523: Plans disrupted

“Lan Xiang Gong, what in the world is going on? Didn’t they just check you, why are they coming back now?!”

“Don’t worry, I did it on purpose. Just stay put, and in a moment, put me on that Mining Field, then you can leave normally.”

“Oh, then you, you must not be killed by anyone, otherwise, when I leave here, I’ll find…”

“Alright, alright, my chattering girl, I’ll be back soon, just two and a half hours!”

“Oh.” Li Jingyi pouted slightly and said nothing more.

Soon, she followed Chen Xuan’s command, quietly placing the hairpin that Chen Xuan had transformed into onto a nearby mountain, then obediently followed the crowd towards the square.

Of course, Li Jingyi’s small action naturally couldn’t escape the Scarlet Flame Matriarch, who was fully focused on observing the entire scene. She quickly noticed it, but she didn’t care.

Everyone present was an Ascender; having a small secret was perfectly normal and nothing to pay special attention to.

But similarly, Li Jingyi’s every move also did not escape Leng Ruoyun’s gaze.

Because Leng Ruoyun knew exactly where Chen Xuan was from the very beginning, her gaze had never left Li Jingyi for a moment.

At first, Leng Ruoyun felt full of pity and sympathy for Li Jingyi.

But as events unfolded, Leng Ruoyun’s attitude towards Li Jingyi subtly shifted without her realizing it.

That pure pity and sympathy had long vanished, replaced by a heart full of irritation and hostility.

She also didn’t know why she was annoyed.

“Hmph, what an shameless liar! How dare you use my sympathy to deceive my feelings! Alright, since you placed this hairpin so casually here, then you must have already prepared yourself to lose it!”

As Leng Ruoyun thought indignantly in her mind, she unconsciously took steps towards the Mining Field.

In a few breaths, she had already ascended to the peak of the Mining Field, unhesitatingly reaching out to pick up the silver-blue hairpin and gently inserting it into her waterfall-like flowing hair.

Chen Xuan: “…”

“No, what are you doing? Why did you come over here for no reason? Quickly put me down!”

Leng Ruoyun blinked upon hearing this, revealing an innocent expression as she said:

“I… I want to protect you! Didn’t we agree that I would do things for you? Now that you’re on my head, you’re definitely the safest, and no one would dare to touch you!” As she spoke, the girl proudly shook her cute little head.

Hearing this, Chen Xuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Put me down! I don’t need this kind of protection! You’ve already messed up my plan!”

Saying that, he tried to twist the hairpin to get off her head, but unfortunately, the girl was holding him tightly, giving him no chance to escape.

“Listen to me, let me go! Otherwise, I won’t be polite to you!”

“Hmph! I’m saving you! If you want to kill or cut me, this Young Miss will accompany you!”

Upon hearing Chen Xuan’s shouts, Leng Ruoyun clenched her small fists, pouted her rosy lips, and stubbornly refused to listen to Chen Xuan.

At this moment, she felt she had completely seen through Chen Xuan.

He was just a handsome man who worked hard to Cultivate and was very kind-hearted. It was only because of their abruptness that he had to be their enemy. Now that she had seen through him, how could she still be afraid of him!

Then, Leng Ruoyun lightly tapped the ground with her feet, soaring into the center of the square like a light butterfly.

At the same time, Li Jingyi, who had been silently observing Chen Xuan’s every move from a distance, took in Leng Ruoyun’s entire action.

Seeing Leng Ruoyun treating Chen Xuan so intimately, an unknown anger surged in her heart:

“Damn it! Damn Lan Xiang Gong! You clearly fancy that cold woman and deliberately made me put you there! And here I was, so worried about your safety, yet you treat me like this! From now on… I’ll never talk to you again!”

With that, she turned and left in a huff, leaving behind a lonely and stubborn figure.

…

Soon, everyone had gathered in the square of the Mining Field, but unfortunately, Yan Ni裳’s Divine Thought swept through, and not a single person resembled Chen Xuan.

“Where in the world did this Chen Xuan run off to? He was just located by my Storage Pouch a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, he’s gone!” Leng Ruoyun said, feigning concern.

“Hmph, perhaps he has some kind of disguise technique and is hiding among the crowd. I have my own way of finding him!” Yan Ni裳 snorted coldly, then directly flew into the crowd, starting to search for Chen Xuan one by one.

Upon seeing the scene before her, a subtle hint of smugness quickly flitted across Leng Ruoyun’s beautiful eyes. She tilted her head slightly, a faint, arrogant, and triumphant smile playing on her lips.

“How about that? This Young Miss told you long ago that I could protect you completely, and I certainly wouldn’t go back on my word! Watching that silly fire maniac searching for you frantically below is truly making me burst into laughter!” She laughed, transmitting her voice to Chen Xuan.

“You little girl, you are simply arrogant beyond limits. I never once said I needed you to protect me.”

Upon hearing this, Leng Ruoyun’s eyebrows instantly furrowed, and she pouted her small mouth, angrily retorting:

“Hmph! This Young Miss thinks you clearly took advantage but are still trying to act innocent! You tell me, didn’t I handle this perfectly?”

Saying that, she proudly lifted her delicate chin, looking adorable as she waited to be praised.

Seeing this, Chen Xuan merely sighed deeply, then said nothing more.

But this utterly infuriated Leng Ruoyun. She stomped her foot, puffed out her cheeks, and demanded: “Damn it! Why are you sighing like that?! It’s truly infuriating! This Young Miss has been so meticulously and thoughtfully protecting you, yet you won’t even say a single good word! Answer me quickly!”

…

Not long after, Yan Ni裳 had searched through all the miners, but unfortunately, she still couldn’t find Chen Xuan, which couldn’t help but make her frown.

“How is this possible! With his strength, he absolutely shouldn’t have run away so quickly!” She stood rooted to the spot, muttering to herself incessantly.

“I say, we’ve been searching here for a long time and haven’t seen any trace of Chen Xuan. Why don’t we leave here first? It won’t be too late to capture him after we go out, replenish some Materials, and prepare more powerful Immortal Artifacts!”

However, upon hearing this, Yan Ni裳 suddenly turned her head, glaring fiercely at Leng Ruoyun with a face full of disdain, mockingly saying without politeness: “Hmph, already scared? You truly are a timid coward!”

Upon hearing this, Leng Ruoyun’s small face instantly turned pale. She immediately dropped her usual gentle and charming demeanor, replacing it with a frosty expression.

“You ungrateful fire maniac, I was kindly offering you advice, and you dare to insult me like that! Do you believe I won’t make you regret it?!”

At this moment, Leng Ruoyun felt full of confidence, because her Storage Pouch had been recovered. Chen Xuan had only taken a portion of the Artifact Refining Materials, but Chen Xuan Gege had not touched any other important items.

Because of this, she was now wealthy and had abundant resources, so she naturally didn’t put Yan Ni裳 in her eyes.

And facing Leng Ruoyun’s angry accusation, Yan Ni裳 showed no intention of backing down; instead, she provoked her further: “I said you’re a coward, what can you do to me? Come and bite me if you dare!”

Clearly, Yan Ni裳 was also full of pent-up anger with nowhere to vent, wanting to find someone to vent her fury on.

Chen Xuan: “…”

“It’s all messed up, completely messed up. I originally wanted to ambush them to save some time, but in the end, I made you two fight amongst yourselves. Who am I supposed to complain to about this?!”