"Shh!"
Li Si gestured for silence. The worst thing one could do was discuss someone who had just left.
What if they turned back unexpectedly? That would be a disaster!
Luckily, Li Si knew Qian Renxue well enough to understand her overconfidence, especially in recruiting subordinates.
If not for that, today's trip to Heaven Dou City might have been unavoidable.
Judging from Qian Renxue's demeanor, there was a good chance that either She Long or Ci Xue had told her about his and Xiao Wu's approximate soul power levels, sparking her desire to recruit them.
Otherwise, even if she had been passing by, it was uncertain whether she would have stopped to chat.
Seeing how cautious Li Si was, Xiao Wu quickly nodded and remained silent.
He must have his reasons for acting this way!
Time passed, and in the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
At dawn, after packing up their tent, Li Si and Xiao Wu resumed their journey.
Just then, a voice called out from behind them.
"Hey, you two, wait up!"
Hearing this, Li Si and Xiao Wu were slightly stunned.
It was a young girl's voice. Why was she suddenly stopping them?
The two exchanged a glance before turning to look at the approaching figure.
The girl wore a light blue dress and had delicate features, exuding the elegance of a lady from a noble family.
When Li Si saw the girl, his lips twitched involuntarily.
What made Li Si speechless was that this seemingly teenage girl, a soul master around the twentieth rank, was being chased by a pack of wild wolves!
These were just ordinary wolves, not even soul beasts.
This girl, clearly a level-20 soul master, could have easily intimidated them with a bit of soul power, yet she chose to flee!
"Hey, are you soul masters? Please help me!"
The girl shouted as she ran. At this point, she was genuinely panicking, regretting her decision to sneak out of her home.
A weak, helpless support-type soul master like her had no combat power and couldn't even handle a few wild beasts. She could only flee for her life.
Fortunately, she was able to use a speed-enhancing technique on herself, which was the only reason the wolves hadn't caught up.
When Li Si recognized the girl's martial soul, his expression changed.
Why was it her, of all people?
At this time, wasn't she supposed to be on her way to Shrek Academy?
Wait, could it be that this path led there after all?
No, that didn't make sense.
The Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Sect was near Heaven Dou City, and the route to Soto City from here was thousands of kilometers off course!
Li Si had been careful to avoid the path to Soto City during this period, but unexpectedly, he still ran into Ning Rongrong, who was supposed to be heading to Shrek Academy!
"We're not soul masters!"
After a moment of thought, and under Xiao Wu's confused gaze, Li Si called out to Ning Rongrong.
Xiao Wu: "???"
Ning Rongrong: "???"
Ning Rongrong, who was fleeing, was momentarily stunned and nearly tripped.
Thankfully, she steadied herself just in time to avoid falling!
Not soul masters? Then why aren't you running? Can't you see the wolves chasing after me?
She had thought she had found a lifeline, only to realize she might have dragged two ordinary people into trouble instead.
Wait a second. If she wasn't mistaken, the bracelet on that man's wrist was a soul tool, wasn't it?
Not soul masters? Then why are you carrying a soul tool for fun?
Ning Rongrong's face darkened. This guy was blatantly lying through his teeth!
The slight guilt she had felt earlier vanished instantly.
"Ugh, how despicable! Brazen liars—this lady will remember you!"
Ning Rongrong seethed inwardly, her thoughts full of anger.
"Li Si, we…"
Xiao Wu hesitated, but before she could finish, Li Si shook his head and said, "We need to run! We don't have to outrun the wolves, just her!"
Li Si gave Xiao Wu a meaningful look, and she nodded thoughtfully.
If this girl were truly in danger, Li Si wouldn't abandon her.
So the truth could only be one thing: she wasn't in any real danger!
Moreover, Xiao Wu found the situation rather amusing.
They ran just fast enough to stay ahead of the girl.
"Hmm." Xiao Wu nodded.
At this moment, Ning Rongrong was only about ten meters away from them. As Li Si and Xiao Wu turned and began to run, their speed was perfectly calibrated to remain just slightly faster than hers!
They weren't far, so of course Ning Rongrong overheard their "whispered" conversation.
What did he mean by "just need to outrun her"?
Ning Rongrong frowned, her face darkened, and she was so furious she wanted to throw her Seven Treasures Glazed Tile Pagoda at Li Si!
"Hmph! You think you can outrun me, Ning Rongrong? How naive!"
Her lips curled into a smirk, her gaze filled with disdain. After all, she had already boosted her speed by 30%!
What could these two do to compete with her?
But after a while, Ning Rongrong's face changed.
Something was off.
These two hadn't even used their martial souls, yet they were maintaining a steady distance of about ten meters ahead of her.
How was that possible?
She, Ning Rongrong, had enhanced her speed with her martial soul!
How were they doing this?
Meanwhile, the wolves had already given up the chase and retreated.
These three were running faster than rabbits—what was the point of pursuing them?
However, Ning Rongrong didn't notice. She didn't even look back.
She was consumed by the desire to win.
She had to outrun this pair!
Time passed, and after about an hour, Ning Rongrong was barely moving faster than a walk.
Panting heavily, sweat dripped from her forehead.
"D-darn it! Why... why can't I catch up?"
If not for sheer willpower, she would have stopped long ago to rest.
Li Si and Xiao Wu, on the other hand, were completely unaffected. This pace and distance were nothing to them.
The two of them exchanged playful glances and even flirted along the way.
This infuriated Ning Rongrong even more.
Not only was she losing, but now she had to endure their lovey-dovey antics!
"Argh!"
When had Ning Rongrong ever suffered such humiliation?
She was so upset she almost cried.
Just then, Li Si's expression shifted. He turned to Xiao Wu and said, "Xiao Wu, wait. Something seems wrong up ahead."
Hearing this, Xiao Wu immediately stopped, and so did Li Si.
Behind them, Ning Rongrong hesitated but eventually stopped as well. She was utterly exhausted.
As soon as she stopped, she slumped to the ground.
"Why... why aren't you running?"
She gasped for air as she spoke.
Li Si and Xiao Wu ignored her and focused their attention ahead.
A group of men in black robes, armed with curved blades, had appeared...
(End of Chapter)