The Mighty Mage-Chapter 536: First Layer Of Danger

Suddenly, Gu Jin spoke fast and firm.

"Hide. Now."

Before they could ask why, Gu Jin had already spotted a small alley hidden behind a tall rainbow wall. She rushed over and waved at them to follow her.

All three of them hurried behind her, trusting her instinct again.

Once they were hidden in the shadows, Gu Jin peeked out carefully.

Jiang Wei stared out from the alley and whispered, "Gu Jin, what are you looking at?"

Gu Jin didn’t take her eyes off the open street. "Quiet," she said firmly. "They are coming."

Before Jiang Wei could ask more, three tall women rushed to the spot where they had been standing just a minute ago. Their footsteps were fast and loud, and their eyes scanned the area sharply.

"There it is," Gu Jin whispered to herself. "Right on time."

The three women stopped and looked around.

One of them frowned. "That’s strange. I felt it clearly—someone came through a portal."

The second woman looked confused. "But there’s no one here now. Did we... make a mistake?"

"No," the first one said with a glare. "Our instincts are never wrong. Someone definitely came. They must’ve run away."

"But we got here within twenty seconds," the third woman argued. "How could anyone escape or hide that fast? They wouldn’t even know we were coming."

The second woman nodded. "Yeah, maybe we just imagined it. It happens sometimes."

The first woman still looked uncertain, but the three of them began to argue quietly.

Jiang Wei stared at them in disbelief. These women weren’t normal.

They were each at least six feet tall, strong as mountains, and carried a powerful, heavy aura around them. Just looking at them made his heart race.

"If they decide to jump on us..." he thought, "we’ll die before we even react."

Gu Jin, still watching, narrowed her eyes.

"They’re transcendental-level mages," she said softly.

Ming Rou and Jiang Wei’s faces changed. Heaven-ranked mages like them were already powerful, but a transcendental-level was far beyond them.

They exchanged nervous looks. "We should’ve brought our bodyguards," Ming Rou whispered.

Even Qin Ye looked worried. "This place is way too dangerous... Maybe we should leave."

He turned to Jiang Wei. "Even if your daughter is here, she can probably blend in. She might not even need us."

Jiang Wei’s eyes turned cold. "You talk like you don’t care about your sister either."

Qin Ye’s face twitched. "I do... I was just scared for a second."

"Then don’t speak like that again," Jiang Wei snapped.

Before the argument could continue, Gu Jin raised a hand.

"Quiet," she whispered. "They’re leaving."

Sure enough, after a few more minutes, the three women gave up their argument and left.

The alley fell quiet again.

Jiang Wei let out a slow breath. In his heart, he felt thankful. If Gu Jin hadn’t been here, we’d already be caught...

He turned to her. "Can we leave now?"

Gu Jin shook her head. "No. We need to stay here for two more hours."

Everyone blinked in surprise.

"Why?" Ming Rou asked.

Qin Ye frowned. "They’re gone, right?"

Gu Jin didn’t answer right away. She just made a quiet gesture and pointed back at the street. "Keep watching."

Time ticked by slowly. After thirty minutes, everyone was getting uncomfortable. They were crouched in the shadows, barely moving, barely breathing.

Suddenly, the three women returned.

They walked around the spot again, this time laughing.

"I guess we really did imagine things," one of them said with a smile. "If someone was hiding, they’d be out by now."

"Yeah," the second one agreed. "No one stays hidden for thirty minutes. Not without peeking."

The third woman nodded. "Let’s go. We were probably just tired."

They finally left—for real this time.

Qin Ye’s face lit up, and he looked ready to jump up and cheer, but Gu Jin quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"Not yet. Don’t move for another hour or two."

This time, no one argued.

Jiang Wei, Ming Rou, and Qin Ye all stayed completely still. They had already seen how careful and smart Gu Jin was. No one wanted to ruin things now.

Time passed slowly again. The green sky above didn’t change. The glowing buildings still shone brightly in the distance.

Finally, when nearly two hours had passed, everyone was starting to feel hopeful. Maybe it really was safe now.

But suddenly—

One of the women returned.

It was the one who had first said they imagined things.

She looked around carefully, then let out a sigh of relief.

"I really was imagining it," she muttered. "This final check proves it."

And then she left.

Jiang Wei and Ming Rou were stunned.

"How careful can they be?" Jiang Wei whispered. "That was her third time checking..."

Gu Jin gave a soft chuckle.

"They’re dangerous," she said. "But not perfect."

Ming Rou looked at her with wide eyes. "They could’ve kept coming, though..."

Gu Jin smiled. "They could have. But now they’re tired. I spread a light sleeping potion in the air earlier, just around that area. It won’t knock them out right away, but it’ll make them slow... sleepy..."

She pointed in the direction the women had left.

"By now, two of them are probably asleep. This third one will fall asleep soon, too."

Qin Ye, Jiang Wei, and Ming Rou stared at her in shock.

"You... you planned all that?" Qin Ye asked.

Gu Jin didn’t look proud or smug. She just nodded.

"I thought of everything that might happen. So I prepared for it."

Avoiding the first layer of danger, Jiang Wei and Ming Rou felt even more thankful to have Gu Jin with them.

From that moment on, they decided to follow her instructions completely, without question or hesitation.

Qin Ye, on the other hand, looked at Gu Jin with a strange glint in his eyes, like he had just found something very rare and valuable.

Soon, the four of them left the colorful streets and climbed up into the nearby mountains. The path was rocky and steep, but quiet. No people were around, and it felt safer than the open city.

After a while, they found a hidden cave behind a large purple bush. Everyone agreed to take a short rest there. The traveling, hiding, and waiting had left them tired, both in body and mind.

But the moment Gu Jin stepped into the cave, she stopped.

She sniffed the air, slowly. Her eyes widened.

Jiang Wei noticed her reaction and quickly asked, "What is it? Did something happen?"

Gu Jin’s expression turned serious. Her heart started to beat faster.

"I know this smell," she said softly. "Long Yifan... he was here."

The moment she spoke his name, her heart jumped. There was no doubt about it. The soft, clean scent that only he carried was still floating in the air.

So he really came to this world, she thought. And he was right here, in this cave.

Her thoughts raced. Why was Long Yifan here? Was he hurt? Was he hiding?

Then she remembered what Jiang Wei had told her earlier—about men being used as vessels in this world.

Her chest tightened.

What if... he’s in danger? What if they’re hunting him?

Panic rose inside her like a wave.

But then, another voice in her mind spoke calmly.

Long Yifan is strong. He’s smart. If something happened, he would find a way out. You can’t help him by losing your head now.

Slowly, Gu Jin took a deep breath. The worry in her chest faded. Her face calmed down like nothing had happened.

The change happened so fast that even Ming Rou and Jiang Wei were surprised.

They had watched her go through many emotions in just a few minutes—shock, fear, sadness, and then peace. It was a lot to take in.

Meanwhile, Qin Ye was watching her carefully. His eyes narrowed. He didn’t say anything, but he was clearly curious about her.

Gu Jin finally turned to the group and said, "We’ll stay here for now. Light a fire. We need to rest and talk."

While Jiang Wei started setting up the fire, Gu Jin continued, "If we want to walk around this world, we need to be able to blend in. That means... we might have to look like the people here."

Hearing that, Jiang Wei and Ming Rou frowned.

"You mean... disguise ourselves?" Ming Rou asked.

Gu Jin nodded. "Yes. It’s the only way we can stay safe and search for your daughter and Qin Ye’s sister."

Jiang Wei raised an eyebrow. "Do you already have a plan?"

"I do," Gu Jin said, "but before I explain, we need to make sure no one can find this cave."

Without saying anything, Jiang Wei pulled out a white ball from his storage ring. He tossed it into the air.

The ball floated, then burst into a soft glow, spreading a clear, misty wall around the entrance of the cave.

"This artifact creates an illusion," Jiang Wei explained. "Anyone below Transcend Stage Two won’t even know we’re here. It took a lot of work to get this one."

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