The carriage galloped away. Li Xian was the first to react. With several large leaps, he chased after it.
The remaining four people were left standing there in a daze.
Hong Chaoyang was still in a state of confusion. He stammered, "Is this a kidnapping?"
Xue Ling looked in the direction the carriage had left. "It seems so," he replied.
Li Tianyun was almost exploding with anger. "How could a fairy be kidnapped? What's wrong with this world?!"
After coming to his senses, Hong Chaoyang quickly pushed Xue Ling and said anxiously, "Shen Qing has been kidnapped. What are we still standing here for? Hurry up and chase after them!!"
Xue Ling tugged at Hong Chaoyang's sleeve and calmly analyzed, "Don't be so impatient. Just now, Shen Qing gave Li Xian a look. She should be fine. Given Li Xian's temper, if Shen Qing was really in danger, he would have chopped the carriage to pieces earlier."
As he spoke, he lifted his chin and motioned for Hong Chaoyang to look. "See? Li Xian is just following not too far behind, which means Shen Qing is not in immediate danger."
"You don't need to be so anxious either. Shen Qing and Li Xian are so highly cultivated that ordinary people can't hurt them. We might as well..."
Hong Chaoyang slapped Xue Ling hard on the back. His eyes were filled with unwavering worry. "Even if she's not in immediate danger, we still have to chase after them. What are you wasting so much breath for?!!"
"Since Shen Qing is not your friend, you're not worried, right? Then stay here and don't move!!"
After saying that, Hong Chaoyang ignored the remaining three people. With several large leaps, he chased after Li Xian.
Hong Chaoyang's scolding just now hit Xue Ling hard in the heart like a heavy punch.
He stared at Hong Chaoyang in disbelief. She only left him a disappointed look and then turned around without hesitation and walked away.
Hong Chaoyang said that he didn't regard Shen Qing as his friend, which was why he was so calm.
But that was just his nature. His master had once taught him that all living beings were equal in his eyes. He was always used to analyzing things in the most rational way. If he was controlled by emotions, he would inevitably be biased.
He always believed that human nature was inherently evil, and all appearances were illusions.
The word "friend" was even more distant to him. Even though he had known Li Xian for many years, he didn't dare to claim that Li Xian was his friend.
If he had friends, he would have emotional ties. But was such a tie really necessary for a cultivator?
At this moment, Xue Ling suddenly remembered Bu Yan's words. "I've raised you to be cold - hearted, but that wasn't my original intention. I know you were hurt by your family and relatives when you were a child, so you don't want superfluous emotions. But this is also the main reason why your cultivation has stagnated."
"Go. Don't run away anymore..."
He had been driven down the mountain by his master, but because of his evasion, he had not joined Li Xian as his master had told him for a long time.
It wasn't that he couldn't catch up with Li Xian and Shen Qing's footsteps. He just wanted to delay for as long as possible.
Li Tianyun and Wang Wang exchanged a look. Then, Li Tianyun swallowed hard, summoned up his courage, and carefully asked Xue Ling, "Master, should we chase after them?"
Xue Ling suddenly snapped out of his memories. He looked in the direction Hong Chaoyang had left with a complex expression. At this time, the figures of the people had become tiny dots, getting farther and farther away until they were almost out of sight.
After a moment, Xue Ling threw the rosary beads he had almost crushed in his hand to Li Tianyun. "We must chase after them. You two take these rosary beads and follow the direction they point. Then you can find us. I'll go first!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he jumped onto the roof and rushed towards the direction the carriage had left at full speed.
Li Tianyun and Wang Wang looked at the rosary beads Xue Ling had left. Neither of them dared to have any other thoughts and just ran in the same direction.
After Shen Qing was kidnapped by the black - clothed man, she was stuffed into the carriage.
The carriage was empty inside, but it was decorated with thick cushions, as if they were afraid that Shen Qing would be uncomfortable. There were also exquisite decorations on the roof of the carriage. There was a small tea table in the middle, and the tea on the table was still steaming. Even though the carriage was bumpy, not a single drop of tea spilled.
Besides the tea, there were also fresh seasonal fruits and several plates of delicate snacks on the small tea table. There was incense burning in the corner, with a scent that women would like.
The black - clothed man said to Shen Qing through the curtain of the carriage, "Esteemed guest, please don't be impatient. My master requests your presence."
Shen Qing responded and then comfortably nestled on the cushion, remaining calm. She even tasted the snacks on the small tea table.
The snacks were soft and delicious, but the taste was a bit too sweet. Shen Qing wasn't very fond of them.
However, the arrangement of the carriage revealed the identity of the black - clothed man's master everywhere. Such careful consideration meant that this person had no ill - will towards Shen Qing. With such a considerate arrangement, Shen Qing guessed that the master of the black - clothed man was probably a young woman.
And the mysterious person who asked the black - clothed man to take her away was probably the person that Ling Yunchuan had mentioned, the one Shen Qing could trust.
Remembering the expression on Ling Yunchuan's face when he mentioned that person, Shen Qing roughly knew the relationship between this person and Ling Yunchuan.
After several turns, the speed of the galloping carriage gradually slowed down. Since there was a curfew in the capital city, there were few pedestrians on the road soon after it got dark.
Fortunately, that was the case, so the fast - moving carriage didn't hurt any innocent people.
After traveling for about half an hour, the carriage finally stopped. The black - clothed man knocked on the door frame of the carriage. "We're here. Please get off, esteemed guest."
Shen Qing got up from the cushion, got out of the carriage, and looked around. She found that she had arrived at the back door of a magnificent mansion.
The mansions nearby were all built grandly and imposingly, with clean roads, like the place where the powerful people in the Western Market lived.
The black - clothed man led Shen Qing to the door and knocked on it in a special rhythm. The door opened a crack. A girl dressed as a maid saw Shen Qing and quickly opened the door wide. Then she bowed respectfully to Shen Qing.
"Esteemed guest, you've finally arrived. My master has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me."
The black - clothed man handed Shen Qing over to the maid and then drove the carriage away.
Shen Qing followed the maid into the mansion. Even the back door was well - managed and spotless.
Following the maid's lead, Shen Qing knew that she was probably walking towards the back yard of the mansion. Along the way, there were pavilions, rare plants, small bridges, and flowing water, as well as carved railings and painted walls. Even the ordinary plaques were inlaid with gold edges. All these indicated that the owner of this mansion was extremely noble.
The yard seemed to have been tidied up in advance. Shen Qing didn't see any other servants, and the maid who was leading the way just walked quickly with her head down and didn't say a word.
After walking through a long waterside corridor and passing through several flower - hanging gates, the maid finally led Shen Qing to the entrance of a courtyard.
After standing still, the maid told Shen Qing to go in by herself. After giving the instructions, she quickly left with her head down.
Before Shen Qing could say a word, she was left there.
She raised her eyebrows, then pushed open the courtyard door. What came into view was a dilapidated and desolate courtyard.