Starting My Cultivation With Time Management-Chapter 923 - 63: Qi Yingzhu Furiously Catches a Spy
The further north they traveled, the colder the winds became.
The frigid gusts blowing in from the North Sea were not ordinary cold winds. They carried intensely concentrated Water Element Spiritual Energy of the Yin Attribute, highly corrosive, like maggots burrowing into bones, causing many members of the Mao Clan to feel physically uncomfortable—after all, the Mao Clan adapted better to arid climates.
Being of Jiaolong lineage, Long Long and Long Hu were naturally resistant to the erosive effects of Water Element Spiritual Energy. But to keep up appearances, they had to go all out in their act, holding Fire System Magical Treasures in their hands daily to activate them, roasting the encroaching snow and wind around their bodies until it dried up.
As the two shook off the snow on their bodies inside the camp, distant roars of anger from the Mao Clan suddenly broke out.
Probably another fight.
Cultivators were far more maneuverable than mortal soldiers, meaning the battles were not only more frequent but also far more intense. Soon, a large number of Mao Clan cultivators took to the skies, riding the wind to rush towards the source of the commotion.
"How strange," Long Hu remarked. "Since entering the North State, Xuanwu hasn’t engaged in any large-scale conflicts against the West State army."
"They’ve only conducted small, scattered skirmishes," Long Long agreed with a nod. "It’s obvious they’re delaying for time."
And as for what they were stalling for, it was undoubtedly to gather resources for a larger move. What exactly that move was, however, remained a mystery.
This realization made Long Long feel a twinge of unease.
Perhaps it was better to leave early.
"What’s your aunt said about this?" Long Long asked in a covert voice transmission.
"She has to follow the Mao Clan’s orders, so she can’t come with us," Long Hu replied. "Besides, Beiming Fanyang won’t allow others to accompany us there either."
"So, it seems we can leave at any time," Long Long breathed a small sigh of relief.
If that were the case, then their movements could be far more flexible.
For instance, if they spotted a good opportunity, they could quickly escape with Long Hu without wasting time explaining the situation to Hu Li.
"Let’s head back first," Long Long said just as he noticed someone approaching fast from afar, riding the wind.
Qi Yingzhu?
Although the distance between them was quite large, Long Long scanned and immediately identified that Yingzhu was staring straight at him.
She wasn’t just flying in this direction by coincidence—she had seen him and was coming straight for him!
At this thought, Long Long’s heart sank. Realizing his cover had been blown, his mind flashed with dreadful possibilities like shackles, dungeons, and juice extractors. Without a second thought, he grabbed Long Hu and soared into the clouds.
The two sped northward, rapidly increasing their velocity. Behind them, Qi Yingzhu noticed this and immediately unleashed Tiger Roar Skill, shouting loudly:
"Long Long! Stop right there!"
She hadn’t expected to run into Long Long in such a place. She had only recently handed over military authority to an elder from the Qilin Clan and had come out for a leisurely walk.
Drawn by the nearby cries of battle, she had diverted her course. By chance, she glanced downward and spotted Long Long and Long Hu shaking snow off their bodies, causing her to rush over in haste.
This little tiger must have been utterly bewildered because, seeing the two flee in such a panic without even turning back, she blurted out the classic demand: "Stop!"
Upon hearing these two words, any hesitation in the mind of the pursued would utterly vanish, ensuring they would never look back. As such, Long Long abandoned all attempts to feign ignorance, fully unleashing his Nascent Soul Realm cultivation level. The cloud carrying the duo became a streak of mist stretched into an almost straight line, giving off the impression of Somersault Cloud speeding across thousands of miles in a flash.
Qi Yingzhu, realizing the gap between them was widening, grew increasingly frustrated. The innate "chase reflex" of feline-like creatures was triggered to its utmost, and she pushed her Wind Riding Technique to full power.
Thus, although she could no longer maintain the appearance of continuously closing the distance, she managed to prevent herself from being completely shaken off.
Watching from the front, Long Long’s heart pounded. He wasn’t worried about Qi Yingzhu catching up with him, but what he feared was that their chase would attract nearby Kun Race cultivators—such a situation would be far too dangerous!
Just then, a frozen rift valley appeared in the glacier below.
Without hesitation, Long Long grabbed Long Hu tightly and dove straight down into the crevasse—he aimed to use the narrow terrain of the glacier’s fissures to shake Qi Yingzhu off completely!
Qi Yingzhu hesitated not even a second, her feline slit pupils locking onto her targets as she plunged straight in after them.
From high above, the glacier rift appeared smooth, but upon approaching, its true rugged nature revealed itself—it was uneven, with countless protruding spikes and icicles.
Long Long carried Long Hu, twisting left and right, deliberately using these obstructions to obscure Qi Yingzhu’s sight.
Looking back, he saw Qi Yingzhu deftly leaping back and forth, stepping nimbly along the cliffsides in true feline fashion, effortlessly dodging each obstacle.
"Let me handle this!" Long Hu exclaimed upon realizing that shaking her off wasn’t working. She promptly unleashed Fox Clan Illusion Techniques.
She avoided using any Magical Treasures or Flying Swords to prevent creating too large a commotion that might attract passing Kun Race cultivators.
With the Illusion Technique now in full effect, Qi Yingzhu fell under its influence, her consciousness clouding. As she continued rushing forward, she failed to dodge an ice pillar and crashed headlong into it.
The pillar shattered beneath her headbutt, and the pain shook her consciousness free of the illusion briefly. Enraged, Qi Yingzhu focused her True Yuan and—disregarding the risk of attracting enemies—emitted a deafening Tiger Roar Skill, using its illusion-breaking properties to dispel the technique’s effects.
The thunderous roar resonated through the rift, triggering an immense avalanche from above.
Before they could react, all three were buried under an overwhelming torrent of snow and ice falling from the heights.
The avalanche’s crushing weight and force would have spelled certain death for ordinary people, but to Demon Race cultivators, it was hardly a threat—they could break free from the snow with ease.
Long Long, however, was primarily concerned about whether the noise had attracted nearby North State cultivators. He encircled Long Hu’s waist and deliberately allowed the thick snow to bury them completely.
Pretending they weren’t there.
Under the snow, Long Long and Long Hu stared wide-eyed at each other, neither daring to breathe audibly.
After a while, faint scratching sounds came from above, as if someone were digging through the snow.
Soon after, a hand broke through the snow, fumbling around blindly.
Although they couldn’t see through the snow, Long Long’s scanning ability allowed him to perceive the figure crouched above—it was none other than the little white tiger, Qi Yingzhu.
Long Long resolved to remain absolutely still, pretending not to exist, but Qi Yingzhu’s luck proved exceptional. Her hand suddenly touched his.
Startled, Long Long instinctively flung her hand away, but instead of detaching, she pulled both him and Long Hu out of the snow like uprooting a radish.
The three collapsed onto the snowy ground, gasping heavily. While Qi Yingzhu brushed off the residual snow on her body, Long Long helped Long Hu clean her tail. Suddenly, Qi Yingzhu shot a furious glare at them and snapped:
"Why were you running?"
"Why were you chasing?" Long Long quickly scanned their surroundings and was relieved to find no unfamiliar cultivators nearby.
"If you run, of course I’ll chase," Qi Yingzhu replied indignantly.
"If you hadn’t chased, we wouldn’t have run!" Long Hu, also shivering from the cold, replied irritably, "Isn’t there anything more important for a princess to do than chasing us?"
The question left Qi Yingzhu momentarily flustered; after all, she was one of the commanding generals in Central State’s expedition to the Northern Border and should not have recklessly ventured so deep into this territory.
But her stubborn nature quickly surfaced again, and she planted her hands on her hips, proclaiming:
"I’m catching traitors in the army!"
