Before leaving, Zhou Xun glanced at Wu Zongxu's corpse. The Storage Pouch at his waist had vanished at some point, likely taken by Brother Gao.
They had only walked a few steps out of the alley when a thunderous boom sounded in the distance.
Immediately afterward, the barrier covering all of Red Leaf Square suddenly vanished. The grand array had been shut down.
Zhou Xun was overjoyed at the sight. He and Wang Erniu's husband-and-wife pair chose the nearest route out of the square and sprinted away.
Once outside the market, they headed straight ahead.
At that point, they no longer cared about direction. Getting as far away from the market as possible was the best strategy.
They fled for over a hundred li before finally stopping, finding a concealed cave and hiding inside.
Nighttime obstructed one's vision, making it difficult to see far, which made escape easier.
Although cultivators possessed divine sense, Late-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators could only cover a range of a dozen zhang or so, while Foundation Establishment cultivators reached only a little over a hundred zhang.
That was nowhere near as far as the eye could see. Moreover, cultivators had keen senses and could see farther than ordinary people.
Therefore, daytime was not a good time to travel.
Inside the cave, Zhou Xun and the others swallowed Qi Recovery Pills and sat in meditation to regulate their breathing.
After a long while, they finished recuperating.
Lin Xue'e came to Zhou Xun's side, dipped into a curtsy, and thanked him.
"Had it not been for you yesterday, Brother, my husband, I, and Yinyin might already have met with disaster!"
"Erniu and I are brothers. There is no need for you to stand on ceremony, sister-in-law." Zhou Xun waved a hand.
His rescue yesterday had been the result of careful deliberation. He had only acted after determining that he could defeat that group.
"My husband and I have nothing with which to repay you. This array formation tome is a relic left behind by my mother, and today I offer it to you, Brother, to fulfill our gratitude!" As she spoke, she handed a Jade Slip to Zhou Xun.
"An array formation tome!"
Among the hundred arts of cultivation, the profession with the highest threshold was undoubtedly that of an Array Formation Master.
The minimum requirement for studying array formations was divine sense. Thus, generally speaking, only Late-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators could begin learning them.
For that reason, Array Formation Masters had always been synonymous with nobility in the cultivation world.
Their status was not the slightest bit lower than that of Pill Refinement Masters.
Furthermore, once an Array Formation Master set up a grand array, fighting across realms was perfectly ordinary.
"This was left behind by your mother, sister-in-law. How could I take what you cherish? You should keep it." Zhou Xun shook his head.
"Please do not refuse, Brother. My husband and I are dull-witted; we cannot even examine this Jade Slip. You have awakened divine sense, so it suits you perfectly. If you truly find it difficult to accept, why not make a copy?"
With that, she took a blank Jade Slip from her Storage Pouch.
After seeing this, Zhou Xun pondered for a moment. He was indeed interested in array formations, so he nodded in agreement.
He copied down the array formation inheritance known as "Primordial Array Unraveling."
Afterward, they rested in the cave, taking turns standing guard.
After a night of fleeing, Zhou Xun was mentally exhausted and soon fell into a deep sleep.
He did not know how long he had slept when Wang Erniu's nervous voice sounded beside his ear.
"Brother, I think someone's coming!"
Hearing this, Zhou Xun rolled to his feet.
He took out the Goldfly Twin Blades and clasped them in his hand.
Then he slowly made his way to the cave entrance.
Wang Erniu and his wife did the same, each taking out a mystic tool and holding it ready, prepared to fight to the death at any moment.
They parted the dense vines at the cave entrance and looked toward the source of the disturbance.
They saw more than a dozen cultivators searching their way up along the foot of the mountain.
"Hurry up and search! Search carefully! Don't let that little wench get away—she's a big fish!" A lecherous voice Zhou Xun recognized rang out.
"Wei Shangren!"
Zhou Xun frowned.
Enemies were bound to meet on a narrow road. Why had he come here?
He immediately concealed himself and continued observing.
"One, two, three."
There were eleven people in all, four of them Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators.
Wei Shangren's elder brother, Wei Shangli, was among them.
From what they were saying, they had come here in pursuit of a woman.
Zhou Xun immediately lowered his voice and asked Lin Xue'e beside him, "Sister-in-law, how many young women of relatively high status are there in your clan?"
Since they called her a "little wench," she naturally could not be very old. For Wei Shangren and so many cultivators to chase her, her status must not be low either.
"Young women of high status... in our generation, apart from my cousin, there is only Fourteenth Uncle's daughter. But she is currently at the Spirit Herb Pavilion in White Cloud Immortal City, not Red Leaf Square!"
"Then doesn't that mean Cousin escaped here as well?" Lin Xue'e immediately grew anxious at the thought.
"No, Erniu, Brother, we have to save her!"
Lin Xue'e's cousin—wouldn't that be Lin Xueying? Zhou Xun thought to himself.
What a coincidence. She had come here too!
But now, it was no longer a question of whether to save her. Judging by the way this group of cultivators was searching, they would soon discover the cave where they were hiding.
Thus, whether he wanted to save her or not, he had no choice but to act!
As the saying went, strike first to gain the upper hand!
Since they were going to act, they had to seize the right opportunity.
He then looked toward Wang Erniu and his wife beside him.
One was at Qi Condensation Fourth Level, while the other was at the peak of Qi Condensation Third Level. With the mid-grade mystic tools in their hands, their combat strength was formidable.
For a short time, it would not be difficult for either of them to contend against two cultivators of the same realm.
And the hidden Miss Lin was a cultivator at the peak of Qi Condensation Fifth Level. Even if she was injured, she should have no problem contending against one Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivator.
Calculated this way, as long as he struck with thunder before they could cover their ears and killed one Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivator while they were unprepared, the difference in strength between the two sides would not be too great.
If they fought while retreating, there was a high chance they could escape unscathed.
He raised his head and gave his orders.
"Erniu, sister-in-law, hide here with me. When the searchers draw close, we will strike together and kill a few of them first. Then we'll find your cousin and escape together!"
Upon hearing this, hope appeared in Wang Erniu and his wife's eyes. It was an extremely feasible plan. They nodded, gripped their mystic tools, and held their breaths as they waited beside the cave entrance.
The people searching below had initially spread out in a line. But once they entered the forest, they gathered in pairs, with one searching while the other held up a half-mystic tool shield in defense.
At the same time, Wei Shangli and the other four Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators followed closely behind. The four formed horns against one another, mutually defending each other.
They also served as support for those searching ahead.
Miss Lin was a cultivator at the peak of Qi Condensation Fifth Level and possessed fine mystic tools.
During the previous pursuit, she had killed several people in return.
This time, to prevent Miss Lin from suddenly attacking and causing further losses,
Wei Shangli had proposed this plan.
This way, nothing could go wrong. Once they found Lin Xueying, the four of them would converge on her.
The plan was mature and prudent, advancing steadily and fighting steadily, bearing the style of a great family.
Yet it had inadvertently shattered Zhou Xun's plan.
"Brother, what do we do?" Wang Erniu asked softly.
Zhou Xun also found the situation thorny.
The four Mid-Stage Qi Condensation cultivators formed horns against one another, capable in both attack and defense. They would be exceedingly difficult to deal with. Even with his current strength, if he became trapped among them, he likely would not be able to get away.
Just then, the monkey-faced youth and the long-faced man had already drawn within a dozen zhang of the cave. They would search this place very soon!
Those vines would not stop these people from searching.
At his wit's end, Zhou Xun's peripheral vision swept over Lin Xue'e. His eyes lit up, and a plan immediately sprang to mind.
He said,
"I have a method, but sister-in-law may have to take some risks!"
"Brother, give your orders!" Lin Xue'e answered without hesitation.
Before you continue