Unfortunate Transmigrator

Chapter 31: Something You Can’t Ignore

31

Something You Cant Ignore

I

Hao Zhen did his best to clear his head. That Duo Lan was the daughter of the sect leader didnt surprise him much. That was one of the possibilities he had considered. Her previous wordsas well as Tian Jinswere what had him reeling. Duo Lan and Tian Jin being aware of the weird behavior of those around themand the implications of that factconfirmed many of his theories, but at the same, raised a lot of questions.

Right now, however, the priority was getting to the bottom of Duo Lans real identity and whether it could somehow be the key to turning this situation around.

Hao Zhen took in Duo Lans expression. Her crinkled nose, her narrowed eyes, her pressed lips, her tensed jawall of that conveyed clear distaste. There was also something fierce and defensive in her eyes as she looked at him and Tian Jin.

Hao Zhen braced himself for the rest of the conversation. He had an inkling about what was going on with Duo Lan. If he was right about his suspicions, this would be a rather painful talk, not just because of the topic, but also because of how prickly Duo Lan could be.

Hao Zhen glanced at Tian Jin. The other boy was giving Duo Lan a look of shock. Now that Hao Zhen thought about it, all he had discussed with Tian Jin before about Duo Lans identity was that she had something to do with the upper echelons of the sect. He had never voiced any of his more specific suspicions, and it seemed that Duo Lan being the sect leaders daughter hadnt crossed Tian Jins mind before.

I see, Hao Zhen said, deciding to take over the questioning before Tian Jin did something to set Duo Lan off. The ensuing conversation would require some level of subtlety, something that Tian Jin didnt exactly have in spades.

So, Duo Lanwell, Lan Yue, Hao Zhen said, correcting himself. He cringed a little. It seemed like Tian Jin wasnt the only one lacking in the subtlety department. Then again, out of all the recent revelations, that Duo Lan was actually called Lan Yue was the least important one, so it had ended up being pushed to the back of his mind. Why exactly are you hiding your identity?

Lan Yue focused on him, her dark brown eyes peering into his. Now that he thought about it, her plain appearance probably wasnt what she actually looked like, either. Important female characters in cultivation novels were always breathtakingly beautiful, and everything so far seemed to indicate that the same applied to this world. Lan Yue certainly wasnt ugly, but she looked too average for this to be what she actually looked like. Most likely, she was using some sort of illusion talisman to mask her true appearance. The fact that was one of the most common tropes in cultivation novels only reinforced that idea.

This was something he could address later, however. Whether Lan Yue was actually some kind of city-toppling beautyas female characters in cultivation novels were often describedwouldnt be of any help with the murderous inner elder situation.

I Lan Yue furrowed her brow, her jaw becoming tighter. I made a bet with my father.

Hao Zhen suppressed the urge to sigh. It seemed like he had been right, after all. This would be a pretty contrived conversation indeed. A bet? he asked, trying to sound intrigued instead of exasperated. If he was right about what was going on, Lan Yues identity as the sect leaders daughter could be of some help to them, but it wouldnt be easy to get her to use it.

He wants me to marry the son of the city lord of Drifting Clouds City. I refused, and he he told me that everything I had, I owed to him, so he had the right to decide my own fate. She was clenching her hands into fists. I told him that he was wrongthat I could do just fine on my own. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to calm herself.

By this point, Hao Zhen no longer had any doubts that his assumptions were correct, but he figured itd be best to let her continue explaining. He glanced at Tian Jin and saw that the other boy was giving Lan Yue a rather perplexed, confused look, as if he wasnt quite sure what to make of the situation.

So I made a wager with him, Lan Yue continued. In one year, Id be the top-ranked inner discipleand Id do it without his help, all through my own efforts. If I could achieve that, hed call the marriage off.

With that, Lan Yue fell silent, her expression grim.

Hao Zhen nodded his head. What Lan Yue said explained all her behavior so farher haughtiness, her knowledge, and more importantly, her competitiveness. Hao Zhen reckoned that Lan Yue was naturally competitive, but the bet only inflamed that aspect of her personality. After all, how could she expect to become the top inner disciple when she wasnt even considered the top outer disciple? It was no wonder she used to be so antagonistic of Tian Jin.

Hao Zhen decided to let Lan Yue cool down for a little while. They didnt exactly have a lot of timethe talisman Lan Yue had used wouldnt keep the inner elder imprisoned foreverbut he figured itd be for the best to continue this conversation once she was a little calmer. As he waited, Hao Zhen took this opportunity to sort out his thoughts and consider how to proceed. He peered down the magical cloud. The valley was even more massive than he had originally thought. In all directions, all he could see was a boundless ocean of green.

After a few moments, he returned his gaze to Lan Yue. She had relaxed a little, her expression losing some of its tightness.

All right, Hao Zhen said softly, drawing her attention. Tian Jin, who had his head lowered, immersed in his thoughts, also looked up at him. This bet of yoursif you used your identity to deal with the inner elder, what would your father say about it?

Lan Yue gave a bitter laugh. She looked like she had already been expecting that question. Hed say he won.

Even though youd be doing it to save your life?

He wouldnt care. I cant make use of my status as his daughter for a year. Thats our agreement, she said. There was still some heat in her voice, but it seemed to have simmered down a fair bit. He knows that it wouldnt be fair, but he would still say he had won, and that would be the end of it.

No surprise there. Hao Zhen hesitated, before deciding to dig a little deeper. What about youwould you simply accept that? He can insist that he won, but cant you also double down and say that it didnt count?

Based on what he knew of Lan Yue, he didnt think shed merely submit to her fate just like that. Since she had already stood up to her father and struck up this bet, there was nothing stopping her from refusing to lose on a technicality.

You dont understand, Lan Yue said, shaking her head. This betmy father only agreed to it because my grandfather sided with me. I wouldnt be able to make him change his mind, myself. And my grandfather to be honest, he also wants the arranged marriage to go forward. Hes good friends with the city lord, and he thinks highly of my suitor. Her expression darkened. I know he just agreed to help me because he didnt think I could win the bet. If I lose, even if its because I had no other choice, he will take my fathers side.

Hao Zhen frowned. Now things were making a little more sense. There was someone else involved in the bet, and the sect leaders control over Lan Yue was greater than he had assumed. Where before she had been speaking with fire in her eyes, she now looked despondent.

Okay, Hao Zhen said. How about this: Well try to deal with the elder through some other means. Only if we have no other option will we rely on your identity. Just in case, he added, And If it comes to that, well try to think of a way of convincing the elder to keep quiet about what happened, or if your father does end up hearing about this, well try to figure out a way to get you out of the arranged marriage. How does that sound?

Lan Yue narrowed her eyes at him. After a moment, she nodded her head. All right. I can agree with that.

Hao Zhen then glanced at Tian Jin, who also nodded.

There were other questions Hao Zhen wanted to asksuch as who exactly Lan Yues grandfather was and what was the reason behind her enmity with Du Qingbut he decided to leave them for later. As far as he could tell, Du Qing didnt seem to be aware of who Lan Yue really was, and her grandfather was most likely a prime elder of the sect, or maybe a protector.

Right now, he was far more preoccupied with coming up with a plan to handle their pursuer. To begin with, he wasnt even certain having Lan Yue reveal her identity would be a good idea. Certainly, upon finding out who Lan Yue was, the inner elder working with Du Qing could completely change his mind about killing and apologize for going after them. There was, however, a possibility that the man would decide that itd be better to kill all three of them, even if Lan Yue was the sect leaders daughter, in order to leave no evidence of his dealings with Du Qing.

Hao Zhen had seen both scenarios play out in cultivation novels in situations similar to the one they were in, and he didnt fancy leaving his fate up to chance. Using Lan Yues identity was, as he had told her, a last resort.

Over the next few minutes, they talked some more, fleshing out their plans a bit further. Their priority was drawing the attention of a prime elder. Lan Yue was confident that there was absolutely no way that Du Qing could have gotten one on his side, and Hao Zhen was inclined to believe her on that front. Not only that, Lan Yue was familiar with all the prime elders of the sect, so if she did end up having to reveal her identity, things would pan out far more smoothly.

Bao Yun is also an option if we cant find the prime elder, Hao Zhen said. He paused, focusing on Tian Jin. That reminds meyou wouldnt happen to have her sound-transmission imprint, would you?

No, Tian Jin said. I never asked her for it, and she never offered.

Hao Zhen sighed, having already figured as much. He remembered how Bao Yun had worriedly rushed over to Tian Jins place after they returned from the mission, so it was clear she hadnt had his sound-transmission imprint then, but he had hoped, for a moment, that they might have exchanged imprints later.

What about you? Hao Zhen turned to Lan Yue. Do you know anyone else we can go to if we cant find the prime elder?

She frowned. Im not familiar with any inner elder, but I do know some prime disciples.

Do you know any that might have a feud with Du Qing?

Two, I think. She paused, then added, We can also try my brother. Hes a prime disciple, so he should be here too. She didnt seem all that happy about the idea, but her reaction wasnt nearly as strong as it had been when she was talking about her father.

Hao Zhen perked up at that. A brotherthat was a start. Maybe this situation wasnt as hopeless as he had thought. All right. Do you have his sound-transmission imprint, just in case?

No, Lan Yue said. I mean, I do, but its on another sound-transmission token. My original one. I dont have it with me. The only imprints I have on my current token are yours and Tian Jins.

Hao Zhen stared at Lan Yue, taking a moment to process what she had just said. Why How He shook his head, incredulous. Lan Yue knew that Du Qing would go after them during the Glistening Stone Hunt, but she hadnt thought to bring her other sound-transmission token with her? He had been about to ask her whether she had a way of contacting her grandfather, but he didnt even bother after hearing that.

Why didnt you Hao Zhen cut himself off. There was no point in asking Lan Yue her reasons for leaving her incredibly useful sound-transmission tokenwhich probably had not only her brothers imprint, but probably also her grandfathers and fathersbehind. Maybe she had decided not to bring it because she didnt want to rely on her family. Maybe she had simply forgotten. Maybe she even had a good reason for it. It didnt matter. Asking these questions would only waste time they could spend planning.

All right. What about your belongingsis there anything we can use? Perhaps another Radiant Light Imprisonment Talisman? Hao Zhen asked instead.

I only have another one of it. They were both a gift from my grandfather. He gave them to me before I took the entrance examinations. He said that if I ever found myself in a dangerous situation, I was to use one of them on myself and send him a sound transmission. She shrugged. Everything else I have, I got after becoming an outer disciple.

Another Radiant Light Imprisonment Talisman could be used to buy them some time, but not much more. If Lan Yue had her other sound-transmission token with her, itd be a different story, as they could use the talisman on themselves, as suggested by her grandfather, and use the token to call someone from Lan Yues family over. Then again, he didnt know if there was some kind of range limit to sound-transmission tokens, so maybe that wouldnt have been possible.

It seemed like their best bet was indeed heading over into the deeper regions of the forest and looking for help over there, then. Hao Zhen rubbed his forehead. It wasnt nearly as solid a plan as he had hoped, but he had pretty much exhausted all other options. Still, he went over the situation again in his head, just in case he had missed something.

Moments after he started thinking, however, he noticed the magical cloud start to slow down. Confused, he turned toward Tian Jin, who was looking out into the distance, frowning.

Tian Jin?

I feel something, Tian Jin said without turning around. He motioned with his head vaguely toward the direction he was looking at.

Hao Zhen frowned. He glanced at Lan Yue, who was also giving Tian Jin a look of confusion. You feel something?

Theres something calling me. Tian Jin finally turned his head back toward them. He looked as confused as them. I cant really explain it. Its strange. Its like I know theres something there?

Hao Zhens confusion gave way to suspicion. Could this be He looked deeply at Tian Jin. Tian Jin wasnt someone that would joke or lie about something like this, so there was definitely something going on. He didnt think Tian Jin was crazy, either.

Hao Zhen felt his heart skip a beat.

Sometimes, in cultivation novels, protagonists got these feelings they couldnt really explain. It was usually subtler than whatever Tian Jin was experiencing, but if Hao Zhen wasnt wrong about this

How far away are we from the inner disciples section of the forest? Hao Zhen asked Lan Yue.

She had been the one leading them through the forestsomething else Hao Zhen would have to ask her about, now that he thought about itso maybe shed have an idea.

About ten minutes, I think, she said.

And how long has it been since you used the talisman on the elder?

About half an hour. This time, it was Tian Jin who answered.

The two of them were both looking at Hao Zhen curiously.

He considered the situation. They had another Radiant Light Imprisonment Talisman, which could buy them another hour. Considering how close they were to their destination

Hao Zhen didnt like taking risks, but he felt that this one might just be worth taking.

He nodded at Tian Jin. Lets go.

Go?

You had a feeling, didnt you? Hao Zhen said. Lets see if theres something there.

If there was one thing Hao Zhen knew about cultivation novels, it was that the protagonists intuition should never be ignoredparticularly when they were running from danger.