"What's our plan now?"
Aotian suddenly asked, with Rihai lying in his arms.
She furrowed her brows and thought for a moment.
"Well, I'm not sure… I planned to escape to Crystal Mine City, the largest and closest city for rogue cultivators. But that would require outrunning our pursuers. I didn't expect this accident on the way… I never imagined the wings would lose all their energy at once and drop us."
Rihai shook her head bitterly.
"Why are they chasing us, Rihai? What does this have to do with Red Tiger City?"
Aotian asked, confused. Until now, he didn't understand the connection between that city and the fact that they were being targeted.
"Haah… Well, I have an idea… Remember those three cultivators who were with me when we first met?"
Rihai sighed helplessly and shook her head, referring to the first cultivators Aotian ever saw in this world… aside from her.
"I remember. What about them? Were they important people?"
He asked, confused. To him, those three didn't seem like much.
Rihai shrugged and explained:
"Well, they were nobodies in Azure Cloud City, but their master was… at least before he fell ill. You remember that Jun Moji we met?"
Aotian tilted his head, recalling the sinister old man who had been among the leaders who planned the ambush against them, alongside the city lord.
"He's their master? So he blamed us and wanted to get rid of us? But is he really influential enough to get the city lord involved?"
Aotian was just guessing, not really believing in that hypothesis.
Rihai just rolled her eyes.
"Of course not! People like Jun Moji don't care about disciples or family, only about themselves. From what I've heard, he was poisoned when he was young and nearly died, but after spending a fortune, he found a way to keep the poison dormant in his body."
She explained indifferently and continued:
"But now that he's old, his vitality is no longer enough to contain the poison, and it started corroding his body again. He desperately needs the blood of a Red Tiger to create a medicine that will restore his vitality and suppress the poison again. Since then, he's been offering huge rewards for information about the beast, but only recently did he receive any leads… and you know the rest."
She finished, her expression turning irritated at the mere mention of the old man.
Aotian nodded, as he really did know the rest of the story.
"So he sent his disciples to capture the tiger since he couldn't fight himself. And because his eldest disciple was saved by you and knew you, she begged you for help, securing a backup plan in the form of you. And since you were bored, you decided to go along."
Aotian concluded, connecting the dots.
Rihai simply nodded, but in the end, her expression turned a little strange.
Aotian noticed and frowned.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"Well, no… You just missed one detail. I don't like Jun Moji, so I kinda went… well… to steal the prey and let him die."
She finished with a mischievous smile.
Aotian was stunned, not expecting that plot twist.
"You… weren't afraid that this would cause trouble for you?"
He asked, surprised. From what he knew, Rihai wasn't someone reckless.
She shook her head and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Of course not. In his current state, his influence over the Blood Pavilion is already minimal. So, I wasn't worried about interfering. He doesn't deserve another chance. The things he's done… the number of girls he's ruined… Even the very young ones didn't escape his grasp. It's better for that piece of trash to rot and die a violent death."
Finally, she revealed her true disgust, and Aotian frowned at what he heard.
He had sisters in his past life and always worried about them, knowing there was a lot of human trash in the world. His hatred for people like that was immense.
He hated those who committed evil, and rapists were at the top of his list.
But putting those matters aside for a moment, he was still confused.
"If that's the case, why did they ambush us, then?"
This time, Rihai turned serious.
"Jun Moji must have sent subordinates to investigate after realizing his disciples never returned. They probably found the ruins of Red Tiger City. Since I lived in Azure Cloud City for years, my reputation as a strong and righteous cultivator has long been known. He must have figured out that I would never allow the city's destruction if I could prevent it. With a bit more investigation, it would be easy to deduce that there was a beast above Qi Refinement on the mountain, which means…"
She laid out her theory and, at the end, left it for Aotian to complete.
"That there's a second-tier spiritual vein there!"
Aotian suddenly understood, and everything became clear.
"Jun Moji must have gathered the Blood Pavilion and the city lord to have enough people and resources to set up an ambush for the Red Tiger. With the interest in a second-tier spiritual vein involved, this was the opportunity he needed to bring others in to help him—both to gain access to greater power and to obtain the Red Tiger's blood, which he desperately needs. And they hunted us because they feared we would spread the information about the Tiger and the veins, which could attract Foundation Establishment cultivators."
He said, forming his hypothesis.
Rihai nodded.
"I think so too. They must have figured it out later, which is why they didn't ambush us last time we left. But this time, we were targeted."
She explained, while another doubt surfaced in Aotian's mind.
"And why didn't they invade the apartment? Wouldn't it have been easier than waiting for us to leave just to ambush us then?"
Rihai shook her head negatively.
"No. Hooded figures ambushing others in the streets is common in Azure Cloud City, but invading an apartment and its formations in the rich district would cause panic and distrust among the population. The city lord wouldn't allow it. Besides, in an enclosed space, dealing with me would be much more complicated and time-consuming. They might even end up in the gutter."
Aotian was stunned by Rihai's response. It seemed she wasn't just a skilled fighter in other people's eyes, but a true combat machine.
Rihai noticed his dazed expression and smirked.
"There were too many people, and I was too worried about you. That's why, unconsciously, I let my guard down around the pile of corpses along the way and almost died from a sneak attack by someone hidden among them.
If it weren't for that, with the amount of energy in my Foundation Establishment dantian, my combat skills, and my spells, I would have killed more than half of them before running out of energy."
She smiled at him teasingly.
Aotian thought about it and realized it made sense.
"Uh… so you almost died because of me?"
He asked, amused yet powerless.
"Basically!"
Rihai winked at him playfully.
Feeling helpless, he could only flick her forehead to make himself feel better.
Snap!
"Ow! What are you doing?! Do you think I won't bite you?!"
Rihai held her forehead angrily and gritted her teeth at him.
Aotian grinned, feeling much better seeing her annoyed face.
"Well, my little lioness, you can bite!"
He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto him, falling onto the bed with her on top of him.
"Aotian!"
Rihai said, powerless as she felt him squeeze her butt.
"What? You're my woman, this is all mine!"
Aotian teased, firmly grabbing her plump butt.
Rihai blushed and playfully slapped his chest.
Aotian smiled at her, letting go of her butt and just hugging her.
Looking into her eyes, he became serious.
"And now?" Aotian asked.
Rihai shrugged, resting her head on his chest.
"Now that we're recovered, we don't have to worry about the pursuers anymore. They can't ambush us in such large numbers again. In a vast region like this, it's impossible to predict where we'd go and prepare something as elaborate as last time.
So they're no longer a threat to us."
She explained simply.
Aotian then had an idea.
"We already know they're hunting us, which makes it very difficult for them to ambush us again... Wouldn't it be easy, with the strength of the two of us, to go back and kill them all?"
He spoke, his eyes gleaming with thirst for revenge. He hated being ambushed without having done anything wrong, just because of others' selfishness.
But Rihai shook her head.
"No. They have even more subordinates than what we saw, along with many treasures, talismans, and formations. They didn't come at full strength last time. Even if we could still handle it, it would take too much time and effort. But more importantly, we must head to Crystal Mine City immediately."
She firmly rejected the option of going back.
"Huh?" Aotian looked at her, confused.
"With us fleeing, they will attack Red Tiger Forest as soon as possible, afraid of missing their chance. They must be planning to take the forest and break through to Foundation Establishment as fast as possible, securing their position."
She said seriously and continued.
"They probably assumed that since I ran away, the Tiger must be at the early stage. What they don't know is that the Red Tiger is actually at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. If the Tiger is smart, after being provoked, it will probably destroy Azure Cloud City after killing everyone who ambushed it, so that the news won't spread and stronger cultivators won't come after it."
She said with unprecedented seriousness and concluded:
"The Red Tiger, for some reason, didn't chase us last time. But we can't count on luck again. We have to leave as soon as possible. From here to Crystal Mine City, at our speed, it's a six-month journey on foot. We need to get there before they attack…"
"…That way, we'll be safe, even if the Tiger comes after us."