Chapter 603 Negotiation Breakdown
“Sister Lu Yao, thank you for saving me from the sea of fire!” After leaving the security agency, Ai Qing put away the spirit stones and expressed her gratitude profusely.
“Was it that serious?” Lu Yao glanced sideways.
“Of course! That perverted security chief explicitly told me to work for him as a bodyguard. After I joined, he sent me on no missions far away or near, all to try and take advantage of me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known what to do,” Ai Qing said with a look of lingering fear.
“Couldn’t you just find another job?” Lu Yao suggested.
“I’ve tried, not just once or twice, but someone always tries to take advantage of me!” Ai Qing spread her hands helplessly.
Qi Huang almost burst out laughing upon hearing this. She looked Ai Qing over again. This woman was beautiful, had a hot figure, and exuded feminine charm, so it wasn’t unreasonable for people to try and take advantage of her.
Lu Yao couldn’t be bothered to dwell on the issue any longer and asked, “Tell me, which direction is Blue Ring Star?”
“Wait, didn’t you hire other bodyguards?” Ai Qing asked, looking around curiously.
“No,” Lu Yao shook her head.
“Ah? You only asked if I knew the way to Blue Ring Star, and you didn’t have any requirements for cultivation level. I thought you had hired other powerful bodyguards and were simply looking for me as a guide!” Ai Qing exclaimed with her mouth agape in shock.
“Scared?” Lu Yao taunted.
“Of course I’m scared! I’m afraid something will happen to you. With my cultivation level, I can’t guarantee your safety. You should hire a few more powerful bodyguards,” Ai Qing said, shaking her head rapidly.
“You don’t need to worry about that. You just need to point the way. Tell me, where is Blue Ring Star?” Lu Yao commanded.
“Hmm, it’s in that direction!” Ai Qing looked up, observed, and then pointed towards the southwest.
“Very good. Do you have a storage ring?” Lu Yao continued to command.
“You want me to go inside so you can fly with me? That’s probably not possible. Just as that security chief Han said, with my cultivation level, it would take at least several decades to get you to Blue Ring Star. It would be better to rent a flying carriage. Their speed is comparable to Emperor-grade or even King-grade Immortals, and it would only take a few days.” Ai Qing said with great experience.
“It’s not me flying with you, it’s me flying with you. You just need to hide in the storage ring and point the direction,” Lu Yao explained helplessly.
“You flying with me?” Ai Qing eyed Lu Yao with suspicion.
“Stop the nonsense. If you keep yapping, I’ll return the spirit stones to you, and you can go back and let that security chief Han take advantage of you,” Lu Yao threatened.
“Ah? Yes, yes, yes!” Ai Qing was startled, so she quickly took out a storage ring and hid inside.
Lu Yao, wearing the storage ring, instantly disappeared from her spot and then flew at high speed in the direction Ai Qing had indicated.
Inside the storage ring, Ai Qing couldn’t see the outside world and could only use her spiritual sense to scan her surroundings. However, because the scanning area was limited, she couldn’t provide real-time guidance. The only thing she could feel was that her employer’s speed was extremely exaggerated, so fast that it made her tremble with fear.
“How does she have such terrifying speed? And she doesn’t seem to be using her spiritual sense. Is it some kind of acceleration magic treasure?” Ai Qing speculated incredulously.
Not long after Lu Yao had flown out, her senses suddenly detected a group of people blocking her path. She unconsciously slowed down, preparing to see what was happening.
“What’s wrong?” Ai Qing emerged from the storage ring.
Lu Yao didn’t speak but quietly looked at the hundreds of figures in the distance in the void.
“Damn it, who are these people?” Ai Qing’s face immediately showed alertness, and she drew her sword.
Through Lu Yao’s senses, Qi Huang could also “see” the group of people clearly. She noticed that these hundreds of people were not a single group but were divided into several factions. The largest faction was blocking the road. Their leader was an Earth-grade Immortal with formidable cultivation, so the other factions could only be blocked here.
“I’ll say it again, this road is blocked today. If you continue to pester, you will stay here forever!” the Earth-grade Immortal declared, unleashing his terrifying spiritual sense to form a vast “wall of spiritual sense,” completely blocking a large area of space above, below, left, and right. Those with weaker spiritual sense couldn’t even explore the edges, nor did they know the end, making it difficult to break through and even more time-consuming to bypass.
“This is outrageous! This area does not belong to the jurisdiction of the Zhenyu Sect. Why won’t you let us pass?”
“Yes, you casually set up checkpoints within Zhenyu. What’s the difference between that and bandits? Aren’t you afraid the Immortal Palace will find out and punish you?”
“Fellow Immortals of Zhenyu Sect, we are merely doing business. Please be kind and let us pass. Tell us whatever you require.”
The blocked people spoke one after another, some threatening, some pleading, trying every possible way to get through.
Qi Huang looked and found that there were quite a few familiar faces among them, all of whom had collaborated with “Ding Yu.” Therefore, their purpose was self-evident – all of them were heading for Tian Ji Zi.
“Ah, there are quite a few employers from our security agency!” Ai Qing was quite surprised to see them, but then she slapped her head, “How could I be so stupid? They are also going to Blue Ring Star, and they are taking the same route. It’s normal to encounter them!”
“I don’t care where you’re going. This road is blocked this month.”
The Earth-grade Immortal said extremely domineeringly. His strength in the Immortal Realm was second only to Heavenly Immortals, so he naturally had the confidence to speak like that.
“Fortunately, they are from the Zhen Tian Sect, not some bandits!” Ai Qing breathed a sigh of relief, then sheathed her sword and said, “It’s just that the Zhen Tian Sect seems determined to set up checkpoints here. I’m afraid we can’t get through and need to take a detour.”
“Detour? No need for that. Just deal with all of them,” Lu Yao said nonchalantly. She had sworn that anyone who dared to obstruct her quest for revenge against the Heavenly Dao would become her stepping stone.
“Deal with them? Oh my, sister, you think too highly of me. Do you know who the leader is? He is Zong Ye, the Enforcement Elder of the Zhenyu Sect, whose cultivation has reached the late stage of Earth Immortal. There are very few opponents for him throughout the entire Wushuang Immortal Kingdom. With my shallow cultivation, how can I deal with him? I can’t even deal with the lackeys behind him.” Ai Qing said self-deprecatingly.
“I’m not counting on you!” Lu Yao casually replied and then floated straight ahead.
“Come back! It’s too dangerous,” Ai Qing shouted anxiously.
A moment later, the two women merged with the group.
“Oh my! Isn’t this Ai Qing? How come you are here?”
“Yes, didn’t Security Chief Han always have you serving tea and water? Have you changed your mind?”
“Tell your sister, you’re not quitting, are you? But this isn’t the way back to your hometown either.”
Several male and female bodyguards from the Batian Security Agency surrounded Ai Qing as soon as they saw her, showing concern.
“Uh… I’m also escorting an employer to Blue Ring Star,” Ai Qing replied unnaturally.
“You? Escorting someone to Blue Ring Star?” Among them, a beautiful woman slightly older than Ai Qing glanced at Lu Yao and then asked, “You, alone?”
“Yes! Sister Fang!” Ai Qing’s expression became even more awkward.
“That’s not right. If you’re escorting her alone, how did you catch up with us?”
“That’s right! We didn’t delay much along the way. With your cultivation, even if you set off immediately, you couldn’t have caught up with us. Could it be that you spent a lot of money to buy some flying magic treasures or talismans?”
“Don’t joke. Her monthly salary isn’t even enough to buy basic cultivation pills, let alone have money to buy such items?”
“That’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is how Security Chief Han would allow you to escort an employer? Didn’t he always fear you would ruin the agency’s reputation?” The bodyguards began to tease.
“Shut up! Does that Security Chief Han fear she will ruin the reputation? He clearly has ill intentions. You yourself…”
“But Tang Zhi won’t agree. Don’t you have any self-awareness?” Sister Fang reprimanded, and the male bodyguards had to shut up sheepishly.
“Tell Sister Fang, why did Security Chief Han suddenly allow you to escort an employer?” Sister Fang then turned her head and asked sternly.
“Because I quit! I can escort whoever I want, and he can’t control me,” Ai Qing explained vaguely.
“Quit?” Sister Fang was stunned for a moment, then smiled in relief. “It’s good that you quit anyway. Staying at the Batian Security Agency was not good for you.”
“Yes, that Security Chief Han is a pervert. I advise you to quit early too,” Ai Qing advised.
“I want to, but where can I go if I quit? It’s not easy to find a job in this world,” Sister Fang shook her head helplessly.
“Follow me. I’m planning to start my own security agency,” Ai Qing said confidently.
“You? Where did you get the money?” Sister Fang asked, unable to help but chuckle.
“This employer gave it to me! She gave me a large piece of high-quality spirit stone as a deposit, enough to open a security agency,” Ai Qing turned and looked at Lu Yao worshipfully.
“Really? Then I must congratulate you. But with your strength, can you safely deliver her to Blue Ring Star?” Sister Fang asked the key question. Ai Qing was immediately speechless, as this was also her biggest concern.
“Alas! You silly girl!” Sister Fang sighed helplessly and then apologized to Lu Yao, “Miss, I’m sorry! You are young and probably don’t know that this journey is full of dangers. It’s really not safe to let her escort you! How about this, if the people from the Zhenyu Sect let us pass later, then you can follow us closely. This way, if we encounter danger, we can help each other.”
Lu Yao did not answer; she didn’t need anyone’s help. Qi Huang, however, felt a little touched, as this woman named Fang was truly kind-hearted.
At this moment, the negotiation between their side and the Zhenyu Sect broke down.
“You dogs of the Zhenyu Sect, you’re just trying to block our path so your masters can go find Tian Ji Zi alone, aren’t you?”
“Yes, the Blood River Day is fast approaching, and everyone is in a panic. Everyone wants to find Tian Ji Zi to inquire about a glimmer of survival. You blocking the path is tantamount to pushing everyone to their deaths!”
“If you move aside now, it’s fine. But if you insist on blocking the path, we’ll all charge forward and devour you one by one.” The blocked people had lost their patience and began to curse.
“Seeking death?” Elder Zong Ye of the Zhenyu Sect revealed a cruel smile. The powerful spiritual sense of the Earth-grade Immortal directly pressed down overwhelmingly, not even sparing Lu Yao at the very back. It was utterly arrogant.
