293: Chapter 293 Departure, Please Leave

Outer City of the capital.

A group of more than a dozen people was lingering there.

Several carriages were parked by the roadside, and the horses pulling them snorted impatiently.

At the very front of the group, Liu Qing was sitting astride a tall steed with a gloomy expression.

She had been waiting here for a full quarter of an hour.

All the Disciples had already assembled, and their luggage had all been loaded onto the carriages.

Only Bai Nianci was missing.

"That damn girl, where on earth has she run off to!"

Liu Qing cursed through gritted teeth, her heart filled with both confusion and anger.

She had only gone to deliver some medicine; although Changle Bridge was a bit of a distance from here, it shouldn't have taken this long.

Seeing that the city gates were about to close, if they didn't leave soon, they would have to spend the night in the city.

A female Disciple nearby cautiously approached.

"Senior Sister Liu, could Junior Sister Nianci have run into some trouble?"

"Shall we send a few people back to look for her?"

Liu Qing gave a cold snort.

"Look for her? The capital is so big, where would we even start?"

"This girl is always rash back in the valley, and she has no manners at all now that she's out!"

"When she gets back, see how I deal with her!"

Just as Liu Qing was about to lose her patience and give the order to enter the city to search for people, a flurry of hurried trotting suddenly came from inside the city gates.

"Senior Sister, Senior Sister Liu! I'm back!"

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a petite figure carrying a large medicine basket, panting heavily as she sprinted towards them.

Bai Nianci ran breathlessly all the way to Liu Qing's horse, supporting her knees with both hands and panting heavily.

"Huffs... huffs... Senior Sister, I'm sorry, I'm back late."

She raised her head and instantly caught sight of Liu Qing's frost-covered face.

Frightened, Bai Nianci shrank her neck, quickly straightened her body, and squeezed out a sheepish smile.

"Senior Sister, don't be angry."

"That Young Master who bought the medicine asked me a lot of questions about pharmacology, and in order to explain them clearly to him, I was delayed for a little while."

Bai Nianci lowered her head with a guilty conscience, not daring to meet Liu Qing's eyes at all.

There was no way she could tell her that she had forgotten the time because she was gluttonous and spent the entire afternoon eating at a teahouse.

If Senior Sister found out that she had spent one tael of gold on a single meal, she would definitely be hung up and beaten.

Liu Qing looked down at her from above, her gaze as sharp as a knife.

She could tell at a glance that Bai Nianci was lying.

This girl never knew how to lie since she was young; whenever she lied, she wouldn't dare look people in the eye, and her two hands would constantly twist the corners of her clothes.

This damn girl must have run off somewhere to play!

However, it was getting late, and the city gates were about to close; it wasn't the time to lecture someone.

Liu Qing took a deep breath,

"Cut the crap, get in the carriage immediately."

"I'll settle this score with you slowly after we get back to the valley!"

Hearing this as if granted amnesty, Bai Nianci nodded repeatedly.

"Yes, yes, yes, I'll get in the carriage right now!"

Like a startled rabbit, she slipped into the back carriage in a flash.

The fellow Senior Sisters and Junior Sisters inside the carriage covered their mouths and chuckled quietly upon seeing her disheveled state.

Liu Qing withdrew her gaze and scanned the group.

Confirming that everyone had arrived, she abruptly pulled on the reins.

The horse let out a long neigh.

Liu Qing swung herself onto the horse and waved a single hand:

"Since everyone is ready, let's set off now to avoid any complications that could arise from lingering into the night."

At her command, the convoy slowly started moving.

The wheels rolled over the bluestone slab road, emitting a rumbling sound.

The group took advantage of the setting sun, making a grand departure from the capital as they headed towards the official southern road.

Inside the carriage, Bai Nianci leaned against the carriage wall and stroked her round belly.

The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly, revealing a sweet smile.

"Young Master Chen really is a good person."

Bai Nianci muttered silently in her heart.

"I hope I can see him again in the future. With the prescription and those medicines, at least for the next five years, these Evil Qi will not act up."

Meanwhile, in the second-floor private room of Tingyu Pavilion.

The entire room had been cleaned up, restoring its original luxurious appearance.

Chen Ran stood by the window, watching the bustling crowd on the street below, while ahead the setting sun in the twilight was slowly sinking, finally disappearing into the clouds.

"Ciyin Medical Valley..."

"Traveling south by water route, a half-month journey."

The corners of Chen Ran's mouth curled upward, and his figure slowly vanished within the room.

"I hope your journey goes smoothly."

A few days later.

The capital, Heavenly Prison.

The morning mist had not yet dispersed when Chen Ran stepped into this gloomy and solemn underground prison.

He walked at a steady pace, no different from usual.

Ever since his nocturnal infiltration of the Bodhi Zen Monastery's stronghold last time, and learning the whereabouts of Princess Yongning from Jingyan, Chen Ran had been visiting the deep levels of the Heavenly Prison more frequently.

He patrolled as usual every day, unhurried, neither attracting attention nor deliberately avoiding it.

Today was no exception.

However, on his way toward the corridor of the Heavenly Prison, he took a turn and headed in the direction of the Commander's duty room.

The duty room door was half-open, and the muffled sound of weapons clashing could still be heard from inside.

Chen Ran raised his hand and knocked on the door frame.

"Come in."

A booming voice came from inside, full of vigor.

Chen Ran pushed the door open and saw Lin Sheng standing in the open space in the center of the duty room, holding a standard saber and hacking at a post made of special Materials.

He had a tall and sturdy build, and every cut he made carried fierce momentum, with Saber Qi overflowing, making the cut marks on the post deeper and deeper.

Finally, with a snap, the post shattered into pieces from the middle.

Seeing it was Chen Ran, Lin Sheng withdrew his saber stance, casually placed the long saber on the weapon rack, and picked up a nearby towel to wipe the sweat beads on his forehead.

"Chen Ran? So early, something the matter?"

"Commander Lin." Chen Ran cupped his fists and went straight to the point, "This subordinate would like to request a long leave."

Lin Sheng paused in his movement and raised his eyebrows: "Long leave?"