"Who are you?"
The female warrior's eyes showed deep apprehension as she warily watched Ling Fan.
Ling Fan glanced at her, then calmly shifted his gaze away.
It turned out the female warrior's clothes were torn beyond recognition, revealing glimpses of her female body, full of wild, powerful beauty.
"You should change your clothes first," Ling Fan said indifferently.
The female warrior finally reacted. She looked at her own body but showed no shyness. Still watching Ling Fan warily, she walked over to the corpses of the others, stripped off a relatively intact piece of clothing, and changed in front of Ling Fan.
Seeing that she had changed, Ling Fan turned around.
"You still haven't answered my question, who are you!" Ji Yan did not lower her guard, her eyes, like a leopard's, fixed on Ling Fan.
Ling Fan thought for a moment and said, "Ling Qingyun."
Ling Qingyun? Ji Yan pondered for a long time, but couldn't recall any martial arts genius named Ling Qingyun in Tianchu City.
"I am Ji Hong's friend," Ling Fan added.
"What happened to Ji Hong?"
"I'll handle my brother's affairs, you don't need to worry! Besides, it's not even certain if you are my brother's friend. I don't trust you." Ji Yan still didn't relax her vigilance.
Seeing this, Ling Fan said no more. He simply stated, "My carriage is parked outside. I'm going to Tianchu City to rescue Ji Hong now. Do you want to come along?"
"No need, I can walk myself!" Ji Yan said with a cold face. However, after taking only two steps with her animal skin bag, she stumbled and almost fell to the ground.
Ling Fan didn't help her, just watched her quietly.
"By the time you reach Tianchu City, ten days will likely have passed, and your brother Ji Hong will have become a corpse," Ling Fan said calmly.
Ji Yan gritted her teeth, glanced at Ling Fan, and after some thought, said, "Then I'll buy your carriage. I, Ji Yan, never owe anyone a favor."
Ling Fan smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. He could tell that this Ji Yan was a stubborn and strong-willed woman. It was fine with him. After all, Ling Fan had only saved her because she was Ji Hong's sister. Once Ji Hong was rescued, their paths would diverge.
When they reached the spot where the carriage was supposed to be parked, Ling Fan was stunned. The carriage was gone! This coachman was too unreliable. Not only was he incredibly fast in leaving, but he was also incredibly fast in disappearing!
Ji Yan sneered, "Didn't you say you had a carriage parked here? Where is it? What's your motive for deceiving me?"
Ling Fan said nothing and turned to walk towards Tianchu City.
Seeing Ling Fan ignore her, Ji Yan became somewhat exasperated. "Hey, Ling, aren't you going to explain!"
Ling Fan said coldly, "I have no obligation to explain to you. Remember, you are not anyone to me. I saved you purely because you are Ji Hong's sister. You'd better understand this and don't throw your stubborn temper around in front of me."
Ji Yan was rendered speechless by Ling Fan's words. Hmph! She stomped her foot in annoyance but had no choice but to follow.
Not long after they started walking, the rumbling sound of a carriage chasing after them was heard from behind. Ling Fan and Ji Yan turned back and saw it was indeed Old Liu, the coachman who prided himself on being the fastest in Ping Shang Town. Not only him, but three other carriages also appeared.
"Young master, young master! It's great that you're alright! Otherwise, Old Liu's conscience wouldn't be at peace!" The coachman caught up.
Ling Fan asked, "Where did you go just now?"
The coachman said sheepishly, "I went to find people to rescue you! But it seems, young master, you are blessed with great fortune and a long life."
"These are young masters and ladies from Hongze City, and they are also going to Tianchu City. Miss Hua Yue heard that someone was trapped in a beast tide and immediately asked me to lead the way to rescue you. She is truly a kind-hearted girl with the compassion of a Bodhisattva!" From one of the carriages behind, the curtain was lifted, and an extremely beautiful woman smiled politely at Ling Fan.
Ling Fan nodded slightly at the woman named Hua Yue.
Just then, a young man's impatient voice came from another carriage.
"So much babbling! Annoying! Since this kid isn't dead, let's set off quickly. Hey, your carriage has been requisitioned by us to store luggage. You don't need to carry him anymore, just follow us!" A man with a long face, around twenty years old, said unceremoniously.
Ling Fan frowned slightly, "This carriage is rented by me."
"So what? It's been requisitioned by this young master! Do you know who I am? I am Bai Hao, the young lord of Hongze City. Me requisitioning your carriage is giving you face, do you understand!" He casually threw a few silver ingots onto the ground and then urged the coachman Old Liu to set off.
Besides Bai Hao, there were several young disciples from prominent families in Hongze City inside the carriages, all looking at Ling Fan with disdain. In their opinion, this grey-haired youth who could only afford such a low-class carriage must be a poor boy from a remote village. Furthermore, they couldn't sense any true qi fluctuations from him, clearly indicating he was just a weak mortal. Such a nobody had no right to travel with them.
Hua Yue felt a pang of sympathy. She was about to say a few good words for Ling Fan when another woman named Su Long stopped her, "Yueyue, being too kind isn't good! The world outside is full of dangers, and it's easy to be tricked and suffer losses!"
"I think this kid's background is unclear, and his grey hair makes him look like a short-lived ghost. Let's not get involved with his bad luck!" After saying that, Su Long even moved further into the carriage with disgust, distancing herself from Ling Fan.
"Did you hear that? You kid, get out of the way!" Bai Hao said triumphantly, scolding.
Ling Fan smiled. However, his smile carried a hint of coldness. As his indifferent and lofty gaze swept over Bai Hao, Su Long, and the others, and he was about to step forward, Ji Yan, who was behind him, stepped out and said coldly to Bai Hao, "Take back your silver. Who are you insulting!" Ji Yan said disdainfully. She came from the Ji family in Tianchu City, which was many times more powerful than the so-called Hongze City Lord's Mansion. How could she possibly look up to the young masters from such a small city?
Her words immediately drew Bai Hao and the others' attention. Bai Hao's eyes lit up. The prominent family disciples beside him were also mesmerized, almost drooling. What a stunning beauty! Although her appearance wasn't overwhelmingly stunning, she was comparable to Hua Yue and a notch better than Su Long. But her figure was amazing! She was simply the most explosive and eye-catching beauty they had ever seen. Moreover, this beauty was a few years older than Hua Yue and Su Long, like a ripe peach, exuding a fatal allure with every gesture and smile. How could this useless fellow be accompanied by such a peerless beauty? It was truly unfair. A delicate flower was stuck on a pile of foul-smelling cow dung. Bai Hao and the others were burning with jealousy. They felt even more displeased looking at Ling Fan.
Ji Yan was so beautiful and wild that even Hua Yue and Su Long couldn't help but look at her. Hua Yue's eyes held a hint of admiration and curiosity. Su Long's eyes, however, revealed a trace of disgust and jealousy. She secretly glanced at herself and couldn't help but push her chest forward, trying to make it appear larger.
"Heh heh, it was this young master's rudeness, not noticing the lady's presence! I apologize, heh heh." Bai Hao immediately changed his demeanor, pretending to be courteous. "May I know this lady's name?"
Ji Yan snorted coldly and ignored him. Bai Hao felt a little awkward but was not discouraged. He said enthusiastically, "Since this lady wants to ride, then of course it's fine. Come up quickly, there's still space in my carriage."
Ji Yan didn't even look at Bai Hao. This made Bai Hao quite embarrassed.