The cedars stood like soldiers in the vast snowy sea, the thick snow blocking most of the light. Occasionally, some light spots pierced through the gaps, illuminating a face with a fox mask.
“As long as I keep going east, there’s a high chance I can reach a nearby city. Once I get to the Snow Demon city, those Frost Ghosts won’t dare to openly capture me like this.”
She looked up at the distance, only to hear the roars of carnivorous monsters claiming their territory. The sound was incredibly loud, causing the ground to vibrate slightly and even dislodging snow from the trees.
“Whoosh!”
Thinking this, Su Jiu stomped her feet on the snow, kicking up some accumulated snow. She leaped several meters into the air to a tree trunk and then darted towards the east, her movements as swift and agile as a bird, leaving only a black afterimage.
As dusk approached, she had to reach a city as quickly as possible. The National Master’s mission absolutely could not fail. If it did, not only would she not get the Dragon Rhythm, but her hope of stopping the conflict between the two Snow Demon factions would also turn into nothing.
About five or six minutes after Su Jiu left, several figures the size of butts swooped down, making “squeaking” sounds. Soon, a tall figure in black landed, exuding the aura of a High-Rank Battle King.
“Someone was here just now. Judging by the direction of their force, it seems to be east. It must be her!”
The figure half-crouched and looked at the footprints left by Su Jiu’s exertion, muttering to herself. Then, from behind her butt, she took out a tooth made to resemble that of a low-level Frost Ghost and blew into it.
“Woo—”
Su Jiu, who was already several kilometers away, suddenly heard the sound of the horn. Her body paused slightly. She turned her head and saw several birds startled into flight in the sky. Squinting at the falling snow, she murmured:
“Frost Ghosts can sense movement in the snow. I’m afraid I’ve been discovered.”
Passing through a large dense forest, a burnt match appeared in Su Jiu’s sight. Slowing her speed, she walked towards the match and sniffed it, still catching the scent of grass boiled into food.
Su Jiu looked at the footprints on the ground. They were somewhat scattered, with monster footprints and tire tracks. It looked like a caravan of more than a dozen people. She then followed the footprints.
This was likely a clue to get her into the city quickly, and she couldn’t let it go.
Soon, Su Jiu caught up with the footprints. After about ten minutes, she finally reached a position in the trees and looked down.
About a dozen body lengths away, she spotted a carriage made of red wood moving forward. The fabric of the carriage curtain looked quite luxurious, adorned with some shattered Magic Crystals that emitted a faint blue light in the dimness.
Pulling the carriage were two snow-white elk, adding an extra touch of elegance to the already noble decoration.
Around the carriage stood five Snow Demons dressed in scholar robes, each around the Initial Stage Battle King level. The leading Red-Hatted Scholar Snow Demon was at the High-Rank Battle King level. And the person inside the guarded carriage was surprisingly…
Only a War General Level?
Su Jiu squinted. This didn’t seem like the Grand Prince. With his status, even if discovered by those Frost Ghosts, he wouldn’t easily offend them.
Moreover, the Frost Ghosts would likely be waiting for her at the exit. Hiding was the best option.
“If it’s only a War General Level, then using the Blood Clan’s mental control should still be a problem.”
She touched her ring again and pinned a small golden token to her waist. This was a hidden aura token she obtained from a Griffin she killed in the woods during the world competition. Unlike hiding with Mental Power, this directly concealed her entire aura.
She looked at the carriage compartment, then her shoulders trembled, and she transformed into a blue butterfly the size of a fist, fluttering towards the compartment. Her speed was exceptionally fast, only a slight blue blur was visible as she pushed aside the curtain and landed inside.
Inside the carriage was a girl about the same size as Anna, wearing a pair of thin, silver-white framed glasses. The latter blinked her eyes and didn’t seem surprised by the sudden appearance of the butterfly. Instead, she made a gesture as if to whisper and asked curiously:
“Who are you? Little butterfly…”
“…”
Seeing the other party’s demeanor, Su Jiu didn’t rush to speak. She landed on a nearby windowsill, intending to pretend to be an ordinary butterfly to fool her.
“If you don’t speak, I’ll call someone.”
After waiting for about a minute, the girl in glasses seemed impatient, her expression quite serious as she reminded.
After re-examining the other party, Su Jiu pondered for a moment and, with the idea of fooling a child, spoke in a very small voice:
“I am a little butterfly sprite under the Poetry Fairy. Now a big bad guy is trying to catch me. Kind girl, would you be willing to help me through this disaster?”
Smiling, the girl in glasses reached out to touch Su Jiu’s wings, but was easily avoided by the latter. She also asked somewhat slyly, “Then, little butterfly sprite, tell me how I can help you.”
Seeing the moon, stars, and sun markings on the girl’s hand, Su Jiu instinctively thought of the other party’s identity – an Astrologer. She then said cautiously:
“Kind little girl, a group of Frost Ghosts are tracking me. Now I must evade their search and head to the Ancient Imperial Capital to rendezvous with the Poetry Fairy.”
If the other party didn’t go crazy and try to capture or drive her away, Su Jiu wouldn’t use mental control. Of course, the main reason was the special tattoo on her hand. Appearing on a child, it was too bizarre.
“Okay.”
The girl in glasses nodded almost without thinking and agreed with a smile. Her eyes beneath the glasses were like calm, light blue seawater, without a trace of a ripple.
The girl in glasses being so easily fooled made Su Jiu a little uncertain about what she was thinking. However, since she was willing to believe her, Su Jiu was happy to oblige.
After a brief conversation between the two, the carriage continued to travel at a steady pace. Su Jiu worried if this speed would be enough to catch up. She then asked, “Little girl, can you tell me where you are going and what you are doing?”
The girl in glasses seemed to sense her thoughts, narrowing her eyes slightly. She propped her chin with her hand and chuckled, “Of course, I’m going to see the Poetry Fairy. What? Aren’t you welcome?”
Meeting those eyes that were not of her age, Su Jiu could almost feel that the girl had seen through her. After a moment of silence, she made up a lie and stopped speaking:
“Of course, I’m welcome. The Poetry Fairy loves obedient children the most. When we get to where the Poetry Fairy is, I’ll definitely give you the most candy.”
“Candy? Then…”
The girl in glasses showed a look of surprise and nodded gently. She lifted the carriage curtain, poked her little head out to the guards in front, and smiled, “Speed up the carriage. Try to reach Yungui City before nightfall. I want to get there quickly.”
“Yes!”
The Snow Guards responded solemnly, without any delay. They formed seals with their fingers, driving the snow elk to accelerate. The carriage suddenly soared into the sky, moving as if by magic.
Looking at the girl in glasses, whose face showed surprise, Su Jiu couldn’t figure out her personality, nor her identity. She could only remain silent.
“Hey, hey, mysterious little sprite, can you answer a question for me?”
As silence fell in the compartment, the girl in glasses suddenly turned to look at Su Jiu, her small face showing a serious expression.
Su Jiu was slightly startled but remained calm, asking with a playful tone, “Kind little girl, what question do you want to ask?”
“It’s just…”
The girl in glasses flashed a sweet smile, her gaze fixed on Su Jiu, and asked softly:
“Little butterfly sprite, what do you think of this National Master selection? Who do you think will win?”
Being asked this question, Su Jiu’s heart suddenly jolted, and she didn’t know how to answer. She decided to deflect the question to test the other party’s attitude: “Then, little girl, who do you think will win?”
“Me…”
The girl in glasses maintained her smile, but she had already turned her head to look at the sky outside the window, her hand still propping her chin.
“I heard Princess Hannah has very powerful helpers, not much older than her, and with the strength of a Mid-Rank War God after transforming. As for Prince Leviathan, he’s fully suppressing the participants’ levels, with many operations that are hard to understand.”
Hearing her words, Su Jiu’s heart stiffened. Anyone who knew that the Grand Prince was intentionally suppressing those foreign races was definitely not simple. She then tried to probe with a smile:
“So, you think Hannah’s person will definitely win?”
“No, quite the opposite…”
The girl in glasses suddenly laughed. At some point, a Tarot Card appeared in her hand, but the pattern on the Tarot Card was unclear. She continued, “I think the Grand Prince will win. Little butterfly sprite, do you know? Fate is a peculiar thing. I wonder if it’s because of your wings flapping that many things have changed.”
Hearing the other party’s words, which seemed to expose her, Su Jiu was not foolish. She directly guessed that the other party was not as simple as a War General Level, but she couldn’t figure out her identity.
“Stop at once! I am the Third Elder of the Frost Ghost tribe. I suspect you are harboring an escaped criminal who killed our tribesmen.”
Just as Su Jiu was about to ask about the other party’s identity, a roar suddenly sounded ahead. It seemed that the carriage’s high-profile flight had attracted the attention of the Frost Ghosts.
“Little girl, thank you for your trouble.”
Hearing the voice ahead, Su Jiu’s eyes became somewhat gloomy. She then hid in the crevice of the chair in the compartment, gathered her breath, and constantly used her Mental Power to sense the situation outside.
If she were discovered, she would fight, of course. After all, if she couldn’t defeat this Third Elder, she could still escape. His strength was only that of an Initial Stage Battle King.
“Hoo—” A fierce wind suddenly blew outside, as if a fight was about to break out. Su Jiu tried to use her Mental Power to probe, but found that her Mental Power couldn’t break through the carriage compartment at all.
After an unknown amount of time, it seemed the curtains in front hadn’t been opened, and the carriage began to fly normally again. Su Jiu could sense that the Third Elder’s aura had completely disappeared.
It was as if they had vanished into thin air!
For some reason, her eyes felt sleepy, and the sounds in her ears seemed to be buzzing…
“Lord Shuangkong, these Frost Ghosts seem to be Grand Prince’s people. As the leader, should you express your stance?”
A voice sounded from outside the carriage. It seemed to be those people in armor, and their attitude was extremely respectful, unlike how they would address a child.
“Let’s wait and see. I am supervising the Third Princess’s actions, not the Grand Prince. Moreover, the latter would not do anything foolish to intercept my people.”
The girl in glasses chuckled lightly, took out a metal box, and took out the Tarot Card. The card with the star imprint was placed inside, seeming to be the one Director Naz had given to Su Jiu.
Then, she slowly took out Su Jiu from the crevice and placed her gently on the card, sighing twice and softly saying:
“Can’t see through, can’t see through…”
