Chapter 250: Parting Ways with Island Master Nan

He shared his thoughts with Yun Huizhou and Island Master Nan.

Yun Huizhou’s expression was far from relaxed. He looked toward Island Master Nan, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry.

They had entered the desert at the beginning of May, and nearly ten days had passed. There were only about ten days left until the latter half of the month.

However, they still didn’t have a single clue. Aside from killing any members of that assassin group they encountered, everything had been remarkably uneventful.

If not for the fact that the desert environment was truly harsh, Yun Huizhou felt as though they were practically out on a leisure trip.

Seeing Yun Huizhou looking at Island Master Nan, Lian Li shifted his gaze to the Island Master as well.

Island Master Nan sat atop his camel, staring into the distance, his thoughts unknown.

But since he hadn’t given any instructions, he was likely also feeling perplexed by the current situation.

After a long silence… Lian Li finally spoke up. “Perhaps they feel that with Master here, they can’t kill us, so they’re waiting for reinforcements?”

As for these reinforcements, they were likely another Transcendental Master.

Furthermore, if they were here to fight for that great treasure, then a clash with Island Master Nan would certainly not be like the previous encounter, where both sides stopped after a brief exchange.

Lian Li hadn’t even considered the possibility that the assassin force might not have a Transcendental Master.

They clearly knew Island Master Nan was a Transcendental Master and that he was very likely searching for the treasure as well. Despite this, they hadn’t retreated; instead, they continued to strike at the horse bandits who were also after the treasure.

This meant their wariness of Island Master Nan was only temporary—it was simply that no one capable of rivaling him was present here yet.

Moreover, Grandmaster had said that Transcendental Masters would have a premonition regarding the imminent appearance of a great treasure.

If they didn’t have a Transcendental Master and didn’t have the Transparent Lotus in hand, wouldn’t they have to just stand by and watch as Island Master Nan sensed the treasure and took it away without them knowing a thing?

Lian Li felt that the power behind these assassins wouldn’t be content with such an outcome after going to so much trouble.

However, with the Transparent Lotus’s whereabouts unknown, the only way to get advance news of the treasure was to have a Transcendental Master come in person.

Island Master Nan, sitting on the lead camel, raised his head to look at the sky. He suddenly said, “I feel it should be soon. They are monitoring my movements. The person likely hasn’t arrived yet.”

Just as Lian Li was about to say something, Island Master Nan’s figure suddenly vanished from the camel’s back.

Immediately after, he caused a violent gale to sweep through. The sky was filled with yellow sand, making it impossible to keep one’s eyes open. The camels beneath them moved restlessly, seemingly wanting to bolt.

The sand pelted against their bodies; even through their clothes and headscarves, the pain was palpable.

Lian Li had to wrap himself even tighter.

He squinted, trying to find Island Master Nan’s figure, but the wind and sand made it impossible to see anything beyond three meters.

If he hadn’t heard Yun Huizhou calling him from behind, he would have almost thought he was the only one left with the camels.

He reached out toward Yun Huizhou’s direction. Once he felt his hand being grasped by Yun Huizhou, his heart settled slightly.

This violent wind lasted for about fifteen minutes. He felt as if he had received a telepathic brainwave transmission from Island Master Nan.

Perhaps because they weren’t face-to-face, he momentarily wondered if he was hallucinating.

Once everything calmed down, Lian Li looked around.

He found that Island Master Nan and the camel he had been riding were gone. Only Yun Huizhou and five camels remained by his side.

“Yun Huizhou, did you receive Master’s message?” he asked Yun Huizhou, desperate to know if he had just hallucinated.

Yun Huizhou held his hand and nodded. “Master said for us to keep the Transparent Lotus safe. He will be acting separately from us.”

Lian Li took a deep breath. He remembered that before the great wind appeared, Island Master Nan had mentioned the assassins were monitoring his movements. After the wind rose, he had vaguely heard screams coming from a certain direction.

Presumably, Island Master Nan had struck, killing all the assassins closest to them who were tracking their movements.

He looked down at the sandy ground and saw a trail of camel footprints; that should be the direction in which Island Master Nan had departed.

Thus, he pointed in the opposite direction and said, “Let’s go that way. We’ll move separately from Master.”

***

In the wild outskirts.

Zhao Honglan was dressed in a beggar’s outfit, and his appearance had undergone a massive transformation. If the current him were thrown into a crowd, it was likely no one would spare him a second glance.

Even if someone familiar saw him, they wouldn’t associate him with the noble and elegant Great Hero Zhao.

However, this was exactly what he wanted.

Zhao Rong had tasked him with privately investigating who had killed the Blind Divine Calculator. Naturally, he couldn’t investigate using his own appearance and identity as Zhao Honglan.

Thus, he had disguised himself with this face and come to Heli City.

With great effort, he had lured away the Blind Divine Calculator’s disciple and seen the corpse. After discovering the cause of death, he sent the news back.

He felt the Blind Divine Calculator’s death was suspicious, and the disciple was even more questionable.

So, he decided to observe a bit longer to see if the disciple had any contact with the mastermind behind the scenes.

However, it was during this delay and observation that trouble struck.

Heli City was locked down by the government.

The reason given was that a death row prisoner had escaped.

Heli City was close to the Capital. Unlike cities far from the imperial center, the government’s control and influence here were quite strong.

The entire Heli City was turned upside down just to find that one death row prisoner.

Zhao Honglan wasn’t sure if the prisoner’s escape was real or if the government’s search was genuine. He only knew that on the third day after he had examined the Blind Divine Calculator’s body and sent the news out, Heli City was sealed.

It was hard to say how much of this was to find him and how much was for the prisoner.

He felt somewhat fortunate that he had managed to send the news out. Otherwise, given the current situation where not even a bird could fly out, his message likely wouldn’t have made it.

He was trapped in Heli City for a month. To hide his identity, he changed from his original common martial artist attire to a beggar’s outfit.

Midway through, he discovered the Blind Divine Calculator’s disciple acting suspiciously, so he went to investigate the coffin again.

As it turned out, the coffin was empty this time.

Trying to send news out again had become incredibly difficult.

Left with no choice, he eventually joined a beggar’s den in Heli City and spent over half a month begging on the streets with them.

Finally, he found an opportunity to escape Heli City and passed the news to Qu Tingquan.

However, before he could even feel joy, he was hunted.

Oh, today was the twentieth day of being hunted. He still hadn’t shaken off those assassins, and his beggar’s outfit had become even more tattered.

So tattered that it barely covered his vital parts.

Furthermore, those assassins weren’t the only ones chasing him. The soldiers from the cities and government offices near the Capital were also blocking his path away from the region, preventing him from returning to the world of the martial arts community.

He could only circle around the deep mountains and old forests near the cities where government control was strong.

On the twenty-first day of being hunted, he made a decision. Since he couldn’t get away from the Capital, he would simply go to the Capital.

The most dangerous place was the safest place.