Despite Elder Li's persistent attempts to make him stay, Jiang Chen stormed out of Cuihua Pavilion in a fury, giving the elder no opportunity whatsoever to persuade him.
In truth, Jiang Chen had never intended to sell anything to Cuihua Pavilion. His goal had been to meet Wei Xing'er. Now that the objective was achieved, there was no reason to linger.
Jiang Chen had given Wei Xing'er the medicinal powder, but considering her stubborn personality, and the fact that she might refuse to take it to avoid dragging him into danger, he couldn't be sure she would actually use it.
So before leaving, Jiang Chen had made additional preparations—measures for tracking and locating Wei Xing'er.
In his estimation, while the Pavilion Master of Cuihua Pavilion was certainly a prominent figure in the Chiding Central Domain, even someone like the Peerless Emperor might not be able to detect Jiang Chen's methods, let alone a mere sixth-level Sovereign realm cultivator from the Chiding Central Domain.
Most importantly, the Pavilion Master of Cuihua Pavilion would never even suspect that someone had planted tracking devices on Wei Xing'er. The thought simply wouldn't cross his mind.
In any case, Jiang Chen had set up double insurance. Even if one measure failed, the other could serve as backup.
This made things considerably more secure.
He checked into an inn some distance from Cuihua Pavilion.
With his tracking techniques and those measures, he could easily pinpoint Wei Xing'er's whereabouts even from several hundred li away.
So there was no need to get too close to Cuihua Pavilion. This way, he could also avoid alerting the enemy.
Jiang Chen had thought he would need to wait a few days, but that very evening, he sensed something unusual. A quick trace revealed that Wei Xing'er had already left the Chiding Royal Capital.
...
In the darkness, Wei Xing'er moved like a puppet, led along by the Pavilion Master of Cuihua Pavilion. She didn't resist, didn't struggle. On her face was a look of serene acceptance.
Clearly, with Jiang Chen's warning, Wei Xing'er had come to terms with her fate.
She hadn't taken the medicinal powder as Jiang Chen had told her. Instead, she had simply thrown it into the waste basket.
"Jiang Chen... For you to come personally to save me, Wei Xing'er's life hasn't been in vain. Everyone says I'm a venomous beauty, but no one has ever known that every single man who died at my hands had a hundred reasons to deserve it. Yes, I, Wei Xing'er, am selfish and cruel, but... I won't drag you into this fire pit. I want you to remember the debt you owe me, one that can never be repaid... That way, even if you spend your life with other women, you'll always think back from time to time about the favor you once owed me..."
Wei Xing'er thought this to herself, her heart as calm as still water. The fear and dread she had felt before had gradually been conquered.
In their place was a tranquil acceptance that came from contemplating life and death.
If a person's life was truly governed by fate, then Wei Xing'er had decided to accept her destiny.
After all, even though she was deeply moved that Jiang Chen had personally come to rescue her, and even though she felt a deep satisfaction from it, she still didn't believe he could actually save her.
Rather than letting Jiang Chen throw himself into the fire like a moth, it was better to die quietly and without a fuss.
This was Wei Xing'er's resolution.
But what Wei Xing'er could never have imagined was that, within less than an hour of her leaving the Chiding Royal Capital, Jiang Chen had already detected the anomaly and was following the other marking he had placed on her, tracking her relentlessly.
The night made no real difference to Jiang Chen compared to the day.
His Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil had been cultivated to near its peak state. Night vision was as clear as broad daylight, without the slightest obstruction.
The darkness of night could no longer hinder the Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil.
However, Jiang Chen didn't push too hard along the way. The Pavilion Master of Cuihua Pavilion was extremely cunning—he had already set up numerous hidden sentries and informants along his route in advance.
If Jiang Chen hadn't anticipated this and had rushed to follow, he might have been exposed.
What surprised Jiang Chen most was that the twelve guardians the Pavilion Master had hired at great expense had only brought four along. The other eight were nowhere near the Pavilion Master's side.
This left Jiang Chen somewhat puzzled.
But he quickly discovered the reason. Those expensive Sovereign realm guardians—apart from the four strongest ones accompanying the Pavilion Master—the other eight were escorting another man who bore a resemblance to the Pavilion Master, heading off in an entirely different direction.
"What a brilliant feint—draw attention to the east while striking from the west, and lay out a web of confusion!" Upon discovering this, Jiang Chen couldn't help but admire the Pavilion Master's grand strategy.
If the Pavilion Master had many enemies, this trick would certainly draw the bulk of their hatred. That way, the real Pavilion Master would be considerably safer.
And on the route the real Pavilion Master intended to take, he had pre-positioned numerous informants and hidden sentries. If anyone tried to follow, even if these sentries couldn't stop them, they could at least provide advance warning, alerting the Pavilion Master in time so he could prepare himself.
With the Pavilion Master's guardian squad, as long as it wasn't an eighth- or ninth-level Sovereign realm powerhouse who showed up, anyone trying to harm the Pavilion Master would face an extremely difficult challenge.
Jiang Chen's speed was comparable to the Peerless Emperor's. Catching up to the Pavilion Master's party shouldn't be too difficult.