I Am the True Lord of Running Away

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Going to the Talisman Pavilion

After a short wait, a cultivator who appeared to be at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage materialized behind the Guardian Sect Array.

He saw the four female cultivators, smiled, and was about to open the array.

But then, he suddenly noticed Jiang Xu. His gaze turned wary, and he withdrew the hand-seal for his spell.

"Who are you? Why are you following the disciples of my Profound Origin Sect!"

He roared, fixing a harsh gaze on Jiang Xu as a Flying Sword materialized in his hand, ready to strike at a moment’s notice.

Shan Lanlan quickly intervened.

"Hey, hey, hey, don’t attack! His name is Jiang Xu. He’s a disciple of our Profound Origin Sect, too. He was just trapped outside and couldn’t get in. He only just managed to get back to the Profound Origin Sect today. He’s not dangerous! His cultivation is only at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage."

The Law Enforcement Hall cultivator’s expression softened upon hearing this, but he still didn’t open the array. Instead, he took a small mirror out of his Storage Bag.

This was the same Demon-Revealing Mirror that Jiang Xu had seen the guards at the gates of Demon Hunting City holding.

The moment the Law Enforcement Hall cultivator took it out, he aimed the mirror at Jiang Xu. A beam of white light shot out, scanning him from head to toe.

Jiang Xu felt the same probing sensation he had before, an investigation that pried into his body, sweeping over everything from his Magical Power to his Spiritual Power.

As the scan occurred, Jiang Xu’s Concealing Breath Spell easily blocked the probing light.

’Even if I were a Demon Cultivator, I’m confident I could hide it,’ Jiang Xu thought. ’And I’m not even one.’

And so, the mirror showed no abnormalities.

Seeing no reaction from the mirror, the Law Enforcement Hall cultivator frowned. Somewhat skeptical, he thought for a moment, tapped the mirror’s surface, shook it a couple of times, and then shone it on himself.

After confirming there was nothing wrong with it, he shone it on Jiang Xu again, but the result was the same.

Although the Law Enforcement Hall cultivator was unwilling to let a potential merit slip away, he had no other choice. He asked one final question:

"Where’s your Identity Token? Let me see it!"

After Jiang Xu took out his Identity Token, the man inspected it carefully, confirming that there were no issues.

"Fine, fine. I’ll assume you’re clean."

The Law Enforcement Hall cultivator waved his hand impatiently. The array opened, and Jiang Xu’s group was allowed inside.

After they were safely inside, the Law Enforcement Hall cultivator closed the array and left with a dejected look on his face.

Only after truly entering the Profound Origin Sect did Shan Lanlan and the others finally let down their guards. Their spirits sagged, and their inner exhaustion was plain to see.

"Junior Brother Jiang, I won’t accompany you any further. Our injuries are quite serious, and we need to go recover as soon as possible."

"Of course, I wouldn’t dare trouble you, Senior Sister. Please, don’t worry about me!"

Jiang Xu then gave each of the four women a Rejuvenating Pill.

The reason he hadn’t given them the pills earlier was because they were still outside the Profound Origin Sect.

Even though these female cultivators had traveled with Jiang Xu...

...their wariness toward him had not diminished in the slightest. They didn’t look down on him just because his cultivation was at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage.

Not to mention the many Concealing Breath Techniques that existed in the Cultivation Realm, even if Jiang Xu was truly at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage...

...there were numerous cases of those at the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage managing to kill those at the Qi Cultivation Late Stage.

If it weren’t for Shan Lanlan, they would have driven Jiang Xu away long ago.

Only Shan Lanlan was rather naive and trusted Jiang Xu completely; the others were not like that at all.

Therefore, Jiang Xu didn’t want to ask for trouble. Before they reached the safety of the sect, he hadn’t given them anything that could potentially be harmful.

When the four of them saw Jiang Xu give them the Rejuvenating Pills, they were stunned at first. Then, they understood his reasoning, and their impression of him suddenly improved significantly.

They didn’t refuse, as they truly needed them. Taking the pills, one said:

"If you need anything in the future, just tell your Senior Sister. I’ll look out for you!"

"That’s right!"

Shan Lanlan popped the pill into her mouth right after taking it, then remembered something.

"Oh, right, Junior Brother Jiang, you’ve reached the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage and you’re a Talisman Maker. You should be able to apply to become an Inner Sect Disciple. Don’t forget, the benefits for Inner Sect Disciples are much better than for the Outer Sect."

Only after her reminder did Jiang Xu realize this. He quickly thanked her.

...

Without further delay, Jiang Xu found out how to get promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple and headed straight for the Talisman Pavilion.

If an Outer Disciple wasn’t part of the Hundred Arts Pavilion, their assessment would be handled by the General Affairs Hall.

If they were part of the Hundred Arts Pavilion, the assessment would be conducted internally by the corresponding pavilion.

The thought of the Talisman Pavilion reminded Jiang Xu of the detestable Leng Qingqiu, who had screwed him over while getting away scot-free.

’Hmph, she’s the reason I ended up in that damned Secret Realm, forcing me to risk everything just to escape! If you haven’t reached the Foundation Establishment Realm yet, don’t blame me for what happens next!’ Jiang Xu thought viciously.

When he arrived at the Talisman Pavilion, he found that the interior had completely changed.

The last time Jiang Xu had been here, the Talisman Makers were all quite relaxed and carefree. They would often stroll around, and if they ran into a few friends, they’d go for some Spirit Brew or play a game of chess.

But now, one look was all it took. Good heavens, Jiang Xu thought he’d walked into some kind of slave labor camp.

Every Talisman Maker had an anxious expression, their hands a flurry of motion as they produced one Talisman after another.

He could even hear shouts like, "Finally finished one-tenth! Quick, take this basket of Talismans away!"

’Oh god, did I come to the wrong place?!’

Just as Jiang Xu was about to leave, he heard someone shout from ahead:

"Hey, you over there! Are you a Talisman Maker?! Stop standing around and get over here! Can’t you see how busy everyone is?!"

The voice was crisp and pleasant, but it sounded incredibly familiar to Jiang Xu.

He looked up and saw, to his surprise, Leng Qingqiu. She was expertly drawing a Talisman with one hand while shouting in his direction.

Jiang Xu’s heart sank.

’This woman... her cultivation has actually reached Foundation Establishment!’

Just like that, half of Jiang Xu’s desire for revenge was extinguished.

Jiang Xu walked over. Leng Qingqiu hadn’t been paying attention to his face, but as he approached, she frowned and took a closer look.

"Hey, aren’t you that... that... the guy who died! How are you still alive?"

She sounded almost entirely displeased by this fact.

"Sorry to disappoint you. My apologies for being alive!" Jiang Xu said coldly. "You dragged me to that Secret Realm, and then you ran off, leaving me behind! Do you know how I managed to survive, a case of nine deaths and one life?!"

Nine deaths, one life.

He meant it literally: the other nine had died, and only Jiang Xu had survived.

For the first time, Leng Qingqiu stopped her Talisman Brush. She looked a little embarrassed, but not by much.

"Well, you’re alive, aren’t you? Don’t be mad. It’s not like I did it on purpose... Besides, taking you in was an order from the higher-ups..."

Leng Qingqiu’s voice trailed off, her confidence waning as she spoke.

Because she knew she had actually altered the orders herself.

"Alright, alright, I’ll compensate you, okay? What do you want? Let’s be clear, though—nothing too outrageous!"