Wu Jiahui looked at the battered group and issued another warning: "Don't let me show up in front of you again, or don't blame me for being ruthless. Get out of here!"
Relieved as if granted a pardon and afraid that Wu Jiahui might change her mind, the men hurriedly grabbed Yan Linhao and Xue Xiaodong and fled in a panic.
Yan Linhao cast a complicated glance at Zhao Jingyou, said nothing, sighed, and got into the car to leave under his junior fellow apprentice's urging.
Watching the sedan get further and further away, Zhao Jingyou knew that this parting might mean he would never see his senior brother and the others again. He watched them leave with lingering reluctance until they vanished from his sight, only then withdrawing his gaze with a heavy heart.
Wu Jiahui walked over to my side and signaled the men in black to take Zhao Jingyou with them.
"You're going with them, and don't even think about running. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, this young lady will hunt you down and kill you. Don't doubt my capability."
"Yes, subordinates wouldn't dare," Zhao Jingyou replied respectfully.
"Let's go!" Wu Jiahui turned her head and said to me.
I followed Wu Jiahui into the car. She skillfully started the engine, with a car of men in black leading in front and another following behind, protecting us right in the middle. The three cars sped away just like that.
"Scared? Don't be afraid. The path ahead of you will be a hundred times more cruel than today—just treat this as getting used to it in advance!" Seeing that I hadn't spoken since getting into the car, Wu Jiahui offered some words of comfort with a hint of concern.
I shook my head and looked at her with an earnest expression.
"I'm fine. A person has to grow up eventually. Whether what you said is true or not, I know my future path won't be smooth sailing, so like you said, I'll adapt ahead of time. Besides, these people came to kill me; if there's a first time, there will be a second, a third, and countless more. It's either them or me."
Wu Jiahui gave me an approving look.
"Not bad. It seems they still underestimated you. The reason I didn't kill them today is, firstly, I was afraid of shocking you, and secondly, because superiors gave orders that Zhao Jingyou must be taken alive. If we had killed the rest of them, it wouldn't have been so easy to take him."
I had originally thought they were afraid of being investigated by the police, but it turned out they were worried about distressing me. At that moment, I felt deeply grateful to this girl I had just met; for a complete stranger to consider my feelings like that was something ordinary people simply couldn't do.
Although they were following orders from above, I believed that if she had wanted to, she could easily have killed the others first and taken Zhao Jingyou away by force—it would just have taken a little more effort.
I muttered a word of thanks, neither asking about the background of those men in black nor probing into why those people wanted to kill me. I didn't want to become a nuisance; some mysteries were meant to be unraveled by oneself.
I stopped disturbing her and quietly admired the beautiful scenery outside the window, lowering my head to send a text message home so my family wouldn't worry about me.
Looking at the girl I hadn't contacted in a long time, a sense of regret inevitably welled up in my heart. After thinking twice, I held back and decided not to send her a message.
Putting away my phone, I casually asked, "How much longer until we arrive?"
"It's a bit far. If you're tired, rest for a bit. I'll wake you up when we get there."
"Okay." I nodded in agreement. Knowing it would still take some time, I closed my eyes for a nap. To be honest, I really was quite tired today. Experiencing two back-to-back incidents left my head still spinning, and I hadn't fully processed everything yet.
I didn't know how much time had passed before I felt the car come to a stop, and I curiously looked around my surroundings.
What came into view was a high-end hotel, looking completely out of reach for someone poor like me.
Seeing that I was awake, Wu Jiahui gently called out, "Let's go! We won't make it today, so we'll rest here for the night."
I nodded in agreement and followed her into the hotel. Zhao Jingyou and the men in black were there too. We each took a room, grabbed our keys, and headed to our respective quarters.
Wu Jiahui wasn't worried that Zhao Jingyou might slip away quietly; this wasn't just any ordinary small hotel. To my surprise, it was actually backed by Yayue Pavilion. With the hotel staff keeping an eye on Zhao Jingyou, he wouldn't be able to escape even if he had three heads and six arms.
After the few of us grabbed a bite to eat, we finally returned to our rooms. Feeling soreness all over my body, I took a shower and wanted nothing more than to sleep. Just as I closed my eyes, an untimely knock echoed on the door. Irritated, I pulled the door open to find Wu Jiahui standing in the doorway, gazing at me calmly.
"No plans to invite me in? You're just going to make me stand out here?"
Only then did I snap back to reality and hurriedly invite her inside.
Wu Jiahui found a random spot to sit down, and I left the door slightly ajar for fear that those men in black might misunderstand.
Neither of us spoke, staring at each other in silence until she finally broke the awkward atmosphere.
"We'll arrive tomorrow afternoon. Once we reach the headquarters, I'll take you to meet someone. She has a very strange temper, so don't provoke her."
I nodded and said no problem. After thinking for a moment, I asked, "You didn't just come here to tell me about such a trivial matter, did you?"
Wu Jiahui rolled her eyes at me, her expression turning solemn as she said, "Do you remember what Zhao Jingyou said?"
I nodded. "Yes, I remember. That Fortune Teller."
"Right. That Fortune Teller is no ordinary person. Merely a Tier 5 Fortune Teller, yet he managed to divine something about even me. The fact that I was completely unaware shows that this person has some real skills." Wu Jiahui marveled.
I pondered for a moment, ultimately failing to hold back my question.
"Since he's a Tier 5 Fortune Teller, I suppose divining my future wouldn't be hard for him. But what I don't understand is why he didn't bother calculating anything about me, an ordinary person, and focused entirely on you instead? If he could calculate me, killing me would be as easy as turning over his hand."
Wu Jiahui spoke with a look of utter disdain: "He's just a Tier 5 Fortune Teller. Trying to divine your future is nothing short of wishful thinking. Forget about a mere Tier 5—even a Ninth Stage Fortune Teller couldn't possibly divine anything about you. Only a Tenth-tier Cultivator could barely manage to glimpse a thing or two."
I frowned, voicing the guess in my heart: "Could it be that I have some special physique, which is why he couldn't read me?"
Wu Jiahui pondered for a moment before answering, "Perhaps! I'm not entirely clear on that either. Maybe that person knows!"
"That person? Who?"
"The mysterious woman who saved you in Modu. Aside from her, I don't think anyone else truly knows—not even Great Elder Dongfang might be aware."
"In fact, we knew long in advance that someone would come to intercept you today. Before she left, the mysterious woman who saved you gave me a letter instructing me to wait for you here and bring you safely to Yayue Pavilion."
I asked in surprise, "You mean she planned all of this long ago? Also, what else did the letter say?"
Wu Jiahui thought for a moment before telling me: "Oh, right! She also told me to let you know not to let her down. If you want to see her, you'll need to reach at least the strength of a Tenth-tier Cultivator before she will show herself. Until then, she won't see you."
I looked out the window and resolved, "A Tenth-tier Cultivator... I will do it. I believe I will uncover this mystery with my own hands."
"Alright, as long as you understand. I'm heading out. Get some rest early; we have a journey ahead of us tomorrow."