Nanli glared at him with a cold, vicious look, then squeezed out a single word: "Leave."
Shi Honghong was startled by her gaze and took several steps back, looking at her nervously.
His voice weakened, "Isn’t this a bit much? My luggage is all packed, and I was planning to follow my master and roam the world."
"If you don’t want to die, then follow," Nanli’s voice was icy cold.
Shi Honghong was completely terrified.
He hid behind Shi Miaomiao, tugging at her sleeve.
His intent was clear—he wanted his big sister to speak up for him, to plead for mercy.
All he wanted was to stick with such a beautiful master for the rest of his life.
Shi Miaomiao hesitated for a moment before speaking, "If you are willing to take my younger brother as a disciple, I can..."
"No," Nanli rejected her immediately, cold as ice, "Given my current situation, do you dare let him follow me? He might be gone any day."
Shi Miaomiao’s body shook.
Indeed, Nanli’s abilities were great, but right now, she was someone being pursued by the three major sects and House Sima.
The fact that she had already given Nanli the medicinal pills had already placed the Shi Family in a dangerous position.
She paused and asked, "Is it because you seduced and confused the Jifeng Celestial Sovereign, that the sects won’t let you go?"
Nanli didn’t want to talk about her past suffering.
If others heard it, they might pity her, but what she feared most was having people appear to defend her on the surface while secretly mocking her behind her back.
She changed the subject, "We’ll rest in the room. As soon as the city gates open at dawn, we’ll leave immediately."
Shi Miaomiao understood that Nanli didn’t want to elaborate and stopped asking further. She nodded and led Nanli to a room to rest.
As for herself, she had just taken over as the family head and had many matters to handle.
Shi Miaomiao was a capable person, but she hadn’t yet fully taken control of the Shi Family. She sealed all information.
She ordered people to secretly capture and punish any internal spies passing on information, either locking them up or executing them on the spot, showing no mercy.
The whole Shi Family smelled of blood that night.
Ye Yanqin, who had been exhausted, wanted to rest her eyes, but as soon as she smelled the blood, her face turned pale, and she shivered, her hands and feet growing cold.
Nanli could hear her breathing become erratic. She opened her eyes and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Ye Yanqin snapped out of her daze and sat up straight.
She looked sideways at Nanli, who was frowning in concern. She bit her lip, "It’s nothing... I just... thought of my senior sisters..."
Nanli knew that the female cultivators of Frosty Valley had been secretly hunted, and Ye Yanqin must have survived because her senior sisters sacrificed themselves to pave the way for her.
"Then why risk coming into the city?" Nanli asked.
"My senior sister is sick!" Ye Yanqin’s face was tense with urgency. "But the medicinal pills we have are running low and ineffective, so I risked coming into the city to buy more."
Nanli’s expression darkened, "Why didn’t you say this earlier? Is your senior sister’s illness serious?"
Ye Yanqin lowered her head, looking somewhat nervous, "It’s not too serious; she should be able to hold on for two more days. I got distracted when I saw my master, and by the time I wanted to mention it, we were already in the Shi Family, and it was inconvenient."
Nanli nodded, "Then we’ll leave the city as soon as possible and find your senior sister."
They could delay matters in Shandu.
Ye Yanqin sighed in relief and smiled, "Thank you, Second Master."
Nanli’s lips twitched.
Elder Ye was her Master, and she was Second Master. It wasn’t that unusual, after all.
At this moment, Nanli began sitting in meditation, gathering her Qi and absorbing spiritual energy from the surroundings.
With her current internal energy, she could sustain three children already.
But this was only temporary.
As the children grew, they would need more power.
She needed to grow stronger—not only for revenge but also for the three little ones.
After circulating her energy for a small cycle, Nanli felt warm all over, especially in her abdomen, where there was a slight stir.
She touched her belly, and a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
It had been two months.
Although the baby needed a lot of energy, it grew very slowly, unlike an ordinary pregnancy.
For cultivators, pregnancy was not only difficult, but it could last several years to ensure the child had strong bones from birth. Some even carried their babies for ten or eight years.
But didn’t they conceive before they were cultivators?
However, as the sky began to brighten, Nanli decided not to dwell on it any longer, since they had to leave with Ye Yanqin.
Just as they were about to leave, Shi Miaomiao hurried over, speaking in a low voice, "They’re only opening one city gate today, and Qingwu will personally watch over it."
"Why?" Nanli furrowed her brow. "Are we exposed?"
The guards at Jiuzhou Town were appointed by the four major families, and Shi Miaomiao had already gathered information on the matter.
"You weren’t discovered when you entered last night, but after the Talisman Cultivator checked the talisman array, something was off," Shi Miaomiao explained. "The Talisman Cultivator immediately informed Qingwu. But since Jiuzhou Town is so vast and involves so many factions, Qingwu didn’t want to offend too many people or cause a commotion, so he came up with this plan."
Ye Yanqin panicked, "Doesn’t that mean we’ll be caught the moment we try to leave?"
Shi Miaomiao’s mind raced. "If you’re not in a hurry, stay in the Shi Family for a few days. Qingwu won’t dare come here."
Nanli replied, "We’re in a hurry. We can’t afford to waste time."
Shi Miaomiao frowned, "No matter how urgent, it’s still not as important as your life."
Qingwu was too powerful. If they were discovered by him, their lives would be in danger.
The Shi Family couldn’t openly help Nanli.
However, Nanli looked up at the magical barrier over Jiuzhou Town and understood the situation. She said, "It’s fine. I have a plan. Thank you for the medicine and shelter. We’ll meet again if fate allows."
Shi Miaomiao saw that Nanli was determined and didn’t try to persuade her further.
The two of them left the Shi Family.
To put it dramatically, the streets were covered with wanted posters of her and Cinian.
Cultivators with some ability had gathered there, discussing how to capture her and earn the bounty.
One rogue cultivator coldly remarked, "What a pipe dream. The major sects couldn’t capture her even with all their efforts, and we’re supposed to catch her? Don’t get involved, or you’ll lose your life."
Another person added, "You can’t say that. If you spot her, notify us. If we catch her, we get half the reward."
Nanli overheard and commented, "That fellow is right. Qingwu already labeled her as the Evil Girl, and he won’t tolerate anyone informing us. She’s sure to kill to silence anyone."
The rogue cultivators all nodded in agreement and dispersed.
Ye Yanqin shuddered and couldn’t help but ask Nanli, "Second Master, you really will..."
She made a cutting motion across her neck.