"Ha ha ha ha ha…"
"It's not funny!"
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha…"
"Stop laughing! It's not funny!"
"HA HA HA HA HA HA…"
"Li Ran!"
Li Ran snapped his mouth shut, but lost his balance and almost toppled off his seat. His Shizun and shixiongs glared at him sternly, while Ling Yu sat across the table, arms crossed and lips pouting in clear displeasure.
Li Ran covered his mouth, but his shoulders still shook with suppressed laughter.
On the table lay several copies of the announcement being plastered all over the city, seeking them.
At the top, bold characters read "WANTED," accompanied by supposed likenesses of Ling Yu and Xu Ming. Instead, the posters depicted two terrifying men, one with a thick beard, the other with a long scar slashed across his face.
The drawings were so ridiculous that even her shixiongs struggled not to laugh.
"How can they do this?! This isn't me!" Ling Yu huffed.
"Xiao Wu, relax. We all know it isn't you. But isn't this better?" Shen Qingyu coaxed.
"That's not what I mean." Ling Yu deflated, still pouting.
"Your Da Shixiong is right. This is better," Gu Tianzhu added.
"Shizun…" Ling Yu whined.
"Alright, alright. I know. It's exaggerated, but Han Shengzun did the right thing. This way, no one but the Alliance knows the truth."
"Most importantly, you—" Gu Tianzhu pointed a finger at Ling Yu's nose. "—will be safe." And Xuan Tian Shengzun will not lose his hair, he added inwardly.
Ling Yu didn't say anything, but her mind took her back to what happened after she and Xu Ming ducking behind the wooden crates.
------------------------------
"What are we doing here?"
"Lower your voice!" Ling Yu whispered, not paying attention to Xu Ming, but to the streets.
"What are we doing here?" Xu Ming whispered.
"What do you mean? Of course, we're hiding!"
"Why are we hiding?" Xu Ming still whispering. He didn't understand, but he was intrigued enough that he was willing to 'play' along his 'savior.'
Ling Yu didn't answer. She was busy looking out.
Xu Ming put his hand on her shoulder, "If you're afraid that they will hurt you, don't be. I am stronger than any of them. I can kill…"
Ling Yu's head whipped to Xu Ming and she covered Xu Ming's mouth with her hand.
"Stop saying you'll kill them!"
She sighed and continued, "Look. I know you're a lot stronger than them. I've seen it. But it doesn't mean you can just kill them. We are running because I don't want you …" She point his chest with her finger.
"To kill more people."
She let go his mouth and looked back at the street. "Luo Shijie is… was an inner disciple of Bewitching Lotus Peak. Her position was not low. She wasn't just some nameless outer disciple. Her Shizun and Jian Wushuan would definitely investigate this."
She looked back at Xu Ming, "They are very powerful. They can kill you."
Xu Ming looked back at her, blinking slowly. "You… doing this… to protect me?"
She smiled weakly. "To avoid bloodshed. I know you are way more powerful than me. You might even be on the same level as Su Lianhua and Jian Wushuan. If they do catch us, you'd have to fight them. You might get injured, they might get injured. Or killed."
She sighed again, "As much as I don't like them, I don't want unnecessary confrontation that will hurt more innocent bystander."
"So… If the confrontation is not in public and will not hurt innocent bystander, I can do it?" Xu Ming trying to follow Ling Yu's logic.
"What? No! That's not…"
"Why are you hiding here?" Suddenly someone appeared behind them and spoke.
"Ah!" Ling Yu jumped in surprised.
Xu Ming circulated his spirit energy in a flash and wanted to attack, but the suddenly remembered that, for some reason unknown to him, Ling Yu didn't like him killing anyone. He hesitated.
While Xu Ming considering his life choices, Ling Yu looked at the new comer and her eyes widened and she jumped up and started attacking the man.
But… she attacked with her hands and hit the man on his upper arm, like non-cultivators.
"Don't. Do. That!" She hit the man with each word.
"You. Scared. Me!"
Xuan Tian stood there motionless for few moments before he caught both Ling Yu's hands.
"Stop. You're hurting yourself."
Ling Yu stopped her useless attacks, but she was still glaring at Xuan Tian. Then, without explanation, she yanked him down to crouch with her. Now, the God of War of Celestial Realm and the Head of Lingxu Sect were both squatting behind wooden crates, following the lead of a nineteen-year-old female cultivator. It was not a sight anyone would ever expect.
Xuan Tian followed Ling Yu's lead and crouched down. He shifted his gaze to Xu Ming and observed him. His instinct had been honed for thousands of years. His judgement of character was rarely wrong. And yet, right now, his senses gave him mixed signals: dangerous and harmless.
He swept his cold gaze toward Xu Ming, who stared back without fear.
Xu Ming was wondering who this man was. He sensed Low Immortal Four from him, but instinct told him this man was not only dangerous, but lethal. Absurd! How lethal can a Low Immortal Four be?
Xuan Tian was not a person to trust easily. But he could see how Ling Yu protected this puzzling young man sincerely. And when Xuan Tian looked at his eyes as he gazed at Ling Yu, there was no malice there, only curiosity.
He decided to observe him further. Besides, there was a huge gap in their cultivation. He didn't want to start an unnecessary confrontation that could result in Ling Yu being injured. Let's just observe him. Ling Yu seems to trust him to a certain extent.
Both men separately decided not to confront each other—and both sensed the other's intent. Their silent mutual decision was, ironically, the first agreement ever made between a Celestial and a Human.
Once each acknowledged the other, they quietly appreciated the shared conclusion. Each gained a plus point in the other's eyes.
Ling Yu remained unaware of the unspoken exchange, too focused on scanning their surroundings.
Xuan Tian lowered his gaze and cleared his throat. "Ling Yu, what exactly are we doing here? Why are you hiding from the Alliance's chase?"
Then, as if realization struck, his eyes widened. "Did you…?"
Ling Yu turned to him, waiting.
He pointed between Ling Yu and Xu Ming. "Don't tell me you're the reason there's a crater in the market?"
"It was you?!"