Chapter 82: Discovered by Him

An hour had passed, and the three hundred disciples had been selected. Ji Yun looked at the assembled disciples and spoke slowly, “Tomorrow at dawn, you will accompany me to Zhiyun Mountain. Go and prepare your equipment now—travel light.”

“Yes!” the three hundred responded in unison.

The next morning at dawn, at the foot of Tianyuan Sect’s mountain, the three hundred disciples were ready, poised for departure.

Meanwhile, at the Ji Residence.

Xuanyuan Ji and Ji Shaofeng stepped out together. “The disciples of Tianyuan Sect have already set off. The two hundred soldiers from the army have arrived at the rendezvous point. We should hurry and join them,” Ji Shaofeng said to Xuanyuan Ji.

“Very well,” Xuanyuan Ji replied softly.

Beside them were three horses and several carriages, loaded with supplies. Noticing Xuanyuan Ji’s gaze upon the carriages, Ji Shaofeng quietly explained, “These are medicines I personally prepared. Once we reach the rendezvous point, everyone will receive a portion, just in case.”

Xuanyuan Ji nodded and mounted his horse.

Ji Yin was hiding in one of the carriages, peering through a slit in a burlap sack. She happened to see Xuanyuan Ji mount his horse—she had never seen him ride before, and his posture was astonishingly handsome.

The carriages swayed as they moved along the road.

After half an hour, the group arrived at the rendezvous point.

Ji Yun approached and saluted Xuanyuan Ji. “Young Master Xuanyuan, it is still a day’s journey to Zhiyun Mountain. We’ll travel swiftly and aim to arrive tonight, entering the mountain at sunrise tomorrow. I’ve already arranged for a campsite near Zhiyun Mountain; people have gone ahead to prepare it.”

Xuanyuan Ji nodded.

“Distribute these,” Ji Shaofeng instructed.

Ji Yin seized the opportunity to slip unnoticed into the crowd.

Xuanyuan Ji glanced toward the group. He had sensed her presence back at the Ji Residence. That small figure attracted no attention whatsoever. No one but him knew she was mingling among them.

Ji Yin wasn’t sure if Xuanyuan Ji had spotted her. Since he hadn’t pulled her out, she pretended nothing had happened and simply followed along with the main group.

The medicines were handed out. Ji Yun’s voice rang out again, “Let’s move!”

Ji Yin mounted her horse along with everyone else, keeping to the middle of the procession, neither too far ahead nor too far behind.

The Crimson Flame Marten poked its head out from her clothing, and Ji Yin quickly smacked it back down. The little creature hid at once, not daring to show itself again.

The journey was relentless, with only one brief stop for rest—the group galloped onward without pause.

Ji Yun’s urgency could no longer be concealed, for this journey was not only to Zhiyun Mountain; he was also searching for Ji Shaochen and Ji Shaoqing, whose whereabouts had been lost.

As the sky darkened, Ji Yin heard shouts from the front of the procession.

“One more hour to go!”

Ji Yin was exhausted. Her pampered body had never endured such hardship—her thighs rubbed raw by the saddle, her hands burned and stung from gripping the reins.

She had no idea how she would survive the final hour.

Suddenly, thunder echoed across the sky.

Ji Yin lifted her head and gazed upward. Though it was night, she could still make out strange phenomena in the sky. One half of the heavens was clear, with a sparse moon and stars; the other half was pitch black, illuminated intermittently by lightning and thunder.

The closer they drew, the heavier the sense of oppression became, suffocating and thick. Dense clouds shrouded the entire mountain range—nothing of the mountains could be seen.