The mountain forest on a snowy night was an endless expanse of pitch darkness, where only the ice-cold touch of snowflakes like willow catkins could be felt incessantly brushing against one’s cheeks.
As he circulated his cultivation technique to fend off the cold, streaks of blood-red light quietly appeared in Xu Yuan’s eyes, making the surrounding mountains hidden in the dark clearly visible.
Hurrying along, the howling cold wind passed by his ears, and within his field of vision was the graceful figure of Ran Qingmo moving through the darkness of the woods as if out for a stroll.
She was intentionally maintaining a speed that he could keep up with.
Compared to Ran Qingmo’s ethereal grace, Xu Yuan’s manner of traveling was very unrefined, like the ninjas he had seen in his previous life who swung their arms while running through the woods.
About an hour later, the trees thinned out, and a frozen river appeared before their eyes, with Ran Qingmo coming to a stop alongside this river valley.
Xu Yuan halted a few meters behind her, instinctively looking back.
Tianyan was still there, trailing about three meters behind them.
A pair of pupils gleaming with golden light was particularly conspicuous in the dark snowy night, although they were somewhat short.
Xu Yuan glanced down with eyes shimmering with blood-red light.
She was still barefoot, the slightly oversized palace dress dragging across the snowy ground, leaving a rippled trail as she walked.
Such a cold snowy night and still barefoot, she didn’t seem to mind the cold.
With high cultivation, one really could do as they pleased.
Ran Qingmo continued to lead the way, and Xu Yuan consequently withdrew his gaze. This silent atmosphere lasted for roughly fifteen minutes until someone among the three finally spoke.
It wasn’t Xu Yuan but Ran Qingmo, who was leading the way at the front, her voice very soft:
"Tianyan, why did you come?"
During her questioning, she stopped leading the way and quietly turned to look at the little loli at the end of the group.
In the midst of darkness, the wind and snow were heavy, yet the voice seemed very calm at that moment.
Xu Yuan also stopped walking as he felt that Ran Qingmo and Tianyan should be acquainted with each other, to the extent that they wouldn’t remain utterly silent.
Tianyan did indeed react to Ran Qingmo’s words, giving Ran Qingmo a calm glance with those conspicuous golden eyes in the night, then redirected her gaze back to watching Xu Yuan.
Great, now there was a loli who spoke even less than Ran Qingmo.
From now on, I’ll call you Little Ice Lump.
Of course, if a fight broke out, Xu Yuan still hoped she would turn into a Dead Ice Lump.
Ran Qingmo’s clear eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Xu Yuan with care, whispering through mental transmission:
"Xu Yuan, why is she here?"
Xu Yuan sighed, shrugging:
"Don’t know, Old Man Luo said it was because I slipped out of her predictions, so she came looking for me. Guess she’s been following us for a while now."
He paused, then reminded:
"Also, no need for mental transmission, Tianyan can hear everything."
Ran Qingmo glanced at Tianyan again.
Tianyan also glanced at Ran Qingmo.
Ran Qingmo was the first to look away; after pondering for a moment, she asked softly:
"Will her following us pose a danger?"
"Not sure, very likely. I ruined the future she foresaw, and her taking so much trouble to find me probably isn’t just to take a look."
Dressed in broad daylight, the world is vast and searching for one person is really difficult.
Upon hearing this, Ran Qingmo drew her sword, holding it in her palm and staring at Tianyan as waves of Origin Qi fluctuated around her:
"I’ll hold her off, and you escape with Mr. Luo?"
This time, Ran Qingmo didn’t use mental transmission.
An unabashed face-to-face conspiracy.
Xu Yuan immediately glanced at Tianyan.
The loli still had no reaction, playing the part of an indifferent bystander.
Xu Yuan shook his head:
"Old Man Luo said she might be a Second Grade..."
"Origin Initial Realm, I might be able to escape," Ran Qingmo said softly.
Xu Yuan raised his eyebrows, quite surprised.
The gap between a Second Grade Origin Initial and a Third Grade Great Grandmaster was enormous, with many talents stuck at this point for life, so the disparity in combat strength should also be quite significant.
Back in Jingjiang above the Xu Residence, faced with the attack from the mysterious Origin Initial, Zhou Chen and Sizi Yu were instantly depleted of their Qi.
But Xu Yuan did believe that Ran Qingmo could escape from someone in the Origin Initial Realm.
Both Old Man Luo and Xu Changge held Ran Qingmo in high esteem, roughly equivalent to being amongst that group of people who were invincible within their level.
Invincible within their level, although not to the extent that they could fight above their grade as when they were weaker in cultivation, but escaping should still be feasible.
However, this Tianyan before them, even if just a Second Grade, could not possibly be an ordinary one.
The cultivation technique passed down from the Heaven’s Watchtower Master was no joke.
With this thought, Xu Yuan glanced at her and continued:
"She might be a Second Grade, or perhaps a First Grade."
On hearing this, Ran Qingmo grew silent, and after a long pause, she suddenly asked:
"That.. is your brother still around, Xu Yuan?"
Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and directly turned back to ask Tianyan:
"Hey, Tianyan, is Xu Changge around?"
Tianyan quietly stared at him.
"Heh... seems like he’s not."
Xu Yuan chuckled, then turned to ask Ran Qingmo:
"Back when you saved her, did she also stay this quiet all the time?"
Ran Qingmo recalled for a moment and nodded:
"Yeah, more or less."
Xu Yuan looked puzzled and asked:
"Ran Qingmo, didn’t you find it strange to encounter such a silent little girl in a dangerous place like Jiuyuan Gorge and still decide to bring her with you?"
Ran Qingmo quieted for a moment, tilted her head, and asked:
"Hmm... strange in what way?"
Xu Yuan fell silent, looking at Ran Qingmo and then at Tianyan.
Different appearances, the same expression, belonged to the same world, different you.