Meanwhile, at a place three hundred miles away from the outskirts of Huajiang Manor.
Under the green mountain, Lu Qingran helped the black-robed man sit down beside a big rock. They were leaning against a big tree. Its shade blocked almost all the sunlight. Only fine beams occasionally spilled through the thick foliage and fell on Lu Qingranâs small face, making the fear in her eyes even more apparent.
âYouâŚâ Her eyes flickered slightly. âAre you okay?â
âHehâââ The man chuckled in a low voice. He still wore the black gauzed hat, which completely covered his face. But compared to when they were still in Xuanyun Villaâs courtyard, his laughter contained less mockery and was a bit more pleasant.
The man raised his hand. His slender and pale fingers quickly grasped Lu Qingranâs small jaw. âWorry about meâŚhuh?â His tone was slightly sarcastic. âDonât you wish for my wounds to get worse so you can take the opportunity to escape?â
âNo! I am really worried about you! Didnât you say beforeâŚthat you cannot easily make a move? Then why did you have toâŚâ Lu Qingranâs couldnât finish her words. She fell silent, and quietly lowered her head, refused to let the man see her reddening eyes. Only her slender and white neck was revealed to his line of sight.
âIf I didnât threaten them, we wonât be able to leave that place safely.â The black-robed man snorted coldly. âThose people, except for your junior sister, are in the Golden Core stage, and there is even a Nascent Soul guy. If they really tried to fight us, right now, Iââwho?!â
The man suddenly turned his head. His eyes were covered by a layer of black gauze, but his sharp gaze shot into a distance like a real sword.
Lu Qingran was startled and hurriedly turned to look in the same direction. They were originally alone in this place, surrounded by green mountains and tall trees towering the sky. But finally, she saw it: four people stood silently on the nearby trees.
All four wore dark blue cultivator robes, without a particular insignia. They didnât seem to be old, around thirty years old. Itâs just that in Three Thousand Worlds, with its endless supply of beautiful and handsome cultivators, the four menâs appearances were ordinary at best. The kind that was easily overlooked among the crowd.
But at this moment, the four men stood silently on the towering trees. Their slender figure slowly waved with the tree as the wind passed through, bringing over an indescribable chilliness.
Lu Qingranâs eyes quickly swept over them, and she couldnât help but shiver secretly. She didnât even notice when these people appeared. Did these men follow them behind since they left Huajiang Manor?
The black-robed man didnât move. He kept sitting firmly next to the big rock. Leaning his back against the tree trunk, it was as if he didnât care about the four cultivators who suddenly appeared. He slowly lowered his right hand to hold Lu Qingranâs hand.
A small, icy jade pendant was stuffed into her palm.
Lu Qingran turned her head in surprise, but the man didnât even look at her. The four people who suddenly appeared were all in the Nascent Soul stage. If he was in full power, he naturally wouldnât have to be afraid of them. But in his current condition, he couldnât even guarantee that he could get away intact, let alone bringing Lu Qingran over.
None of the sides spoke first. For a while, only the sound of the wind was heard on this place, accompanied by rustling leaves and branches over the treetops.
Lu Qingran lowered her gaze, staring at the pendant in her hand. It was made from green jade, with a speck of deep red color in the middle. The pendant looked old and simple, without unnecessary decorations. But the speck of red felt so mysterious in Lu Qingranâs eyes, as if it wasnât the jadeâs natural color, but someoneâs blood being dripped on it.
The black-robed man once said to Lu Qingran. If he was killed by others, he would give her a token before he died, and she should find a way to take it away and throw it into the Starfallen Sea.
ââDoes he think that his life in danger now?
Lu Qingran raised her gaze to look at the black-robed man. Obstructed by the black gauze, she couldnât even see his face, let alone perceiving his expression. She turned her head towards the four blue-robed cultivators, who were still standing quietly on the trees. She couldnât see their cultivation levels, which meant that they were stronger than herself and even this man. Otherwise, he wouldnât be so wary.
Lu Qingran clenched her fist. She held the jade pendant tightly in her palm, and suddenly stood up. She walked in front of the black-robed man, covering him behind her back, then looked up at the four blue-robed cultivators: âYouâŚâ She swallowed her fear and turned her eyes slightly at the man behind her. With flushed cheeks, she mustered her courage and yelled loudly: âYou canât hurt him!â
âHaâââ A laughter came from behind. This time, the joy in the voice was more apparent. It seemed that he was laughing at Lu Qingranâs recklessness and alsoâŚappreciating her bravery.
Lu Qingranâs face flushed even more. She straightened her back and looked up at the four strangers: âHeâŚhe is not a bad guy! You canât hurt him!â
âHahaâŚâ Another low laughter came from the black-robed man. Under the black gaze, his eyes, which were always cold and merciless, warmed unconsciously. Like the snow at the top of a high mountain, finally blown by the spring breeze and began to melt a little.
Lu Qingran stomped her feet and whispered embarrassedly, âDonât laugh!â
âSilly child.â The black-robed man seemed to sigh slightly. Initially, he didnât intend to move. But now, he used the big rock as support to slowly stand up.
The man was very tall. When he stood next to Lu Qingran, it made her looked small and helpless. âStay behind me.â He said coldly. Then he turned to the four cultivators, throwing a sharp glance at them.
âIt wonât be so easy to harm me.â The black-robed man said casually. Even if he was badly injured, the arrogance in his tone wasnât diminished in the slightest. The man raised his hand and pointed his pale fingertips at one of the cultivators. âCome on.â
T/N:
I want to ask for my readersâ opinion. The word ĺ (pin) is used a lot in THDP. I usually translate it as âgrade,â i.e. ninth-grade spirit stones, first-grade spell, fourth-grade devil beast, third-grade demon cultivator. I used âgradeâ for all of them for consistency.
However, for cultivation ranking (like in devil beast or demon cultivator), should I use the term ârankâ instead? Somehow writing âthird-grade demon cultivatorâ seems odd to me, like they are talking about school rather than cultivation power. Should I use rank? Grade? Or, do you have other opinion? Please leave comments here. Thanks!