Tong Jialiang

Two round, pitch-black eyes opened on the translucent brown, round blob, blinking at Han Weishu as if responding to what she said.

A moment later, as if it had understood, it vanished into the ground with a whoosh.

Earth spirits were spirits nurtured by the earth itself. They were incredibly rare, and every single one was extremely precious.

As long as they were on the ground, they could travel millions of miles at lightning speed.

They could also easily perceive a wealth of information transmitted through the earth within a certain range.

However, in this mortal realm, many people did not know the uses of earth spirits, or even recognize them at all.

Coupled with the earnest warnings her mother had given her in the past, Han Weishu rarely summoned her earth spirit.

Furthermore, due to having a five-element spirit root, Han Weishu's cultivation was extremely low. Although she was a prodigy who started cultivating at the age of three, she was still only at the first level of Qi Condensation at sixteen, unable to cross the threshold into the second level.

Therefore, even though she was the daughter of Han Shangyi, the sect leader of the Qinghe Sect, the attention paid to her gradually dwindled.

After all, what did it matter if her father was a sect leader when she had cultivated for over a decade and was still only at the first level of Qi Condensation?

In the end, it was impossible for the Qinghe Sect to let someone with such low cultivation become the sect leader, or even an elder.

She would merely live for a few decades and die of old age.

Thus, to this day, no one knew she possessed an earth spirit.

Meanwhile, in Xiushui Village, quite a distance from the Qinghe Sect.

In the lush forest on the back mountain of the Lingxian Sect, Jiang Youfu was walking his chickens.

That is right, he was walking Little Luan and Da Tao.

Because Little Luan told him today that it was tired of eating the bugs in the sect and wanted him to bring it and its disciple to the back mountain for a change of pace.

However, Little Luan felt that the trees in the back mountain's forest were a bit too dense and terrifying, blotting out the sun, so it sought out Jiang Youfu to escort them.

Jiang Youfu figured he could also use the opportunity to look for some fresh mushrooms and other ingredients in the back mountain, so he brought Little Luan and Da Tao along.

And so, Jiang Youfu was now earnestly searching everywhere for mushrooms.

Little Luan and Da Tao followed behind him, occasionally burying their heads to eat.

Suddenly, Little Luan, who was busy eating, was hit on the head by something.

It thought Jiang Youfu had suddenly turned mean and was bullying it. It raised its head in disbelief, only to see Jiang Youfu earnestly picking little white umbrella mushrooms from the ground.

Then, it turned its head and saw the culprit that had just hit it, a bundle of dried wild vegetables lying on the ground.

So, it clucked and called Jiang Youfu over.

Pointing at the bundle of wild vegetables on the ground, it complained to him about how it had been hit and how much its head hurt.

Jiang Youfu looked at the wild vegetables on the ground, then looked at the head of Little Luan, who was now at the eighth level of Qi Condensation.

He comforted it, saying:

Alright, Little Luan, do not be angry. I will take this bundle of wild vegetables back, cook them, and eat them to avenge you later!

Saying so, he picked up the bundle of wild vegetables from the ground, stored them in his storage bag, and continued picking wild mushrooms.

Hearing this, Little Luan nodded in great satisfaction and went back to eating with Da Tao.

Meanwhile, the earth spirit Qiuqiu, who was tracking in this direction, suddenly sensed that Han Weishu's aura had vanished from the ground, and it stopped in its tracks beneath the earth.

It carefully perceived its surroundings once more, but still found nothing.

Thus, it had no choice but to return empty-handed and dejected to Han Weishu in the dark room.

Seeing Qiuqiu return empty-handed, Han Weishu was also angry.

It was all her father's fault, what gave him the right to throw away her wild vegetables!

Ah Liang had gone up the mountain before dawn two days ago just to forage for them.

It was currently winter. Although the winters in the south were not freezing cold and greenery could still be seen everywhere, the poor inherently lacked food during this season.

Ah Liang could not bear to eat them himself and had saved up a bundle of wild vegetables as a thank-you gift for her, only for her idiotic father to throw them away so easily.

These wild vegetables were very likely picked up by wild animals or impoverished families outside, sigh.

Thinking of this, she pressed her lips tightly together and looked around the small dark room where she was locked up.

They probably looked down on her first-level Qi Condensation cultivation, which was why they used the most ordinary room to lock her up.

They had not set up the slightest restriction, nor was there anyone standing guard outside; there was just a single lock on the outside.

Han Weishu knew she was currently on her father's mountain peak, surrounded by many of his disciples, so she could not just break the door down.

That would cause too much of a commotion.

She first confirmed her father's current location with Qiuqiu.

Upon learning that her father was currently receiving guests, she immediately began plotting her escape.

She pulled a wooden hairpin from her hair.

Then, she drew a slender iron needle from inside the wooden hairpin.

After piercing the paper pasted on the door frame's lattice, she reached her hand through the fist-sized hole and used the slender iron needle to pick the lock open in a few swift moves.

Once outside, she had Qiuqiu monitor the movements of the people nearby for her.

Evading everyone she encountered, she slipped out of the Qinghe Sect through an obscure little path quite far from the mountain gate.

As soon as she got out, Han Weishu sprinted away at top speed.

However, when she hurried relentlessly and finally arrived at Niutou Village on the southern border of the Pusi Kingdom on the morning of the third day, she saw Ah Liang carrying a tattered bundle on his back, bidding farewell to his uncle and aunt.

Seeing this, Han Weishu did not approach. Instead, she ran to hide in the bushes by the village road a hundred meters away, waiting for him to finish his farewells and walk over.

Not long after, Tong Jialiang bid farewell to his uncle and aunt and walked out of the village.

Who knew that he would not get very far before hearing Han Weishu's voice.

Where are you going?

Hearing this, Tong Jialiang was somewhat surprised. He looked at Han Weishu as she walked out of the bushes and said:

Ah Shu? Did you not go home? I thought you would not be able to come out for a long time again this time.

Han Weishu stared at him unhappily and said:

What? Did you intentionally leave while I was gone?

No, no, you misunderstand.

Hearing her say this, Tong Jialiang hurriedly waved his hands in denial, blushing as he explained:

I received a letter from my cousin yesterday saying that he has important work that requires help from now on, and asked me to hurry over. Because he urged me so urgently, I did not have time to say goodbye to you. I already told my uncle and aunt at home that if you came looking for me, they should pass on the message that I left.

With this, Han Weishu felt a bit more at ease and smiled at him slightly:

That is more like it. By the way, where are you heading?

Tong Jialiang replied:

Did I not tell you before? My uncle and aunt's second son, my cousin, sold himself as a servant in his earlier years so the family would have rice to put in the pot. Fortunately, he has followed a good master these past few years and is now serving in the capital, even able to correspond with the family from time to time.

It is this cousin of mine. He told me to first go to a county town named Songyang County in Hufang Province, find an escort agency, and wait for him there.