After confirming that it was Mulan Qingqing herself, Shi Chun had no choice but to accept, as his main explicit purpose for entering this time was to protect Mulan Qingqing.

However, given the current situation, it seems troublesome to have her around, especially since he had already decided to meet with the Demon Path, although bringing Old Chai along is also an option, but Old Chai could be silenced at any time.

Although the Mother-child Talisman confirmed that it was indeed Mulan Qingqing, Shi Chun wouldn't disclose his actual precise hiding location, instead providing a rendezvous point where she would only be brought once the identity was verified, as the severely injured Li Hongjiu was still recuperating there and Huang Yingying was in closed-door cultivation.

Taking out a map to confirm her destination, Mulan Qingqing rode the Wind Riding Scale at high speed.

Jie Yunzhao did not follow closely; he had the assistance of the Demon Eye and didn't need to follow closely, keeping a distance in spots beyond the target's sight was just as effective.

His reason for not capturing Mulan Qingqing outright was to first confirm whether she was heading towards Shi Chun; interrogation was the last resort, and only if all else failed would he capture her for questioning.

Soon after the figures disappeared, a silhouette rapidly darted into a hidden spot in the valley, and it was Han Bao.

Urgently on the move, he dared not stop and immediately cast a spell at the cave entrance to investigate, his face changing dramatically upon inspection. He rushed inside to see for himself, and indeed, Mulan Qingqing was nowhere to be found; constrained by her injuries, it was impossible for her to have run off on her own, so external intervention was the only explanation.

After searching inside the cave and checking everywhere outside, he found no trace of anyone.

Both shocked and enraged, anger gradually burned in his eyes; he never expected his friend to be problematic.

The most frightening aspect was that if anything bad happened to Mulan Qingqing, the wrath of the Xuanji Token Master would be beyond his ability to withstand, potentially implicating his entire family.

He was reluctant to contact Mulan Jin now, but had no choice; they were already pressing him for questions, how could he hide it? He had to report the truth.

Mulan Jin was also taken aback upon hearing the news, sensing someone was targeting Han Bao, suspecting it was aimed at his daughter, though not understanding why targeting her would be meaningful, fearing the worst.

He had no direct contact with his daughter due to their strained relationship; now that she had been kidnapped, he estimated contacting her would be futile.

He wouldn't consider this was directed at Shi Chun, therefore didn't try to reach out to Shi Chun.

He then asked Han Bao for detailed specifics of the incident, and after Han Bao elaborately recounted, he repeatedly assured that there was no one tracking him, that he returned immediately after obtaining the items, and confidently asserted that even if someone was tracking, it couldn't have been to the front location.

However, the amount of salt Han Bao had consumed was not enough for Mulan Jin to rinse his mouth; Mulan Jin had long been dealing with the Demon Path, instantly thinking of a certain possibility, directly messaging: Report your friend's name and the team he belongs to.

He was too familiar with the Demon Path's tactics—it takes just one attempt to know.

Han Bao replied: Nanshan Team, Fan Qi—didn't inquire about the specific squad.

Currently, Mulan Jin lacked direct communication with Nanshan Team's Ming Chaofeng; realistically, unless collaborating on this affair, typically, individuals like Manxi and Ming Chaofeng's status were vastly different from the Xuanji Token Master, making a face-to-face meeting difficult, let alone establishing direct contact casually.

But knowing Manxi could directly contact Ming Chaofeng, he transmitted: "Contact Ming Chaofeng and have him immediately deploy someone to arrest a team member named 'Fan Qi.'

Manxi paused, recalling the earlier order for nearby forces to provide assistance, responding: "Is it related to your love?"

Mulan Jin nodded slightly.

Manxi: "This... in the Battle of Great Pardon, mutually attacking is within the rules, Commander, intervening like this, they may not comply."

Mulan Jin: "Notify Ming Chaofeng that I ordered it; Fan Qi is Demon Path."

Demon Path? Manxi's eyes widened, sweating subtly in awe—rescuing one's daughter with such decisiveness by labeling someone as Demon Path is indeed wielding power with audacity.

He was unaware of the specific situation; regardless, it didn't concern his team. More indiscriminate actions would be preferable, dragging out tons of Demon Path from Nanshan, better yet, involving all four other teams. He immediately followed the Xuanji Token Master's instructions, relaying the relevant information to Ming Chaofeng's side.

Ming Chaofeng at the Nanshan Command Center received the transmission, bewildered momentarily—sending Demon Path out from here to capture Demon Path?

After repeatedly confirming the message, internally grumbling—being busy with other matters, now tasked with capturing Demon Path?

But he dared not disregard it—fearful of bearing the label of Demon Path protector.

He promptly instructed Command Center personnel to locate Fan Qi's position to deploy staff for the operation.

However, just as they probed into Fan Qi's circumstances, they received a report saying the Centurion Token's light spot for Fan Qi vanished.

Dead?

The news, once relayed back to Mulan Jin, drew a cold smile on his lips—it died at the perfect moment, dying swiftly enough to sever all clues.

Someone from Han Jia Bu was investigating Han Bao's status, with actions taken by Fan Qi within the Demon Realm in response—someone transmitted information from outside, but with Fan Qi dead, the individual transmitting messages became difficult to trace.

Typical Demon Path tactics.

Through this probe, he confirmed that it was likely the handiwork of the Demon Path.

He found it peculiar—the Demon Path typically feared him like poison, driven to trepidation by him, unable to stir a breeze without detection; this time they dared to initiate action, bold enough to aim directly at him—wondering which prominent figure from the Demon Path had emerged with such daring.

Now he was less concerned about his daughter's immediate safety—they wouldn't expend such effort targeting her; most likely, it's directed at him, Mulan Jin—expecting contact, he was determined to discern the Demon Path's intent with his daughter.

He then conveyed another communication to Manxi: "Inform Ming Chaofeng to track every individual who transmitted messages in and out of Nanshan Xun Gate during this period—record every one meticulously."

The words piqued Manxi's surprise—saving a daughter doesn't necessitate this—have they truly identified Demon Path?

He naturally made swift arrangements.

Not stopping there, Mulan Jin also issued orders for individuals outside the Stargazing Pavilion, requesting them to list all personnel from the five teams passing through each Xun Gate to transmit messages during this period, and to examine each person's connections once outside.

A secret order, intelligible only to specific personnel, was sent out with it, activating covert agents on the Demon Path's side to assist in the investigation…

The wilderness, where sand would occasionally swirl in the air.

Arriving beside a hidden pit, Mulan Qingqing looked around, but saw no one, feeling puzzled. This should have been the agreed meeting point, so she took out the Mother-child Talisman to contact Shi Chun.

Shi Chun himself was actually hiding on a nearby small hill. Seeing that Mulan Qingqing seemed not to be in any unusual situation, he too surveyed the surroundings and observed no other abnormalities. He took out the Mother-child Talisman, glanced at the message, and then put it away without replying. In a flash, he flew over.

Landing beside Mulan Qingqing, he saw a peculiar clinging sensation flash in her eyes. Coupled with her beauty, it made Shi Chun's heart flutter; he instinctively wanted to reach out and hold her for a touch.

However, considering her family background, he restrained those improper thoughts and curiously glanced around, asking, "Where's Han Bao? Why are you here alone?"

Speaking of Han Bao, Mulan Qingqing's face revealed obvious disdain. She said, "Don't worry about him, let's go."

She certainly didn't want to be taken and restrained by Han Bao again.

Shi Chun noticed something was off and suspiciously questioned, "Has something happened? He was sent by your father, so he shouldn't dare to do anything to you, right?"

Mulan Qingqing: "Nothing, let's go."

She also realized that this was not the place where Shi Chun's group was hiding.

This was clearly abnormal. Since she didn't want to say, Shi Chun didn't insist. He immediately took out the Mother-child Talisman to contact Mulan Jin to find out what was going on. He couldn't afford any unclear responsibility with the Xuanji Token Master.

Mulan Qingqing saw this and suddenly reached out to press down the Mother-child Talisman in his hand, also holding his hand. For the first time, the two had genuinely skin-to-skin contact.

Shi Chun attempted to touch her hand in return but didn't succeed.

Realizing the inappropriate behavior, Mulan Qingqing quickly withdrew her hand and explained, "He previously had Han Bao restrain me. If he finds out, he'll surely send Han Bao after me again. I don't want to be like a corpse waiting for the battle to end."

Shi Chun understood a bit and sighed, "He's doing it for your own good, huh? How did you escape then? Did Han Bao secretly let you go? He shouldn't dare to defy your father's orders, would he?"

Mulan Qingqing: "He went out for a while and wasn't watching. Just then, someone passing by discovered me and lifted my restriction."

"Went out for a while, and then someone just happened to pass by…" Shi Chun murmured. In such a vast area with so few people, could Han Bao's hiding place have just been stumbled upon by a passerby?

Indeed, coincidences can happen.

But his face and eyes now carried suspicion, and a cool sensation spread across his skin as he quickly glanced towards the direction Mulan Qingqing came from, asking, "Who was the person that lifted the restriction for you?"

Mulan Qingqing said, "I don't know, not familiar."

Shi Chun gestured, "And then you immediately came to me?"

Mulan Qingqing nodded.

Shi Chun countered, "With such a coincidence, aren't you worried that Han Bao got into trouble, and someone found out your whereabouts from him?"

Mulan Qingqing was taken aback. She hadn't thought of it that way; she was in a hurry to leave before Han Bao returned.

Of course, she understood his implication, worried that someone might be using her as bait.

She could not afford to think about it, but Shi Chun couldn't help but be cautious. After causing such a big issue, there were now plenty of people looking to take him down, so even meeting Mulan Qingqing had to be done with great care.

Forget it, there's no point squabbling with this woman. Shi Chun decided he wouldn't care whether she was willing or not anymore; no matter how pretty she was, his own safety was more important!

The Mother-child Talisman in his hand quickly sent a message to Mulan Jin: Commander, your daughter has escaped Han Bao's control and found me on her own. It seems unusual. Please verify if everything is normal on Han Bao's end.

After sending the message, he immediately deployed the Wind Riding Scale, wrapping Mulan Qingqing up and taking off. He dared not linger even a moment longer.

Atop the high platform of the Heavenly Court's Command Center, Mulan Jin took out the Mother-child Talisman and glanced at the message. His eyes quickly sharpened—his daughter had actually gone to find Shi Chun alone?

After capturing someone, how could it be so easy to let them leave?

He suddenly realized a problem: perhaps the Demon Path's target was not him, the Xuanji Token Master, but Shi Chun!

To attack him as the Xuanji Token Master just to get to Shi Chun seemed a bit disproportionate, like using a hammer to kill a fly. Wasn't there a sense of priority?

What's the situation, just because of the recent issues Shi Chun caused?

This time, he couldn't quite make sense of the Demon Path's strategy and had to suspect that there might be some other agenda hidden within the Demon Realm.

He couldn't waste time investigating the specifics and straightforwardly sent a message with no reservations: The Demon Path might be looking for you two, they possess a tracking magic. Escape immediately, as fast as possible, and report your exact location and direction. I'll arrange for a response team right away.

After reading the message, Shi Chun was momentarily stunned—Demon Path?

So it was the Demon Path.

He actually felt relieved; he understood the Demon Path's red-eye tracking magic. He was just waiting for Li Hongjiu to recover fully before finding them, but who would have thought they'd come to him? And using this method suggested it wasn't from the same line as Feng Chi and the others' faction.

He then looked at Mulan Qingqing beside him. He'd been wondering how this woman's presence would pose an inconvenience in dealing with the Demon Path. Well, it really did become too convenient, now that it was so openly discussed with the Xuanji Token Master right there.

Yes, there is no doubt. I am determined never to reconcile with the Demon Path!

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