Chapter 196

Youzhou, on the official road leading to the border.

A convoy pulled by steeds was moving forward, kicking up a cloud of dust along the way. The convoy formed a long line.

The composition of this convoy was complicated. Some of them were merchants who traveled between Youzhou and Baijing Prefecture all year round, while others were migrating with their families.

The convoy had set off from a small city and had been traveling for four days and three nights on the official road.

At noon, the convoy stopped by the roadside to rest, and a group of children were playing.

"Grandpa, this avocado is for you."

A hunched old man with white hair passed by the children, and a little girl with a childish voice handed him an avocado.

"Thanks a lot, little girl."

The old man accepted the avocado with a smile, wiped it with a coarse cloth, and walked toward his carriage.

"Grandpa, why don't you eat it immediately?"

The little girl asked curiously, her eyes sparkling.

"Your grandma loves avocado the most. I'll give it to her," the old man said benevolently.

The old man said kindly. When the young couples around him heard this, the wives pinched their husbands hard.

"Look, they're already so old, and they love each other so much. Why don't you learn from them?"

"Learn what? Don't you eat enough on a daily basis? "

The husband looked at his happy wife with a wronged expression, and the people around him burst into laughter.

The old man opened the curtain of the carriage, walked in, and shoved the avocado to a silver-haired old woman in front of him.

"Here."

The old woman took the avocado, and her eyes shone with a brilliance that didn't match her age. She took a bite.

"Say, do we really have to blend in with these mortals? The carriage is moving so slowly, and we even stop to rest from time to time. When will we reach the border? "

The old man's hunched back suddenly straightened when there was no one around, and he leaned against the carriage as he spoke casually.

"Do you have a better idea? Now that we're flying in the sky, we can see patrolling cultivators from time to time, and they have to carefully check the identity of every passerby. "

"Traveling by air definitely won't work. It's too eye-catching. It's true that she's slow to blend in with the group of mortals, but who would have thought that the princess of the Central Plains would disguise herself as an old woman among a group of mortals? "

"Be it the people from the Heavenly Mirror Mansion or the various large sects that have been recruited, no one will pay attention to such an inconspicuous convoy of mortals, even if what you say makes sense."

Ji Lanchu gritted her teeth. "But we don't have to pretend to be husband and wife, do we?"

"Not satisfied? Next time, I'll pretend to be a rich young master and you'll be my maid. "

Gu Chen closed his eyes.

"In your dreams." Ji Lanchu rolled her eyes.

Thus, the two of them stopped talking. Gu Chen cultivated in silence.

His cultivation had already broken through to the intermediate-stage of the Nirvana Realm in the past few days, and if it wasn't for the fact that he had to split his attention to check if there were any cultivators approaching from the outside world, he would have broken through a few days ago.

After coming to an agreement with Ji Lanchu, they quietly left the Yin Yang Sword Sect's territory and headed towards the border.

Along the way, the number of cultivators participating in the search for the princess grew larger and larger, and there were streaks of light flying in the sky almost all the time, making the two of them very nervous.

Fortunately, after joining this group of mortals, they didn't attract any more attention from cultivators. It was slow, but it was safer.

The two of them had been coexisting in this narrow space in the carriage for a few days. Gu Chen didn't feel anything, but Ji Lanchu felt more and more uncomfortable.

This was the first time she was so close to a man. Occasionally, in front of outsiders, they even had to pretend to be a loving couple, which made her feel even more strange.

Although she had cooperated with Gu Chen, she had always been wary of him. Fortunately, after getting along with him for a few days, she realized that although he was a little unreasonable, he was indeed not a villain.

Looking at Gu Chen, who was in the middle of cultivating, Ji Lanchu couldn't help but reveal a thoughtful expression.

'I wonder what kind of face this guy is hiding under the mask?'

She was very clear that whether it was the appearance of the old man in front of her or the ordinary face from before, it was not this guy's true face.

Another few days passed.

Finally approaching the border, the convoy stopped at a border city to rest. As soon as they entered the city, patrolling soldiers could be seen everywhere, filling the air with the smell of a storm.

"Have you heard? Princess Lanchu has been kidnapped by criminals, and it is said that her life and death are unknown! "

"The imperial court has mobilized the entire Youzhou's military forces to search for Princess Lanchu. The border has now been completely sealed, and we can't pass!"

Hearing such news as soon as they entered the city, a group of travelers who were originally passing by the border immediately complained incessantly.

Among the crowd, Gu Chen and Ji Lanchu looked at each other and saw the seriousness in each other's eyes.

"You can't leave the Middle Earth. What are you going to do now?" Gu Chen frowned.

"There's always a loophole in everything. I don't believe that they can really seal the border so tightly that not even a drop of water can pass through."

Ji Lanchu pursed her lips tightly.

"Forget it. Wait for me in the city. I'll go and gather some information on my own."

Seeing that this princess could not come up with any good ideas, Gu Chen sighed.

"You … won't take this opportunity to escape, will you?"

Ji Lanchu was a little hesitant.

Right now, her only hope was Gu Chen. If he ran away, she would not be able to do anything to him.

"If you don't believe me, we can cancel our agreement."

Gu Chen said calmly.

Ji Lanchu looked into his clear eyes and knew that she had no other choice. "Alright, be careful. I'll wait for you in the city. If you don't come back, I won't leave! "

Thus, Gu Chen left the city alone. Using the Three Revolutions Phaseless Technique, he transformed into a middle-aged man.

Swoosh!

He soared into the sky and headed straight for the border.

From afar, he saw streaks of colorful light rising from the border, stretching endlessly all the way to the end of the horizon.

It was a huge array that sealed off the entire border as far as his eyes could see. Squads of Heavenly Mirror Mansion soldiers were patrolling back and forth.

He had flown less than fifty miles when he encountered three waves of patrolling soldiers and was interrogated for a long time.

With such a tight defensive line, there was no way he could break through!

In order to avoid attracting the attention of the soldiers, Gu Chen did not continue to inquire about the situation and returned to the small city.

"This city is off-limits to entry!"

Just as he reached the city gates, Gu Chen saw squads of Heavenly Mirror Mansion soldiers sealing off the perimeter of the city. They did not allow anyone inside to leave the city, nor did they allow anyone from the outside to enter the city!

He had a bad premonition. Could there have been an accident?

"We suspect that the culprit who kidnapped Princess Lanchu is hiding in this city. From now on, the entire city is under martial law. Everyone can only leave this place after their identities have been verified!"

An authoritative voice came from within the city. For a moment, the people were seething with anger.

"Boom —"

From the south of the city, the shocking sounds of fighting could be heard, accompanied by shouts.

"Ji Lanchu, have you been exposed?"

Gu Chen's expression changed!