At precisely two o'clock, we arrived at the White Egret Hotel. After we entered with laughter and chatter, Chen Ke began to "remove our makeup." I stood by the window and activated my qi sensing technique.
As expected, numerous demon race members gradually gathered around. I counted at least twenty, some hidden in the crowd, others lurking in buildings. Though I couldn't distinguish between Shan Hai demon race or Bai Ze demon race, our actions had undoubtedly attracted the attention of the local demon race. Furthermore, there was a Great Demon with blue qi. I worried that this Great Demon might overreach itself and initiate an attack. After the younger female students finished removing their makeup and changed back into their own clothes, I had them leave the hotel in batches.
By the time the last student departed and had gone far enough to board a bus, the demons still hadn't noticed. They continued to surround the White Egret Hotel.
The younger female students were safe.
We had to leave too. Since our identities were exposed, we couldn't openly head back. We still needed to disguise ourselves.
Chen Ke altered our appearances again, and we changed our clothes. We didn't bother to check out with the front desk. Chen Ke and I walked out hand-in-hand, pretending to be a couple checking out of a room. Chu Qi exited alone. When the three of us reached the steamed crab roe bun stall, we had Daji emerge and head in the opposite direction. She was the only demon among us, and thus the only one likely to be detected by her own kind. However, the possibility was extremely low, as her demon core was still within me. She was virtually indistinguishable from a human now.
My qi sensing technique showed that the demons remained oblivious. However, more demons with higher qi level grades were converging on the outer perimeter.
Daji circled around and returned on a shared bicycle. I bought four portions of steamed crab roe buns, intending to enjoy them on the way. Just as I was about to use WeChat to pay, someone beside me scanned the payment: "Let me treat you."
I turned to look and saw Xu Ran. I quickly reactivated my qi sensing technique to check the movements of the other demons! Xu Ran was a genuine demon, and her presence might draw attention!
There was no reaction. She was clearly not aligned with the other demons.
"Do we know each other?" I asked quietly.
Xu Ran pouted. "These little tricks might fool some cats and dogs."
"Do you want to come with me?" I asked directly. Too much talking could lead to trouble, as less than thirty meters away, a minor demon with green qi was leaning against a wall, intently staring at the entrance of the White Egret Hotel.
Xu Ran hesitated. "Where to?"
"Don't ask."
Xu Ran pursed her lips and nodded.
"Let's split up," I whispered. "At eight o'clock tonight, we'll meet at Bagua Port."
"Okay," Xu Ran said. She snatched a portion of steamed crab roe buns from my hand and walked away with it.
"Is she reliable? Are we really taking her?" Chu Qi asked, frowning.
"Don't worry, she's absolutely reliable," I said with a smile. I might not know about other things, but I trusted Zeng Guofan's judgment of character, which was even better than my qi sensing technique.
After breaking free from the demon race's perimeter, we regained our freedom. We even went shopping in Xinjiekou. However, Chu Qi had to leave for a while to visit the Jinling Sabia headquarters and arrange our journey northward.
At six o'clock in the evening, Chu Qi rejoined us, stating that everything was arranged: a high-speed sea vessel would take us directly to Yantai City without any transfers.
We had dinner and then took a taxi to the water port. The ship had already arrived. It was identical to the one at the secret port. Sabia was truly wealthy, possessing two, or even more, yachts worth hundreds of millions.
At seven fifty minutes, Xu Ran arrived, carrying a large suitcase. She likely knew the journey would be long. Without asking many questions, she obediently boarded the ship with us.
Chu Qi didn't use Sabia's personnel. She conducted thorough checks of the cabin, both front and back, looking for any trackers, perhaps concerned about a mole within Sabia. Once she confirmed it was safe, Chu Qi started the boat and departed from the water port, heading upstream along the Yangtze River.
"Did we take the wrong route?" I asked.
Chu Qi gestured for me to be quiet. After traveling some distance, Chu Qi turned off the yacht's GPS, then steered towards the northern bank of the river and went downstream towards Shanghai.
I was completely impressed. Chu Qi possessed extremely high martial skills; she wouldn't normally need such strong anti-surveillance awareness. Only someone as weak as me would. I hadn't expected her fundamentals to be so solid, considering every angle.
The water journey was long, but fortunately, it was downstream. Three hours later, the speedboat reached the sea. Then, we hugged the coastline, taking the most direct route, heading north. Progress in the sea was slower. By the latter half of the night, I was so seasick I could barely stand it. I asked Chu Qi where we were.
"Still a long way off, we've only reached Lianyun Port," Chu Qi replied.
"Then I'll go to the cabin to sleep..." I entered the cabin and slept fully clothed.
After an unknown amount of time, I was woken by a wave. I was the only one in the cabin. I rubbed my eyes and went up to the bridge, only to find the four of them staring out the porthole.
"What's bothering you?" I asked.
"The sunrise at sea," Chen Ke said. "It's too beautiful..."