Chapter 18: The Strongest Scalpel (1)
Chapter 18: The Strongest Scalpel (1)
The green flash struck Bai Ye when she picked up her chopsticks. Images poured into her mind and she sucked in a breath. It was a sign that her training paid off. 𝒷𝓮𝒹𝓃ℴ𝓿𝓮𝓁.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"Success!" A smile tugged on Bai Ye's lips. Her pretty face lit up with joy and pride.
Yao Cuihua had just completed packing their food. She walked into the room and saw Bai Ye shoveling food down her throat. Yao Cuihua pitied the young girl, thinking the girl must be worried about their meals when they were traveling.
Despite knowing the girl outgrew her childhood, Yao Cuihua could resist showering Bai Ye with affection. She stroked the girl's hair and said, "Little Ye, with Grandpa Ji around, there's nothing you have to worry about, okay?"
Bai Ye mumbled something incoherent and continued stuffing her mouth. Under the loving gaze of Yao Cuihua, she finished her breakfast. Finally, she bid farewell to Banruo Village and happily left with Ji Fu.
At that moment, in another location...
"Master, Old Ji is taking Lady Bai out of the village," the spy informed Qing Xuantian after receiving the news.
"Follow them. Don't lose them," Qing Xuantian ordered darkly. His drastic actions yesterday earned him the ire of the village and thus his options were limited.
"Yes, Master." The spy left with his orders.
"Master, the substitute body is in place and Bai Zhan's corpse is on its way to Qingyun."
"Great. You'll make sure the substitute body is buried. The rest will follow me to Tong City." Qing Xuantian's target had moved out of Banruo Village. It only made sense for him to follow suit.
"You won't escape me," he muttered under his breath as his finger traced the scar on his neck.
Truthfully, he already had a plan in mind. He wanted to bring Bai Ye through the front gates of Qingyun.
No one would be allowed to let her leave Qingyun. Bai Ye and her powers would then belong to him.
…
While Qing Xuantian was busy plotting…
Bai Ye left the village in a Bullhorn cart.
A Bullhorn was a beast larger than an ordinary buffalo. A singular horn protruded from its forehead. They were commonly used as a means of transport as they were faster than mules. Riding a Bullhorn was like traveling on a high-speed rail.
With the help of the beast, Ji Fu and Bai Ye arrived at Tong City in ten days. Tong City was the nearest registration center for The Erudition Trials to Banruo Village.
"Come now, let's get off." Bullhorn carts were not allowed to enter the city, so they had to leave the beast in the monster stable outside the city's perimeter.
Bai Ye disembarked from the vehicle. As her feet touched the ground, her eyes scanned the high walls surrounding Tong City.
Once Ji Fu settled the beast in, he brought Bai Ye into the city.
"Mystic Weapons! Mystic Weapons! The latest of its kind! Don't miss out on this rare find!" Along the streets of the city, weapon dealers advertised their wares loudly to attract customers. All sorts of weapons were on display for passersby to browse.
In the beginning, like Ji Fu, Bai Ye was wholly-focused on getting to the registration center. Although there were still a few days to the deadline, being early never hurt.
However, midway through their journey into the city, Bai Ye's attention was caught by an obsidian blade.
It was a scalpel!
The finely-crafted scalpel reminded her of her training days in the past. Scalpels were always her strong suit.