Chapter 153: Following
Chapter 153: Following
Half an hour later, Tang Jinbiao reached the front yard of Zhang Tianyi’s residence according to the map inside the Jade Slip, as his own dormitory wasn’t too far from Zhang Tianyi’s residential area.
Zhang Tianyi’s yard had returned to its normal state; no Restriction blocked the outside. But even so, no foolhardy soul dared eavesdrop on Zhang Tianyi using Divine Sense.
“Forget it. I’ll just lie low at Old Man Zhang’s place for now and head back when the time’s right.”
Upon reaching the yard’s gate, Tang Jinbiao felt no need for formality. He pushed open the gate and walked straight in.
“Hey! Old Man Zhang!”
Once inside, Tang Jinbiao shouted loudly.
He hollered while heading directly towards the inner rooms.
No one answered him, however. It seemed Zhang Tianyi wasn’t inside.
“Hey! Anyone home?”
Finding no one, Tang Jinbiao felt slightly puzzled.
“Old Man Zhang, where the hell did you go and die?”
The yard was small with few rooms. Tang Jinbiao had opened several doors without spotting anyone, leaving him exasperated.
“Damn it. This Old Man Zhang, he can’t even stay home properly during the day? Wonder where he ran off to?”
Tang Jinbiao complained while opening another door.
“Aha! What if the geezer’s hiding in some room ‘doing that thing’? Heheh, possible, very possible!”
After opening doors to several rooms and still finding no trace of Zhang Tianyi, Tang Jinbiao’s puzzlement briefly gave way to an evil grin as a naughty thought crossed his mind.
Thinking this, he stopped shouting. Instead, he began tiptoeing stealthily, crouching low, and carefully opening each door one after another.
The time it takes to have a cup of tea passed.
“Hmph, boring. Thought Old Man Zhang was hiding inside jerking off, but turns out he’s just not home!”
After opening every single door without discovering Zhang Tianyi, Tang Jinbiao felt slightly disappointed.
Tang Jinbiao, who had somehow procured a handful of roasted sunflower seeds, sat down on a stone stool in the yard and slowly cracked them open.
Roughly another half-hour later, Tang Jinbiao grew bored and got up to leave.
After exiting Zhang Tianyi’s yard, Tang Jinbiao once again found himself at a loss, unsure of where to go next.
“I definitely can’t go back to the dorm for now. But where else should I go if not there?”
Tang Jinbiao quietly mumbled to himself.
Lost in thought and looking down, his feet automatically carried him forward.
Walking aimlessly like this, he reached a fork in the road roughly a meal’s time later.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just then, however, a Beast Carriage came tearing down the road towards him.
The creature pulling the carriage wasn’t a common beast, but a Third-Rank Demon Beast. Its form somewhat resembled a horse, yet its whole body was fiery red. When it ran, it looked like a streak of blazing flames.
Naturally, that crimson Demon Beast was kept by the Divine Wind Academy in the first place and posed absolutely no threat to Cultivators.
After feeling the imposing momentum rushing towards him, Tang Jinbiao was slightly startled and immediately woke up, dodging aside.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
The Beast Carriage passed by in the blink of an eye, but right before it left the far distance, the curtain of the Beast Carriage was lifted, revealing the face of a young man.
That man seemed to notice something and looked towards Tang Jinbiao.
“What?”
When that man saw Tang Jinbiao, a hint of shock flashed in his eyes, clearly appearing quite surprised.
“It’s him!”
When their gazes met, Tang Jinbiao was also very astonished, because the person who had revealed his face was none other than the one he had come into conflict with a few days before—the young cultivator called Little Nine.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
However, before the two could interact any further, the Beast Carriage rapidly dashed toward the east.
“It was really him!”
After seeing the departing Beast Carriage, Tang Jinbiao showed a reflective expression in his eyes.
Tang Jinbiao was not a great kind person, but he was definitely not evil; one could even say he still sought goodness in his heart. Yet after the event with Captain Wang, he became less open with people than before and guarded himself somewhat.
“Why did that person ride the Beast Carriage out? Was he going to guard the city gate? No, probably not. If he were guarding the gate, it shouldn’t be just him alone, and judging from his look, he seemed a bit hurried—could he be going to leave the city?”
Tang Jinbiao had briefly noticed earlier that there were no other people in the Beast Carriage; it seemed only the person named Little Nine was inside.
“If he is heading out of the city, what would he be doing?”
Tang Jinbiao began to speculate about that person’s whereabouts.
Thinking this way, Tang Jinbiao walked over to a place resembling a platform and leaned against a wooden stake.
“That’s right, it must be because of that thing!”
After leaning against the stake, Tang Jinbiao seemingly recalled something, a flash of insight sparked in his mind, and a bright light gleamed in his eyes.
Hah!
Once he thought of Little Nine’s purpose, a smug smile curled at Tang Jinbiao’s mouth. He took out his Token from the Storage Pouch and pressed it down toward a groove nearby.
Tick!
A soft sound rang out, and a screen appeared before Tang Jinbiao’s eyes. On the screen were displayed many things, including regions and prices.
“Please select your destination region!”
A woman’s voice spoke without any emotion.
Tick!
Tang Jinbiao lightly tapped his finger, selecting “Leave City.”
“Your chosen destination is Leave City, with a total cost of fifteen Merit Points. Please confirm whether to summon the Beast Carriage!”
The woman’s voice sounded once again.
Click!
Tang Jinbiao tapped to confirm.
“Merit Points have been deducted. Please take your Token. The Beast Carriage is being summoned. Please wait!”
The Token slowly spat out, its display reduced by fifteen Merit Points as the emotionless female voice responded.
“Hmph! Now that you’ve crossed my path, don’t blame me for this!”
Tang Jinbiao stowed the Token, a faint smile playing on his lips as he watched the departing Beast Carriage.
Regarding this Beast Carriage summoning system, he’d learned about it earlier when riding with Jia Longwu. It had to be said—the system was incredibly advanced, somewhat similar to that other world he knew of, perhaps even more so. After all, this was void projection technology, while that other world was still in the touchscreen era.
Naturally, this wasn’t the moment to dwell on such matters.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh!
After over a dozen breaths, a towering red horse emerged from the void, pulling a Beast Carriage straight toward him.
Tang Jinbiao leapt lightly aboard.
“Please initiate departure!”
The emotionless voice sounded again once he settled in.
Beep!
Tang Jinbiao pressed the activation button.
Whoosh… whoosh… whoosh!
Around a dozen breaths after he pressed it, the Beast Carriage gradually began moving.
……
Divine Wind Academy spanned a hundred li. Tang Jinbiao’s dormitory lay in the West District, yet the Academy’s city gate stood at the Eastern Gate. The journey between them spanned well over two hours.
……
Tang Jinbiao alighted from the Beast Carriage and approached the city gate.
“Hm? It’s his shift today?”
He paused slightly in surprise upon seeing the person on duty.
For the guard was none other than Ma Xinghai—the very one who had welcomed him upon his arrival.
“It’s him!”
Ma Xinghai spotted Tang Jinbiao at the same moment, his brow furrowing briefly.
But he swiftly pasted on a smile and stepped forward to meet him. “Heh, Junior Brother Tang!”
“And to you, Senior Brother Ma,” Tang Jinbiao returned the greeting warmly.
“Ahem, Junior Brother Tang… about that day… I truly owe you an apology,” Ma Xinghai spoke with visible regret.
“No matter. That incident wasn’t your fault. Thankfully, I emerged unscathed.”
Tang Jinbiao replied easily.
Given the circumstances, simply surviving was fortunate enough. Though unclear about Wei Wuya’s exact influence, Tang Jinbiao could guess its scale. If anything, he felt a sliver of gratitude toward Ma Xinghai—after all, the senior brother had secretly warned him to be wary of Wei Wuya.
Tang Jinbiao spoke as he walked toward the city gate.
Ma Xinghai sighed helplessly and said,
“Cough, Wei Wuya is practically a local tyrant within the Divine Wind Academy. Most ordinary students don’t dare provoke him. With the backing of the Wei Clan behind him, he’s naturally more arrogant.”
“Oh, Senior Brother Ma, did you see anyone leave just now?”
Tang Jinbiao cared little for that explanation. He glanced back and then toward the outside before asking the question.
Ma Xinghai froze for a moment before replying,
“Yes, someone left less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea ago. By the way, you likely know that person.”
Midway through, seeming to realize something, his eyes flashed with shock. He transmitted his voice directly:
“Junior Brother Tang, you can’t be planning to cause trouble for that person, right?”
“Mhm!”
Tang Jinbiao neither confirmed nor denied it, simply nodding.
“Don’t be rash, Junior Brother Tang! The Divine Wind Academy forbids infighting among disciples. If caught, they’d strip your cultivation level and expel you! Not only that, your clan would face punishment too! Don’t act impulsively!”
Clearly grasping the severity, Ma Xinghai grabbed Tang Jinbiao’s sleeve and urgently transmitted the warning.
“Ha, Senior Brother Ma, relax. I know my limits!”
Tang Jinbiao shook his head with a mix of helplessness and amusement, chuckling lightly.
“Hmm?”
“What are Senior Brother Ma and that guy whispering about?”
Their unusual behavior naturally drew the attention of the other guards. They all looked over, brows furrowed in puzzlement.
“Well, as long as you understand. But Junior Brother Tang… can you really handle him? Though he’s only at the Mid Foundation Building Stage, his combat abilities are considerable. And with the Wei Clan’s backing, he undoubtedly has hidden cards up his sleeve.”
Ma Xinghai transmitted again, his voice still laced with unease.
“Heh, no worries. I’m confident I can manage!”
A faint smile played on Tang Jinbiao’s lips.
“Alright, that’s all for now. Let’s catch up another time!”
Tang Jinbiao felt he couldn’t delay any longer and turned to leave.
“Junior Brother Tang! What… what is your true cultivation level?! Seriously, don’t act rashly!”
Watching Tang Jinbiao walk away, Ma Xinghai transmitted yet another question.
Whoosh!
However, Tang Jinbiao gave no reply—likely because he hadn’t yet learned voice transmission techniques. Instead, his fist shot out toward a tree trunk nearby.
CRACK!
A branch nearly a foot thick snapped clean off.
“What?! Body Refining Third Tier?!”
Seeing the surge of yellow Qi energy burst from Tang Jinbiao’s fist, extreme shock flooded Ma Xinghai’s eyes…