Outside Lishan City.

Two female cultivators, dressed plainly and wearing veils, hid in the knee-high grass beside the road.

Chen Ying, whose ear had transformed into a peach blossom branch, tugged hard on the ear-transformed orchid of the female cultivator next to her, who emitted an ink fragrance.

"Wenn Jian, hurry up and hide, what are you standing there for!"

Wenn Jian frowned and scanned the surroundings, looking worried. Chen Ying was at Peak Foundation Establishment, while she was in Late-Stage Foundation Establishment. They were disguised as Extraordinary People from Green Vine Country, looking for the fox woman with a child.

After days without clues, today on the road, an Extraordinary People child from Lishan City handed them a note, telling them that the person they were looking for would leave through the North City Gate, heading towards Black Basket Mountain.

"Senior Sister Chen, shouldn’t we inform Master Deng and wait for her to decide? I just feel that the person who gave us the message has ulterior motives."

"Master Deng still has to watch out for people from the Fang Family, she doesn’t even know where she is right now, by the time she gets here, the person will be gone! Whatever the case, catching them is the most important thing for us now."

Wenn Jian crouched slightly, lowered her voice, "But what if we encounter someone formidable, and the two of us can’t handle them? Master Deng specifically instructed us not to harm the fox woman and child and to bring them back alive."

Chen Ying, unconcerned, "With our cultivation, we are enough to dominate in Extraordinary People Country, what’s to fear? It was no easy feat to get a chance to come out of the North Sea to complete a mission. If we don’t perform well, we’ll have to return to the North Sea. Don’t you want to be stationed in a prosperous place like Baishui Domain?"

Wenn Jian looked down; she had barely escaped from the Kong Family, and she did not want to go back to Baishui Domain.

"Hey, hey, hey, look quickly, aren’t those two very suspicious?"

Chen Ying widened her eyes and looked through the grass. In the direction of the North City Gate, there was a male and a female Crocodile Clan Extraordinary People, followed by a Little Crocodile Man.

Wenn Jian glanced briefly, sighed, "It’s not the fox woman, even if she can disguise herself like this, the relaxed look in the eyes and demeanor couldn’t be faked."

"Alright, let me keep watching."

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Wenn Jian thought for a bit and decided to secretly transmit a message to Master Deng. Chen Ying had bribed her way to replace her original partner this time.

During this journey, Wenn Jian had many criticisms of Chen Ying but felt helpless. Chen Ying was unreliable, but she treated Wenn Jian well, generously gifting her things which she couldn’t refuse.

If it weren’t for the seriousness of this matter, Wenn Jian wouldn’t choose to work behind her back.

Chen Ying was intensely focused on the road, and Wenn Jian hid a writing brush in her sleeve, writing a few words on specially made paper. Those words immediately transformed into black flying insects, disappearing into the grass.

The two of them stayed until dusk. Chen Ying saw three Snake Clan Extraordinary People lazily moving with their tails along the ground, two males protecting a pregnant female snake in the middle.

Chen Ying just glanced at them and then looked away, stretching her sore neck.

Wenn Jian muttered ’Heart Bright Eyes’, brushed her special ink-stained fingers across her eyes, and a faint glow sparkled in her ink-colored pupils.

To her eyes, the female snake in the middle immediately appeared as a fox woman, her child hidden within the stretched snake-skin stomach.

"Senior Sister Chen, it’s her!"

Chen Ying widened her eyes, unhesitatingly leaped from the grass, a large net flying from the sleeve to envelop the snake woman in the middle.

The aura of Chen Ying as a Peak Foundation Establishment cultivator emerged, causing the two hired Qi Cultivation Stage snake men beside her to flee in panic.

"Yu Qing’er, we are from Feiyan Pavilion, ordered by the Pavilion Master to invite you to return with us to Feiyan Pavilion, we will ensure the safety of you and your son."

Wenn Jian hurriedly followed, gritting her teeth at Chen Ying. Acting on the road was too reckless.

In a rush, Wenn Jian manipulated the writing brush in her hand, writing ’Draw a Prison’ in the air, ink swirling, encircling the surroundings into a barrier.

Seeing her cover blown, Fox Woman Yu Qing’er let her disguise fall, revealing a beautiful and enchanting face. Tearing open the snake skin beneath her, a soft, fluffy white fox tail burst free.

Protecting the boy in her arms, who also had white fox ears and a white fox tail like her, she laughed and asked, "Will you really not take my son’s and my life?"

The boy, clutching Yu Qing’er’s hand, looked up at her.

As Chen Ying was about to speak, Wenn Jian, maintaining the ink prison, interrupted, "Senior Sister Chen, there’s a crowd here, stop talking nonsense, knock them out and take them."

"Right!" Chen Ying nodded and raised her hand to grab Yu Qing’er.

Yu Qing’er, only with Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer cultivation, stepped half-back in panic, seeing she was about to be hit, her complexion suddenly changed, she shouted loudly.

"Xiao’er!"

Yu Xiao, only six or seven years old, upon hearing his name, his face became stern, he punched through the net directly, his punch landing squarely on Chen Ying’s abdomen.

Wenn Jian watched wide-eyed as the Peak Foundation Establishment Chen Ying was punched flying by a child without any cultivation, crashing hard onto the ink prison she had activated.

The surging power also violently shook Wenn Jian away, and the ink prison shattered with a crash.

"Senior Sister Chen!"

Chen Ying broke through a tree, falling to the ground and spitting blood, Yu Qing’er sneered, flicking her fox tail. A large volume of pink smoke instantly spread, mingled with sweet, cloying fragrance obscuring vision.

Wenn Jian, eager to save people, first ran toward Chen Ying.

Chen Ying gritted her teeth and got up, "Don’t worry about me, catch them!"

Only then did Wenn Jian use his brush to create a gust of wind to disperse the pink smoke, but the people had already vanished.

"Over there!"

Chen Ying was not entirely useless; she sensed the direction in which Yu Qing’er and Yu Xiao had fled and immediately chased after them with Wenn Jian.

As soon as they left, Jiang Yuebai and Xie Jingshan appeared out of thin air, each holding two jade talismans in their hands.

Xie Jingshan said in surprise, "Could that child have inherited the Giant Barbarian Bloodline of the Fang Family? If it’s true, then he’s remarkable. The Fang Family has been almost three generations without it, making this bloodline almost extinct."

Jiang Yuebai frowned, "Didn’t you feel that the female cultivator using a writing brush just now resembled a disciple from the Kong Family?"

Xie Jingshan thought for a moment and nodded, "She did look a lot like them."

"Never mind, let’s follow them. We should avoid meeting people from the Feiyan Pavilion unless absolutely necessary."

The two of them concealed themselves once again and followed, soon hearing sounds of a fight.

In front of the forest beneath Black Basket Mountain, two people from the Feiyan Pavilion were locked in a fierce battle with two Feather Clan extraordinary people at the late-stage Foundation Establishment. The Fox Woman, Yu Qing’er, was shielding Yu Xiao and retreating steadily.

Chen Ying had numerous trump cards, and Wenn Jian’s writing brush was ever-changing, causing the two Feather Clan extraordinary people to gradually fall into a disadvantage.

Seeing this, Yu Qing’er didn’t hesitate and took Yu Xiao deep into the mountains.

Wenn Jian attempted to pursue, but was desperately blocked by the two Feather Clan extraordinary people.

"Go around to the front."

Jiang Yuebai sent a message to Xie Jingshan, and the two of them circled around, quickly reaching the hillside in front of Yu Qing’er’s path.

Estimating her possible route, they revealed themselves.

"Catch your breath; just like when we accompanied the Wind Hoof Country refugees before, I’ll play the brother, and you can make the decisions."

Xie Jingshan felt a bit nervous, "Ah? But aren’t the Fox Clan supposed to be really smart? Wouldn’t they see through it?"

Jiang Yuebai raised an eyebrow at Xie Jingshan, "No, because there’s a kind of clear stupidity in your eyes. Smart people love people like you because they can manipulate you, which reassures them."

Xie Jingshan blinked in confusion, not quite understanding Jiang Yuebai’s words.

Sensing movement, Jiang Yuebai quickly steadied her breath and, using a voice soft and melodious like a cat’s, said, "Brother Dog, it’s getting dark. Let’s stop looking and head back to the city, shall we?"

Xie Jingshan resisted the urge to shiver, gave Jiang Yuebai a side glance, and looked around, "Let’s keep searching. They say Black Basket Mountain is rich in Night Spirit Ginseng; if we can’t find it during the day, maybe it will be easier at night..."

As the two searched the mountain, Yu Qing’er heard their voices from afar and covered Yu Xiao’s mouth to stop.

Realizing it was the two extraordinary people they had traveled with before, Yu Qing’er glanced back, noticing the sounds of battle were gradually fading.

She quickly weighed the pros and cons, recalling Jiang Yuebai and Xie Jingshan’s earlier conduct, which seemed fairly righteous.

Finally, Yu Qing’er climbed up from the slope and called out to Xie Jingshan, who was digging in the dirt in the forest, "Do you still remember me? If you want to go to Iron Feather Country, I have a way to take you in."

Xie Jingshan paused his digging and looked at Yu Qing’er in confusion.

"Who are you?"

Jiang Yuebai smiled secretly. Young Master Xie was quite clever; Yu Qing’er had been in disguise before, and if they had recognized her immediately, she would have run. Now she stood in a position convenient for escape.

Yu Qing’er tightened her grip on Yu Xiao, took a breath, and quickly pulled up her cloak to cover her body and face.

"Do you recognize me now?"

Xie Jingshan stood up, shook the dirt off his hands, and sniffed, "The one from the Wind Hoof Country team?"

Yu Qing’er nodded, "It’s me. I have relatives in Iron Feather Country, and if you escort me there, I can take you into Iron Feather Country and give you a large reward."

"To be honest, I’ve been targeted by bandits, and they’re on their way. You know the situation in Iron Feather Country, and I’m the only one who can take you in. You’ll see for yourselves once you take me to the foot of the Four Feathers Mountain."

"Brother Dog, be careful of deception." Jiang Yuebai gently reminded.

Xie Jingshan waved his hand, "It’s fine; we’re going to Four Feathers Mountain anyway. She’s only at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer; she wouldn’t dare deceive us. It doesn’t matter if we take her along; if she’s lying, I’ll cook and eat them both."

At these words, Yu Xiao shrank into Yu Qing’er’s arms, while Yu Qing’er put on an expression of ’grateful tears’, bowing deeply.

"Honored seniors, there’s no time to lose; let’s get on the road quickly."