Encountering a Runaway Girl

Along the rugged mountain path, a carriage moved steadily.

Inside the carriage, Yan Yun sat in meditation, delving into memories that ought not to be hers.

For the past few days, she had been constantly on the move, evading the pursuit of the Immortal Alliance and the Lin family, leaving her no opportunity to truly immerse herself in them.

Her effortless evasion of the Immortal Alliance and the Lin family stemmed from their limited knowledge of her.

‘The Heavenly Tome? This memory suggests that my past self further developed its functions. Could this truly be the case?’ Yan Yun pondered, her eyes closed.

However, just as Yan Yun prepared to test the method for activating the Heavenly Tome’s new functions from her memories, the carriage suddenly lurched to a halt.

Due to the abrupt stop, Yan Yun’s head struck the wooden panel, sending stars dancing before her eyes.

“Ouch! Sir, why did you stop so suddenly?” Yan Yun exclaimed, pressing a hand to her throbbing forehead.

The coachman immediately responded.

“My apologies, young lady, but someone suddenly ran out into the road.”

Yan Yun froze, then quickly pushed open the carriage window to glance outside, where she saw a disheveled girl, clad in a bride’s wedding attire, her hair in wild disarray, standing directly in front of the carriage.

“Excuse me, sir, could you please help me? Give me a ride; I’ve been forcefully seized by villains, I beg you,” the girl pleaded pitifully.

Upon hearing this, the coachman immediately looked towards Yan Yun inside the carriage, as she had chartered his vehicle, and naturally, he required her consent.

Realizing the girl was eloping, Yan Yun considered the matter for a moment before nodding.

“Let her come aboard.”

Only then did the coachman nod to the young girl.

The girl’s face brightened considerably, and she scrambled into the carriage, parting the curtain just as her eyes met Yan Yun’s.

Their gazes inexplicably clashed, and both experienced a peculiar sense of bewilderment.

“Hello, my name is Xie Yuyan. Are you the employer of this carriage?” the girl asked.

Yan Yun nodded.

“Yes, I am heading to Ningyang City. If you don’t mind, please come in.”

Xie Yuyan nodded.

“Thank you so much, sir. I’m settled now, please drive on quickly,” Xie Yuyan urged the coachman after thanking Yan Yun.

As the carriage resumed its journey, Xie Yuyan glanced at her own grimy appearance, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her face, before she asked Yan Yun, “Young lady, do you have a mirror?”

With a flick of her wrist, Yan Yun conjured a dressing mirror from her storage artifact, which flew into her hand before she presented it to Xie Yuyan.

Xie Yuyan was slightly taken aback by Yan Yun’s ability to produce a mirror seemingly out of thin air.

“Oh? You’re a cultivator too?”

Yan Yun merely smiled and nodded.

She could discern that the young woman before her was also a cultivator, and one whose cultivation base surpassed her own.

Taking the mirror, the girl cast a glance at her grimy face.

“Damn it! I look hideous,” the girl muttered under her breath, then lifted a hand to vigorously wipe her face with her red garment.

However, without water, the dry rubbing only smeared her already applied wedding makeup, making her face even dirtier and resembling a little calico cat.

“Young lady, is my face clean now?” the girl asked Yan Yun after a few rubs, lifting her head.

Yan Yun, observing her smudged face, found herself unable to suppress a laugh.

“Why ask me when you hold the mirror yourself?” Yan Yun chuckled. “Besides, dry rubbing will only spread the rouge and powder further across your face. Perhaps we can find a water source later so you can properly wash up.”

Xie Yuyan immediately raised the mirror to her face, and upon seeing her reflection, she promptly rolled her eyes.

“Damn it, my old man is truly treacherous! He drugged me unconscious, and when I woke up, I was tied up, five flower style (TL Note: A binding method that restrains the limbs and torso, rendering the person immobile). It was too dangerous; I nearly lost my virtue,” Xie Yuyan grumbled.

Though Xie Yuyan had initially appeared as a mature, ‘big sister’ type of girl, her demeanor and actions were strikingly boisterous, almost like a carefree boy.

In this world, women’s conduct was generally strictly regulated due to prevailing customs, making a personality like Xie Yuyan’s quite rare.

“What? Was your family forcing you into marriage?” Yan Yun asked, her curiosity piqued.

It was evident that Xie Yuyan lacked any pretense, for when Yan Yun asked, she readily answered.

“Sigh! The past is too painful to recall, but I don’t mind telling you, I am from the Xie family of Qinghua City in Jiang Country. My old man insisted I marry into another family, but I refused. So, he resorted to underhanded tactics, actually drugging me. When I woke up, I was dressed in this ghastly attire. Thankfully, I’m clever; I had long anticipated this day and escaped through a secret underground passage beneath my residence,” Xie Yuyan explained.

Xie Yuyan’s explanation left Yan Yun utterly bewildered.

“What? This? Is it really that outrageous? And, judging by your words, you’ve been preparing an escape route for your elopement for a long time?”

Xie Yuyan was about to speak but found herself momentarily speechless, offering Yan Yun an awkward smile.

“This, this is my secret. I can’t casually tell outsiders, I apologize. Oh, by the way, I haven’t asked you yet, what’s your name?” Xie Yuyan quickly changed the subject.

Despite her boisterous nature, she evidently held some secrets she couldn’t readily share with strangers.

“Oh, alright. My name is Ziyun—’Zi’ as in purple, and ‘yun’ as in cloud,” Yan Yun replied.

Xie Yuyan paused upon hearing the name, then smiled playfully. “That sounds like a fake name. It seems, Miss Zi, that your identity also holds significant secrets.”

Caught out with her false name, Yan Yun offered an embarrassed smile.

“It’s unsafe to use one’s real name when traveling. By the way, Miss Xie, where do you plan to go? If you’re eloping, you must be heading somewhere far away, right?”

At this, Xie Yuyan immediately spoke with renewed interest.

“Miss Ziyun, didn’t you know? In one week, the cultivation world of Jiang Country will collectively open its mountain gates to recruit disciples. My family is quite influential, so the best way to escape their pursuit is to join a sect. Once I become a sect disciple, my family will be powerless,” Xie Yuyan explained.

Yan Yun’s eyes lit up at these words.

“Is that so? Such a thing exists? Does this mean the Yunhua Sect will also openly recruit disciples?”

“Naturally! Why? Are you interested in joining the Yunhua Sect, Miss Ziyun?” Xie Yuyan’s enthusiasm surged.

Yan Yun merely smiled.

“If such an opportunity presents itself, why not give it a try?”

Xie Yuyan burst into laughter.

“Haha, what a coincidence! The Yunhua Sect is also my first choice. We can travel together then; it’ll be good to have company on the road.”

Xie Yuyan was overjoyed, even moving to sit suddenly beside Yan Yun, clearly eager to deepen their acquaintance.

With her smeared face, Xie Yuyan grinned widely at Yan Yun.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, that gaze sent shivers down Yan Yun’s spine, instinctively filling her with a sense of aversion.

“Oh? That’s fine too. There are still a few days of travel ahead, and it can be quite boring alone,” Yan Yun said, rising and moving to sit on the opposite bench.

Xie Yuyan, however, seemed oblivious to Yan Yun’s evasion, and promptly plunked herself down right beside Yan Yun again.

“Then this is an even greater destiny! Miss Ziyun, how about we travel together? From now on, we’ll be like brothers—oh, pfft, I mean sisters! How does that sound?” Xie Yuyan continued.

Observing her overly familiar demeanor, Yan Yun immediately averted her gaze and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“I think it’s better if we get to know each other a little more first; after all, we’ve only just met and don’t understand each other,” Yan Yun said, rising once more and returning to her original seat.

Yet, Xie Yuyan once again clung to her side.

“Oh, Miss Ziyun, why do you keep changing seats? I’m not a man, what are you afraid of?”

Yan Yun’s face darkened. She suddenly regretted allowing Xie Yuyan into the carriage. While it was true she liked women, she wouldn’t normally feel such aversion towards one.

However, this woman before her stirred a strange unease, almost like being flirted with by a man.

Had she not been certain that Xie Yuyan was indeed a woman, she would have suspected her of being a man in disguise.

And even if she wasn’t a man in disguise, Yan Yun seriously wondered if Xie Yuyan might be a ‘lala’ (TL Note: A slang term for a lesbian).

After all, Xie Yuyan herself had stated she had prepared an escape route for her elopement years ago, implying she might be fleeing because she disliked men.

“Sigh! Miss Xie, are you always so talkative?” Yan Yun’s exasperated voice echoed through the carriage.

“No, I just feel an instant kinship with you, Miss Ziyun. Perhaps we were acquaintances in a past life?” Xie Yuyan replied cheerfully.

That statement left Yan Yun utterly speechless.