bookbashuk Chapter 115 Catching Up
Chapter 115 Catching Up
At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Zhao Fan and his group struggled to emerge from a crack in the cliff face of a desolate mountain.
Looking at the rising sun on the horizon, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
They had been underground all night, and it had been a truly unpleasant night.
At the end of the crack was a cliff, not high, only about ten feet high.
Below the cliff was a rocky beach, and further away were sparse trees.
Su Ziyan helped Su San to the edge of the cliff, looked down, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Su Zixin leaned against a rock, her face still pale, but the wound on her leg had stopped oozing black blood.
She sheathed the Frost Sword back at her waist, flexed her fingers, and nodded.
Zhao Fan took out the Green Leaf Boat from his storage bag. He first helped Su San board, then Su Zixin and Su Ziyan. Xiao Er jumped on by himself, lay on the side of the boat, and stuck out his tongue to lick the wounds on his paws.
Zhao Fan was the last to board the ship, and he slowly lifted the flying boat into the air.
He took out the map that Su San had given him earlier, and compared it with the distant mountains and rivers, and judged that their current location had deviated from the original route by nearly a thousand miles, and was heading southeast.
Zhao Fan changed direction, and the Green Leaf Boat transformed into a streak of green light, flying north close to the treetops.
……
Yulin Mountain, market town.
The young master sat at the stone table in the courtyard, holding a cup of tea in his hand, but he did not drink it for a long time.
His gaze fell on the courtyard gate, as if he were waiting for someone.
The courtyard gate was pushed open, and the burly man walked in.
The young master looked up at him, saw his clothes worn through by the rock wall, and saw the gloomy expression on his face; he already knew the answer in his heart.
They ran away.
The big man didn't ask any questions; he simply stated the facts.
The young master put down his teacup and remained silent for a moment.
"How did you get there?"
The big man briefly recounted what had happened, including the strange streak of light. He didn't hide anything or embellish anything; he simply told the story as it was.
After listening, the young master picked up his teacup and put it down again, tapping his fingers lightly on the table a few times.
"You mean, that kid has a ring that can unleash something that renders you immobile?"
"Yes."
The big man's face was very ugly.
"It's not an attack, it's not magic, I can't really explain what it is."
"It ignores the spiritual energy barrier, the protective aura, and even my evil spirit. When it lands on me, my body becomes uncontrollable."
The young master's fingers stopped tapping.
There was no anger or even disappointment in his eyes, only a hint of understanding.
"interesting."
"No wonder Zhang Tie insisted on dealing with Zhao Fan personally; it turns out he really has a treasure on him."
He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to the big man.
"Although the primary responsibility does not lie with you, you should be punished for letting them go. Go back and receive your punishment."
The burly man remained silent for a moment, then turned and left. The courtyard gate closed behind him, and his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
The young master stood by the window and took out a communication talisman from his sleeve.
He thought for a moment, then channeled his spiritual power into the talisman and recorded a few words.
"Zhao Fan has a ring that can unleash some kind of strange technique, which can ignore all defenses and immobilize the target. This item is extraordinary, and we must obtain it before he enters the Suyang Sect."
The talisman transformed into a streak of blue light and disappeared outside the window.
The young master watched the blue light disappear into the distance, a smile playing on his lips.
"Zhao Fan... you have more secrets than I thought."
……
Two days later, in the county town.
Zhao Fan had never seen such a large city before.
The city wall is about ten zhang high and is made of whole pieces of bluestone. There is a faint spiritual light flowing on the surface, which is obviously an array.
The city gate was wide enough for several carriages to pass side by side, and two rows of armored monks stood on both sides, their eyes sharp as they scanned everyone who entered or left.
A long queue stretched out at the city gate, with ordinary merchants carrying loads on their shoulders, cultivators riding spirit beasts, and wealthy young men sitting in sedan chairs—a diverse and lively scene.
Zhao Fan maneuvered the flying boat to land outside the city, put away the Green Leaf Boat, and helped Su San walk towards the city gate.
Su Zixin still uses the Frost Sword as a crutch, but the injury on her leg has mostly healed, and walking is no longer so difficult.
Su Ziyan's complexion was still not very good, but it was much better than two days ago.
The guards at the city gate stopped them.
"Entry fee: two spirit stones per person."
Su Ziyan took out the spirit stones and handed them over. The guard counted them and waved for them to go in.
The moment Zhao Fan stepped through the city gate, he was stunned by the sight before him.
The county town was many times larger than Zhoujiafang Market, with wide and flat streets lined with shops and towering buildings, some even five or six stories high.
The streets were teeming with people, shoulder to shoulder. There were cultivators dressed in various colored robes, animal trainers leading spirit beasts, and vendors pushing carts and hawking spirit food.
Occasionally, airships would fly overhead, taking off and landing in designated areas within the city.
But Zhao Fan didn't have time to browse.
They went straight to the meeting place for the apprenticeship ceremony.
The venue was set up in the square in the center of the county town. A huge stone platform, several meters high, could be seen from afar. The platform was covered with pure white jade, which shone with a warm luster in the sunlight.
Four tall stone pillars stand around the stone platform, their shafts carved with intricate spiritual patterns, faintly radiating spiritual light.
At the top of each stone pillar hangs a huge bronze mirror, its surface facing downwards, enveloping the entire stone platform in a soft light curtain.
Behind the stone platform stands a magnificent hall, about five stories high, with flying eaves and brackets, exuding a grand and imposing aura. Above the door hangs a huge plaque with the three large characters "Suyang Sect" written on it. The calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, and a faint sense of pressure emanates from it, making people dare not look directly at it.
Zhao Fan glanced at it once and felt distracted, so he quickly looked away.
At this moment, the square was packed with people.
There were cultivators dressed in various colors, family members sitting under the shade of the pavilion waiting, and independent cultivators queuing in front of the stone platform to wait for the test.
The line stretched out for miles, winding its way around most of the square, and numbered at least several hundred people.
On the stone platform, several cultivators dressed in the robes of the Suyang Sect sat upright, with various testing artifacts in front of them. People would go up to take the test from time to time. Some were eliminated and left dejectedly, while others passed and stood aside with joy on their faces.
As soon as Zhao Fan and his group reached the entrance of the square, they were stopped by two disciples of the Suyang Sect.
"Today is the last day of the apprenticeship ceremony; registration has already closed."
Su Ziyan became anxious and immediately spoke up.
"We came from the Su family of Mount Fuling. We encountered a bandit on the way, which delayed our journey..."
The disciple shook his head, expressionless.
"Rules are rules, and once the registration deadline is reached, it's over."
Su San lifted her head from Zhao Fan's back, her face pale, but her gaze remained steady.
He took a wooden plaque from his pocket and handed it over.
"The Su family, a first-class family, has two nomination slots."
The disciple took the wooden plaque, examined it from all angles, and then took out a small mirror to check his reflection. Only after confirming that it was correct did his expression soften somewhat.
"The Su family? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
He stepped aside.
"Go in. Those who are recommended don't need to queue; just go to the front to register."
Su Ziyan breathed a sigh of relief and helped Su San walk inside.
They hadn't gone far when a disciple of the Suyang Sect handed them a booklet and asked them to register their names, ages, cultivation levels, and origins.
Su Ziyan took the pen and filled in the blanks one by one.
The disciple took the booklet, glanced at it, then looked at Zhao Fan and the others. His gaze lingered on Su San's pale face for a moment, but he didn't ask anything. He simply pointed at something.
"You wait over there, someone will come and make arrangements in a little while."
He pointed to a corner at the very edge of the square, where there were a few rough stones and not even a shed to provide shade.
On the other side of the stone platform, several teams that were clearly from second-tier families had been invited into the pavilion next to the hall to rest.
Su Ziyan's expression changed again.
But this time he didn't say anything, he just helped Su San and silently walked towards that corner.