The elder nodded with understanding, "Then you must be careful while playing, and never blindly trust the words of strangers." Children as good-looking as them, without adults accompanying them, were easy to become targets for bad people.
"Thank you! We understand," Song Yan Ning responded with a smile, nodding her head. She could tell he meant well.
The elder smiled, thought for a moment, and took out a small black wooden amulet from his pocket, handing it to Song Yan Ning, "Little girl, this is for you."
Song Yan Ning looked at the small wooden amulet in the elder’s hand with surprise. She didn’t understand why he would give this to her?
Seeing Song Yan Ning’s astonished gaze, the elder laughed, "Us sitting on the same plane must be fate. This amulet is a magic artifact, it can protect you when you’re in danger. Just hang it around your neck."
"I don’t want it," Song Yan Ning shook her head. Of course, she knew this small wooden amulet was a magic artifact. She was neither kin nor friend to the man, how could she possibly take something from him, especially a protective artifact of no low grade. Who was this elder, and why could he casually produce a magic artifact?
"Just take it, it’s for good luck," the elder insisted, smiling as he handed the small wooden amulet to Song Yan Ning. It was rare for him to take an immediate liking to someone. If it weren’t for the fact that the little girl had a family, he would have liked to take her back to the Hidden Sect and make her his disciple, teaching her ancient martial arts.
Qin Yushen surveyed the elder for a moment then looked down at Song Yan Ning. Whether to accept it or not was up to Xiao Ning; he wouldn’t interfere.
Song Yan Ning hesitated for a bit but finally reached out and took the small wooden amulet, "Thank you!"
The elder shook his head with a smile, "Hang it around your neck. Don’t take it off until you return home safely, okay?" He really didn’t want such a cute little girl to face any danger.
"Mhm." Song Yan Ning nodded, hung the amulet around her neck, and then took out a porcelain bottle from her bag and handed it to the elder, "These are medicine pills made by my grandfather. He said they work very well if you’re injured."
"I’ll take it then," the elder accepted the porcelain bottle from Song Yan Ning’s hand and placed it in his pocket. He wasn’t concerned about what kind of medicine pills were in the bottle; no matter how good they were, they couldn’t compare to the elixirs of the Hidden Sect.
The plane slowly descended at Hu Province’s airport.
"Where do you plan to go sightseeing?" the elder asked Song Yan Ning, thinking he might offer them a ride if it was on his way.
"We’re heading to Tan City," Qin Yushen mentioned a place completely opposite from Mount Heng. Since the elder could produce a magic artifact, he was likely from the Hidden Sect, and they couldn’t risk revealing their identities.
"If you run into any trouble, call this number," the elder said as he handed a business card to Qin Yushen. He still had some influence in Hu Province.
"Mhm." Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen nodded and took the business card.
"Then, until next time," the elder smiled, glanced at Song Yan Ning, and walked towards the airport exit.
Song Yan Ning withdrew her gaze, looking at the small wooden amulet hanging around her neck. She took it off and put it into her storage bag, "He must be from the Hidden Sect." It seemed the Hidden Sect was more complex than she had imagined. Not only did it have Array Masters, but also Artifact Refiners. This journey was not going to be easy.
Qin Yushen nodded slightly and looked to Song Yan Ning, "We should change our appearance now." There were only two hours left before their agreed time to head to Mount Heng. They had to hurry.
"Mhm." Song Yan Ning nodded and walked towards the restroom.
Moments later, Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen met at the airport entrance, now looking utterly unremarkable, unnoticeable to passersby. They wore magical disguising masks; not only ancient martial cultivators, even cultivators wouldn’t recognize they were wearing masks at a glance.
"Let’s go," Qin Yushen took Song Yan Ning’s hand and walked forward.
"Elder Xu!" The two disciples guarding the entrance to the Hidden Sect saw Xu Jiping approaching and respectfully greeted him. Xu Jiping was the Great Elder of the Qingfeng Sect, which was the second-ranked sect within the Hidden Sect. Hence, Xu Jiping had an absolute status within the Hidden Sect.
Elder Xu nodded slightly, "Why are you guarding here?" The entrance to the Hidden Sect was protected by an array; normally, there wouldn’t be disciples guarding it.
"Elder Xu, here’s what happened. The Heavenly Trace Sect had five disciples whose points were stolen within the Emperor Realm. After consultation amongst several major sects, it was decided to give out ten spots and allow those who stole the points to come to the Hidden Sect themselves," one of the disciples explained.
Although the spots to enter the Emperor Realm were distributed by the Hidden Sect, there was a rule in the Emperor Realm that under no circumstances could the Hidden Sect investigate the identities of the players inside it.
Elder Xu gave a slight nod and stepped into the Hidden Sect. He felt this matter was being blown out of proportion by the sects. The Hidden Sect’s disciples, having entered the Emperor Realm, should be treated equally to common people. The fact they had their points stolen showed they were not skilled enough; there was no need for such a fuss.
Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen arrived at the agreed spot and saw that the other seven people were already there. She smiled and nodded to them, "Hello!"
"Are you Doctor and Wuji?" The people eyed Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen, a hint of disappointment in their eyes. They had expected Doctor and Wuji to be extraordinarily attractive, surely handsome men and beautiful women. Yet, to their surprise, they looked so ordinary. The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
"Doctor, Wuji, I’ve always admired you both. I’m finally meeting you in person today, hello! I’m Huo Ying," Zhang Xiaopeng said enthusiastically to Song Yan Ning and Qin Yushen.
"Yeah, you’ve been my idols. I’m Kuang Lang," He Ye introduced himself. Although the appearances of Doctor and Wuji were disappointing, he had no choice but to admire their strength.
While they were talking, three young men dressed in long robes came in front of Song Yan Ning and the others, looked them over, and said indifferently, "Come with us."
Song Yan Ning and her group nodded and followed the three young men.
"I’m really looking forward to it, to finally be able to see the Hidden Sect," they thought, having known from their experiences in the Emperor Realm that such a world existed. They had long hoped to see the Hidden Sect, and now their wish was coming true.