Though Bai Chen's mind was racing, only a moment had passed in reality.
The disciples of the Hexu Sect were incredibly fast. With a few leaps, they zipped past them and disappeared around the end of the alley, heading straight for the spot where he had set off the firecracker.
As they passed, one of the Hexu Sect disciples glanced at the mask on Bai Chen's face and then at Feng Ling'er being dragged along by him, but he didn't stop or pay them any mind.
Bai Chen: *Hmm? They don't seem to recognize Feng Ling'er?*
He looked at Feng Ling'er in surprise, only to see her face flushed with anger as she continued to scream.
"You blind fools! Just wait until I reach the Mountain Gate! I'll have my uncle punish every last one of you!"
Bai Chen had a sudden realization.
*Oh, so she's just like me. She hasn't officially joined the Hexu Sect yet either.*
Bai Chen glanced towards the end of the alley and noticed that the three thugs who had been chasing them were gone.
They must have been scared off by the sight of the Hexu Sect disciples.
What was he waiting for? An opportunity like this wouldn't come again. He had to keep running!
With fifteen seconds left, it wasn't safe to stay here. He needed to get farther away.
Feng Ling'er was still hurling curses in the direction the Hexu Sect disciples had gone when he gave her a sudden tug, nearly making her fall.
She stumbled for several steps before regaining her balance and keeping pace with him.
Realizing she was being dragged along by this scoundrel again, she resumed her tirade.
"You scoundrel! You peasant! You mud-legged commoner! If you don't let go of me this instant, believe me, I'll make sure you die without a proper burial!"
Bai Chen didn't say a word, his eyes glued to the System's progress bar.
Finally.
[Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.]
[Successfully copied Feng Ling'er's 'Pill Fire Control' talent.]
[First successful copy of a Talent Entry. Reward: Talent Entry quality upgraded by one tier. The entry...]
Bai Chen was overjoyed to hear the System's confirmation of success.
He didn't pay close attention to the rest of the message. While still running, he glanced back and asked Feng Ling'er in a low voice, "Do you know who I am?"
Feng Ling'er was in the middle of cursing him out when his sudden question caught her off guard. She paused for a second before resuming her verbal assault.
"Who would possibly know a mud-legged peasant like you? Take a look at yourself! You're a pathetic mess, dressed in rags from head to toe. The only thing I can see are your beady, rat-like eyes! The very thought of you touching me is disgusting!"
Feng Ling'er's words were vicious, but they put Bai Chen's mind at ease.
"Good, as long as you don't know."
With a nod, he flung her wrist away and, like a slippery loach, dove into an alley on the other side, vanishing from sight.
One moment, Feng Ling'er was still cursing and struggling against his grip; the next, her wrist was suddenly released.
The forward momentum vanished, and before she could react, she stumbled backward several steps and landed hard on her bottom.
"Oof!"
She landed with a solid thud.
The pain brought tears to her eyes, and it took her a long moment to recover.
Feng Ling'er pounded the ground with both fists and let out a piercing scream.
"Don't you dare let me find out who you are, or I swear I'll skin you alive!"
Already a good distance away, Bai Chen heard her distant scream. He casually dug a finger in his ear, unconcerned, and kept running, deliberately sticking to the narrow alleys on the outskirts of the square.
Meanwhile, the disciples of the Hexu Sect patrol had arrived at the mouth of the alley where the explosion occurred.
The disciple in the lead waved his hand, and the others immediately fanned out, beginning a thorough search of the alley.
The lead disciple crouched down, pinching some of the scattered black debris between his fingers. He brought it to his nose and sniffed, but all he could smell was the pungent odor of fireworks and nothing else.
He looked around.
There were no signs of a magical battle, only a mess of debris scattered across the ground. He had no idea what it was.
"Senior Brother Chen, we didn't find anything," the disciples reported as they returned.
"How strange," Chen Shouqing muttered with a frown, utterly perplexed. "The noise was earth-shattering, yet there's nothing unusual here. That doesn't make any sense." Suddenly, the sound of something slicing through the air came from above.
A figure in moon-white and cyan robes drifted down from mid-air. His robes fluttered, and he carried the profound, imposing aura of a towering mountain. The newcomer had a gaunt face and a wisp of a goatee. It was none other than Wei Changgen, the Hexu Sect elder in charge of Shunhe Square and the affairs of the Outer Sect disciples.
"Elder Wei!" Seeing him, all the disciples hurriedly bowed and clasped their fists in salute.
Wei Changgen gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the mess in the alley. "Have you found anything out of the ordinary?" he asked in a deep voice.
Chen Shouqing quickly stepped forward to answer.
"Reporting to the Elder, as soon as we heard the loud noise, the seven of us made our way here immediately. On the way, we encountered three men chasing a man and a woman. Not daring to delay, I released my spiritual pressure to intimidate the three men into fleeing and then rushed here without stopping.
"We have already searched the area thoroughly. All we found was this debris. There are no signs of a cultivator battle, nor have we found anyone injured."
Hearing this, Wei Changgen's brow furrowed slightly.
"Let me ask you, what is the founding principle, the very purpose of our Hexu Sect?"
Chen Shouqing instantly grew fearful. He lowered his head, clasped his fists, and replied, "To answer the Elder, the founding principle of the Hexu Sect is to uphold the mandate of heaven, protect Cangmang State, suppress demons and evil, and safeguard the people. We are to be a pillar of the righteous path and preserve the peace of the land!"
Wei Changgen's gaze was heavy as he admonished him. "If you know this, then why did you not intervene when you saw commoners in trouble?"
"This disciple was worried that an evil spirit had entered the city to wreak havoc," Chen Shouqing explained, sweat beading on his forehead as he stammered. "When I saw they were all just mortals, I..."
"So you believe a squabble between mortals is merely a trivial affair, unworthy of your attention?" Wei Changgen interrupted him coldly.
With a flick of his sleeve, an invisible pressure emanated from him, pressing down on Chen Shouqing's shoulders and making them slump.
Chen Shouqing immediately fell to his knees. "This disciple was wrong!"
The other six disciples also knelt, lowering their heads to admit their mistake.
Wei Changgen looked at them and continued his stern lecture.
"As the leader of the righteous path in Cangmang State, the founding principle of our Hexu Sect is to hold high the banner of righteousness and protect the people of Cangmang!"
"Be they mortals or cultivators, they are all people under the protection of the Hexu Sect! The common folk of Shunhe Square live their simple, peaceful lives here. Their well-being is the very responsibility that rests upon your shoulders as patrol disciples."
"If your negligence had resulted in the deaths of that man and woman, the fault would be yours entirely. Do you understand your error!"
Chen Shouqing and the other disciples kowtowed. "We were wrong."
Seeing that they had recognized their mistake, Wei Changgen sighed and raised a hand. "Rise."
Chen Shouqing and the others rose and stood to the side, their heads still bowed.
Wei Changgen surveyed the area once more. "So when you arrived, there was nothing out of the ordinary?"
Chen Shouqing nodded. "That's right. Besides the black ash on the ground, there was nothing unusual when we got here."
"Mm."
Wei Changgen raised his hand. A wisp of pale cyan spiritual light coalesced at his fingertip, and with a gentle wave, he commanded, "Go!"
The spiritual light at his fingertip instantly dispersed, transforming into a vast, invisible net that enveloped the entire alley.
This was a technique specifically designed to trace fluctuations in spiritual energy. Any trace of residual spiritual energy left within the past hour, no matter how faint, would be captured by this spell and revealed as a clear trail.
However, as the pale cyan halo of light slowly drifted through the area, it revealed nothing. Aside from the spiritual energy fluctuations from Wei Changgen and his disciples, not even the faintest trace of any other spiritual energy appeared.
Proofreader: Peter Pan