Volume 9, Chapter 579 – Negotiations Collapse

“Sister Lu Yao, thank you for saving me from the fire!”

Outside the escort bureau, after putting away the spirit stone, Ai Qing offered her heartfelt thanks.

“Was it really that serious?”

Lu Yao glanced at her sideways.

“Of course it was! That pervert head escort openly said he wanted to recruit me as a bodyguard, but once I joined, he wouldn’t let me take long-distance jobs or even short-distance ones. His real goal was to take advantage of me. If not for you, I don’t know where I’d be now.”

Ai Qing spoke with lingering fear.

“Then why didn’t you just switch jobs?”

Lu Yao suggested.

“I did! More than once or twice. But no matter where I went, someone always tried to take advantage of me!”

Ai Qing shrugged helplessly.

Qi Huang nearly burst out laughing at that. She gave Ai Qing another glance. The woman was indeed beautiful, with a curvy figure and oozing femininity. It was no surprise she attracted that kind of attention.

Lu Yao didn’t want to keep arguing the point, so she changed the subject: “Alright, where exactly is Lanhuan Planet?”

“Wait, you didn’t hire other escorts?”

Ai Qing looked around in confusion.

“No.”

Lu Yao shook her head.

“Huh? You only asked if I knew the way to Lanhuan Planet and didn’t ask about my cultivation. I thought you hired powerful bodyguards and only needed me as a guide!”

Ai Qing’s mouth fell open.

“Afraid?”

Lu Yao mocked.

“Of course I’m afraid… afraid something might happen to you! With my cultivation, I really can’t guarantee your safety. You’d better hire a few more powerful escorts.”

Ai Qing shook her head rapidly.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Just point the way. Now, where is Lanhuan Planet?”

Lu Yao ordered.

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“Hmm, it’s that way!”

Ai Qing looked up to gauge the direction and pointed southwest.

“Good. Do you have a spatial ring?”

Lu Yao continued.

“You want to go inside so I can fly you there? That won’t work. Like Escort Head Han said, with my cultivation, flying you to Lanhuan Planet would take decades. We should rent a flying carriage instead. It’s as fast as a kinship-grade or even monarch-grade Immortal, only takes a few days.”

Ai Qing spoke like a seasoned expert.

“You’re not flying me. I’ll be flying you. You just need to stay in the spatial ring and guide me from there.”

Lu Yao sighed.

“You’re flying me?”

Ai Qing looked Lu Yao up and down, suspicious.

“Enough talk. If you keep babbling, I’ll take my spirit stone back and let Escort Head Han do whatever he wants to you.”

Lu Yao threatened.

“Ah? Yes, yes, understood!”

Startled, Ai Qing hurriedly took out a spatial ring and hid inside.

Wearing the ring, Lu Yao vanished from the spot and took off at high speed in the direction Ai Qing had pointed.

Inside the ring, Ai Qing couldn’t see the outside. She could only use Divine Sense to probe the surroundings, but the limited range made real-time navigation impossible. What she could tell, however, was that her employer was flying at a terrifying speed, fast enough to make her hair stand on end.

How is she flying so fast? And she doesn’t even seem to be using Divine Sense. Is it some kind of speed-boosting artifact?

Ai Qing was baffled.

Lu Yao had only just taken flight when her senses detected a group blocking the way. She instinctively slowed down to see what was going on.

“What is it?”

Ai Qing popped her head out of the ring.

Lu Yao said nothing, only stared silently at the hundreds of figures suspended in the distance.

“What the heck? Who are these people?”

Ai Qing grew wary, summoning her sword.

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Through Lu Yao’s perception, Qi Huang could also “see” the group clearly. These people weren’t one faction, but split into multiple camps. The largest one had blocked the way forward, led by a powerful Earth-grade immortal. The rest were stuck behind them.

“I’ll say this once more. This path is closed today. Keep pushing, and you’ll stay here forever.”

The Earth-grade immortal made his threat, releasing a fearsome Divine Sense. It spread like a wall in all directions, completely sealing the area. Weaker immortals couldn’t even sense the edge of the barrier, much less pass through it. Breaking it would be hard; going around would take far too long.

“Outrageous! This area isn’t even under the Zhenyu Sect’s domain. What gives you the right to block us?”

“Exactly! You set up roadblocks as you please. What makes you different from bandits? Aren’t you afraid the Immortal Palace will punish you?”

“Fellow immortals of Zhenyu Sect, we’re just trying to do business. Please let us through. If you have demands, just say the word.”

The blocked parties all spoke up, some threatening, some pleading, eager to pass.

Qi Huang noted that many familiar faces were among them, former partners of “Ding Yu”. It was obvious they were also headed to seek out the Tianjizi.

“Ah, several of them used to hire from our escort bureau!”

Ai Qing was surprised, then smacked her own forehead. “Of course! They’re headed to Lanhuan Planet too. Makes perfect sense we’d run into each other.”

“I don’t care where you’re going. This road is closed today, no, this entire month.”

The Earth-grade Immortal declared, his strength second only to Heavenly Immortals in the Immortal Kingdom.

“Good thing it’s Zhenyu Sect and not actual bandits.”

Ai Qing sighed in relief and stowed her sword. “But they clearly intend to set up camp here. We probably can’t get through and will have to take a detour.”

“Detour? No need. Just take them all out.”

Lu Yao said it casually, as if she were talking about sweeping dust.

She had sworn: anyone who blocked her path to avenge the Heavenly Dao would be turned into a stepping stone.

“Take them out? Oh please, sister, you flatter me. Do you know who that guy is? Zong Ye, the Zhenyu Sect’s Law-Enforcement Elder. Late-stage Earth Immortal! In all of Wushuang Immortal Kingdom, there are barely a few who can match him. You expect me, with my puny cultivation, to take him out? I couldn’t even handle his flunky.”

Ai Qing laughed at herself.

“I never expected you to.”

Lu Yao replied flatly, drifting forward.

“Come back! It’s too dangerous!”

Ai Qing cried out in panic.

Moments later, the two had merged into the crowd.

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“Well, well! Isn’t this Ai Qing? What are you doing here?”

“Yeah! Didn’t Escort Head Han have you serving tea and fetching water? Changed your mind?”

“Tell us, dear sister, you didn’t quit, did you? This isn’t the way back to your hometown.”

Several men and women from the Batian Escort Bureau surrounded Ai Qing with mock concern.

“Uh… I’m escorting a client to Lanhuan Planet.”

Ai Qing replied awkwardly.

“You? Escorting to Lanhuan Planet?”

A slightly older, beautiful woman named Sister Fang glanced at Lu Yao, then asked, “Just you?”

“Yes, Sister Fang!”

Ai Qing looked more embarrassed.

“That doesn’t make sense. If it’s just you two, how did you catch up to us?”

“Right! We barely stopped along the way. With your level, even if you started right behind us, you shouldn’t have caught up. Did you buy some flying treasure or talisman?”

“Don’t be silly. With her salary, she can’t even afford basic cultivation pills. How could she afford that?”

“That’s not even the point. The real question is: since when did Escort Head Han let you take on clients? He was always afraid you’d ruin the bureau’s reputation.”

The escorts teased.

“Enough! You all know Escort Head Han had ulterior motives. Don’t act like you don’t.”

Sister Fang scolded, and the men quieted down.

“Now, tell me why Escort Head Han suddenly let you escort clients?”

She turned back seriously.

“Because I quit. Now I can escort whoever I want. He has no say.”

Ai Qing explained.

“Quit?”

Sister Fang blinked, then smiled. “Good. Staying at Batian Escort Bureau was no good for you anyway.”

“Exactly. That guy’s a creep. You should leave too.”

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Ai Qing urged.

“I want to, but where would I go? Work is hard to find these days.”

Sister Fang sighed.

“Work for me. I’m opening my own escort bureau.”

Ai Qing said proudly.

“You? With what money?”

Sister Fang laughed.

“My client gave it to me! A big piece of premium spirit stone as a deposit, enough to open a bureau.”

Ai Qing looked at Lu Yao with admiration.

“Really? Then congratulations. But with your strength, can you safely escort her to Lanhuan Planet?”

Sister Fang asked pointedly.

Ai Qing fell silent. That was exactly what worried her.

“You silly girl.”

Sister Fang sighed and turned to Lu Yao. “Miss, I apologize. You’re young, so maybe you don’t know. This road is dangerous. Letting her escort you alone is not safe. How about this, if the Zhenyu Sect lets us pass, just stay close to our group. That way, we can watch out for each other if trouble arises.”

Lu Yao didn’t respond. She didn’t need watching over.

Qi Huang, however, was touched. This Sister Fang seemed like a good person.

Just then, negotiations with the Zhenyu Sect fell apart.

“You Zhenyu dogs just want to block us so your master can find the Tianjizi alone, right?”

“Exactly! The Day of Blood is almost here. Everyone’s desperate. We all want a sliver of hope from the Tianjizi. Blocking us is like shoving us all toward death!”

“Let us through, and we won’t press it. Block us, and we’ll tear you to pieces!”

The frustrated crowd exploded in curses.

“Courting death, are you?”

Zong Ye, the Zhenyu Sect elder, smiled cruelly. His immense Divine Sense surged forth, overwhelming everything, even reaching Lu Yao at the very back. His arrogance knew no bounds.