Chapter 398 - Unexpected Encounter (2/2)
From their movements, they were definitely heading straight for him.
Who could have sent them, and what was their goal?
No, thinking about it was pointless.
It could literally be anyone – Xuan Wen, Grandmaster Xiqin, Xuan Junwei, Linye Caixia, or even the faction leader Xuan Qinshang... all of them could have a possible motive if one really wanted to pin it on them. It could even be the Radiant Raven Sect or someone completely unknown.
The most important thing now was not to find out who they were or who sent them, but to think about his next step.
Even though Lu Tianzi could see them coming, their encirclement was flawless, and it was already too late for him to run.
Since that was the case, he could only try to take the initiative!
***
”Finally done!” Ruan Ling exclaimed in relief. ”Now we just have to bring the ingredients back to the Timeless Flame Sect and we will be done!”
Ruan Ling had never done this kind of chores before, so she had grossly underestimated the amount of ingredients ordered by the Timeless Flame Sect.
The shop they went to did not have the supplies ready, so they had to visit the shop's warehouse located at some isolated corner of Eternal Flame City.
By the time they were done, the sun had already fallen.
”Thank you so much for the help, Young Mistress!” Bo'er said happily.
Not only did the help of Ruan Ling and Nanlan Qianxue save her a large amount of time, their use of spatial rings had also removed the need to lug everything back by hand.
So how could Bo'er not be grateful?
”Silly girl,” Ruan Ling patted her head. ”We can help you this time, but we can't be there for you every time. You really need to learn to say no when needed!”
”Hehe,” Bo'er laughed in embarrassment, to which Ruan Ling could only sigh helplessly.
”It's getting late, let's return,” Nanlan Qianxue suggested.
”Sister Qianxue is right,” Ruan Ling agreed. ”Let's go. I don't want to end up travelling through the night.”
But just as they were about to set off, they noticed a young man heading towards them from down the street. Even from afar, his gaze was clearly fixed upon them, and this was made even more obvious because of the rather empty street.
This young man had a fair complexion and gentle features. With his long black hair tied into a single braid behind him, he looked more like a learned scholar than a martial artist.
Being in this secluded corner of the city, having a young man suddenly approach them in the middle of the night was rather spooky to say the least. Even the young man's good looks did little to mitigate this feeling.
However, Ruan Ling was not too worried. She simply stood there with her arms crossed, patiently waiting for the young man to approach.
That was because she could see that the young man was only at the Third Cycle Origin Core realm.
Being at the Fifth Cycle Origin Core realm, Ruan Ling was confident that she would be able to handle the other party even if he bore any ill intentions.
As though infected by Ruan Ling's composure, Bo'er did not feel too worried either.
On the other hand, the usually calm Nanlan Qianxue's expression turned into one of shock. That was because she recognised the other party with a single glance, and he was someone whom she had never expected to see here!
Noticing the look on Nanlan Qianxue's face, Ruan Ling asked warily, ”Is he an enemy?”
By then, the young man was near enough to hear Ruan Ling's words. He could not help but let out a bitter smile, ”I thought you looked familiar, but now I am certain after seeing your reaction. You are from the Scarlet Moon Kingdom, aren't you?”
Nanlan Qianxue nodded and said solemnly, ”What do you want?”
The young man let out a helpless sigh, ”You don't have to be so wary of me. We were at war, which was why we had to go against each other. But now that our two kingdoms have entered a state of truce, there is no longer a need for us to be enemies. Rather than that, don't you think that as fellow martial artists who came from the west, we should try to look out for each other?”
”A truce?” Nanlan Qianxue revealed a look of surprise.
The two kingdoms had always been at each other's throats, yet they actually entered a truce?
”That's right. Wait, have you not heard of it?” this time it was the young man's turn to be surprised. ”To be frank, the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom has been greatly weakened after the war, and would need a long time to recover. Rather than continuing the tense relationship between the two kingdoms, we decided that it will be in both kingdoms' best interest to exist in harmony.”
”So that's why...” Nanlan Qianxue nodded in understanding.
That made sense as well.
The Dragon Cauldron Kingdom had always been the aggressor between the two. So if the Dragon Cauldron Kingdom decided to call for a truce, it was not too surprising for the Scarlet Moon Kingdom to have agreed.
”Why don't you know about this though? This matter has been announced by both kingdoms so everyone should have known about it,” the young man continued.
”I left almost right after the war ended, so I probably missed it,” Nanlan Qianxue explained. ”How about Sir Wenqin? When did you come to the central regions?”
”This is embarrassing. You actually know my name, but all I recognise of you is your face,” Longshao Wenqin forced a laugh.
After all, Nanlan Qianxue was but one of the many Essence Condensation realm soldiers back then, so Longshao Wenqin never cared about her identity. If not for his almost photographic memory, he would never have recognised her.
Who knew that in such a short span of time, she would already have become a Second Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist?
Longshao Wenqin then continued, ”I came to the central regions not too long ago to visit the Thunder Hawk Sect since we have a good trading relationship with them. That is where I heard of the upcoming Inscription Meet that will be held here at Eternal Flame City. Since some of them were coming to join in the fun, I decided to tag along with them to take a look. Is that why you are here as well?”
”You can say that,” Nanlan Qianxue nodded.
Seeing how the two were conversing well, Ruan Ling finally relaxed. It seemed that the young man was once an enemy, but the grudge had been buried.
”Regardless, it is fate that we met here, so why don't you guys come with me?” Longshao Wenqin suggested. ”I will bring you to meet my companions. The Thunder Hawk Sect is considered a rather decent level influence in the central regions. As long as we go along with them, we would not need to worry about being targeted by others!”