What dropped from the vortex this time was the front half of a black insect's leg. It was a meter long, and dangling from the tip was a jade pendant—none other than a sword token from the Heavenly Sword Sect.
Jade immediately grew uneasy. This was no small matter. An insect leg alone could mean a great deal.
Without delay, she stored both the insect leg and the sword pendant into her storage pouch. Then she replaced the protective formation around the cold pond with a compound formation meant for both trapping and killing. After disguising herself as a servant girl in green robes, she set off toward the capital where her master resided.
Just as she exited the ridge and reached the outer edge, she saw five suspicious-looking individuals.
Though the five wore plain coarse garments, the fierceness in their eyes and the bloodthirsty aura around them made it clear they were not good people.
These five were elite warriors who had escaped from under Matsushita of the Yingzhou Kingdom.
Due to their distinct features, they couldn't linger long in crowded places or they would be easily recognized as foreigners.
They had no choice but to flee deeper and deeper into unpopulated areas to escape pursuit.
Jade frowned. She remembered Jian Dan's instruction—never lay a hand on mortals. These men weren't good people, but it wasn't her place to decide their fate.
So she simply watched as they slipped into the ridge and continued on her way to Fengyun Town.
Fengyun Town remained lively, though soldiers and government officials had recently arrived in large numbers. The townsfolk whispered that they were here to capture the rogue warriors from the Yingzhou Kingdom.
Everyone was acting more cautiously. Once the sun set, the streets would empty out completely.
Jade couldn't use magic after leaving Fengyun Ridge, so by the time she walked into town on foot, the sky was already painted with crimson dusk.
She had no choice but to find an inn to rest for the night. She planned to hire a carriage the next morning to speed things up.
Being alone was not ideal, and just as she was pondering her options, a monk brushed past her shoulder.
Jade didn't notice, preoccupied with thoughts of her next steps. Guided by the inn's servant, she took an upper room and requested water for washing, then rested early.
That monk, however, stood at the stairway entrance, frowning as he looked toward the room Jade had entered. After a moment of contemplation, he murmured a Buddhist chant and returned to his own room.
Master Jishi of Pujisi Temple returned with questions on his mind. Inside the room, several of his junior disciples were engaged in their evening chants. Upon seeing him, they greeted him with a Buddhist bow and continued their prayers.
But Jishi remained lost in thought, recalling the green-robed woman he had just seen.
There had been a faint fluctuation of spiritual power on her, but her beastly aura was light. Strangely, she also carried a trace of Buddhist force.
With his cultivation at the Divine Transformation stage, he should have seen through her disguise if she were a beast or demon. Yet, her identity remained murky.
Still puzzled, Master Jishi began following Jade the next day, accompanied by his disciples.
At first, Jade didn't pay it much mind. But after three days of being followed, even she found it hard to ignore.
That day, Jade visited the carriage house in Fengyun Town, paid for a green-roofed carriage, and hired a driver. She claimed she was a maid delivering a letter to the capital on behalf of her young lady.
She wove a tale that her lady's family had fallen on hard times and taken temporary shelter with her maternal uncle. The aunt was harsh and schemed to marry the girl off as a concubine to a wealthy household without the consent of her parents. Her lady had no choice but to send Jade on this secret errand.
The middle-aged driver was moved. He sympathized with the plight of the noble young lady. Outsiders often envied the wealth of the elite, but they never knew the filth behind closed doors. He resolved to drive the carriage as swiftly as he could.
Jade silently praised herself. That excuse had come from a storybook she read a few days ago, and now it had proven useful.
What did vex her, however, was the bald-headed monks tailing her carriage. She hadn't done anything out of line, so why had they latched onto her?
Unable to endure it any longer, she finally confronted Master Jishi at a teahouse on the outskirts.
"Master, greetings."
Jade gave a formal courtesy as a worldly woman would, then fixed her gaze on the monk with the highest cultivation among them.
"Amitabha. Greetings to the benefactress."
"Master, may I ask if I've done something wrong? Why have you been following me since Fengyun Town?"
"Amitabha. Benefactress, you have a connection with the Buddha. Would you consider joining the Buddhist path?"
Jade shrugged and mimicked Jian Dan's usual smile.
"Thank you for the offer, Master. But I am a common person. My master waits for me at home. I love color and fragrance, enjoy delicious food, and delight in lively places. I won't trouble myself, nor do I wish to trouble you."
"Amitabha. Benefactress, you are being shallow."
"I am shallow. I can't be profound."
Now Master Jishi was momentarily at a loss. All he could do was murmur an apology and lead his group down a different road.
Jade bared her teeth at their retreating backs and returned to the carriage.
Still, she remained alert, checking frequently to see if they had truly stopped tailing her.
After two more days on the road with no signs of being followed, Jade finally relaxed.
"Master, why are we still following this woman?"
"Amitabha. Her aura is unusual. I remain uneasy. We will follow her a bit longer."
Though puzzled, the disciples offered no objections and continued the pursuit.
Jade was in a rush and focused entirely on the journey. This left Master Jishi uncertain whether his instincts were mistaken.
One day, because they had been hurrying, they missed the usual resting place. The driver, however, remained calm. He told Jade that if they passed over the hill ahead, there would be a small village.
The villagers were mostly hunters, tough and bold, with little contact with the outside world. He had once delivered furs for sale there and still had some acquaintances.
He planned to take Jade to spend the night there. Jade didn't mind. Sleeping outdoors was no problem, but it wouldn't fit the persona of a first-time maid on a long journey. So she agreed.
The driver cracked his whip and urged the horse to quicken its pace, heading for the small village.
But inside the carriage, Jade sensed something off. Her sharp instincts warned her. There was something wrong at the base of that mountain.
As soon as the carriage crested the hill, the horse reared up and refused to go any farther. No matter how the driver whipped it, it wouldn't budge.
The horse was trembling inside. This girl terrified it. Back when they were negotiating the fare, it had gone weak in the knees and collapsed. The only reason it agreed was the generous payment that had made its master happy.
But now, the village ahead was even more terrifying than the girl. The horse would bet its entire life that if they went down, they would never return.
The driver's face fell. His horse was usually obedient. This was the first time it had flat-out refused to move, no matter what.
"Master, I think the horse is tired. Let it drink some water. I'll walk ahead into the village."
"That… that won't do. I can't let a young lady walk alone at night."
Jade gently stopped his protests.
"Master, listen to me. If anything strange happens to the horse, follow it. Don't hesitate."
She stepped down from the carriage and patted the horse's head. The moment she touched it, the animal quieted immediately.