The Divine Wind Boat sped away, soon crossing the border into the Yue Kingdom. Xin Ruoyin and Xiao Mei stood aboard, admiring the scenery along the way.
Somewhat uneasy, Xiao Mei asked, "Miss, are we really leaving the Yuanwu Kingdom just like this?"
Xin Ruoyin was reluctant to leave as well, but she still said, "Now that those people from the Liu family and Xu Yan from the Heavenly Star Sect have all disappeared, staying there would probably invite all sorts of trouble. Besides, the Fu family could try to drag me back at any moment. We simply can't stay in the Yuanwu Kingdom any longer."
Xiao Mei thought her mistress had a point, but this was her first time leaving the country, and she could not help feeling nervous. She glanced at Lin He, who remained calm and composed beside them. Naturally, he noticed and quickly reassured her.
"Xiao Mei, I forgot to tell you something. I'm actually the Garrison Commissioner of Yellow Maple Valley Market now. Once you come there with me, I'll make sure you're both properly settled. You can rest easy."
"What?" Xiao Mei visibly relaxed at his words, her worries laid to rest. Suddenly thinking of something, she hurriedly looked at Xin Ruoyin. Seeing her mistress's unchanged expression, as though she had known all along, Xiao Mei understood. Her curious gaze darted back and forth between the two.
"Xiao Mei, what are you looking at?"
Noticing Xiao Mei's odd behavior, Xin Ruoyin could not help asking. Xiao Mei leaned toward her ear with a mysterious look and whispered,
"Miss, just how far have things gone between you and Young Master Lin? You've spent every day together for the past half month. Have you actually..."
Xin Ruoyin flushed slightly at Xiao Mei's question. She patted her shoulder and interrupted, "You little imp, what on earth are you thinking about?"
Naturally, Lin He could hear the mistress and maid whispering beside him, but he deliberately pretended otherwise. As Yellow Maple Valley Market drew closer and closer, his expression finally relaxed. He smiled and said,
"At the Divine Wind Boat's speed, we'll reach Yellow Maple Valley Market before long. With the grand array there to rely on, we won't need to worry even if some powerful expert really does come looking for trouble."
Xin Ruoyin and Xiao Mei both breathed sighs of relief. Xiao Mei stroked the Divine Wind Boat and said enviously, "So this is a top-grade flying magic artifact? It's so fast! When will I ever have a magic artifact like this?"
Xin Ruoyin affectionately stroked her head. "Don't lose heart. Once we reach the market, we can open a little formation shop with the young master's help and sell formation flags and array disks. We needn't seek riches or grandeur, but earning a few spirit stones shouldn't be a problem."
Xiao Mei was brimming with confidence after hearing that. "Exactly! With your mastery of formations, Miss, we could earn spirit stones selling practically anything. As long as we save a little every day, we'll eventually be able to afford a fine flying magic artifact like this."
The two chatted happily, imagining their future, and the sorrow of leaving their homeland steadily faded. Lin He smiled knowingly at the sight. He was just about to say something when an utterly chilling strand of spiritual sense swept over all three of them.
This spiritual sense was clearly far more powerful than Lin He's. He only detected its owner when it reached them, and even that was because the other party had made no attempt to conceal it, deliberately revealing it instead. The purpose was obvious: to intimidate the three of them.
Feeling that powerful spiritual sense, Lin He's face darkened. They were so close to Yellow Maple Valley Market, so close to safety, yet the very thing he feared most had happened at this moment. Their enemy had finally caught up, and this was no ordinary opponent.
Even Lin He looked so grim, let alone Xin Ruoyin and Xiao Mei. The chilling spiritual sense frightened both women pale. They stood on either side of Lin He, each clutching a corner of his clothes and looking at him. Clearly, he remained their pillar of support.
"Young master..."
While comforting Xiao Mei, Xin Ruoyin looked at Lin He and tentatively asked, "Young master, should we use that?"
Lin He looked back at her, his expression more serious than ever. "Yes. Judging by that spiritual sense, this is probably no ordinary opponent. It's very likely a Core Formation Stage cultivator. I'm afraid they'll catch us before we reach Yellow Maple Valley Market. In that case, we might as well take the initiative. With the Five Elements Reversal Formation, we may still be able to put up a fight."
Xin Ruoyin nodded and took out the Five Elements Reversal Formation without hesitation. Lin He channeled his magical power, and the Divine Wind Boat soon descended to the ground.
Over the past half month, Lin He had finally learned some formation basics. With Xin Ruoyin's genius for formations and Xiao Mei lending a hand, the three worked together and, after expending several medium-grade spirit stones, finally finished setting it up.
Once the formation was ready, Lin He did not activate the grand array. Instead, he signaled for the two women to hide while he stood atop a large boulder and waited.
Sure enough, only a short while later, three streaks of light flew over and hovered in midair, their occupants staring coldly at Lin He.
The man in the middle was a Pigeon-Faced Elder whose expression was somewhat vacant, making him seem unlike a living person. Yet he clearly held the highest status, and his cultivation was unfathomable. Lin He could not determine his exact realm, and his heart sank.
On either side stood an elder at middle Foundation Establishment, one fat and one thin. The fat elder was more cautious and did not rush to speak, but the thin elder had a fiery temper and snapped angrily,
"You little bastard, you killed Xu Yan, didn't you? Now it's time to repay that blood debt in blood."
The fat elder frowned and hurriedly stopped him. "Be careful. This brat is waiting here for us. He may have laid a trap."
The vacant-faced Pigeon-Faced Elder in the middle spoke then, his voice aged.
"He's merely set up a formation. What's so remarkable about that? The descendants of my Xu family are truly useless, getting killed by a mere early Foundation Establishment cultivator like this. Each generation is worse than the last. To think I had to waste a high-grade Spirit Puppet Talisman over someone like him. You two, hurry up and bring him to me."
At his command, the two immediately moved, flying toward Lin He together before stopping a little over twenty zhang away.
Knowing that their opponent had set up a formation, they naturally would not foolishly enter it. Instead, they prepared to cast their spells from a distance.
Seeing that they had not entered the formation, Lin He remained unhurried. He glanced at the elder in the middle and saw that he apparently disdained taking action himself. Only then did his heart settle, and he formed a plan.
"Who is Xu Yan? Surely you gentlemen have made a mistake. I've never known anyone named Xu Yan."
"Our patriarch personally uncovered the truth with a secret art. There's no room for your denial. If you surrender now and come back with us, we can at least grant you a quick death."
"Heh, surrender?"
An uncanny smile suddenly appeared on Lin He's face. Immediately
afterward, he waved his hand, and an enormous jade-green figure lunged at the two men.