Chapter 660: Eloping

Because Xia Lan and Zhao Yuanjiao were present, no outsiders would think too hard about Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er being alone in the secluded hall. Furthermore, it was Xia Xingchen's thousandth birthday, a festive occasion. No one was going to make a fuss and call attention to themselves.

Even so, there were a few scattered glances eyeing Yu'er's hall, as if they were on guard against something or awaiting it.

Fortunately, Xiao Nanfeng's group wasn't in there for long. Xiao Nanfeng, Xia Lan, and Zhao Yuanjiao, face hidden under a bamboo hat, walked out.

As they did so, the doors to the hall slammed shut. Yu'er seemed to be angry.

Xiao Nanfeng smiled wryly. "I suppose we'll come talk to Yu'er some other day."

Beside him, 'Zhao Yuanjiao' nodded seriously.

"Let us out!" Xia Lan exclaimed.

The guards manning the formation opened another small portal to let the three cultivators out.

At that point, those cultivators eyeing the hall from afar glanced away.

"Xia Lan, we'll have to prepare a new gift for your father. Let's head back to our residence for the moment," Xiao Nanfeng suggested.

"I'll accompany you."

Xia Lan led the way. Plenty of Yuqing disciples stepped forward to greet them, but Xia Lan shook his head. "It's my father's anniversary today. If you're looking for some pointers from Xiao Nanfeng, please wait until the next day."

The Yuqing disciples drawing near bowed in embarrassment, then stopped bothering them. The three cultivators flew down Chiyang Peak toward Xiao Nanfeng's residence at the foot of the mountain.

There, the three cultivators set up a formation.

Xia Lan slumped down by a chair and immediately downed a few cups of tea.

"I was scared stiff!" Xia Lan exclaimed, shuddering.

Meanwhile, 'Zhao Yuanjiao' removed her bamboo hat to reveal Yu'er's face. She frowned in disdain. "What's there to be scared of?"

"Mother and Father were watching this whole time! It's the first time I lied to their face," Xia Lan replied, exhaling.

"It's hardly a lie. Your father likely knew what we were doing all along," Xiao Nanfeng said.

Xia Lan stiffened. "You'd better not be lying to me, or I might be done for."

"Relax. Have I ever lied to you?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, smiling.

Xia Lan's face twitched. He couldn't help but feel as though Xiao Nanfeng had been lying to him all along.

Xiao Nanfeng turned. "Yu'er, I have a gourd that can store living beings within. You'll stay inside while Xia Lan and I lead you out of the holy land."

Yu'er nodded in excitement.

Xiao Nanfeng took out a gourd, pointed it at Yu'er, and sucked her within. He replaced the cork.

"Let's go, Xia Lan," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"Are we really leaving?" Xia Lan frowned in worry.

"If you don't trust me, you can stay behind. You've already helped your sister elope, so you'd be your father's perfect scapegoat," Xiao Nanfeng said.

Xia Lan shuddered. "Go on, let's go!"

"That's right." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

The two cultivators flew out of Xiao Nanfeng's residence toward the outskirts of the Yuqing holy land.

They saw plenty of patrolling disciples along the way, but plenty of them had received Xiao Nanfeng's guidance over the past few days. Xiao Nanfeng had gained considerable renown, and even those disciples who hadn't received his guidance were particularly polite to him. They nodded from afar; no one inquired as to where they were heading, especially with Xia Lan beside him.

As they headed to the mountain pass, they met Xia Lan's senior and junior brothers.

"Senior Brother Xia Lan, where are you and Senior Brother Xiao headed?" someone asked.

"Xiao Nanfeng's gift for my father was broken by Long Si. He has to go out hunting for another one, and I'll be accompanying him," Xia Lan said.

"What an ass," the Yuqing disciples commiserated.

Xia Lan nodded and flew off with Xiao Nanfeng in tow. The two cultivators quickly vanished over the horizon, then hid within a secluded forest.

Xiao Nanfeng released Yu'er.

"Did we really manage to escape from the Yuqing holy land?" Yu'er exclaimed in surprise.

Xia Lan grimaced. "We have, but it seems as though I'm trapped out here with you now. This was all a trick, wasn't it?"

"Third Brother, isn't it a good thing that we've made it out? Or would you rather stay behind and let Father beat you up?"

Xia Lan sighed. How had he let Xiao Nanfeng and his sister talk him into this?

"Are we going to wait here for Zhao Yuanjiao?" Yu'er asked.

"That's right. He can't quite leave the hall where you were trapped just yet, but I know that there'll be a fire magic performance this evening before the banquet. There's to be all sorts of flashy performances and music then, and it will be his best opportunity to escape. He'll break out of the hall and blend in with the crowd. No one will suspect that he's you." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"No wonder you had her hide in the gourd..." Xia Lan exclaimed.

"Everything will be alright. We just have to wait for him to emerge," Xiao Nanfeng promised.

"But won't you be suspected if you don't return?" Yu'er asked.

"Don't worry. Xia Lan's in charge of recording the gifts that your father has received, and he's already helped Senior Brother and me furnish and record another gift. Even if someone were to check the records, with so many people around, who would know when we returned to present the gift? And after that, it's only to be expected that we would leave. Even if the guards by the mountain pass are questioned, it won't be a problem either. Plenty can leave and enter the Yuqing holy land at will with the appropriate identification token, and no one bothers checking their identities. Perhaps Xia Lan and I entered the same way." Xiao Nanfeng smiled.

"In other words, you'll be above suspicion?" Yu'er asked.

"I'm sure some will still suspect me, but they won't have any proof."

"Wonderful!" Yu'er cried out in excitement.

"What about me?" Xia Lan blanched. "How can I miss my own father's millennial celebration? I'm going to be the scapegoat!"

"What's there to worry about? You're already on the run. At worst, all you did was help your sister escape," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"In other words, I'm going to be held responsible for all of this?!" Xia Lan exclaimed.

"Third Brother, aren't we all on the run together? What's there to be worried about?" Yu'er frowned.

Xia Lan glared at her. "If he catches me, I'm dead meat!"

Xiao Nanfeng shook his head. "There really isn't any need to be worried. All this is within your father's expectations. You've finally done something to make him proud. Others might blame and chastise you, but isn't your father's praise worth it all?"

"I feel as if you've been lying to me all this time. I've been tricked, haven't I?" Xia Lan groaned.

The skies darkened.

It was almost time for the fire magic performance, and then the banquet thereafter.

Long Si hastily sidled up to Sage Green Lotus.

"How are the preparations?" He sent him a mental transmission.

"Are you really going to make a move?" Sage Green Lotus seemed to be having second thoughts.

"There'll be a commotion during the fire magic performance to come, and Xia Xingchen himself will be participating. It's our best opportunity. If not now, then when?"

Sage Green Lotus grimaced, but ultimately nodded. "Very well. Prepare to get started—but you'll have to go quickly."

"Don't worry. I have a relic that will allow me to store Xia Yu'er within, but you'll have to handle the Yuqing disciples all around," Long Si said.

"I can misdirect their attention for a short period of time, causing them to focus on the performance, but you'll only have a split second. I'll also block the Eight-Treasure Glass Lock with a lotus root to prevent it from attuning to her. You'll have to leave right away."

"Understood," Long Si replied, nodding.

At the same time, within Yu'er's hall, Zhao Yuanjiao clenched his fist, a cloud of white fog around him. He was waiting for the performance to start before rushing out to join the crowd and subsequently leaving the Yuqing holy land. Everything was going according to plan.

Before long, the banquet was ready.

Xia Xingchen and his wives, urged onward by a group of Mountain Lords and honored guests, headed to a platform above the plaza. An altar was waiting there, radiating with rosy light.

"Hurry up, Lord Xia! We're all waiting for the banquet to start," one of his friends called out.

"We'd like to see the performance unfold!" Titters of laughter came from the crowd.

Xia Xingchen nodded. He led his three wives toward the altar, then lit it up. A burst of fire surged into the heart of the altar, causing a roaring flame to blaze. A pillar of light shot into the air and exploded within the clouds. The interplay between light and shadow caused countless divine avians, spiritbeasts, and holy maidens to fly across the air.

"Congratulations, Mountain Lord Xia! May you be blessed with immortality and fortune!" An exclamation came from within the clouds.

The clouds burst apart, illuminating the sky in fortune and rosy light. Music began to pour out. The cinematic scene unfolding above them was the climax of the celebration.

All the guests shouted, "Congratulations, Mountain Lord Xia! May you be blessed with immortality and fortune!"

Xia Xingchen smiled. "Thank you, everyone."

Just as everyone turned toward the altar, Zhao Yuanjiao found his chance to escape. He rushed out the doors, surrounded in white fog, and was about to break through the barrier and hide within the crowd when the barrier suddenly flashed and vanished. Those guards responsible for manning the formation all seemed to be enraptured by the performance overhead; no one had sensed anything amiss.

Zhao Yuanjiao frowned. Intuitively, he knew that something was wrong—but before he could think more about it, he found himself sucked into a black cloth bag, which cinched tightly shut.

Then, a burst of spiritual power swept over Yu'er's hall to confirm that there was no one within. The doors creaked shut as a black figure rushed off with the bag.

The barrier suddenly manifested once again. A green lotus appeared by the side of the Eight-Treasure Glass Lock, merging into it and preventing it from raising an alarm.

The Yuqing guards turned back to the hall, finding nothing amiss.

Long Si rushed off with the cloth bag, surrounded by fog. He flew down Chiyang Peak and headed straight for the mountain pass leading out of the Yuqing holy land.

"We'll consummate our marriage today, beauty, haha!" Long Si's eyes were wild with excitement.