Chapter – 161 - Zenoba Taskunae - Moon-Grave Sect's Leader

Rihanna and Artreya made their way through the surrounding shops, looking through the various stuff being sold in each of them. Rihanna picked up a lot of rare herbs and plants she found. After this trip, she was planning on moving to the Seed Space and making some medicines. Of course, she would also be creating some poisons.

She still had a lot of resources left from the Dimension Space, as well as a pile of poison recipes. Even without the man who was already following her through the Mission Hall, this trip was bound with many unknown dangers. Having more poisons a hand was always a good thing.

Oh yes...while roaming around, she had already sensed the intense gaze boring down upon her at various times. Even without turning around, she knew that she was being followed. Probably the place was too crowded, with too many variable factors all around them. Otherwise he would surely have tried to enter her mind once again.

To be safe, Rihanna maintained a distance from this fellow without being too obvious about it.

Rihanna had entered one of the larger shops. It had medicines and elixirs on one side, herbs and plants at another corner, and various tools and smaller weapons on the remaining sides.

Artreya left her to drool over the various tools. Rihanna had found out in the Dimension that he loved tools. In fact, he was pretty good in making low-grade tools himself. And he had an obsession with collecting the most weirdest and strangest tools he could find. Half his storage space was filled with tools he couldn't really use in real life!

Rihanna wandered through the racks of herbs and plants, scanning through them for everything useful. She wondered if she would be able to find some rare or uncommon seeds in this place. All the five seeds of the Five Elemental Spirit Flower had taken root inside the Spirit Space.....but that was it. Without the necessary supplements, it would remain in hibernation. As the Seed had said - they wouldn't die, but they wouldn't sprout either!

So now there were only the Ancient Seed, which had already turned to a sapling, and five seeds in hibernation inside the space. Which left a very large piece of land completely empty. Tsk! If she hadn't been disconnected from her space inside the Dimension, how could she have missed out on so many different medicinal and poisonous plant species!

Rihanna sighed inwardly. Some of the plants she had in her storage space were still green. She should probably try the grafting method and see if she could some of their stems to take root in the seed space. She should have a long talk about this with the Ancient Seed after they returned.

'I think I will need you to buy me something.'

Rihanna blinked in surprise, her fingers pausing over the rows of herbs she had been sifting through.

'What? And where is it?'

Little Purple rarely wanted something from her. She knew that she was still too weak to be of any help to him. Even though he couldn't leave her body, his energy was already so powerful. He must have held great power when he was at his peak of cultivation. She wondered if what he was seeking was for improving his cultivation.

'Hmmm...maybe you should step out of this shop for a moment. I can't sense it well from here.'

Rihanna silently turned to glance at Artreya, sending a message through their contract. Then stepped out of the shop.

On Little Purple's urging, she wandered around the boundary passage, sometimes moving towards the balustrade, sometimes towards the bridge. Little Purple was still trying to sense where the thing he wanted was. But something seemed to be obstructing him from sensing it clearly.

'Wait. Let me try another way.'

Silently, a few streams of purple energy emerged from Rihanna's body, instantly turning invisible when they made contact with the air. These threads of invisible energy moved out of the third level, making their way towards the various colored spheres of energy carrying people to the different levels. The purple energy merged into the orb, hiding itself amidst the energy balls.

As Rihanna stood by the bridge, talking with Little Purple, she sensed an intense gaze once again. It was so close that she felt a tinge of discomfort. Trying not to appear too apparent, she slowly turned to look around, as if she was checking out the shops casually.

It was him.....what was his name? She frowned slightly, trying to remember the name which she heard a whole half-decade ago.....What was it?....Ah.....Zenoba Taskunae....he had heard it in a discussion she had chanced upon.....between Su Maihiya and her Grandfather.

Though she didn't directly glance at him, she could sense the vicious glint flashing through his eyes. She also noticed the small group of people behind him from the corners of her eyes. As she turned back, a glint passed through her eyes.

Ha-ha...it had truly been such a long time. Not only was Su Maihiya skirting around the edge of that group, she also made out the dark gaze in another, 'Oh-so-well-known' face. Wen Haoli! She had almost forgotten him....yet he had to come and dish himself before her! This trip was definitely going to be entertaining!

'Found it. It's on the fifth level.'

Rihanna chocked on her saliva and ended up in a coughing fit.

'What?!.....How am I supposed to go to the fifth level?! This place itself decides which level a person can go to. Moreover, even if somehow I manage to find my way up there, there are so many powerful cultivators on the fifth level. Do you think my little magic of disguise will be able to fool them all? Or I will be able to swap out the 'Thing' from before their nose?!'

Little Purple went silent. Not hearing his reply even after waiting for a long while, Rihanna started feeling anxious.

'I mean.....you really need that thing....right?'

'....Hmmm....'

Rihanna pondered for a while. Little Purple never asked anything for himself. In fact, she didn't even know what things he might need to regain his powers. No matter what thoughts and reasons he might have had for helping her in the beginning, he had stood by her through every danger in all these years. He was her greatest guidance, help and friend when she had entered this world, completely blank about its ways and dangers.

Now that he had mentioned something which he wanted...

'How about you leave a wisp of your energy on that thing for the time being. Once we return, I will try to return back in my Spiritual Self and see if there is any other way to get it. Since it is for sale, someone else might buy it before we get around to it. In that case, at least we'll be able to trace it's whereabouts through your energy.'

'Hmmm....we'll do that for now. Let's go back before we start planning on how to go about it.'

Rihanna nodded, planning to return back, when her way was suddenly blocked by someone. Even without glancing up she knew who it was.

"You've really been leading us on a merry chase all around the lands!"

Rihanna raised her head to look at the dark eyes with hatred and anger swirling within them. She smiled widely, looking right into his eyes.

"Oh! Wen Haoli! How have you been my friend? It's been so long since we last met. Have you been looking for me all this while? That must have been such a long search! Well, we meet again....I must be quite lucky, huh?! And you all seem to be here to join the mission as well! Seems like we'll be on the same trip. It's always nice to have friends accompanying you, isn't it?"

Wen Haoli looked startled, his expressions freezing on his face. He had never met a Su Matsao who behaved this brashly! It took him a while to get over the initial shock, his forehead creasing into deep lines as he grit his teeth. Anger glinted in his eyes as he raised a hand and gripped Rihanna's arm tightly.

"It seems you have had a lot of fun outside with your friends! Well, too bad your friends are not here. And you have been away from home for too long. It's time to go back to where you belong!"

With these words, Wen Haoli planned on dragging her back with him.

Though visitors were not allowed to create trouble either inside the Mercenary Mission Hall or even within the City's boundaries, he was sure he could make his way out of trouble. He would just say she was family, who had gotten lost for a long time. Now she had been found and they were eager to bring her back home!

However, even as he turned and took a large step to move forward, he felt something pulling him backwards, and he almost lost his footing. Surprised he turned back towards Rihanna, trying to pull her again. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't budge her even from her position. Finally Rihanna twisted her wrist of the hand he was holding onto, and gripped his hand in a clamp-like grip.

Wen Haoli immediately felt like his bones were being crushed, and his grip became loose. He clenched his teeth to hold back screams, but the paleness of his face which was sweating heavily gave away his suffering.

Rihanna kept on smiling like before, but as Wen Haoli looked into her eyes, he felt a weird chill gripping his mind.....her eyes were cold, and a trace of ruthlessness was swirling in them. He couldn't even move his eyes away, even as she leaned forward, her mouth nearing his ears.

"I had even forgotten about you. And you should have made sure to remain forgotten. Yet you come flaunting yourself before my eyes....like an idiot. Hmmm...since we are old....friends?...Ah....Sweethearts.....wasn't it?!....Hmmm.....as long as you do not provoke me.....I'll just forget about you all over again. But if you continue to bug me, then I will do what should be done to a bug....I'll squash the life out of you!"

Wen Haoli felt a cold shudder going up and down his spine as these words drilled themselves into his ears. The sudden fear made him feel faint, and he would have fallen on the ground if his hands were not still in the girl's clamp-like grip.

The words were spoken in a whisper, thus the people standing behind couldn't make out what she said. They only saw the girl gripping onto the boy's hands as she leaned forward to whisper in his ears. Then she let go of him, gave a brilliant smile as her eyes moved over all of them fleetingly, then she walked off.

Zenoba Taskunae had a deep frown etched over his eyebrows. He had met this girl before.....more than once. Yet he had never felt she was difficult. But right now he felt a very strange and dangerous vibe from her. It seemed he needed to be make more careful planning for this journey.

Behind everyone's notice, the one who was most confused and shocked as Su Maihiya. She had been standing in the fringes of the group, though she didn't really understand why herself! Why did it feel like she was scared of Su Matsao? How was it possible that a cultivator was scared of a commoner?!

But right now she felt scared. Though Wen Haoli was at a lower stage than her in cultivation, even she acknowledged his strength and shrewdness.

But what was this she just witnessed?! Wen Haoli couldn't even make her budge...and he couldn't remove his hands from her grip?! Just how strong was she? And how did she suddenly become so strong?! How in the world could a commoner be stronger than a cultivator?!

Was it because of her special body? Had she figured out some strengths and attributes of her different body? Su Maihiya breathed heavily to relax her tense muscles. That must be it. She must be relying on her special body attributes. Or maybe she had hooked up with all those people who seemed to be guarding her at all times....that was always a possibility!

It wasn't at all uncommon for commoners and people with special attributes to seek out the support of stronger people. They would sell their attributes or body or even blood and flesh, and in exchange would be kept safe by these stronger people. Then all the people around her....even that guy from the branch family of Ye Clan....were they all her supports?

Su Maihiya unconsciously felt that something was wrong with her analysis....she had been too comfortable and laid-back before that guy. Not at all like someone who was depending on the other for keeping them safe. But she chose to ignore it. Anyway, this seemed to be the best reasoning she could come up with.

If that was the case, then they would need to remain alert during this journey. Though both of those boys were in Foundation Laying Level, and even the man who had accompanied them was in Sprouting Level, their Master was also in Sprouting Level. And he was at a higher stage than that man. Moreover, they had a lot of Foundation Laying Level disciples with them this time. Surely they would be able to bring down two boys, one man and one commoner!