Nalan Yanran

Although it was not ideal to send a girl, there was no other choice now. If the Snow Ape was not dead, then by the time it got back up, the two of them would be the ones falling.

"Alright, be careful."

The girl nodded and slowly let go of Yao Feng's arm. Blushing, she spoke softly.

Watching the girl walk toward the Snow Ape, Yao Feng felt somewhat frustrated. His realm was still too low. Although he had promptly activated his Clan Mark and temporarily raised his strength to that of a seven-star Dou Zhe, the Dou Qi in his body was still far too little. That Earth-tier Dou Technique had nearly drained him dry. If he had been here alone, he might have capsized in a ditch. He needed to raise his realm as soon as possible. Otherwise, having high-tier Dou Techniques without the ability to use them would truly be tragic.

The girl cautiously approached the Snow Ape, a green longsword in hand, and quietly observed the beast lying on the ground. Its body was still rising and falling rhythmically. Though the movement was extremely faint, she was still shocked. She knew the power of an Earth-tier Dou Technique. Although the technique the young man had just used was far weaker than its true power, it was still an Earth-tier Dou Technique. She had not expected it to fail to kill the Snow Ape.

Seeing this, the girl hardened her heart. Dou Qi covered the green longsword, and she fiercely stabbed it into the Snow Ape's head. The Snow Ape's body stiffened, then slowly went limp.

Seeing that the Snow Ape had completely stopped breathing, the girl patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief. She had nearly lost her life this time. If that young man had not appeared in time, she would be the one lying on the ground now.

Once the Snow Ape had truly been finished off, Yao Feng also sighed in relief. He did not want to fail at saving someone and end up getting himself killed instead.

With the matter settled, Yao Feng shifted his gaze to the girl. His attention had been fixed on the Snow Ape earlier, so he had not yet gotten a good look at the person he had saved.

Her skin was as smooth as cream. On her lovely oval face, a pair of large eyes gleamed brilliantly. Her cherry-red lips were cute yet touched with a hint of sensuality. Green jade earrings hung from her delicate earlobes, giving off crisp chimes as they swayed. Though she was still young, her figure had already begun to take shape. Her peerless beauty surpassed even the heavily edited photos of celebrities from his previous life. Her long black hair was simply tied behind her head, making her appear especially capable and neat.

After calming herself, the girl walked up to Yao Feng with a hint of shyness on her face and said softly,

"Thank you for saving my life, Young Master. My name is Nalan Yanran. May I know how to address you?"

"Nalan Yanran?!"

The girl's clear, pleasant voice rang out, but Yao Feng was startled. He nearly cried out in surprise. There were only a few months left until Nalan Yanran went to the Xiao family to annul the engagement. He had not expected to encounter her here.

Seeing Yao Feng's reaction, Nalan Yanran was somewhat puzzled.

"You know me, Young Master?"

"No, I don't. I just thought your name sounded rather nice."

Yao Feng waved his hand and hurriedly replied.

"Thank you."

Nalan Yanran's face reddened as she answered shyly.

Nalan Yanran's reaction surprised Yao Feng somewhat. Although he did not hold any prejudice against the Nalan Yanran from the original story, she was still someone proud at heart. He had not expected her to have such a side, like a lovestruck girl from an ordinary household.

"Yanran, are you alright?"

A ragged old man hurried over from the distance, looking anxiously at Nalan Yanran. Behind him, Zhou Tong strolled over at an unhurried pace.

When he saw Zhou Tong, Yao Feng shot him a fierce glare. Yet Zhou Tong wore a slightly lecherous smile, making Yao Feng's heart skip a beat. Still, he could not bring himself to be too angry. That old rascal really thinks of everything!

"Elder Ge Ye, I'm fine. This young master saved me. What happened to that mature Snow Ape?"

Seeing Ge Ye, joy appeared on Nalan Yanran's face. She had brought Ge Ye out to find a Snow Spirit Grass to suppress the Brand Poison in her grandfather's body. However, she had not expected the mature Snow Ape to be so powerful. It had already reached the late third tier. Even Ge Ye, a seven-star Da Dou Shi, had struggled against it. Then a young Snow Ape had seized an opening and nearly killed her.

Whenever she recalled it, Nalan Yanran felt a wave of lingering fear. If he had not saved her, she would likely no longer be among the living.

Thinking of this, Nalan Yanran's gaze toward Yao Feng was filled with gratitude, along with a trace of strange emotion.

"I am Ge Ye, an elder of the Misty Cloud Sect. Thank you, Young Master, for stepping in so righteously. Once I return to the Misty Cloud Sect, there will surely be a generous reward!"

Ge Ye clasped his fists and spoke sincerely. He had been assigned by the Misty Cloud Sect to protect Nalan Yanran. If anything had happened to her, he naturally would not have escaped blame.

"I merely happened to come across it. There's no need to make a fuss."

Yao Feng waved his hand. He had little interest in rewards, but Nalan Yanran was different. Since he had encountered her here, it was surely fate. With Yao Feng around, Xiao Yan would likely be unable to win that Three Year Agreement.

"May I know your name, Young Master?"

"My name is Yao Feng. This is my senior, Old Zhou."

Yao Feng pointed at Old Zhou, who was walking over, and spoke.

"Yao Feng?"

Nalan Yanran murmured the name to herself. Looking at Yao Feng's handsome face, her cheeks grew a little hot.

"I have yet to thank you for saving my life, Senior. I am Ge Ye. Greetings, Senior."

Seeing Old Zhou arrive, Ge Ye clasped his fists again and spoke respectfully.

"It was nothing more than a small effort!"

Zhou Tong waved his hand and walked over to stand behind Yao Feng. As he passed Yao Feng, he even winked at him, as though asking whether he had done well.

"This junior, Nalan... Nalan Yanran, greets Senior."

Nalan Yanran also hurriedly bowed. Anyone who could make Elder Ge Ye treat them so respectfully could not be weak. Though she was the disciple of the Misty Cloud Sect's sect master, she still had to show proper courtesy to the strong.

"Mm."

Zhou Tong nodded, narrowing his eyes with the air of an old master. He said nothing further.

"Did Young Master Yao come here because you are heading to the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire?"

Seeing Zhou Tong's actions, Ge Ye naturally realized that Zhou Tong seemed to follow Yao Feng's lead. A powerhouse capable of killing a late third-tier Snow Ape with a casual strike had appeared within the Jia Ma Empire, yet the Misty Cloud Sect had known nothing of him. Moreover, he seemed to be acting as a servant. No family within the Jia Ma Empire possessed such strength. Could there be some hidden secret behind this? In those brief moments, countless thoughts had already arisen in Ge Ye's mind.

"The two of us depend on each other as we wander the continent. Our next stop is the Imperial Capital."

Yao Feng chuckled and gave a vague reply.

"We are also returning to the Imperial Capital. How about traveling with us, Young Master Yao? As locals, we can offer some assistance."

Though Ge Ye did not believe a single word of the young man's story, his strength was currently inferior to theirs. He should first keep them placated, then wait for a chance to have the sect's experts investigate them. They absolutely could not allow any factor detrimental to the Misty Cloud Sect's stability to exist.

"Sure."

Although Ge Ye's enthusiasm was certainly somewhat unusual, there should be no one in the Jia Ma Empire capable of threatening him.

Seeing Yao Feng agree, both Ge Ye and Nalan Yanran were somewhat pleased, though their purposes were quite different.

"Good, good. Please wait a moment, Young Master Yao. We came here for a Snow Spirit Grass guarded by that Snow Ape, but we never expected it to be so strong. Fortunately, the two of you came to our aid. For such a great favor, I will certainly host a banquet in the Imperial Capital to thank you, Young Master Yao."

"Let's retrieve that Snow Spirit Grass first, then set out for the Imperial Capital."

Yao Feng spoke somewhat tiredly. Although his Dou Qi recovered quickly, using the Void Profound Illusory Palm had directly overdrawn his strength. He still needed some time to fully recover.

(Thanks to Yudi Tianming, Shiguang Yinian, Dijun... for your tickets as always, (❤ε❤))