Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

Chapter 144 Long Chain Island

The other party's slightly unfriendly gaze made the rental point owner's head buzz and his sleepiness vanish.

This girl looks decent enough; she wouldn't need to rob someone.

He frowned and became alert.

"I want to rent a flying demon beast," Guan Xun said casually, seemingly oblivious to his thoughts.

The boss chuckled dryly, realizing he was overthinking things. He yawned and immediately looked down at the notebook on the table, asking, "Where to?"

"Yong'an Ancient Town".

The shopkeeper paused slightly as he picked up his pen, then looked up and said, "I'm sorry, there haven't been any flying monsters coming to Yong'an Ancient Town these past few days."

Gone?

Guan Xun was slightly taken aback, then turned and pointed to the tiger and lion lying on the edge of the bluestone square: "Isn't there another one over there?"

As far as she knew, flying monsters didn't have fixed routes; they could fly anywhere, it was just a matter of how many gold coins they had.

The boss shook his head helplessly, put down his pen, stood up with his hands on the table, leaned out of the window, and pointed to the sky: "Night will fall soon, and even if there are still flying monsters, they cannot fly to Yong'an Ancient Town at this time."

"It would be fine during the day three days from now, but why don't you come back in a few days?"

Flying monsters should be able to travel at night, so why wait until daytime three days later… Guan Xun frowned in confusion: “Why?”

“Uh…” The boss glanced at her for a moment, then nodded in realization and plopped back down in his chair. “Is this your first time here, young lady? Well, you’ve come at a really bad time. Tonight, the crescent moon is high in the sky, which is the time when the ancient town replaces the main island.”

It was rare to find someone to chat with, so the boss also became interested.

Seeing Guan Xun's puzzled expression, he continued, "This Yong'an Ancient Town is a long chain of seven islands connected together. Every year, starting from the last night when the crescent moon hangs high, the main island connected to the mainland will be replaced once, lasting for three days."

"At that time, the entire Long Chain Island will sink, and the sea will be shrouded in mist. Even if flying monsters don't get lost, they won't be able to find the island's location at all."

"Therefore, now that it's almost night, all the flying monsters heading over there have stopped flying." The shopkeeper chuckled twice as he spoke with great enthusiasm.

Guan Xun's lips parted slightly in astonishment; no wonder the map was marked so haphazardly.

If the island sinks, won't it be submerged in the sea? How come the houses and people are all safe?

She took a bite of the sugar figurine with great interest: "I saw a carriage drive by here during the day. I wonder how long it will take to get there?"

"There is a vine forest between the main island and the mainland. Flying beasts are the fastest to get around it. As for carriages... unless they cross it, it will take at least three months to get around it, given their detour speed."

More than three months... It's unimaginably long. It's just a journey, there's no need to waste so much time.

The carriage that passed by today was covered in leaves, so it must have crossed the road.

"Why not let the flying monsters cross over as well?" Guan Xun asked curiously. That way, they should be able to arrive before the island sinks.

The boss's face twitched, and he waved his hand: "That would require several demonic beasts to clear the way, and if someone comes to rent it, there won't be enough to go around."

"Only someone who doesn't understand can say such a thing. Putting aside how big the vine forest is, trying to get through the middle of it, which is full of troubles, is not an easy task. No one would dare to venture in without a small team of five or six people."

"Could it be that many demonic beasts are attacking?" Guan Xun asked.

"On the contrary, the place is very safe." The boss shook his head. "They just empty everything that breaks in at night, but they loosen the barriers as soon as it gets light."

Guan Xun was slightly taken aback. Could it have become a spirit? Since she couldn't borrow it, there was no need to stay here any longer. She looked up at the sky and asked, "Where is the vine forest?"

The boss licked his dry lips and pointed to the mountain on the left: "It's just ahead. Go straight, go around this mountain and you'll see it. It's only a few steps away."

She could see that sentence again after walking just a few steps... Guan Xun was no longer trustworthy at all. She turned around, tiptoed lightly, and darted away.

The speed at which they slipped away left the shopkeeper dumbfounded. Before he could even blink, the figure had vanished. He quickly peered out the window, looking left and right: "Where...where is he?!"

-

"Let's just leave it at that. If we wait any longer, we'll really miss it. There's no way anyone will come at this hour."

"That's true, but how can we manage without anyone looking out for the middleman?"

……

As soon as Guan Xun landed at the foot of the mountain, several male voices reached her ears.

He turned and went around it.

Three men and one woman were talking in a circle, with only a round-faced boy who looked a little younger, about thirteen or fourteen years old.

"You all take care of the front and back, I'll take care of the middle, how about that?" he patted his chest and laughed, his black and gold robes swaying with his movements.

The man with the goatee grinned and clicked his tongue, raising his chin to indicate that he should look to the side: "With your strength, you dare to stand in the middle? You don't even have the spirit of a woman."

The boy paused for a moment, then put his hands on his hips and laughed, turning his head to look at the woman in green beside him: "Sister, why don't you take the middle position?"

"Sigh, fine then." The woman sighed. "Then you'll have to take care of things on your own."

“Uh…” The boy’s smile faltered slightly, and he scratched his head. “Then, sister, you take care of the rear, and I’ll take care of the middle.”

“Let’s decide on this. We can’t drag this out any longer… Hmm?” He suddenly widened his eyes, his gaze passing through the two people in front of him and following the white-clad figure walking outside.

Guan Xun seemed oblivious to the gaze directed at him, standing still before a towering forest of vines.

Thick vines, as thick as a person, intertwine and are covered with dense leaves, stretching upwards without a visible top. Only gaps the size of a thumb are visible, with many more winding vines.

It's like a thousand snakes hanging upside down, making one's scalp tingle.

Such a small gap would probably require Chi Rong to hold his breath to squeeze in, and the vines stretched in one after another without any passage.

Crossing it horizontally is really not easy.

"Master, can't I just take you there?" Chi Rong said weakly, his voice sounding sleepy.

"If even a small branch hall can mobilize so many forces to capture you, what would happen if you encountered a larger power? Word would spread like wildfire, and do you intend to be listed on the wanted list along with me?"

Guan Xun shook his head helplessly. If he were recognized as the Crimson Fusion Divine Beast, it would definitely cause a sensation.

If someone were to pursue them, they would face further trouble.

The main problem was that she wasn't familiar with the route and was traveling through the clouds, so she couldn't pinpoint her exact location.

Come to think of it, the fiery wings on my back were just a fleeting moment; I'll have to find some time to think about them properly again...

While she was pondering this.

"Sister! Sister!"

As the boy's surprised voice rang out, the sound of footsteps quickly landed beside Guan Xun.

Immediately afterwards, a smiling, youthful face was thrust right in front of her.

She raised an eyebrow and took a few steps back.

"Are you a spirit master?" the boy asked with a grin.

Guan Xun raised his hand, and a white mist of spiritual energy instantly appeared at the tips of his five fingers: "Ah... um."

From what I just heard, these people were going to cross the vine forest. Now that they've come looking for her, their intentions are obvious, and there's no need to hide anything.

After all, that was her plan.