"Speak," I said, glancing at her wound. It was unbanded, smeared with medicine and exposed to the air. Fortunately, it wasn't large. A bigger one, I mused, at the base of her breasts would have been unsightly.
"One of the three Zi Qi masters killed in battle was the cousin of the 'Miao King'," she explained. "The Miao King is furious, and the consequences will be severe. We advise you to leave Jinling immediately and return to the Northeast to avoid retaliation from the 'Chi You' organization."
"We can leave, but what about you?" I asked immediately.
"Wow," a voice from the background, Helan Xue, chimed in. "Brother Chengfeng is thinking about your safety first. Captain, she really cares about you!"
Shen Xingyue's face flushed slightly, a fleeting smile crossing her lips before she regained her composure. "The place you visited just now is impregnable. I'll be safe here. No matter how audacious Chi You is, they wouldn't dare attack Shakespeare's office. That would be suicide."
I understood Shen Xingyue's point. In a skirmish out in the open, it might be considered an "accidental clash" with no need for explanation. But if a demon hunter organization openly attacked Shakespeare's headquarters, the situation would change drastically. Shakespeare could then mobilize forces beyond their own, such as the patrols or even the army, to annihilate the Chi You organization.
According to Shen Xingyue's description, the Chi You organization wasn't a ragtag bunch of desperate fugitives. They were a highly organized corporate entity backed by powerful financiers, and they wouldn't do something so reckless.
"Alright, we'll leave tomorrow morning," I said.
"No, you must go to the airport now," Shen Xingyue insisted. "I'll arrange with the airline to dispatch a chartered flight for you immediately."
Shakespeare was indeed impressive, possessing such power and influence!
I looked at Yaoyao, and she nodded.
"Fine, this is your territory. We'll do as you say," I replied.
After the call ended, the car's navigation system automatically set the destination to Lukou Airport.
I called Li Jingxiang to find out where she and Master were. I had forgotten about them during our visit to Shakespeare. However, I wasn't too worried, as Old Man Sun was a senior consultant for the Shakespeare headquarters, and they would surely take good care of him in Jinling.
Li Jingxiang said they were at the Jinling Shakespeare branch. Master, being elderly, needed more time to recover, so she had to stay and look after him.
Since they were safe, I decided not to worry about them for the time being. Once Master recovered, they might not return to Qipanshan, especially since it was now occupied by demons.
About an hour later, we arrived at Lukou Airport. A young flight attendant guided us through a private passage to a small airline's basic model aircraft, a 737 or something similar. It wasn't very large, with only one flight attendant serving us and just four passengers in total. Yaoyao and Lu Qianxun were flying for the first time. Yaoyao remained composed initially, but as the plane took off and ascended into the sky, she couldn't help but exclaim, gazing at the golden outline of the city below, "This thing flies even higher than Nanfei..."
Qianxun, on the other hand, was cheering and shouting with excitement throughout the journey. An alligator in the sky was bound to be thrilled.
Upon arriving at Taoxian Airport, Sha Wuji announced that after careful consideration, he decided to head to Shanhaiguan. It was the sole land passage from Jiangnan into the Northeast, and he had cultivated extensive connections there over several years. With him guarding the pass, he could serve as the first line of defense against any incursion by "Chi You."
Yaoyao approved but asked Sha Wuji if he wanted to see his sister.
Sha Wuji chuckled sheepishly and replied that it wasn't necessary. They had already added each other on WeChat, so they could meet anytime.
I offered Sha Wuji a piece of advice: in the future, he should dress less eccentrically, like an actor, to avoid attracting unnecessary attention.
"The boss is right. I'll make immediate corrections!" Sha Wuji saluted me and then took a taxi away.
I, along with Yaoyao and Lu Qianxun, also took a taxi. To avoid revealing our target, I told the driver we were heading to a town near Qipanshan. Once there, we would arrange for Zhao Nana to pick us up.
As the taxi pulled away from the airport, Yaoyao suddenly tapped my shoulder from the back seat.
"What is it?" I asked.
Yaoyao pointed to her eyes, then to me, signaling me to activate the Qi sensing technique.