Chapter 255 - 30: Pursuit, Stealth, Taking the Pill

Chapter 255: Chapter 30: Pursuit, Stealth, Taking the Pill

A wave of intense humiliation surged through Xiao Zhanbai, causing her icy features to flush crimson.

"Chen Ye? Who’s that?"

Zhao Qian frowned, breaking the silence of the interrogation room.

He turned to ask the disciples behind him, only to find that not a single one had heard the name.

"A nobody?" Zhao Qian was a little disappointed.

He had expected some earth-shattering revelation, but all he got was a name no one had ever heard of.

He instinctively glanced at Xiao Zhanbai in the corner, curious about her reaction. He found her staring intently at the White Bone Mountain disciple hanging from the torture rack. Her expression was constantly shifting, and her gaze was incredibly complex.

"Junior Sister Xiao, do you know this person?" Zhao Qian asked, keenly sensing that something was amiss.

Xiao Zhanbai snapped back to her senses. She glanced at Zhao Qian, a flicker of conflict in the depths of her eyes.

’Should I tell him my suspicion?’

’If I tell him, the case will be considered solved, and all the credit will naturally go to Zhao Qian.’

’I’ve been investigating tirelessly for two days, only to pave the way for my sworn rival?’

’Why should he?!’

’This case should have been mine from the start!’

’I was the one in charge first! I was the first one to make contact with Chen Ye!’

’If the Elders hadn’t been biased and stripped me of my position, I, Xiao Zhanbai, would be the one basking in this glory right now!’

At this thought, the indignation and competitive spirit in Xiao Zhanbai’s heart instantly overrode everything else.

She couldn’t just hand such a huge achievement over to Zhao Qian!

Absolutely not!

She would capture Chen Ye with her own hands and prove to everyone that she, Xiao Zhanbai, was the most outstanding disciple of Celestial Sword Manor’s younger generation!

"I don’t."

Xiao Zhanbai shook her head. Her voice regained its usual chill, and a frosty mask settled over her face once more.

"I just thought that someone important enough for a White Bone Mountain Elder to remember wouldn’t be an ordinary person. I was merely curious."

Although Zhao Qian felt it was a bit strange, he didn’t think much of it.

In his eyes, Xiao Zhanbai was a failure, hardly worth a second thought.

"Hmph. Who cares who he is." Zhao Qian snorted, his gaze returning to the White Bone Mountain disciple. "This Chen Ye, where is he now?"

"I... I don’t know...." The disciple shook his head weakly.

"Useless!"

Zhao Qian kicked the disciple in the stomach, venting his frustration.

’After all that questioning, all I got was a name. I don’t even know where he is. How is that any different from getting nothing at all?’

’Finding someone who’s intentionally hiding in a city as large as Qingzhou City is easier said than done.’

"Lock him up and keep him under heavy guard!" Zhao Qian waved his hand impatiently and turned to leave.

He was going to report this major progress to Elder Jian.

The moment Zhao Qian left, Xiao Zhanbai made her move.

Without alerting anyone, she slipped out of the grim dungeon and headed straight for the Yuelai Inn.

’If I go now, I can still catch him!’

Xiao Zhanbai’s heart pounded in her chest, a drumbeat of excitement and tension.

She felt as if her very blood was on fire.

This wasn’t just about solving the case; it was about avenging her previous humiliation!

She would make that brat Chen Ye understand the consequences of deceiving Xiao Zhanbai!

And she would show Zhao Qian, Elder Jian, and everyone who had looked down on her just who would have the last laugh!

Xiao Zhanbai’s figure became a white bolt of lightning, streaking through the streets of Qingzhou Prefecture City.

She moved at an incredible speed, the force of her passage nearly knocking over the street-side vendors.

Soon, the familiar sign of the Yuelai Inn came into view.

Without slowing in the slightest, she burst into the inn’s lobby.

"Shopkeeper, where is the guest named Chen Ye who was staying here?" An almost imperceptible tremor laced Xiao Zhanbai’s rushed words.

The Shopkeeper, who was working an abacus behind the counter, jumped at the sudden commotion.

He looked up and, seeing it was a disciple from Celestial Sword Manor, dared not be neglectful and scrambled to his feet.

"Fairy, you mean Young Master Chen?"

"Yes, him! Where is he?"

"He... he already checked out and left," the Shopkeeper answered cautiously.

"Left?" Xiao Zhanbai froze as if struck by lightning. "When did he leave?" ℯ

"Just... just now. Less than an hour ago."

An hour!

Xiao Zhanbai’s heart plummeted.

’So close!’

A wave of intense regret and anxiety washed over her.

Without another word, she turned and bolted from the inn, only to return a moment later.

"Which direction did he go?"

Startled, the Shopkeeper flinched and instinctively pointed south.

"South... South Gate...."

Before he could finish, Xiao Zhanbai’s figure had already vanished around the corner.

She now had only one thought.

Chase!

She would chase him to the ends of the earth if she had to, but she would bring that man back!

The main road was bustling with carriages and horses, the flow of people like a weaving tapestry.

Chen Ye blended into the crowd leaving the city, walking at an unhurried pace.

The main road was flanked by rolling hills and dense, verdant forests.

After walking for a little over two hours, the stream of people on the main road began to thin.

Some Cultivators had already begun to use their Body Techniques, transforming into streaks of light that vanished over the horizon.

Chen Ye prepared to pick up his pace as well.

Just as he was about to gather his energy, he stopped dead in his tracks.

A sudden, inexplicable feeling of unease washed over him.