Roadside Robbery

With Zhao Shanshan's comfort, Mu Qingling finally felt a little better. Perhaps because Mu Qingling's mood was no longer so terrible, that tense atmosphere gradually faded away.

"Senior, do you happen to know where that place in the vision was just now?"

Old Man Tianji did not dare divine Zhao Shanshan again, and Zhao Shanshan did not press the matter either. However, the woman who had appeared in the vision should have been Mu Qingling's mother.

Since they would not be divining any further, they could only go look for her themselves. But first, they had to know where the place in the vision was.

Unfortunately, Old Man Tianji did not know either, because he had not had time to look carefully before suffering backlash from a single glance from Mu Qingling's mother.

"Young senior, I'm truly sorry. This old man's strength is limited, and I can't help you."

Old Man Tianji felt somewhat embarrassed as well. After all, he had guaranteed it before. But how could he have imagined that the person being divined would be so powerful?

He had now begun calling Mu Qingling young senior as well, just like Medicine Spirit did. He was truly somewhat afraid of Mu Qingling's identity.

"Big Sister, what should we do now?"

"It's fine. Don't we already know what your mom looks like? We can find a skilled painter to draw a portrait of her."

"I'll have my Imperial Father release the portrait. We'll definitely be able to find your mom then."

"Wonderful! Then let's hurry and find a skilled painter!"

"Mm!"

"Young senior, I am actually a skilled painter myself. I also saw your mother just now. If you do not mind, I can paint a portrait of her."

Just as Mu Qingling was about to pull Zhao Shanshan away, one of the Tianji Sect ancestors spoke up. He usually enjoyed writing and drawing.

"Old Master, you're a skilled painter too? Then hurry and draw a portrait of my mom!"

"Alright, young senior. Please wait a moment."

Seeing Mu Qingling agree, the old man walked over to a table, took out a set of brushes and ink, and began painting.

The old man did not disappoint them. In only about half an hour, he finished. A beauty in white seemed to leap from the paper, bearing an eighty-percent resemblance to the woman in the vision.

"So this is what Mom looks like?"

Mu Qingling picked up the portrait and stared at it blankly, as though she wanted to etch her mother's image into her heart. Her eyes brimmed with longing.

"Senior, could you trouble yourself to draw a few more?"

"Of course."

The old man replied to Zhao Shanshan, then began painting again. He drew five in one breath, each more vivid than the last. The final one was exactly identical to the face in the vision.

After taking all the portraits, the three left the Tianji Sect. Once outside, Zhao Shanshan handed every portrait to Medicine Spirit and had him take them back to the imperial palace for Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Shanshan then continued searching with Mu Qingling. Now that they had portraits, things would be much more convenient. Zhao Shanshan believed that as long as they kept searching, they would find her one day.

Without Medicine Spirit by her side, and with no ark of her own, Zhao Shanshan could only buy a carriage to travel in.

Zhao Shanshan took the official road. If they continued along this road, they could leave the Xiling Empire. Once the imperial family of the Xiling Empire began searching, Zhao Shanshan planned to visit other empires as well.

Mu Qingling, riding in a carriage for the first time, was especially excited. From time to time, she poked her head out of the carriage, and sometimes she even went outside to drive alongside Zhao Shanshan.

Rumble!

Suddenly, two great trees fell from either side of the official road, completely blocking the path ahead. This sudden change nearly crushed the carriage beneath the trees.

Before Zhao Shanshan and Mu Qingling could recover their senses, a group of black-clad men rushed out of the forests on both sides of the road and surrounded the carriage tightly.

Zhao Shanshan's expression changed. She knew they had encountered bandits. What she had not expected was that even though she had deliberately taken the official road, she had still run into a robbery.

They were already close to leaving the Xiling Empire, an area where bandits were at their most rampant. Zhao Shanshan had heard about it before when she was still in the imperial palace.

That was precisely why she had chosen the official road, yet she had still encountered them. Zhao Shanshan's expression had changed not because she was afraid, but because she had not expected these bandits to be so brazen.

They actually dared rob Mu Qingling. Wasn't that simply coming to deliver their heads?

Not to mention how powerful Mu Qingling was. Even Little Black was not someone these bandits could handle. Today, these bandits had chosen the wrong target.

"Big Sister, what are these people doing?"

The little girl looked at the black-clad men without the slightest fear. Instead, she seemed to find it rather fun, and she asked Zhao Shanshan excitedly.

"Ling'er, these are all bad people. They make a living by robbing passing merchant caravans."

None of them had particularly high cultivation. Only the leader had reached the Innate Realm. These bandits generally targeted merchant caravans passing through.

Although Zhao Shanshan's group only had one carriage, Zhao Shanshan had bought the finest one so Mu Qingling could ride more comfortably.

Leaving aside how luxurious the inside was, one could tell from the outside alone that this was a carriage only wealthy people could afford.

It was precisely because the carriage was so luxurious that these bandits had made their move. They all knew that if they succeeded this time, it would definitely be more profitable than robbing a merchant caravan.

After all, merchant caravans would certainly have many people escorting them, and any caravan able to travel on the official road would inevitably be a large one. Successfully robbing one would not be easy.

But a single carriage was much easier. Even though its occupants had to be either wealthy or noble to ride in such a luxurious carriage, there might be experts protecting them.

However, relying on their numerical advantage, and seeing that the driver was merely a woman and a little girl, the bandits chose to attack the carriage.

"Hahaha...!"

"Little girl, we're bad people. Hand over all your money and valuables if you know what's good for you. Otherwise, if something happens out here in this wilderness, it'll be too late for regrets."

After hearing Zhao Shanshan's words, the Innate Realm bandit leading them immediately burst into laughter. He demanded that Zhao Shanshan hand over all her wealth and even threatened her.

"So this is what bandits are?"

"But didn't Dad say that bandits always shout a slogan before robbing someone? Why aren't these bandits saying their slogan?"

Mu Qingling had never seen bandits rob anyone, but she had heard many stories. She knew bandits would always shout a couple of slogans before a robbery.

Yet these people claimed to be bandits here to rob them, so why had she not heard their pre-robbery slogan?

"Little child, a robbery is a robbery. Why would we need to shout a slogan?"

Everyone was confused. They did not know what kind of slogan the little girl was talking about. Moreover, even after learning that they were bandits, this little girl was not afraid at all.

Not only did the bandits fail to understand, even Zhao Shanshan looked at Mu Qingling with a face full of confusion, not knowing what slogan Mu Qingling meant.