Chapter 17 The Ungrateful Person_1

"Is the place you live far from here?" Ning Cheng asked again, after some time to adapt, he could make out that they were in a cave.

An Yi hastily replied, "It's very far. I looked in many places and didn't find the Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi. The further I went, the farther I got. Now, I'm probably about five or six days away from where I live."

"What is Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi?" Ning Cheng was completely unclear about these spiritual grasses.

"Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi is a third-level spiritual grass, said to extend life by twelve years. I wanted to find it to extend my master's life. My master mentioned that after she comes out of seclusion this time, she would say goodbye to me. I am really worried about my master; without her, I don't know where else to go…" An Yi's voice trailed off, getting lower and lower, until she was almost crying.

Ning Cheng was somewhat speechless. Although he didn't understand spiritual grasses, he still knew that a third-level spiritual grass must be of a very high grade. If An Yi could just casually find Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi, then everyone would be out looking for it. How could it possibly wait for her turn?

Thinking of this, Ning Cheng comforted her, "I think what's most important for you right now is to stay by your master's side. That third-level spiritual grass can't be so easy to find. Besides, if this grass is called Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi, it must emit a fragrance. How could such a spiritual grass be waiting for you to find it?"

"It's not like that." An Yi quickly rebutted Ning Cheng's words, "Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi only releases its fragrance after being picked. If it's undisturbed, it has no scent. Don't believe me? Look at this." As she spoke, An Yi handed Ning Cheng a somewhat thick book.

Ning Cheng didn't understand the first thing about spiritual grasses. Now, having received An Yi's book, he hurriedly put it away and said, "An Yi, it's too dark to see clearly right now. Let me borrow this book for a few days, and when you go back, I'll return it to you, okay?"

"Sure." An Yi replied and then, as if remembering something, she quickly asked, "Ning Cheng, are you coming with me?"

Ning Cheng felt his body recovering some strength and immediately said, "Of course, I'm not only going to go with you, but I want to leave right now. If we wait until dawn, we might not be able to get away."

Ning Cheng was not the simple-minded An Yi. He was certain that Gu Yiming would not let him go, specifically if Gu Yiming learned that he had killed Gu Fei. Then he would undoubtedly join forces with Cang Qin Country to hunt him down. Not to mention the Ning family was already marked for elimination by Cang Qin Country, even if they weren't, with the status of Gu Yiming and the Gu family, blocking off this area would be a piece of cake for them in Cang Qin Country.

"The people chasing you might not necessarily be able to find this place. I've stayed here for two nights, it is very safe." An Yi didn't lack all common sense. In her view, the area was all mountains, and for those pursuing Ning Cheng to find this cave was absolutely impossible.

Ning Cheng had no choice but to tell her the truth, "An Yi, I am not a bad person, and those who want to kill me are not ordinary people. The king of Cang Qin Country wants to kill me, so he sent the army after me. If we stay here, there's only a dead end."

An Yi nodded, "Mm, I believe you're definitely not a bad person. Then I'll listen to you, what do you say we should do?"

"Let's head to the place you live first." Seeing An Yi agree with him, Ning Cheng immediately stood up and said. He planned to escort An Yi back first, then go to the Mango Sea Area by himself.

An Yi was too naive. Not to mention setting out on her own with the fanciful idea of finding Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi, even if she had found it, managing to bring it back would be a miracle. A fragrant spiritual grass carried on one's person would attract covetous eyes without fail.

"My master has been in seclusion for seven or eight days now, she should be coming out soon. I need to get back earlier, it's just that I didn't find Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi." An Yi said, her tone downcast, obviously hung up on not finding the Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi.

"Let's go, don't dwell on it," Ning Cheng said as he stood up first and gestured to An Yi. An Yi followed closely behind Ning Cheng, temporarily setting aside her quest for the Immortal Fragrance Lingzhi.

The place was indeed just as An Yi described – surrounded by continuous mountain ranges, one after the other. Although Ning Cheng was gravely injured, with An Yi's treatment, he had improved significantly; additionally, as a third-level Qi Gathering cultivator, he didn't walk slowly.

An Yi was also a third-level Qi Gathering cultivator and had already traveled this way once, so her pace was fast. The two sped through the night, and by the time it was faintly light, they were very far from the cave where they initially sheltered.

"Let me carry you." Seeing Ning Cheng covered in blood and exhausted, An Yi said with concern.

Ning Cheng waved his hand, "No need, your speed will definitely decrease if you carry me. I think maybe you should go ahead. If we're really intercepted later, you could be implicated because of me."

An Yi looked at Ning Cheng with some confusion and asked, "Are you saying we still haven't escaped to a safe place?"

Ning Cheng nodded with a heavy heart; he was certain they had not yet reached safety. Given the power of Cang Qin Country, the distance they covered was still well within the country's control. He had hoped to hide in a vast forest if they encountered one along the way, but it seemed unlikely now. While the mountains provided some cover, they were not as secure as a forest.

"Then let's keep running," An Yi promptly said.

Ning Cheng shook his head, "It's no use. Even if we ran another night, it would be the same. Besides, in our current state, we can't manage to run at full speed."

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After a pause, Ning Cheng took out the book of spiritual grass that he had previously taken from An Yi and handed it back to her, saying, "An Yi, you have a kind heart. If your master is gone, you should not leave your home lightly. I better give you this book, in case I get caught, it would be too much of a pity for those bastards to take this book."

"No..." An Yi hurriedly pushed it away. She was not familiar with Ning Cheng, but his words somehow gave her an indescribable feeling of warmth.

"Trot, trot, trot..." A rush of urgent hoofbeats interrupted Ning Cheng's movements. His first reaction was to escape with An Yi.

But he was too exhausted, and the hoofbeats were too fast. In just a short span of time, they had already reached Ning Cheng's side.

"Young Master Ning..." A familiar voice came through. Ning Cheng immediately recognized the man driving the cart, whose face was covered with scars—it was the father of the child he had saved.

"Is it you?" Ning Cheng also asked in surprise, and then wondered what this man was doing driving a carriage here so early in the morning?

When the middle-aged man saw the blood all over Ning Cheng's body, he immediately understood the situation and hurriedly stopped the carriage, saying, "Young Master Ning, I've already heard about your situation at the checkpoint ahead. You should change into a set of clothes quickly, and then get on my carriage. I will take you away."

A warmth filled Ning Cheng's heart. When he had saved the little boy before, the middle-aged man had been too panic-stricken to even say a word of thanks. Now that Ning Cheng was genuinely in trouble, the man did not hesitate to offer his help, knowing well that being caught would cost him his life. The saying 'great kindness does not require thanks' was demonstrated by the middle-aged man's actions, not just spoken words.

"It's too dangerous. I will hide in the mountains. If they catch me in your carriage, you will be killed too," Ning Cheng still kindly refused the middle-aged man's offer.

Seeing Ning Cheng's refusal, the middle-aged man urgently stated, "You are the savior of my child, the benefactor of our whole family. How can you speak of burdening us?"

After saying this, the middle-aged man took out a set of clothes from the front of the carriage and handed them to Ning Cheng, saying, "Benefactor, change into these clean clothes first. Your current clothes have too strong a scent of blood."

Ning Cheng gratefully took the clothes and asked, "Where are you going so early?"

"I go to Dingbi Town every month. There are many adventurers returning from the Mango Sea Area there, bringing a large amount of beast hides and various other things. Many beast carts cannot go directly to Cang Le City, so they stop at Dingbi Town. Those adventurers rent our carriages to go back to Cang Le City. I and a few other familiar drivers know a shorter route through here, so we travel this way. I didn't expect to encounter you, Benefactor," said the middle-aged man, rubbing his hands with gratitude in his voice.

"Wait a second..." An idea flashed through Ning Cheng's mind, and he immediately asked urgently, "Did you say it's not far from here to Dingbi Town Station? And, did you pass another station on your way here?"

The middle-aged man immediately said gravely, "Yes, it's just three hours from the checkpoint ahead, and it takes at most a day's time to reach Dingbi Station."

Ning Cheng's heart sank. He realized that after wandering around with An Yi all night, they were still lingering between two stations. What kind of escape was this? An Yi was too naive, looking for third-grade spiritual grass between two checkpoints—it was so ridiculous it could be made into a skit.

Seeing Ning Cheng fall silent, the middle-aged man hastily spoke up, "Other carriages will be coming soon. Benefactor, get on my carriage, and I will take you out through another very remote road that can bypass Dingbi Town Station."

Ning Cheng knew this was not the time to hesitate. He quickly changed his clothes while An Yi, realizing she had taken the wrong path, somewhat sheepishly took Ning Cheng's clothes to burn with the Fireball Technique.

The middle-aged man, seeing An Yi cast the Fireball Technique, showed even more respect in his eyes.

Once Ning Cheng and An Yi got on the carriage, the man drove the horses away swiftly. After about ten minutes, the carriage turned a corner and entered a narrow mountain trail.

After another half an hour, and with daylight fully upon them, the carriage had entered an even more secluded mountain path surrounded by continuous mountains on both sides, even blocking the sun. The driver handled the carriage with extreme skill, moving faster and faster along the winding path, having traveled it countless times before.

Ning Cheng let out a sigh of relief, knowing they must have taken the right path this time. In such an area surrounded by mountains everywhere, it would have been too difficult to find a way out without someone familiar with the terrain to lead.

"Big Brother, may I ask your name? I owe you a lot this time." Although Ning Cheng knew they were still in danger, he felt great gratitude for the carriage driver.

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