Chapter 152: Miss Graceful

The scorching sun hung high in a spotless blue sky. The grassland stretched to the horizon, its green waves rising and falling with the wind. Occasionally, a few low-tier spirit birds startled from the brush, flapping their wings as they flew off into the distance.

A slender, lithe figure stood upon a flying magic artifact shaped like a Banana Leaf, gliding slowly just above the tips of the grass. The artifact wasn't large, barely with enough room for one person to stand, nor did it fly very high—only about a zhang off the ground. It moved at a leisurely, moderate pace.

Atop it stood a young girl of sixteen or seventeen in a cyan-green dress. With her hands clasped behind her back and her face tilted slightly upward, she kept her eyes closed to enjoy the breeze, looking perfectly relaxed and content.

Behind her, a petite girl chased after her with all her might, panting heavily, her hair disheveled from the run.

The girl wore a slightly oversized Northern Plains dress and possessed a cultivation base of merely the Qi Refining Third Layer. As she ran, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Young Mistress Graceful! My dear little mistress, please fly a bit slower! Your servant really can't keep up! If we get back late, the Great Elder is going to lecture us again!"

The young girl in front turned a deaf ear to her, floating even further ahead. It wasn't until she heard the pursuing footsteps growing closer that she slowed down by a riverbank and gently descended. The Banana Leaf beneath her feet flashed with spiritual light and rolled itself up, and she casually tucked it into her waistband.

She turned around and looked at the maidservant who had finally caught up. Covering her mouth, she let out a light laugh. "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore."

By the time the maidservant, Landuo, caught up, she was completely out of breath. She bent over with both hands on her knees, unable to stand up straight for quite a while.

Seeing this, Graceful casually formed a hand seal. A ball of cyan spiritual qi condensed at her fingertips, which she gently tapped into Landuo's shoulder. As the spiritual qi entered her body, Landuo's breathing visibly steadied, and her complexion improved significantly.

But before she could fully catch her breath, Graceful added with a beaming smile, "Landuo, you should know what to say and what not to say by now, right? If you try to rush me back again, I'll just run off."

Hearing this, Landuo quickly waved her hands and hurriedly stood up straight. "No, no, no, Young Mistress, don't! This servant won't rush you anymore!"

Graceful nodded in satisfaction. Turning around, she began to stroll leisurely along the riverbank. Her steps were brisk, as if she were simply out for a walk.

She had just turned sixteen and had only broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer a few days ago. Today was her first time flying solo on a magic artifact to get some fresh air. The initial excitement hadn't faded yet, and everything she looked at seemed pleasing to the eye.

Plenty of wild grass grew by the river, occasionally dotted with clusters of small blue flowers. She was just bending down to pick one when her gaze was drawn to a piece of torn cloth drifting on the water's surface. The fabric was dark and somewhat frayed, looking as though it had been ripped from a robe.

She traced the water's flow upstream. At a bend in the river, the faint silhouette of a person was slowly drifting down with the current.

"A person?"

Graceful didn't hesitate. She took a few quick steps forward and channeled her magic power into the water. A gentle current of spiritual power supported the figure, and she activated the Water Control Art to draw the person toward the bank. Under her manipulation, the water obediently parted to the sides, slowly pushing the silhouette onto the shallow shoals by the riverbank.

Landuo hurried over as well. Taking one side each, the two of them worked together to drag the soaking-wet figure onto the shore.

The man's frame was slight, but he proved to be much heavier than expected. Still, working together, Landuo and Graceful barely managed to move him.

Only after laying him flat on the grass did Graceful get a clear look at his appearance. He was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a torn blue robe. His disheveled long hair obscured half of his face. He was so pale he was practically bloodless, his lips were chapped, and his breathing was so faint it was barely perceptible.

Graceful crouched down and reached out to check his breathing, casually brushing aside the loose hair on his forehead.

That face was much younger than she had imagined. His features were cold and clear; even while unconscious, one could make out a certain sharp edge to him. She stared for a moment, slightly dazed.

Landuo spoke up cautiously from the side, "Young Mistress, is this person... still alive?"

"He's alive." Graceful withdrew her hand. "His breath is very weak, but he's still breathing."

She thought for a moment, patted the dirt off her hands, and stood up.

"Let's take him back with us first. If he lies here, he'll likely be fed to the wolves tonight."

"But, Young Mistress—"

Landuo tugged at Graceful's sleeve and lowered her voice, her tone laced with urgency. "One look and you can tell this man is from Ganzhou. Ganzhou and our Northern Plains have been at war for thousands of years. Plus, it seems something major recently happened in the Heavenly Flame Tribe, and they are strictly investigating anyone from Ganzhou. If we bring a Ganzhou man of unknown origins back to the tribe, I'm afraid it will be inappropriate."

She paused for a moment before adding, "What's more, if the Great Elder finds out, I'm afraid he will be displeased. You are soon to wed the young clan leader of the Lingmu Tribe..."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

Graceful interrupted her. Her tone wasn't heavy, but it left no room for negotiation.

"Are we supposed to just leave him by the river to die?"

Landuo opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Graceful glanced again at the young man lying on the ground, her tone softening slightly.

"I've checked; he only has a cultivation base at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. No matter how you look at it, he couldn't possibly be the person the Tianyan Tribe is searching for. Once we return to the tribe, I'll shoulder any problems that arise. Just rest easy."

Landuo hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn't try to persuade her anymore. Having followed her young mistress for over a decade, she knew her temper well—once she made up her mind, nothing anyone said would change it.

She bent down to lend a hand, helping support the unconscious young man onto the Banana Leaf magic artifact. With Graceful at the front controlling the direction, the two of them flanked him on the left and right, flying steadily toward the Lingxi Tribe.

Half a sichen later, a streak of cyan spiritual light slowly descended on the outskirts of the Lingxi Tribe.

The Spirit Eve Tribe was situated in a lush, well-watered area in the southern part of the Northern Plains. With blue skies and green earth, the scenery here was much softer than in the heartlands of the Northern Plains.

The tribe wasn't large in scale, numbering roughly tens of thousands of people. Tents with white roofs and gray trim were scattered across the grassy slopes, distributed along the streams. There were many spell cultivators in the tribe, making it somewhat different from the physical cultivator tribes commonly seen in the Northern Plains, and its customs also appeared much milder.

"Miss Graceful is back."

Someone caught sight of the cyan light from a distance and raised a hand in greeting.

"Graceful's cultivation has advanced again; she can even fly on a magic artifact now. As expected of the Great Elder's daughter," another person teased.

He was just about to say a few more words when his gaze fell upon the back of the Banana Leaf, where there was an extra person. Soaking-wet blue robes clung to the stranger's body, and his figure was thin. Though his face couldn't be seen clearly, one could tell at a glance that his attire did not belong to the Northern Plains.

"Is that... a Ganzhou man?" someone murmured.

The crowd, which had just been laughing and chatting, instantly fell silent for a moment.

A few people who had been preparing to step forward to welcome her also paused their footsteps. Their gazes swept back and forth between Graceful and the unconscious young man, their expressions shifting from warm enthusiasm to hesitation.

A Ganzhou person appearing in the Lingxi Tribe was a rare sight to begin with. One appearing on Graceful's magic artifact was even more baffling.

Graceful didn't offer much explanation. She merely smiled at the crowd, waved her hand, and continued flying her magic artifact deeper into the tribe, leaving behind a group of tribesmen who could only stare at each other in dismay.

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