Chapter 42: The Pursuers Arrive

Seeing Xu Daoyan's behavior, Tian Tian was very impressed.

Wu Shi hurriedly helped Xu Daoyan up and looked at Tian Tian, asking, "Is this young master your friend?"

"No, he is my superior. This time he came to inspect the border region, and I am responsible for protecting him!" Xu Daoyan said solemnly.

Tian Tian dismounted, walked into the courtyard, and looked around. Wu Shi was about to kneel and pay her respects, as this was a necessary courtesy, which she understood.

Tian Tian quickly grabbed Wu Shi's arm and glanced at Xu Daoyan, saying, "I am here in plain clothes, so there's no need for formalities. If my identity is exposed, I will hold you accountable!"

Xu Daoyan was speechless for a moment.

Wu Shi was startled and said, "It is my fault for asking too much. Please don't be angry with Xu Daoyan, young master Tian!"

"Hehe, Madam, there's no need to worry. Xu Daoyan is very reliable. This time, I just happened to pass by to visit you!" Tian Tian smiled, making people feel as if they were basking in a warm spring breeze. Her voice was very pleasant and gentle, which made Wu Shi, a villager who had never met important people, relax and feel less restrained.

"Since young master Tian is here, why don't you stay for a simple meal?" Wu Shi invited.

"Of course, I've been missing Wu Dama's sweet beans!" Tian Tian laughed heartily, which surprised Wu Shi.

In general, men would not be very interested in sweet beans. The reason she made them was because Xu Daoyan was young.

However, looking at this young master Tian, she seemed not much older than Xu Daoyan, so Wu Shi felt relieved.

That day, Xu Daoyan, Tian Tian, and Wu Shi had a simple meal at home and walked around the village, which caused a lot of discussion among the villagers. They all said they had never seen such a handsome man. Tian Tian was quite pleased. After touring the entire Pomegranate Village, Xu Daoyan asked Tian Tian to go home first, while he went to the graves of Wu Xiaobai's parents to offer incense and clean the new graves. It was the Qingming Festival season.

The sky was gradually darkening, and Tian Tian had nowhere to go, so she decided to stay overnight.

"Young master, please stay in the room, and we will sleep outside!" Wu Shi was very cautious. She knew that people from wealthy families did not like to share a room with others.

"Ah? Wu Dama, it's fine. You can continue to sleep on your own bed. As for me and Xu Daoyan, we can share a bed. I am a soldier, and I don't have so many rules!" Tian Tian saw that there were only two beds in the room and didn't want the owner to sleep outside, which would be inappropriate.

Anyway, Xu Daoyan didn't know she was a woman, so there was no problem with sharing a bed, and there wouldn't be any physical contact!

Xu Daoyan frowned when he heard Wu Shi's words, but Tian Tian's words made him relax: "Young master Tian, please rest!"

He sat cross-legged on the ground to meditate. For Xu Daoyan, sleeping or not sleeping made little difference.

Tian Tian was also happy with this arrangement. It was just right!

The candle was extinguished, and Wu Shi's house became dark.

In a nearby house, Ling'er and Aunt Dumb lived.

"Mother, why did Brother Daoyan bring a woman back? It seems he hasn't discovered it yet," Ling'er, who was very clever, immediately saw through Tian Tian's disguise.

Aunt Dumb shook her head.

"I don't know what this woman is up to. Humph!" Ling'er wrinkled her nose, looking very dissatisfied.

Aunt Dumb smiled slightly and gently patted Ling'er's head, as if saying she was a little troublemaker.

In the distant sky, the Heavenly Ghost Messenger and Zhang Feng were watching Pomegranate Village from afar.

"This is the village where Xu Daoyan was born. I must kill everyone here to avenge my hatred!" Zhang Feng's eyes were filled with intense malice.

"If you dare to do this, the Mountain Ghost Hall will face great trouble. Do you really think Shilong City is a pushover?" The Heavenly Ghost Messenger despised Zhang Feng even more, finding him utterly foolish.

His words made Zhang Feng shudder with cold sweat: "I spoke out of turn."

If a village under Shilong City's jurisdiction was massacred by the Heavenly Ghost Sect, they would certainly lead an army to attack, or else they would lose face.

Even if Shilong City wanted to turn a blind eye, if this news reached the Heavenly Stone Capital, Zhang Yun's father, the general, would lose his position.

"Useless fool, you just cause trouble. Wait, once we leave Pomegranate Village and cross these mountains, we will be out of the Nine States Divine Dynasty's territory. Then, when we kill them, no one can do anything to us!" The Heavenly Ghost Messenger laughed wickedly and disappeared into the night.

The night passed quickly, and the sky in the distance turned a pale white. Xu Daoyan slowly opened his eyes and got up to cook.

After serving in the army for a few months, he could return home, all thanks to this young master Tian. It was a rare opportunity to cook for his mother, so Xu Daoyan naturally wouldn't miss it. He grabbed a few fresh sweet potatoes, peeled them, and put them in the pot with rice and water, covering it with a wooden lid.

There was still a lot of dried meat and some pickled vegetables prepared at home.

When it was light, Wu Shi and Tian Tian also got up. After washing up, they ate the breakfast made by Xu Daoyan. Tian Tian enjoyed it and said with a smile, "I didn't know you had this skill!"

"There are many things you don't know about me," Xu Daoyan laughed.

Wu Shi kicked Xu Daoyan with her foot, signaling him not to be disrespectful to his superior. In her view, serving a superior was like serving a tiger, and even if the relationship was good, certain courtesies must be maintained!

After breakfast, Xu Daoyan and Tian Tian were about to leave.

Ling'er also came to Xu Daoyan's house early in the morning and said, "Brother Daoyan, are you leaving?"

"Yes, if I have time, I will come back to see you all." Xu Daoyan left a message and rode off with Tian Tian, leaving Pomegranate Village.

Wu Shi, Aunt Dumb, and Ling'er watched Xu Daoyan leave, heading towards the back mountain.

The horses Xu Daoyan and Tian Tian were riding were extraordinary, the Lightning Wind Horse and the Departure Wind Horse, which could easily cross mountains and valleys.

"I used to practice here on the back mountain a lot," Xu Daoyan said when they reached the back mountain.

"Oh?" Tian Tian surveyed the surroundings. Indeed, the spiritual energy here was more concentrated, but the environment was still quite poor.

Soon, the two of them crossed the back mountain and arrived at the battlefield. It was now spring, and the warm sun was high in the sky. Although many people had died here, it wasn't eerie during the day because the yang energy suppressed the yin energy.

"This is the edge of the battlefield where the two armies met," Xu Daoyan said solemnly, as Tian Tian had asked to see the battlefield, so he led the way.

"Let's go deeper into the battlefield, ride!" Tian Tian, with a playful heart, looked at the vast battlefield, her heart filled with excitement and a wild nature. She spurred her horse and galloped forward.

"Don't!" Xu Daoyan frowned, trying to stop her, and chased after her.

At that moment, the Heavenly Ghost Messenger and Zhang Feng, who had been following them, also pursued them.

"Hehe, I want you to enter the battlefield!" The Heavenly Ghost Messenger's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Zhang Feng also became excited, his face twisted with anger: "I will make you pay with your blood!"

The Lightning Wind Horse galloped ahead, its speed like lightning, moving like a streak of light, hard for ordinary eyes to see. Tian Tian looked straight ahead, feeling exhilarated, letting the strong wind blow through her clothes.

She had always longed to see the border region and the battlefield. Indeed, the area was vast, and everywhere she looked, she could see broken armor and bones, undulating desolate mountains, and a horizon that stretched endlessly.

"Xu Daoyan, don't go any further, it's very dangerous!" Xu Daoyan, riding the Departure Wind Horse, followed closely behind, entering a state of alert as they continued deeper into the battlefield.

"What are you afraid of? There's no one around, what's there to fear?" Tian Tian glanced at Xu Daoyan, ignoring his warning.

"That's because you haven't seen war. If your family and friends were killed by the Xiongnu's swords and arrows, you wouldn't feel this way!" Xu Daoyan recalled the scene when the Xiongnu led a large army into Pomegranate Village, and Wu Xiaobai's parents were killed. He felt a deep hatred, and if not for this, he wouldn't have had the determination to join the army.

Tian Tian, who had grown up in Youzhou, where countless people served her, had no idea of the pain and suffering of the common people at the bottom of society.

Unconsciously, the two of them, one chasing and one fleeing, moved further away from the territory of the Nine States Divine Dynasty.

"Haha, these two are just asking for death, daring to run so far. They must be tired of living. Don't they know the Xiongnu's horses can come and go like the wind, reaching them in an instant?" Zhang Feng laughed, seeing the two as dead men, and the resentment in his heart was finally released.

"It's time to make our move!" The Heavenly Ghost Sect messenger had come to establish his authority among the outer sects.

He rode a large skull, bit his fingertip, and wrote twisted runes on it, reciting obscure incantations.

This was a high-quality earth-grade artifact, extremely powerful, called the Poison Skull.

"Corpse Poison Mist!"

The Poison Skull descended from the sky, rapidly approaching. From the skull's mouth, it spewed out a dense black poison mist, containing highly concentrated corpse poison, which was bone-chilling and could rob people of their senses, making them mindless and zombie-like.

Xu Daoyan immediately sensed it and was startled. His greatest fear had come true. He immediately performed the Flame Sun Seal, and the Flame Sun energy rose from his body, red light swirling, dispelling some of the poison mist.

However, the poison mist was too dense and too powerful, making it difficult to dispel. He could only form the Flame Sun Seal to勉强 protect himself from the poison mist!

The poison mist covered down, and such a sudden attack made Tian Tian's face pale. The intensity of this attack was definitely from an Immortal Human. She was angry, as she had finally managed to come out for a spring outing, but someone always wanted to ruin her fun!

"Bold, to dare to sneak attack me!" In shock and anger, she took out her jade flute, and a lingering melody sounded, countering the attack!