I’ll sew your mouth up right now!"
Qing Jun shivered, too frightened to move.
"Sob... Sister... Master..." The little girl whimpered softly.
"Hmph, you little brat, scared now, huh?"
Wang Po spat viciously,
"Too late! Once you’re in my backpack, you don’t have a choice! Quietly keep your mouth shut, or else... hmph hmph, when we get there, there are ways to keep you from making a sound!"
Qing Jun pursed her lips, feeling wronged.
The small body in the backpack struggled hard against the ropes, trying to break free.
But the hemp rope was too tight, and it was futile.
She tried to bite the rope with her teeth, but the rope was tough and had a strange taste, it couldn’t be bitten through.
Wang Po seemed to notice her actions and suddenly slammed the backpack on the ground!
"Bang!"
The violent shock made Qing Jun dizzy, almost biting her tongue.
"You little bitch! Still not behaving!"
Wang Po turned her head, her face like old tree bark full of fierceness,
"Dare to move again? Believe it or not, I’ll throw you out right now to feed the wolves!"
In the desolate wilderness, the sound of the wind shrilled, and the occasional howling of wolves made Wang Po’s words especially intimidating.
Qing Jun shivered, too scared to move again.
But deep in her eyes,
the fear belonging to a child was being replaced by something deeper, colder.
Wang Po picked up the backpack and continued hastily along the path.
The night deepened, the surroundings growing more desolate, the air filled with the smell of damp earth and rotten leaves.
She didn’t notice that the little girl who had been whimpering stopped crying inside the backpack.
Through the bamboo gaps, those phoenix eyes that remained bright in the dark, quietly closed.
The cold wind howled, the snow fell heavily.
Wang Po, carrying Qing Jun, finally arrived at a secluded ruined temple.
This place was far from Yunxi District, deserted, with only the wind blowing through the broken window frames, making eerie sounds.
Wang Po set down the backpack heavily on the ground, making a dull "thud".
She rubbed her sore shoulders and spat,
"Finally here, this little brat, doesn’t look heavy, but carrying her is killing me..."
"What luck... This little girl, how did she run out on her own? So daring. Just right, the Lord needs a girl, what a surprise."
As she was rejoicing, she reached out to untie the black cloth and ropes on the backpack.
But,
Wang Po suddenly felt something was off.
On Shunshui Street, demon beasts and Loose Cultivators fought chaotically.
How did this girl dare to come out?
And dared to stare at her heart harvesting...
"Hmph, what a foolish girl. Could it be Chen Ye knocked her silly? Served as a vent, how dare that Chen Ye give me attitude?"
Thinking of Chen Ye’s anxious expression,
Wang Po felt even more satisfied.
She slowly untied the rope, lifted the black cloth, and when she looked into the backpack, her face instantly froze.
The backpack was empty!
Where was the little girl?
Only a few scattered hemp ropes and a faint trace of cold air remained.
"Where is she?!" Wang Po’s voice suddenly rose.
She abruptly lifted the backpack and shook it vigorously, but nothing fell out.
The broken temple was dimly lit, with only a few pale moonbeams shining through the roof’s holes, illuminating the empty, dark backpack, making it all the more eerie.
Wang Po’s heart pounded fiercely, a chill shooting from her feet to her head.
She looked around, nothing but cobwebs and dust in the temple.
How did that girl run away?
She tied her up so tightly!
Just then, a cold, endlessly cruel voice sounded behind her:
"The person... is right here."
In the dim temple, a beam of cold moonlight precisely illuminated her silver hair.
Another beam traced her cheek, lighting up her scarlet pupils.
All else was swallowed by darkness.
The girl mischievously winked at her.