"Meng Qing, what happened?" Lin Hao asked.

Meng Qing’s face was flushed with excitement. "Out... outside, I think I saw Xiaoru."

"Let’s go. We’ll go out and see." Lin Hao grabbed the Evil-Slaying Sword and pulled Meng Qing out the door.

The Danling Sect’s Sect Assembly was officially starting tomorrow, and the streets of Cyan Forest Town were noticeably more crowded.

Many women, like Meng Qing, wore hooded cloaks or veiled their faces. As a result, the women who walked about normally drew even more attention.

"Hee hee, Senior Sisters, look at this book of Alchemy Hand Seals. The drawings are so funny." Up ahead, a girl’s voice, as clear as silver bells, rang out.

Meng Qing’s face lit up. She pointed at the girl and said to Lin Hao, "That’s her."

They were still about forty or fifty meters away, and the street was packed with people. All Lin Hao could see was that the girl was dressed in a white gown and had a rather tall figure.

With her were two other women, also in white gowns, holding longswords.

Although he couldn’t see their faces, their figures were graceful and elegant.

"We’re almost there," Lin Hao comforted Meng Qing.

Just then, a clear, long whistle suddenly echoed from the direction of the Danling Sect.

"Oh, Master is calling for us. Senior Sisters, I’ll go on ahead." The girl who had spoken earlier hadn’t even finished her sentence before she was already floating gracefully into the air.

Behind her, the other two women followed with the same movement. As light as water, they headed toward the Danling Sect.

"The Misty Step of the Misty Palace..." someone exclaimed in astonishment.

"The disciples of the Misty Palace are beautiful, and their Body Techniques are beautiful too. No wonder countless Martial Artists want to marry someone from the Misty Palace," another person drooled.

"Forget the Cangnan Empire—the entire continent is crazy about the Misty Palace disciples."

"I heard that the Palace Master of the Misty Palace came in person for the Danling Sect’s Sect Assembly this time."

"Really? The Misty Palace’s Palace Master, Fairy Misty, is known as the number one beauty in the Cangnan Empire. If I could just catch a glimpse of her true face, I could die without regrets."

As the people around them chattered excitedly, Meng Qing pushed through the crowd. Seeing the figures receding into the distance, she anxiously shouted into the air, "Xiaoru!"

The girl who had left first, still in mid-air, suddenly looked back.

Then, her beautiful eyes narrowed. She glanced toward the Danling Sect, and her figure abruptly accelerated.

It was a fleeting glimpse, yet it left everyone stunned by her beauty.

"So beautiful!" countless people gasped, staring dazedly in the direction she had gone.

Only then did Meng Qing remember she was wearing a hooded cloak.

She ripped the cloak off and shouted again, but unfortunately, the girl who left first was now just a white dot in the sky, too far to hear her words.

So close, yet a world away.

Meng Qing’s eyes reddened.

"I’ll go after her!" Before the words even left his mouth, Lin Hao’s figure was already far in the distance, in hot pursuit.

Meng Qing froze for a moment, then, holding up her skirt with one hand, she also sprinted off in the direction Lin Hao had gone.

Behind her, a large group of Martial Artists followed.

The reason was simple. When Meng Qing had taken off her cloak, her peerless beauty was revealed, instantly captivating everyone present.

The large group surged toward the Danling Sect, and before long, they had left Cyan Forest Town.

Meng Qing’s heart had flown away with that girl; she was completely unaware of the situation behind her.

She didn’t stop until she reached a clearing.

She had to stop, for the atmosphere ahead was incredibly tense.

She saw two fairies in white blocking her Young Master’s path.

"Who are you? Why are you following us?" In the clearing, the two Misty Palace disciples stared at Lin Hao with hostile expressions.

"Ladies, may I be so bold as to ask the name of the young woman who just left?" Lin Hao asked with a smile, holding his sword.

The moment he spoke, the Misty Palace disciples’ faces darkened, and they cursed in unison, "Lecher!"

The disciples of the Misty Palace held a noble status and possessed an exceptional air. Countless men overestimated themselves and tried to win them over. So when Lin Hao spoke, they naturally assumed he had taken a fancy to their junior sister.

Just then, another melodious, long whistle came from the direction of the Danling Sect.

"Come back and ask when you can get into the Danling Sect’s VIP seating!" one of the Misty Palace disciples said, then floated away.

"A toad lusting after a swan’s flesh—what a foolish fantasy!" the other disciple said scornfully, looking at Lin Hao as if he were an ant—lofty and dismissive.

’The Danling Sect’s Sect Assembly is tomorrow, and this brat doesn’t even have the qualifications to enter the sect grounds. How dare he have ideas about our junior sister? It’s laughable!’

Lin Hao frowned slightly.

The two Misty Palace disciples were already far away.

"Young Master..." Meng Qing walked over, her face full of apology.

The two disciples hadn’t bothered to lower their voices, so Meng Qing had heard everything.

On one hand was what might be her younger sister’s sect; on the other was her savior. Meng Qing felt deeply conflicted and upset.

"It’s nothing." Lin Hao shook his head, indicating he didn’t mind. Then his eyes narrowed. "Meng Qing, since we’re already here, let’s head up to the Danling Sect."

"Young Master, you..." Meng Qing sensed a dangerous aura.

She was an observant woman. Although she hadn’t known Lin Hao for long, she knew that whenever the corners of his mouth turned up or his eyes narrowed, it meant someone was about to suffer.

"Meng Qing, I won’t cause any trouble," Lin Hao replied.

He didn’t start trouble, nor did he provoke people. But if someone or something provoked him, he was not the type to simply swallow the insult.

Meng Qing nodded, but then looked around and asked worriedly, "If we go up, what about the little turtle? Will it be able to find us?"

The turtle egg had been swatted out of the inn by a flick of Second Master Hao’s sleeve, but Meng Qing wasn’t the least bit worried about whether it was dead or alive.

How could a turtle egg that could immobilize a Soul Gathering Realm expert with a single glance die so easily?

And the fact that it hadn’t returned for a day or two didn’t seem strange to Meng Qing either.

Because during their journey from Celestial Jade City to the Danling Sect with Lin Hao, the turtle egg would always disappear for no reason at night, only to reappear in the morning.

But looking at the buildings faintly visible behind a few mountain peaks, she began to worry that it wouldn’t be able to find them.

"It’s just up ahead," Lin Hao said with certainty.

The turtle egg recognized him as its master. Although there had been no formal ceremony, Lin Hao could sense its general location.

At that, Meng Qing finally made up her mind. "Then let’s go up, Young Master."

"Let’s go too," someone in the crowd behind said to their companion, seeing Meng Qing follow Lin Hao toward the Danling Sect.

"The path up to the Danling Sect is very difficult. It takes at least several hours. We should go back to town, eat our fill, and then decide," someone replied.

"Right..." The group watched the pair walk further and further away until they disappeared from sight, then they all chose to head back.

And Lin Hao wasn’t wrong. The two of them had barely walked any distance when a voice came from the grass beside them: "I’ve been waiting for you for so long that the flowers next to me have withered."

"Looks like you’ve recovered nicely." Lin Hao sent a kick out, and a turtle went tumbling several times before coming to a stop on the mountain path.

Turtle Egg wasn’t angry. Instead, it urged them on, "Quick, quick, get on, get on! Let’s go up."

As it spoke, its body began to grow larger.

"I know what you’re thinking. You can’t cause trouble when we get to the Danling Sect!"

’This guy definitely wants to get to the Danling Sect quickly so he can steal and eat Spirit Grass and Spirit Pills. Many of those pills are not only tied to the future of the Danling Sect but are also closely related to the Heaven-Stepping Sect. I can’t let this guy run wild.’

"You’re so naggy. I won’t touch your things," Turtle Egg promised, as if it knew what Lin Hao was thinking.

Lin Hao nodded and helped Meng Qing onto Turtle Egg’s back.

Then, Turtle Egg transformed into a gale of wind and shot toward the Danling Sect.

Caught off guard, Meng Qing fell backward.

Lin Hao caught her, pulling her into a full embrace.

His left and right hands landed on two highlands—very soft and supple.

"What’s this?" Lin Hao asked in confusion, giving them a couple of squeezes as he spoke.

Meng Qing’s entire body felt as if it had been struck by lightning, and a cloying moan escaped her lips.

Lin Hao felt as if he’d been struck by lightning himself, finally realizing what he was touching.

For a moment, the two of them were exceptionally awkward.

Only the howling wind raged in their ears.

But even the raging wind couldn’t disperse the heat rising in their hearts...

"Turtle Egg, what’s wrong?" Lin Hao didn’t know how much time had passed before he realized Turtle Egg was motionless and couldn’t help but ask.

"’Get lost’?! Excuse me, do you have an invitation?" an irritated voice sounded from ahead.

Only then did Lin Hao’s mind return to the present.

He looked up and saw that their path was blocked.

Four Danling Sect disciples were staring at him with unfriendly expressions, their gazes periodically flicking toward Meng Qing.

"An invitation?" Lin Hao paused, then shook his head.

Before coming, he had received a letter from Master Shan Dan, which stated that the token he had given Lin Hao could serve as a pass, so no invitation had been issued.

"If you don’t have an invitation, what trouble are you causing? And you dare to tell us to ’get lost’? You’ve got some nerve! Do you have any idea where you are? This is the Danling Sect, one of the four great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture," one disciple said arrogantly.

Before, they had been stealing furtive glances at Meng Qing. But after seeing Lin Hao shake his head, the four of them became brazen.

"Of course, she doesn’t need an invitation. We welcome her," another disciple said with a grin, reaching out to grab Meng Qing’s hand.

"Hmph!"

Lin Hao snorted coldly and stuffed something into the disciple’s lecherous claws.

The disciple glanced at it casually, tossed it backward, and said disdainfully, "A worthless token. I’ve seen plenty of trinkets like this."

Lin Hao’s eyes grew cold, but he remained silent.

"S-Senior Brother..." A voice sounded from behind the disciple, and a hand grabbed his right arm.

"What is it!" the disciple snapped, turning around with an annoyed look on his face.

’I was just about to touch her delicate hand, what’s with the interruption!’

"The... the token," a disciple from behind stammered, holding out the token he had just caught.

His hand was trembling as if he were holding not a token, but a hot potato.

"It’s just..." The disciple who had reached out didn’t finish his sentence. He suddenly clamped his mouth shut, spun around, and dropped to his knees with a THUD.

Without a word, he began slapping himself across the face. SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

The slaps were fast and vicious.

The moment he finished, his face was already badly swollen.

The other three were only half a beat behind him, also dropping to their knees.

Meng Qing’s small mouth fell open, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.

She didn’t understand why these men had changed their tune so quickly.

’Right, the token.’

"Oh? So you recognize this ’worthless token’?" Lin Hao asked, his eyes narrowed into a grin.

Hearing Lin Hao’s words, the four of them trembled, looking as if they were about to cry.