Chapter 1156: Servant Disciple

Ye Guan glanced at Zhu Xingran in surprise. He hadn't expected that the quiet and reserved woman was actually filled with so much wisdom. Moreover, she was an individual with deep self-respect.

What puzzled him, however, was that her relationship with her parents seemed to be rather strained.

Zhu Xingran did not speak any further and continued walking.

Soon, dusk approached, and the two of them reached a mountain.

Instead of continuing up the mountain, Zu Xingran walked to a tree nearby. She took a bundle out from under the tree. There was a simple tent in it. She quickly and skillfully set up the tent.

Ye Guan felt a little awkward as he had nothing to offer.

She didn't let him into the tent, as it was too small and could barely fit a person. Instead, she tossed two ropes toward him.

Ye Guan was confused.

Zhu Xingran pointed at the trees near them.

"Tie them to those trees and sleep up there."

With that, she closed the tent and went silent.

Ye Guan looked down at the two ropes in his hands and shook his head with a smile. After a while, he tied the ropes securely and climbed up. While it wasn't as comfortable as a bed, it was good enough.

Here, there was no moonlight. Once night fell, it was so dark that one could not see their own hand even if they held it in front of their face.

Ye Guan rested with his hands behind his head. He turned around and looked toward the tent, calling out, "Lady Zhu, could you tell me more about this Abandoned Continent?"

Zhu Xingran remained silent.

Ye Guan sighed helplessly.

While Ye Guan was fast asleep, he sensed something and opened his eyes

"Follow me," Zhu Xingran whispered into his ears.

Ye Guan climbed down from the ropes and was about to speak, but Zhu Xingran raised a finger to her lips, signaling for him to remain silent.

She hid behind a tree, and her eyes were fixed on something in the distance.

Ye Guan stared into the distance, but it was too dark. He couldn't see anything at all. He really felt like he was useless without his cultivation base. His plain-skirt aunt's seal on him was very thorough, which meant that Ye Guan was no different from a cripple.

Just then, the footsteps in the distance suddenly quickened.

Ye Guan furrowed his brows.

In a flash, Zhu Xingran darted forward, and at the same time, a streak of sword light illuminated the night.

"Ah!" A shrill scream echoed from not far away.

When the scream died down, Zhu Xingran returned to Ye Guan's side.

"Let's go," she said and sprinted away.

Ye Guan quickly followed her.

Moments later, countless footsteps echoed behind them.

Ye Guan's expression immediately darkened.

What kind of creatures are those?

Ye Guan followed her, running wildly for nearly an hour.

Zhu Xingran only stopped when they had descended the mountain.

The sun was rising.

Ye Guan was still confused. "Lady Zhu, what were those?"

Zhu Xingran glanced at him briefly. "Thieves."

Ye Guan frowned. "Thieves?"

However, she did not offer any explanation and simply walked away.

Ye Guan was speechless, but he quickly followed behind her.

The two of them walked along a small path, and Zhu Xingran didn't speak a word the entire time.

Ye Guan glanced at the sword in her hands and decided to strike up a conversation. "Are you a swordsman?"

Zhu Xingran turned her head and shot him a look. "You talk too much."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Zhu Xingran continued walking without saying anything.

Ten days later, the two of them moved to a main road. By now, there were more people around. Throughout the journey, Zhu Xingran hardly spoke, but she would always share a little food with Ye Guan.

Just then, a carriage suddenly sped up from behind them.

They stepped aside to let the carriage pass. It rushed past them, but it quickly came to a halt.

Zhu Xingran frowned.

The curtains on the carriage were pulled back, and a lady poked her head out from the carriage. She had a round face with heavy makeup, and she smiled as she looked at Zhu Xingran, shouting, "So it's you, Xingran! What a surprise! You're walking again? Why don't you have your parents buy you a carriage?"

Zhu Xingran ignored her and continued walking away.

"

Ah!

" The fat lady slapped her forehead. "How come I forgot! Your family's a bunch of refugees, right? You can't even afford food, so how can you afford a carriage? I'm so sorry for mentioning that!"

Zhu Xingran remained silent.

However, the fat lady enjoyed taunting her. She slowed down the carriage and followed closely behind Ye Guan and Zhu Xingran. She took a glance at Zhu Xingran's clothes and sneered, "Xingran, how long have you been wearing those clothes? Two years?

"Look at them! They're all loose! Why don't you get a new one? Oh wait, could it be that you can't afford new clothes?"

Ye Guan glanced at her clothes. He hadn't noticed it until now, and it was indeed ill-fitting, just as the lady had pointed out. Several patches had been stitched in cleverly. Without paying close attention, one wouldn't notice them.

"Xingran, if I'm not mistaken, aren't you behind on your tuition fees again? How embarrassing. You delay your payments every year. If I were you, I wouldn't even have the courage to show up to school," the fat lady added.

Zhu Xingran was still quiet.

The fat lady grew bored by the lack of response. She shot one final look of disdain at Zhu Xingran before saying, "You poor thing."

With that, she pulled down the curtains, and the carriage sped off.

Little Pagoda finally asked,

"Why did you not kill her?"

Ye Guan calmly replied,

"That's easy, but what will happen to Lady Zhu?"

He really wanted to punch that cruel, fat lady into oblivion.

However, Ye Guan knew very well that the lady wasn't just any ordinary person. If he had acted rashly, not only would he have invited disaster for himself, but for Zhu Xingran as well.

Ye Guan wasn't sure whether he could handle the aftermath.

Ye Guan glanced at Zhu Xingran. Her face was as expressionless as ever, and it was clear that she had grown accustomed to such mockings.

Ye Guan walked quietly next to her.

As they travelled, the number of carriages on the road grew. Some carriages even stopped, and the people inside greeted Zhu Xingran. Clearly, they were also heading to the same school.

Just then, a loud

boom

echoed from behind.

Ye Guan turned around and saw a massive creature charging toward them in the distance.

It was a giant dragonhawk! Its body was a deep crimson red, and its wings stretched out over a hundred metres. As it flew, waves of fire appeared in its wake, creating a breathtaking sight.

A woman stood on the back of the dragonhawk. She wore a long, pure white robe. Her tall figure and stunning beauty drew all eyes in the area. The moment she appeared, everyone was captivated by her presence.

However, Zhu Xingran merely glanced at the woman before walking away.

Ye Guan noticed ten elderly men in black robes flying in mid-air to escort the woman.

Just then, Zhu Xingran asked, "Is she beautiful?"

Ye Guan subconsciously nodded and looked at Zhu Xingran.

"Her name is Long Dai, and she's the most beautiful woman in the Temple Academy. Her identity is mysterious, and even the teachers show her great respect.

"The dragonhawk beneath her is called the Flaming Hawk and would cost at least tens of thousands of spiritual crystals to buy."

Ye Guan glanced at her but said nothing.

The Flaming Hawk already roared past them and disappeared into the end of the main road.

"Tomorrow, we'll reach Annan City."

"Okay." Ye Guan nodded.

Zhu Xingran was silent.

Time passed quickly, and soon, it was the next day.

At noon, Ye Guan saw a city in the distance. The city wasn't large and could only be considered a medium-sized city. However, the gate was crowded with people coming and going into the city.

Annan City!

After entering the city, Zhu Xingran stopped and turned to Ye Guan. "We're here."

Zhu Xingran turned around and walked away.

Ye Guan called out, "Lady Zhu!"

Zhu Xingran stopped and turned to look at Ye Guan.

"Thank you for your care and help," said Ye Guan.

Zhu Xingran didn't even respond and simply turned around to leave.

As she disappeared into the distance, Little Pagoda suddenly asked,

"What are your plans?"

Ye Guan closed his eyes. "There are still five days left until my cultivation base is temporarily unsealed."

Ye Guan was strong enough to destroy worlds, but for now, he had to find a way to survive.

After gathering some information, Ye Guan made his way to the Temple Academy.

The Temple Academy and the Heavenly Capital were the two most powerful organizations in this Abandoned Continent.

Ye Guan's goal was to infiltrate the Temple Academy first, as he could not afford to take the slow and steady approach and change the world bit by bit. He was going to become a part of the Temple Academy first and then accomplish more things while becoming even stronger.

The Temple Academy was built on the Temple Mountain, located right in the middle of Annan City. From the peak of Temple Mountain, one could see everything that Annan City had to offer.

After arriving at the Temple Academy, Ye Guan's goal wasn't to join the academy, as he didn't meet their recruitment standards. He was here to work!

After lingering at the entrance of the Temple Academy for a while, he was finally led inside by a young man. Once inside, Ye Guan looked around. The environment was quite nice, though there were statues everywhere.

The academy's students were all cultivators, but their realms and strength were not high and were a few realms below the students in Qingzhou.

Ye Guan followed the young man into a shabby office, where an elderly man with reading glasses was studying something.

The young man gave a slight bow and said, "Elder Gu, there's someone here for a job."

The old man looked up at Ye Guan and said, "Four spiritual crystals a month."

Ye Guan quickly replied, "That's fine."

The old man nodded. "Take him to the work site."

With that, the young man bowed slightly and led Ye Guan away.

Along the way, Ye Guan became curious. "

What will I be doing?" he asked.

He was still confused about his new job.

The young man glanced at him and said, "You are working as a servant disciple."

Little Pagoda was speechless.