402: Chapter 405 Were we tricked?

"Ah?"

The expression on Pu Shirong's face seemed to freeze, instantly hardening.

"Ran away? What do you mean!!"

His voice suddenly rose, his tone filled with disbelief.

"Exactly what I said!"

Lu Ming spread his hands, looking very innocent.

"When I arrived, I happened to see her leaving with a dignified and impressive-looking Cultivator. The two of them seemed quite close. Why, Young Master Pu, you didn't know about this?"

"Bastard!"

Pu Shirong was furious, his face turning red with rage. He then quickly looked at Lu Ming and asked urgently.

"Quickly, tell me, which way did they run!"

Lu Ming shrugged and didn't speak, wearing a face that said "I don't know either."

Seeing him like this, Pu Shirong knew that this person must know something but simply didn't want to say it.

His heart burned with resentment, but since he needed help now, Pu Shirong didn't bother to argue too much.

Thus, he quickly pulled off the Storage Pouch at his waist and stuffed it into Lu Ming's hand without even looking.

"If Fellow Daoist is willing to tell me which direction they went, these resources shall be your reward!"

Lu Ming weighed the heavy Storage Pouch in his hand. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, he found that there were indeed many Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills inside.

"This playboy is quite generous for the sake of a beauty."

Lu Ming muttered to himself. He wasn't polite either, tucking the Storage Pouch directly into his robe before raising his hand to point randomly.

"There, they went that way. They just left. With Young Master Pu's speed, you might still catch them if you chase now."

"What are you all standing there for? Go chase them! That wretched couple! If they fall into my hands, I'll make sure they suffer!"

Having obtained the clue, Pu Shirong could no longer restrain himself. With a roar, he led his guards and rushed off in the direction Lu Ming had pointed.

From his posture, it looked as if he wanted to skin the two of them alive.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man holding a feather fan, who was suspected to be a Heavenly Secret Master, was in no hurry to leave.

In fact, from the moment Lu Ming appeared, his gaze had been lingering on him intermittently. His brow was slightly furrowed, and a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes.

He always felt that there was something indescribably strange about this green-robed Cultivator, but he couldn't figure out exactly what was wrong for a moment.

He felt as if this person was shrouded in a hazy mist, making it impossible to see him clearly.

However, seeing that Pu Shirong had already chased after them, he pondered for a moment and felt there was no need to waste time here.

After all, Pu Shirong had sought him out this time to discuss important matters. They had originally agreed to meet at Lanyue Pavilion, but now this situation had arisen, leaving him somewhat helpless.

Gently waving his feather fan, the middle-aged man's figure floated up and followed at a leisurely pace. Before leaving, however, he gave Lu Ming another deep look.

Once he left, only the madam was left on the spot, slapping her thighs and cursing.

"Oh dear! What kind of mess is this! That dead girl Nian Yao, how could she really run away with someone!"

"If you leave, what will happen to my Lanyue Pavilion! Which god-forsaken person had such wicked intentions..."

Lu Ming didn't care about the madam's words at all. He just calmly looked in the direction where Pu Shirong and the others had disappeared. The corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly with a hint of faint mockery.

Then, he turned around nonchalantly, as if he were truly just a passerby who had finished watching the excitement, and strolled out of Lanyue Pavilion at an unhurried pace.

Along the way, no one paid any attention to him.

As for Lin Qingge?

She had actually been within three feet of Lu Ming the entire time, suspended and carried by a gentle force of magic.

However, under the mysterious shroud of Lu Ming's Severing Cause and Cutting Off Effect, her figure, aura, and even her karmic entanglements were temporarily "isolated" on a karmic level.

So in the eyes of others, Lu Ming was alone, with nothing beside him.

Lu Ming believed in seeing a good deed through to the end, considering this to be the height of benevolence.

Since he was leaving anyway, he felt it would be improper to leave the unconscious Lin Qingge alone in Lanyue Pavilion.

Taking her out of that place of trouble could be considered helping her escape her misery completely and avoiding potential future problems.

But doing this was about enough; Lu Ming had no intention of escorting her all the way to the Southern Wilderness Region.

He had already planned that after leaving the range of Liuyun Immortal City, he would summon a Puppet and hand Lin Qingge over to it.

The Puppet would escort her to the location of the secret teleportation array.

Once Lin Qingge woke up, the Puppet would activate its self-destruct Restriction and turn into ashes, leaving no clues behind.

From then on, the two would owe each other nothing, and their Karma would be cleared.

As for that Great Young Master Pu, Lu Ming couldn't be bothered with him.

Just a reckless scion whose head was clouded by lust.

What era is this? To still be so obsessed with superficial beauty, how pathetic!

Couldn't he learn from him? Never swayed by external beauty, single-mindedly pursuing the Dao!

...On the other side.

Following the direction Lu Ming pointed, Pu Shirong and his guards chased for dozens of miles in one breath, turning that area upside down.

But let alone a sign of Fairy Nianyao, they didn't even find a trace of residual Spiritual Qi.

"Young Lord, nothing found within three miles to the east."

"Young Lord, the search of the western mountain hollow is complete. No one is there."

"The vicinity of the southern riverbed has also been checked. No clues."

Hearing the disappointing news reported by the guards one by one, Pu Shirong's face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water.

He stood there, his chest heaving slightly. Clearly, his anger had not subsided, and a sense of frustration was added to it.

Suppressing his rage, he turned to the middle-aged Cultivator who had remained silent, his tone now carrying a bit more of a plea.

"Steward Zhuge, it seems that wretched couple is quite slippery. I'm afraid I must trouble you to take action and use the Heavenly Secret Arts to deduce their whereabouts and see where they have fled!"

However, Zhuge Mingyuan did not agree as he wished. Instead, he shook his head slightly and said in a calm tone.

"Young Master Pu, I feel that there is no need for that!"

Pu Shirong was stunned to hear this, his displeasure growing even stronger.

But then he remembered that the other party was a Deacon stationed in Liuyun Immortal City by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and further, he hailed from the illustrious Zhuge Family of the Heavenly Secret. Although he was only from a branch line, his status was extremely special and not someone he could reprimand at will.

So Pu Shirong took a few deep breaths and finally suppressed his anger. He asked patiently.

"Steward Zhuge, what do you mean by this? Could it be that you have already discovered something?"

Zhuge Mingyuan's gaze turned toward Liuyun Immortal City, his eyes carrying a hint of unspeakable complexity and gravity.

He remained silent for a moment before speaking softly.

"Perhaps, Young Master Pu, you have been played by someone from the very beginning."