Rebellious Traitors

According to the lists of potential immortals from the past few years, Duke Dingguo felt that the chances of Ning Sujin being selected as a potential immortal ten years from now were slim.

As for Li Ji'an, he had even less hope.

So Duke Dingguo was thinking about the next generation, and the generation after that.

Ultimately, Ning Sujin was still his daughter. If she couldn't become a potential immortal in this life, then the only contribution she could make to his family would be to bear children.

Under normal circumstances, she would serve as a bargaining chip, marrying into another meritorious or Martial Family in exchange for his son marrying an exceptionally talented woman, so their next generation could inherit a strong bloodline.

But with talent like Ning Sujin's, he was truly reluctant to give her up.

Besides, none of his three sons had particularly good talent. Even if one of them married a potential immortal, there was no guarantee their descendants would be potential immortals.

Now that Li Ji'an, a poor-born talent with no family to rely on, had entered the picture, the possibility of bringing him into the family as a son-in-law had emerged.

"I... I was meddling?" Ning Yutan's eyes widened. She suddenly began to guess what her father had in mind.

"All right, all right, Tan'er, be good. You're about to be taken to the Immortal Realm by the immortal master, so stop worrying about these little matters of the mortal world and focus on your cultivation." Duke Dingguo gently reassured her.

Ning Yutan burst into tears, overcome by a powerful sense of defeat.

She even began to think that Ning Sujin had taught her that movement technique just to take advantage of her vulnerable state!

"Report!"

Just as she was about to resort to her tried-and-true strategy of crying, making a scene, and threatening to hang herself, an urgent voice sounded outside the carriage.

"Speak." Duke Dingguo withdrew the hand he had been about to use to comfort Ning Yutan.

"Reporting to Your Lordship, the scouts dispatched at the hour of the Dragon have yet to return."

"Give my order: the troops will make camp where they are. Send out three teams of scouts to investigate again and report back." Duke Dingguo narrowed his eyes and issued his command decisively.

"Understood!"

"Tan'er, do not leave this tent." Duke Dingguo's expression was solemn, his qi and blood surging with an imposing force that needed no anger to command respect.

Ning Yutan realized how serious the situation was. She stopped acting up and hurriedly nodded.

Not long afterward, Li Ji'an had just returned to his own carriage when his brows lifted.

He raised the pearl curtain and saw soldiers surrounding them on all sides. Every face was grim, their gazes cautiously sweeping the surroundings.

Something had happened!

Though Ning Sujin had told him every day that the journey would be safe, he couldn't help feeling nervous.

Anyone bold enough to attack Duke Dingguo's party had to be formidable.

He and Ning Sujin had previously analyzed the situation together. Of the ten potential immortals this year, six came from the imperial capital, so there was virtually no chance of anything going wrong with them. Of the remaining four, Ning Yutan was the daughter of a marquis, and the journey from the imperial capital took a month.

The second was a descendant of the Wang Family of Qingzhou, a clan with a Qi and Blood Grandmaster. It was half a month from the imperial capital.

The third was a descendant of Prince Yun of Yunzhou, two months from the imperial capital.

The fourth was the son of the Prefect of Qiongzhou, three months from the imperial capital.

Of these four, the son of the Prefect of Qiongzhou was in the greatest danger and the most likely target for anyone with designs on the potential immortals.

The other three were no less formidable.

The Wang Family was guarded by an ancestor whose qi and blood surged like a dragon, a Grandmaster ranked among the top thirty on the Grandmaster Ranking. Their route was also the shortest.

Prince Yun's household was full of experts, and the Great Ancestor's hidden guards were protecting them as well.

By comparison, the Marquis Dingyuan's household was a little weaker. Marquis Dingyuan had only recently entered the Qi and Blood realm and was among the weakest of the Grandmasters. Still, it was said that the household had a guest elder who had once been the old marquis's sworn friend. No one knew for certain who he was, but rumor had it that he had once appeared on the Grandmaster Ranking.

Li Ji'an glanced at the large four-horse carriage a hundred paces away and felt somewhat reassured.

Their target would be obvious: they would only be after the potential immortals. Ning Yutan was the youngest, yet had the most vigorous qi and blood. No disguise could hide her from a Qi and Blood Grandmaster's senses, so that carriage would be the main target.

He should be safe here.

"Don't panic. The road twenty li ahead passes through Fallen Horse Pass. We sent scouts ahead before nightfall, and they haven't returned. We've already sent men to investigate again. Even if there really are bandits, we've likely uncovered their ambush, and they'll probably withdraw." Duke Dingguo explained to the Immortal Seeking Palace's escort official.

"Hmph! Could there really be reckless villains bold enough to rebel against the natural order?" The escort official from the Immortal Seeking Palace was furious.

"Or it could be a misunderstanding. Ha ha, there's no need to get worked up. Someone, bring the wine and meat." Duke Dingguo laughed and invited the escort official into the temporary military tent for a drink.

"If someone really has their eye on this, they shouldn't be scared off. I'd like to see who's bold enough to ruin the immortal master's affairs! Who dares jeopardize His Majesty's chance at immortality? How many heads do they think they have?" The escort official cursed as he entered the tent.

Li Ji'an was watching from a distance when he noticed Ning Sujin had also happened to stick her head out. Without thinking much of it, he went into her carriage again.

"Sister Jin, how is it? Can you predict what might happen by sensing the fortunes of the soldiers around us?"

Ning Sujin's eyes darted aside. She seemed reluctant to meet Li Ji'an's gaze, and only shook her head gently.

After a couple of seconds, she regained her composure. "I can only sense someone's fortune when I'm thinking of them. The closer we are, the clearer and more accurate the feeling, and the farther into the future I can sense. Also, actively sensing someone leaves me dizzy and muddle-headed every time. If I do it too often, I feel a stabbing pain. It drains my spirit."

"..." Li Ji'an was speechless.

No wonder she always frowned whenever he asked her to sense his fortune each day.

So that was why.

The closer they were, the more accurate her senses became? And she could see farther ahead?

"Sister Jin, how could you be so careless with yourself? Why didn't you tell me it came at such a cost? Do you know how guilty I feel right now?"

In a relationship between a man and a woman, taking the initiative and replacing an apology with a reprimand and an attempt to please was more conducive to building a harmonious, equal relationship in the future.

Ning Sujin had only just recovered from the embarrassment she'd felt, and now she was a little dazed again.

Looking at Li Ji'an's utterly sincere expression, she couldn't help grumbling inwardly: It's because you're afraid of dying and ask me to sense your fortune every single day!

"I..."

"You were really wrong this time. If I'd known beforehand that it would make you feel so awful, I never would've asked you to do it." Li Ji'an didn't give her time to respond.

Ning Sujin's thoughts were led astray before she knew it, and she answered without thinking. "Th-this... Yes, I was wrong... I'm sorry."

"Forget it. Just remember, don't ever do this again." Li Ji'an smiled.

Step one of obedience training complete!

Ning Sujin furrowed her brows, sensing that something was off.

But Li Ji'an didn't give her time to think it over. He immediately changed the subject. "Sister Jin, you said actively sensing someone comes at a cost. What about sensing them passively?"

"That fool sensed this one passively. Passive sensing comes at no cost, but it still depends on how close we are. The closer we are, the earlier and more clearly I sense it. Otherwise, I only get a feeling when there's a major calamity or disaster is about to strike." Ning Sujin explained.

"I see!" Li Ji'an nodded slowly, his resolve growing firmer.

Boom~

At that moment, a deafening explosion rang out nearby without warning.

"Enemy attack!" The soldiers and guards around them immediately shouted a warning and formed up to meet the enemy.

"Hmph! You treacherous rebels! I've been waiting for you!" Two figures appeared at the site of the explosion...