“Her? Who is she?”
Yin’s attention was entirely fixated on the food at that moment. Even her thoughts seemed to slow, dulled by her focus.
“Why, her, of course! Yan Qingzhu!”
Hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words, Yin immediately grew alert. She hadn’t expected to find a clue about another person so quickly.
“We need to go find her!” With that, Bai Zhiqiu grabbed Yin’s hand, ready to dash outside.
“Wait a moment! Let me grab two more!”
Yin had just taken a plate from the maid’s hands when Bai Zhiqiu seized her and pulled her away. Her small hands only managed to snatch two tiny fruits.
“Little Princess! Where are you going? The festival is about to begin!”
“We’re just taking care of something, we’ll be right back!”
With that, Bai Zhiqiu pulled Yin away, and they vanished through the doorway.
****
After exiting the palace gates, Bai Zhiqiu led Yin on a frantic run, not stopping until they reached a dense forest.
“She must be here!” Bai Zhiqiu declared with absolute certainty.
“Are you really so sure she’s here?” Yin popped a fruit into her mouth. It felt cool and refreshing, with a subtle sweetness.
“Of course… I can feel it… Mph!” Bai Zhiqiu hadn’t even finished her sentence before Yin stuffed something into her mouth.
“Try it! It’s a Breeze Fruit! They’re delicious! You can’t find them outside the Spirit Realm!”
Under Yin’s expectant gaze, Bai Zhiqiu swallowed the fruit.
Indeed, it was as delicious as Yin had claimed.
“It really is delicious!” Bai Zhiqiu praised the fruit highly.
One could always doubt Yin’s strength or her motives, but never her impeccable palate or her discerning tongue.
“Glad you like it!”
Upon hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s assessment, Yin gave her a playful wink.
“I’ve noticed you’re getting better at acting cute!”
“I’ve always been cute, haven’t I?”
“That much is true…”
After their playful banter, Bai Zhiqiu began her meticulous search.
Just as Qian Moyu had taught her, she first sensed the wind, then resonated with the Wind Spirits. They would reveal the location of her desired target.
“Oh! Little one from afar! Did you lose this golden…”
The Wind Spirit, summoned by Bai Zhiqiu, had barely begun to speak before Yin snatched it.
Yin pulled out a handkerchief and clapped it over its mouth.
“Less chatter! Quickly, tell me where Yan Qingzhu is!”
“Yin…”
“Silly Bai Zhiqiu, I’m experienced in dealing with them. This is the most efficient way!”
Seeing the Wind Spirit shake its head, Yin immediately gave it another slap.
“If a Wind Spirit isn’t obedient, a little discipline is all it takes! All these little creatures in the Spirit Realm are like this!”
“No, Yin! Put her down first!”
“Don’t worry! I was practically born and raised in the Spirit Realm, or rather, born and raised Bloodkin! I know the procedures well!”
As she spoke, Yin observed the Wind Spirit still stubbornly resisting, refusing to confess. She decided it was time to teach it a lesson.
“What I mean is! Her mouth is covered! How can she speak?!”
“Huh?”
Hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words, Yin felt a pang of embarrassment.
Meanwhile, the Wind Spirit, upon hearing this, nodded its head with immense excitement.
Finally, someone had realized the problem!
It felt as though it was finally free.
Surely this person wouldn’t be like that idiotic Blood Elf, who would just grab it and start torturing it!
Snatching the Wind Spirit from Yin’s grasp, Bai Zhiqiu removed the handkerchief from its mouth.
“Tell us, have you seen her?”
Bai Zhiqiu condensed an image with her magic, revealing Yan Qingzhu’s likeness.
“This esteemed young lady, I have seen her! She is in the deep forest not far from here, accompanied by another golden-haired girl!” Feeling Bai Zhiqiu’s magic, the Wind Spirit answered respectfully, its attitude a stark contrast to how it treated Yin.
Though, in Yin’s case, perhaps no particular attitude was truly needed.
“Thank you! We apologize for any irrational actions Yin may have taken.”
With that, Bai Zhiqiu grabbed Yin and swiftly fled the scene.
Leaving the Wind Spirit alone, bewildered in the air.
“Waaah! Why do I always get beaten up?! Am I really that talkative? Waaah!”
“Yin! Your actions just now were far too reckless!”
Along the way, Bai Zhiqiu seized the opportunity to relentlessly scold Yin.
“Alright, alright! Let’s just go! Won’t you need me to help you later anyway… you’ll see then…”
Yin initially agreed with Bai Zhiqiu, but then mumbled a few quiet words that she dared not let Bai Zhiqiu hear.
After all, she was currently wearing the small leather shoes that came with her witch’s attire, not her usual high heels. If it came to a real fight, she couldn’t possibly defeat Bai Zhiqiu, who possessed Sunwheel-tier power. Though, Bai Zhiqiu wouldn’t truly fight her anyway.
“Sigh! I truly… have no words for you!”
Seeing Yin’s nonchalant expression, Bai Zhiqiu sighed.
‘Forget it, forget it. Let her be.’
****
“Are you sure they’ll be here?”
“They should… be here, right?”
When they arrived at the location indicated by the Wind Spirit, the sight before them left them utterly stunned.
Everywhere, deep craters scarred the ground from explosions. Countless trees had been snapped in half, and many areas still bore scorch marks.
“It looks like a major battle just took place here!”
“But where are they? Surely, they couldn’t have…”
Yin’s words trailed off.
“Don’t worry! They’re very strong… they shouldn’t have…”
“Shouldn’t have what? You two didn’t think we were dead, did you?”
No sooner had the words faded than Yan Qingzhu and Jasmine appeared before them. Unlike Yin and Bai Zhiqiu, they looked utterly disheveled.
Jasmine, in particular, was pale, appearing as if she had severely overexerted her spiritual energy.
“You two? What happened?” Seeing their battered state, Bai Zhiqiu couldn’t help but ask, her voice filled with concern.
“Nothing major, just some bad luck! A group of people using the same magic as An suddenly appeared! They called themselves… Shadow Emissaries? But we eliminated them all! Jasmine’s pallor is because she was ambushed by an enemy while assisting me!”
As she spoke, Yan Qingzhu cast a guilty glance at Jasmine.
“It’s nothing serious. That small attack wasn’t enough to bother me!”
“Even so, you must be mindful of your magic consumption, Chief Jasmine! Don’t push yourself so hard the next time you encounter enemies!” Bai Zhiqiu cautioned, observing Jasmine.
No matter the situation, Jasmine was always the first to charge forward. Whether it was when Yin descended upon Nandu or when facing Gu Nian, Jasmine was invariably at the forefront.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine! Speaking of An, do you two have any leads?”
As she spoke, Jasmine looked at them with expectant eyes. All she wanted now was to quickly understand what schemes An was truly plotting.
“This is the Spirit Realm! More precisely, it’s the Spirit Realm where Yun Paopao lives…”
Bai Zhiqiu then thoroughly explained all the information she had gathered to both of them. This included her belief that she and Yin were members of the Cloud Whale, as well as her various conjectures about their current situation.
“If I’m not mistaken, we’re likely within Yun Paopao’s memories! Perhaps today’s festival will offer many clues!”
Hearing Bai Zhiqiu’s words, the two nodded thoughtfully.