"What, someone is following us? How do you know?"
With that, Chen Xuan'an turned around to look behind them. He stared for a long time without spotting any suspicious vehicles. After all, there were quite a few cars behind them; trying to pick out a suspicious one among so many was simply impossible.
This is a society governed by law. As long as they don't make a move and their intentions aren't obvious, there's really nothing we can do to them.
Wu Jiahui glanced at the rearview mirror and let out a disdainful, cold snort.
"Hmph, just thinking they can catch up to me—in their dreams."
Seeing that Wu Jiahui hadn't answered his question and assuming she hadn't heard, Chen Xuan'an repeated it loudly.
Wu Jiahui said dismissively, "With just those five Tier 5 Buddhist cultivators and one Tier 6 Buddhist cultivator? Spotting them is child's play."
"Buddhist cultivators? And six of them? What do they want?"
"They're probably coming for you."
"Coming for me? But I've never offended them. Why would they follow us?"
Wu Jiahui gave a light snort.
"Hearth, they're here to kill you. But there are still too many people on this road, so they don't dare make a move. After all, certain special departments specifically target these sects. Those departments won't interfere in conflicts between cultivators, but the moment anyone harms ordinary people, they investigate thoroughly to the bitter end."
"Once we reach a secluded spot ahead, they're bound to make a move. Unless I fall, don't even think about them laying a hand on you."
Hearing this, Chen Xuan'an felt a warmth in his heart and said resolutely, "I'll help you later."
Wu Jiahui didn't speak and kept driving. She took a provincial highway where there was still plenty of passing traffic, with police cars occasionally roaring past.
Chen Xuan'an cautiously glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed an unidentifiable black sedan following them all the way. Wu Jiahui checked the mirror and asked softly, "Noticed them?"
Hearing this, Chen Xuan'an asked somewhat uncertainly, "Is that the black car?"
"Mhm, that's them."
Chen Xuan'an narrowed his eyes and asked in puzzlement, "Who on earth are they?"
"I'm not entirely sure right now, but they're probably assassins from the Wanfo Sect or Tianfo Temple. Only they would dare make a move against you."
"When you had that incident in Modu three years ago, it was their doing as well. If that mysterious woman hadn't appeared, the rest of us there really wouldn't have had a way out."
Chen Xuan'an said offhandedly, "Forget them. I'll have plenty of chances to settle scores with them later."
Wu Jiahui shot him a surprised look and asked curiously, "Aren't you scared of them?"
Chen Xuan'an let out a wry smile and said helplessly, "Scared? What good would that do? If it were in the past, they certainly would have found it easy. But now, we'll just have to see if they have what it takes."
"That's true too. After all, you still have me by your side."
Chen Xuan'an smiled without speaking. To say he wasn't afraid would be a lie; facing such powerful opponents, he could only pin his hopes on the girl beside him. Although he wasn't a martial artist himself, he had clearly known since childhood that such people existed.
Over the years, Chen Xuan'an had done plenty of research on martial artists. In fact, martial artists weren't the only ones; alongside them were feng shui masters, Sect Dao masters, fortune tellers, Buddhist cultivators, and Gu masters from Miao Jiang.
These people were collectively known as cultivators, and each category was divided into ten ranks, from Tier 1 to Tier 10. Tier 10 was the strongest, and Tier 1 marked the entry level. Aside from unranked cultivators, Tier 1 was the weakest.
However, according to some major sects, these unranked individuals weren't considered cultivators at all—just ordinary people with a bit of strength.
"Unranked" referred to those who had studied systematically but couldn't cross the threshold into becoming Tier 1 cultivators. In short, their strength exceeded that of ordinary people but fell below Tier 1 cultivators. Some people called them "fake cultivators" or "half-step cultivators."
With a stern expression, Wu Jiahui said, "Since they're courting death, this young lady will send them on their way. Hmph."
With that, Wu Jiahui leisurely shifted gears and sped toward a narrow country lane.
"Senior Brother, they've changed routes. Could it be they've discovered us?" inside the black sedan, a scar-faced monk in the passenger seat asked in confusion.
The scar-faced monk wore a gloomy expression, his eyes radiating dense murderous intent. These men were warrior monks trained by Tianfo Temple specifically to handle dirty work, which was why none of them had Dharma names.
Buddhism had always been renowned for compassion, but the monks in the car were the exact opposite—every single one of them was brimming with murderous aura, looking as terrifying as demons crawling up from hell. If not for the Buddhist robes they wore, nobody would ever have taken them for monks.
The lead monk, the plump Yan Linhao, calmly told Zhao Jingyou, "Amitabha, Sixth Junior Brother, rest assured. With the two of them, whether they've discovered us or not, they ultimately won't escape our grasp."
From the side, the sharp-mouthed monk Xue Xiaodong chimed in, "That's right, that's right! With Senior Brother making a move, how could Wu Jiahui—mere Tier 5 martial artist—possibly block you, Senior Brother? Given your strength as a Tier 6 Buddhist cultivator, everyone in Yayue Pavilion apart from that unfathomable pavilion master is nothing more than a mob of a mob of worthless lackeys. Naturally, no one can stop you."
Yan Linhao smiled and said, "Amitabha, Fifth Junior Brother, you're mistaken. Yayue Pavilion still has some strength. They're one of the Seven Great Sects of the Southwest after all, not just anybody. Without some real strength, they would have been devoured clean by other sects long ago; how could they have survived until now? Furthermore, I'm only at the early stage of Tier 6."
Zhao Jingyou sneered, "Hmph, Fifth Senior Brother, Yayue Pavilion managed to rank among the Seven Great Sects of the Southwest in less than twelve years since its establishment. There are nearly a hundred sects of all sizes across the entire Southwest, many of which possess centuries of heritage. Yet even when those powerful sects joined forces to curb Yayue Pavilion's growth, not only did they fail to swallow it up, but Yayue Pavilion ended up annexing several medium and large sects instead. Even the Tianyang Sect, once one of the three major hegemons of the Southwest, was trampled underfoot and never recovered. How did they suddenly become a mob of worthless lackeys in your mouth, Fifth Senior Brother?"
Hearing this, Xue Xiaodong turned ashen with anger, cursing inwardly, "Hmph, Zhao Jingyou, I'll trample your ancestors through eighteen generations! If I could beat you, it wouldn't be your turn to spout nonsense right now."
The two junior brothers had grown up together, so they naturally had plenty of friction. In particular, the Fifth Junior Brother and Zhao Jingyou had gotten into more than their share of fights since childhood, but Xue Xiaodong lost miserably every single time, getting beaten black and blue by Zhao Jingyou.
Over time, senior as he was, Xue Xiaodong naturally didn't dare cross swords openly with his junior brother Zhao Jingyou. Though he couldn't deal with his sixth junior brother out in the open, he often struck behind his back—the scar on Zhao Jingyou's face was a gift from him.
Yan Linhao shook his head, thoroughly displeased with this fifth junior brother. Although the man had just been flattering him, Yan Linhao looked down on him from the bottom of his heart; he talked a big game, but whenever a critical moment arrived, he would drop the ball, complaining of stomachaches or feeling unwell. He had no idea why the master had sent him here at all.
With a seductive, evil smile, Yan Linhao casually instructed the Ninth Junior Brother Xiao Yi who was driving, "Junior Brother, follow them. Speed up, pass them, and block them."
Xiao Yi nodded silently, stepped on the gas, and gave chase.
Zhao Jingyou stared blankly ahead at the vehicle getting closer and closer, frowning as he asked, "Eldest Senior Brother, what about that Wu Jiahui? Are we really going to kill her?"