Chapter 213: First Encounter in Life
In Tianjiao City, Shen Yan heard an extremely odd piece of news.
"Report! Miss, we have discovered traces of the Refinement Demon Sect's disciple, Li Muyang, in the wilderness."
"He approached Si River City on his own, claiming he wants to join our sect!"
Inside the City Lord's residence, Shen Yan, who was already troubled by how to resolve a conflict between two sect leaders, suddenly heard such news.
The young girl behind the desk raised her head, her brows furrowed slightly. Find your next read at empire
"Li Muyang?"
Shen Yan's puzzled expression seemed to doubt that she heard correctly.
The Li Muyang who had disappeared for over a month had reappeared?
Moreover, not only did he show himself, but he also came to surrender and join our sect?
"Could you repeat that?" Shen Yan suspected that she was hallucinating due to recent overexertion.
The Martial God Domineering Body who fled into the deep mountains and became untraceable—provided he was cautious enough, the Blood Lotus Sect wouldn't be able to find him.
Facing the relentless onslaught of the Refinement Demon Sect, the Blood Lotus Sect now couldn't spare any hands to search for him.
Why would this man, who had hidden away for over a month, suddenly come down from the mountains and surrender?
Her subordinate's repeated report confirmed that this message was not a hallucination.
The Martial God Domineering Body who had escaped into the deep mountains and disappeared for a month had indeed voluntarily come down and surrendered.
This news made Shen Yan's eyebrows instantly knot up.
After contemplating for a few seconds, she said, "Go summon Flag Bearer Ruan Mei to handle today's affairs on my behalf. I want to see this Li Muyang myself in Si River City."
Soon, Shen Yan, guarded by four hundred demon beast cavalry, left Tianjiao City and headed straight to Si River City, three hundred miles away.
Flag Bearer Ruan Mei who travelled with her seemed confused.
"Miss, why go to Si River City yourself?" Ruan Mei looked puzzled, "Couldn't you have Si River City's Huang Chengtao bring the person over?"
Inside Tianjiao City, there were numerous affairs requiring Shen Yan's personal attention.
Yet Shen Yan had abandoned so many important sect duties to make a three-hundred-mile journey… Such behavior was puzzling.
Even if the Martial God Domineering Body was somewhat unique, it didn't seem to merit such concern, did it?
Facing Ruan Mei's puzzlement, Shen Yan inside the carriage wrapped her thick cloak tighter around herself and softly exhaled a breath of cold air.
"Actually, I am tired too…"
Shen Yan watched the mountains on either side of the road swiftly recede from view, lightly massaged her temple with a bitter expression, and spoke softly.
"It's a good opportunity to get some fresh air."
Shen Yan's tone was calm, giving no hint of her inner thoughts.
But obviously, this was not the real reason.
Seeing that her mistress was unwilling to elaborate, Flag Bearer Ruan Mei did not inquire further.
She tightened the reins in her hands, urging her mount, a demon beast, to speed forward; she soon took the lead in front of the troops, clearing the way for Shen Yan.
The three-hundred-mile journey was not short, but with the swift speed of the demon beast cavalry, Shen Yan arrived at Si River City within half an hour.
Outside Si River City, she saw the Refinement Demon Sect disciple being surrounded by the followers of the Blood Lotus Sect.
Under the blazing sun, a young man in white robes sat on the field ridge outside the city, ignoring the hundreds of Blood Lotus Sect followers encircling him, as he quietly surveyed the city before him.
As compared to a month ago at Pingyang Ridge, this young man, who had spent a month hiding in the wild, seemed somewhat more haggard.
His robust figure, under the white robes of the Refinement Demon Sect, concealed his well-defined muscles, completely belying the vicious ferocity he displayed that day at Pingyang Ridge.
The gentle and handsome smile on his face made him look like those pampered and dashing young gentlemen, as refined as jade.
Huang Chengtao, the one guarding Si River City, stood at a distance in his armor, holding his sword, filled with awe and suspicion, wary of the young man in white sitting by the roadside.
The name Li Muyang had gained some recognition among the higher echelons of the Blood Lotus Sect.
Huang Chengtao had also heard about how brutally ferocious the man was on Pingyang Ridge.
That's why, although the youth looked frail and humble, he still did not dare to approach him, let alone provoke him, and merely ordered his men to surround the other party.
The fact that the man could charge down from Pingyang Ridge alone, unstoppable by an army of tens of thousands, meant that Huang Chengtao's own Si River City forces were probably not enough to provoke him.
It was only when Huang Chengtao saw the dust kicked up on the official road in the distance and the sight of four hundred demon beast cavalry coming that he finally relaxed and hurriedly rode forward.
"Ruan Banner Leader, a pleasure to meet you!"
After respectfully saluting, Huang Chengtao noticed that a carriage was being guarded in the middle of the demon beast cavalry.
Demon beasts were pulling the carriage, which had lotus flags hanging from its eaves.
Seeing this lavish display, Huang Chengtao was taken aback.
"Miss Shen has come as well?"
As the carriage guarded by the demon beast cavalry arrived outside Si River City, the refined, sturdy, and luxurious carriage door opened, and the legendary Miss Shen stepped down from the carriage.
She briefly exchanged a few words with Huang Chengtao, smiling as she inquired about the situation.
Then she walked directly toward the white-robed youth sitting on the field ridge by the roadside.
Seeing her young mistress taking such a risk, Ruan Mei was startled.
"Miss!"
She attempted to stop her.
The youth from the Demon Sect in front of her was full of vitality and had a fearsome physique like a demon, capable of battling through an entire army; yet here was her mistress walking straight up to him.
If he were to act hostilely, it would be extremely dangerous!
But Shen Yan was resolute.
"Aunt Mei, don't worry," Shen Yan said softly as she looked at the youth on the ridge, "there's nothing dangerous about it."
With that, Shen Yan stubbornly pushed past Ruan Mei, who was blocking the way, and made her way through the crowd to the empty field ridge.
Standing by the road and bathed in sunlight, she observed the youth sitting on the ridge.
The distance between them was now less than ten feet.
Ruan Mei and Si River City's Huang Chengtao quickly followed, positioning themselves to the left and right as escorts beside Shen Yan.
Meanwhile, Shen Yan was smiling at the youth on the ridge.
"Li Muyang, we meet at last… I heard you wanted to be an undercover agent in our Blood Lotus Sect?"
The girl spoke, revealing something utterly terrifying.
The stunned youth on the ridge looked at her in surprise and asked, "Who are you?"
Who was this woman?
She outright exposed my purpose with her first sentence.
With such a frail physique, it was impossible for her to be one of the seven leaders of the Blood Lotus Sect.
Yet her entourage seemed not inferior to that of a leader.
Li Muyang was curious.
But he watched as Shen Yan quietly observed him, smiling and saying, "You don't know me, but you should have heard of my name."
"My name is Shen Yan, and it was I who issued the order to besiege you at the foot of Pingyang Ridge."
Li Muyang's eyebrows lifted slightly, "It was you?"
So, this girl, with no trace of cultivation and a turbid aura, just like any ordinary person, was the one who had besieged him for over ten days at the foot of Pingyang Ridge.
This time, Li Muyang finally met the person responsible.
Yet, she was not quite what he had expected.
A woman who could control the leaders of the Blood Lotus Sect and even offered an astronomical bounty within the sect, boasting such high prestige… was actually such a frail young girl?