Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 17 Outside Tianxiang City

"Let's wait until dawn before leaving the city," Du Fan sighed.

The city gate ahead was brightly lit, and rows of guards patrolled the city walls with swords at their sides. The imposing city gates were tightly shut, and squads of soldiers continuously marched along the ten-zhang-high walls. With their combined strength, there was absolutely no way they could have slipped out unnoticed.

Du Fan had considered personally explaining the matter of Wu Hao and his son, as well as the Second Master Yao Lingtian, to Yao Batian... However, this matter was of great importance and involved many people, even the coup of the Purple Mountain Sect, a powerful immortal sect. How could the Yao family head believe it so easily?

Even if we assume the Yao family head believes him, the Yao family has a century-old foundation and thousands of members. It's hard to say whether Yao Batian would sacrifice his daughter to protect the family's interests. If Yao Batian secretly eliminates his brother Yao Lingtian and marries his daughter to Wu Hao, Wu Hao and his son would have no choice but to cooperate with Yao Batian, even if they take some risks. In that case, the Yao family would become part of Wu Hao and his son's power, thus ensuring its survival. Yao Batian would still be in charge of the family and hold great power.

Therefore, Du Fan couldn't take any risks and had to ensure Ruoxi's safety first. Since both he and Ruoxi had disappeared from the Yao family, Xiao Hu, who was always close to them, couldn't stay any longer and had to take both of them with him. As for the others, that was a matter for later.

Yao Ruoxi and Xiao Hu were fine, but the night was far too long for Du Fan. Fortunately, it was getting light, and the city gates were expected to open in about half an hour.

A deep, rumbling sound slowly spread out, and the city gate was finally opened by the guards. Du Fan's spirits lifted, and he called to Xiao Hu and the other two to head straight for the city gate.

The procedures for leaving the city are different from those for entering the city; no checks will be conducted. Although the city guards were somewhat surprised that the three of them left the city so early, they did not stop them.

After the three of them walked out of the city gate, Du Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to say something to the two of them, the sound of horses' hooves came from behind, growing louder as they approached.

"Patriarch Yao Batian orders you to quickly capture the three people ahead, without harming them or making any mistakes!" Before the armored soldier even reached the city gate, he suddenly threw an iron token dozens of feet ahead, where it landed among the guards.

"It is indeed the Yao family patriarch's token. Go, capture these three!" A commander of the imperial guards gave the order, and dozens of men rushed out of the city, heading straight for Du Fan and his two companions.

"Run south, there's a jungle there!" When Du Fan heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from behind, he realized something was wrong and led the two of them south.

"Little Tiger, the Golden Life Technique!" Yao Ruoxi shouted as she ran.

"yes!"

As Xiao Hu ran, he made a hand seal with one hand, uttered several incantations, and then pointed repeatedly at Du Fan and Yao Ruoxi's legs. Finally, he also channeled the magic into his own legs.

The three people's legs suddenly shone with golden light. At first, it was illusory, but in an instant, it began to solidify, as if a thick layer of metal had been plated on their legs.

Suddenly, Du Fan felt a strange power rise from his legs, making them strong and powerful. With a push, his body leaped forward several feet. After a few steps, he was already ten feet away from his original position. His speed was more than twice that of his maximum speed. Looking around, he saw that Xiao Hu and the other two were doing the same. Looking back, he saw that he had instantly widened the distance between himself and the guards behind him. He was overjoyed.

However, when he saw that the messenger had also arrived on horseback, he frowned.

"Ruoxi, find a way to cripple that warhorse behind us!"

"no problem!"

A half-foot-long water-based dagger emerged, and as Yao Ruoxi flicked her fair hand backward, the dagger shot towards the warhorse behind her.

The warhorse neighed and collapsed instantly, its momentum carrying it a long way before it came to a stop. A long trail of blood stretched across the ground, a bloody mess. As for whether it lived or died, no one knew.

The armored warrior on horseback flipped in the air and landed steadily on the ground. He was extremely agile, but he no longer posed a threat to Du Fan and his companions.

An hour later, Du Fan and the others ran to the edge of the jungle as planned. Without hesitation, they entered decisively, and after a few swaying movements, they disappeared.

Half a day later, Du Fan and the others sat under a rather large tree, panting heavily and unable to speak. The metal magic on their legs had disappeared. It took them a long time to calm down.

"Du...Du Fan, we're...we're already out of Tianxiang City's territory, right?" Yao Ruoxi was still a little out of breath, but she could still manage to speak.

"That should be it. We're safe for now. Let's rest here for a while and have something to eat. I'll explain the matter to you in detail later. I didn't expect the patriarch to have discovered it so quickly." Du Fan took a deep breath, feeling wary of the patriarch.

"Sister Ruoxi, do you have anything to eat?" Xiaohu looked at Yao Ruoxi pitifully.

"I didn't bring any food, I only brought clothes and money. What about you, Du Fan?" Yao Ruoxi was taken aback and turned to look at Du Fan.

"Me? I've been planning this all along, how could I have time to care about these things? Little Tiger, don't you have chicken legs over there?" Du Fan was also taken aback.

"I did bring some chicken legs, but... but we ate them all last night while we were staking out the south gate. Brother Du, you know me, even those weren't enough." Xiao Hu's face flushed slightly, and he seemed a little embarrassed.

This time, Du Fan was truly speechless.

"So, we have nothing to eat now?" Yao Ruoxi was dumbfounded.

"I think so." Du Fan rolled his eyes.

"This is a jungle, with a wide variety of plants. I think I know a thing or two about these plants, including some that are edible. Don't worry, we won't starve. By the way, I'll tell you about that matter. Let's go." Du Fan reluctantly got up, patted his butt, and walked ahead first.

Yao Ruoxi and Xiao Hu exchanged a glance, both feeling somewhat down, and could only get up and follow Du Fan.

……

"What? That bastard Wu Hao! I've disliked him for a long time. I knew he was a hypocrite, but I never expected him to be such a scoundrel! He's an absolute jerk!" Yao Ruoxi was furious after hearing Du Fan's account. Her eyes were practically spitting fire, and her hair was even showing signs of standing on end.

"Sister Ruoxi, that person is so bad, you must not marry him!" Xiaohu clenched his fists, his face showing anger.

"Pah! Whoever wants to marry him, marry him if you want, I'll castrate him on our wedding night!" Yao Ruoxi was so angry that her face turned pale, and she cursed loudly.

Du Fan glanced at the woman sideways, his eyebrows twitching involuntarily.

"But he doesn't seem like that kind of person." Xiao Hu still found it hard to imagine how the gentleman from back then could be this kind of person, but he absolutely trusted Du Fan, though he was a little dazed.

"You can know a person's face but not their heart. Don't mention him again. Just thinking about him makes me want to throw up the grass I just ate. Hey, Du Fan! What did you just feed me?"

Yao Ruoxi was still angry, and the look in her eyes when she looked at Du Fan still carried a hint of sharpness, which made Du Fan's heart skip a beat.

"This herb is called Artemisia. Although it doesn't taste delicious, it's not bad either. Its advantage lies in its ability to clear heat, relieve summer heat, cool the blood, and remove blood stasis. It's also a good medicinal herb, so you can rest assured." Du Fan didn't dare to be negligent and told him everything he knew. He was just a man of few words and preferred quiet, but he wasn't stupid. This woman was currently on the verge of going berserk, and he didn't want to draw her anger onto himself.

"Hmm, right, Du Fan, won't my dad also be in trouble? We're just leaving like this, I'm a little worried about him." After a long while, Yao Ruoxi calmed down a bit and started to worry about her father.

"I have considered this matter. Once you are safe, I will inform the head of the family through letters and other means, so that he will be on guard. I believe that with the head of the family's wisdom and experience, it will not be difficult for him to resolve this crisis."

Du Fan didn't mention Yao Lingtian's matter. Things were already complicated enough, and if Yao Ruoxi knew about her second uncle's situation, she would inevitably feel worried and bitter. So he left the matter aside.

……

After the sun sets, it gets darker in the jungle earlier than outside. The three of them continue to walk slowly south, stopping occasionally to pick some plants to eat.

"Let's rest for the night. We can walk for another day and get out of this jungle. Then we can go to the nearest town, find a restaurant, and have a good meal. Right now, all we have left is money."

Du Fan's words were extremely encouraging, and Xiao Hu and Yao Ruoxi were both invigorated upon hearing them.

"Brother Du, be quiet!" Xiao Hu's expression suddenly changed, and he spoke abruptly.

After Xiao Hu changed his hand seals, a ball of golden light appeared in front of him. After condensing, it transformed into a golden bell the size of a fist, from which a sound could be heard.

"Brother Hu, these footprints were just left here. They should be not far ahead."

"Sigh, let's chase after them. We must bring them back." A sigh escaped his lips.

Du Fan's expression changed drastically. He could tell that among the people chasing after them, one of them was Hu Daniu, and there was also a young man, but there were definitely more than just the two of them, and they should all be cultivators.

Xiao Hu looked nervous. After dispelling the spell, the golden bell dissipated and disappeared.

"It's Uncle Hu, I recognize his voice," Yao Ruoxi suddenly said.

"Little Tiger, how far away are they from us?" Du Fan asked, feeling a bit irritated.

"It's about five li away," Xiao Hu said confidently.

"They are all cultivators from the Yao family, and they all appear to be true cultivators above the first level of Qi Refining. We are no match for them. Therefore, we should split up and reduce the pressure on each other. After we leave this forest, we should head south and, apart from necessary supplies, not stop in any towns until we leave Tianxiang Kingdom."

"I've seen a map of the area near Tianxiang Kingdom before. To the south of Tianxiang Kingdom lies Huoyu Kingdom. At the border between Huoyu Kingdom and Tianxiang Kingdom is a major border town called Xinghuo Town, which is within Huoyu Kingdom's territory. Many people from other countries travel there, and it's a melting pot of all sorts of people, making it the perfect place to hide. After we escape, we can meet up there. Xiaohu, you go with Ruoxi, and listen to her in everything you do, remember that!" Du Fan spoke solemnly and calmly, planning their future together.

"Du Fan, what do you mean? Aren't we going to go together?" Yao Ruoxi looked nervous and didn't want to be separated.

Although Xiao Hu didn't speak, his eyes looked pitifully at Du Fan, filled with intense reluctance, and his hands involuntarily grabbed Du Fan's sleeve.

"We'll have a better chance of escaping if we split up. Don't do this. We'll see each other again soon. Stop dawdling. If we hesitate any longer, none of us will escape! Don't worry about me. You know my knowledge of plants very well. If I want to hide in this jungle, no one can catch me. But you two, be careful. Don't look back. Hurry up, see you in Starfire Town!" Du Fan was getting more and more agitated. Five miles was nothing to cultivators; they would arrive in no time.

"Are you trying to kill me?!" Du Fan flung Xiao Hu's hand away and shoved him forward violently.

"Take care, we must meet in Xinghuo Town!" Yao Ruoxi bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes. She turned around abruptly, took Xiaohu's chubby hand, and walked away into the distance.

Xiao Hu kept turning back to look at Du Fan, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, but he didn't know what to say until the trees blocked his view and he disappeared into the darkness.

Du Fan took a deep breath, picked up a leafy branch, swept away the footprints left by the two, and was about to take a step in another direction when a soft sigh suddenly rang out not far away.

"Brother Du, I'm afraid you won't be able to leave."