In a certain city.
A beautiful woman was sitting in a high-class restaurant, drinking red wine and eating steak, her demeanor exceptionally elegant.
Her long black hair cascaded down in loose curls, giving her an air of languid rebellion. Her expression was icy, and her slender willow-like eyebrows were painted a deep purple. Between them, a small, exquisite red lotus pattern was depicted.
Guests entering the restaurant were invariably captivated by her beauty, and both men and women couldn't help but steal glances. Especially the women, who were masters of makeup, could tell at a glance that the woman eating in the restaurant had not used any skincare products or cosmetics on her face. Every woman used some foundation when applying makeup, commonly known as slathering on a base. But this woman had none. What you saw was what you got – this was her natural skin, a perfect demonstration to the world of innate beauty.
The woman, who was eating, suddenly sensed something. A small halo appeared in her palm, and shortly after, her expression changed.
"Ling Jue sent me a warning, and used a code. Could he be in danger?" Zhao Yingdie murmured to herself. But she couldn't imagine what could threaten him in this realm, unless he was in danger within a Blessed Land. For those like them who had transcended the mortal realm, the greatest danger in this world was within the Blessed Lands; other places were not worth mentioning. Although the technology here was advanced and many things were different from the mortal realm, the people here were extremely weak. She could kill them with a single breath.
However, since it concerned a companion, Zhao Yingdie could not ignore it.
"Wang Jiang." Zhao Yingdie mumbled the two words "Wang Jiang," then paid the bill and left the restaurant. She was different from the companions who had come with her. As soon as they arrived, the other companions had become arrogant, viewing everyone as ants, disdaining everyone, and looking for trouble everywhere. But she did not. Although she also looked down on the people here, finding them too weak, Zhao Yingdie did not bully them. She even paid for her consumption here. Although the source of this money was not entirely legitimate, she had taken it from a local scoundrel because that scoundrel was bullying a young girl at the time, and she happened to see it. So she rescued the young girl, trounced the scoundrel a bit, and took some money from him to spend. It could be said that since she arrived here, she had not done anything bad. Moreover, she felt that she quite liked it here. It was peaceful, unlike the dangerous mortal realm. In fact, it was quite simple. Every place had people who refused to live an ordinary life, and people who wanted to live an ordinary life. Zhao Yingdie belonged to the latter. She herself did not have many ambitions. The reason she came here was not her own will, but because she had been selected by her sect. She had no choice but to come here.
Soon, Zhao Yingdie found herself on a train heading to Wang Jiang. However, she had not boarded it legitimately but had snuck on, as she lacked local identification to purchase a ticket. Several hours later, she arrived in Wang Jiang. But she did not immediately look for Ling Jue, as she needed to figure out what had happened to him.
Not long after, she received another message from Ling Jue. However, this message did not contain the coded warning. This made Zhao Yingdie feel somewhat confused. Was the warning he sent when he transmitted the message to her accidental? Or had he already resolved the danger? However, Ling Jue stated in the message that he had found the entrance to a Blessed Land, but there was an array diagram at the entrance that he could not decipher and needed her assistance.
Zhao Yingdie went to the address left in Ling Jue's message, which was the Imperial Garden in Wang Jiang. The Imperial Garden was famous, and Zhao Yingdie found the place easily. However, she did not enter immediately, nor did she contact Ling Jue. Instead, she observed from nearby, planning to scout the place later that night. Caution is the parent of safety. Regardless of whether Ling Jue was in danger or not, Zhao Yingdie felt she should be careful, even though she didn't believe anyone here could threaten her.
Soon it was night, and Zhao Yingdie sneaked into the Imperial Garden. Although there were security guards at the entrance, they posed no threat to her. In fact, they didn't even notice Zhao Yingdie entering the Imperial Garden. Not long after, Zhao Yingdie found the courtyard where Ning Beichen was located. She did not contact Ling Jue but entered the courtyard silently, intending to find Ling Jue and ask him in person. The small courtyard was not large but had an excellent environment, with a Suzhou-style garden layout, trees, rockeries, fish ponds, stone paths, wooden corridors, and red-brick houses.
Ning Beichen, who was inside the house, had already sensed Ling Jue's arrival. However, he did not alert her but stayed inside, planning to trap her like a turtle in a jar when she entered, to prevent her from escaping. Zhao Yingdie gently pushed the door open and walked inside. As long as Ling Jue was here, she believed she would be able to find him. However, when she entered, she did not see Ling Jue, but only a handsome man sitting on the sofa, looking at her. Zhao Yingdie could not discern any cultivation from Ning Beichen, as since he practiced the "Crossing the Sea of Suffering to the Other Shore" cultivation technique, a layer of mist had enveloped him, making it impossible for even transcended mortals to discern his cultivation level.
"You are Zhao Yingdie?" Ning Beichen's opening words startled Zhao Yingdie. This man actually knew her name, immediately giving her a bad premonition and making her realize she had fallen into a trap.
"Who are you? Where is Ling Jue?" Zhao Yingdie forced herself to calm down and asked. Ning Beichen clapped his hands, and Ling Jue, bruised and swollen, emerged from a room. Seeing Zhao Yingdie in the hall, he showed a wry smile. He knew Zhao Yingdie was finished. No one could escape from this devil; he couldn't, and Zhao Yingdie certainly couldn't. Zhao Yingdie was only skilled in formations, but her cultivation was inferior to his. If even he couldn't escape from Ning Beichen, Zhao Yingdie stood no chance.
"Ling Jue, what happened to you? Who beat you like this?" Zhao Yingdie was immensely shocked to see the bruised and swollen Ling Jue. Among their group of six, Ling Jue's cultivation ranked second. By all rights, no one in this world should have been his match. Ling Jue gave a wry smile. He glanced at Ning Beichen sitting on the sofa. Although he didn't answer Zhao Yingdie, he had already provided the answer.