Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1002: Chapter 416: Where in the World Is the Path to Immortality? (8)

A little surprised, but not unexpected; if it’s Luo Qiu, it seems he really is the type of person who would do such things.

As she put on the slightly warm jacket, Zhang Qingrui suddenly recalled an event from long ago.

A rainy day after school.

Not wanting too many people to know about her family background, Zhang Qingrui insisted on not having her family pick her up or drop her off at school, but an unexpected rainy day left her feeling extremely troubled.

It seemed, just like this time, an umbrella suddenly appeared above her head.

——Here, use it.

Luo Qiu didn’t talk much, even though it was just the two of them in the class, Zhang Qingrui could recognize his voice immediately… Perhaps it was because of his taciturn nature, so whenever he spoke, it left a deep impression.

Her instinct was to say she didn’t need it, or perhaps she thought that after giving her the umbrella, Luo Qiu would bravely say he’s a guy and isn’t afraid of a little rain, heroically walking away in the rain.

But instead… Luo Qiu just took another umbrella out of his backpack, nodded, and left under his own umbrella, leaving Zhang Qingrui standing foolishly under the eaves with her umbrella.

It was the same this time.

The jacket was taken from Luo Qiu’s backpack, not from his own body.

Unable to help herself, Zhang Qingrui laughed softly, gently holding the jacket, pressing it against her lips as she laughed out loud.

She often smiled graciously and elegantly, always making people feel it was decorous, it was graceful, refreshing and uplifting, but unlike this moment, like a budding flower, it left a memorable impression.

“What’s so funny.”

Noticing this slightly different smile, Luo Qiu curiously asked.

Zhang Qingrui just shook her head, blinked her eyes, and said, “Nothing, just remembered some interesting things from the past.”

“Interesting memories?” Luo Qiu nodded, “Those are always wonderful things.”

“Oh my, I’m suddenly feeling cold too, what should I do?” Song Haoran said with a smile, “Moreover, on this cold day, I don’t know why, suddenly a chill ran up my back.”

Back?

Zhang Qingrui glanced behind him and found Song Ying standing behind Song Haoran. Zhang Qingrui was a perceptive person… that’s what the people who knew her thought.

In that instant, she thought of many things.

But Luo Qiu said at that moment, “You shouldn’t feel cold, it won’t really affect you even if it gets colder. But Song Ying might need it.”

Saying this, Luo Qiu took another jacket from his backpack and directly asked, “You can take it first, put it on when you need it. I can see you’re tougher than Zhang Qingrui.”

One is the carefully nurtured daughter of a wealthy family, the other the well-trained successor from a tomb-robbing family, there are indeed differences in some aspects.

“You really have one… do you often bring so many clothes when you go out?” Song Haoran looked at Luo Qiu’s backpack with surprise, feeling amazed, and he found it really challenging to catch him off guard.

Honestly… who frequently brings several clothes when going out, almost like knowing beforehand what will happen and being prepared early.

“No need for politeness.” Song Ying said calmly, “I’m still pretty tough.”

“Call me if you need anything.” Luo Qiu didn’t say much more, casually folded the jacket and put it back into his backpack.

Actually, the trip had been going on for some time now, and faintly, some waterfall sounds could be heard, signaling that the legendary pool was not far away.

The group found a neglected pavilion and sat down. The pavilion should have been built by the people of the Song Family Fortress long ago, surprisingly, it had a name, called ‘Wanglong Pavilion’.

At this time, Luo Qiu took out some bottles of water from his backpack, distributing them to his companions.

“It feels like little Luo Qiu is the type who takes good care of people?” Song Haoran laughed.

“It’s just to make it more convenient for myself.” Luo Qiu replied casually.

Song Haoran laughed heartily, then his eyes twinkled as he began to narrate his past exploration stories. Song Ying, who had heard these stories many times before, felt bored, yawned, and propped her chin, looking into the distance, perhaps deep in thought.

But Zhang Qingrui found them fresh and intriguing, listening intently and soon becoming somewhat entranced.

Luo Qiu recalled her words once said on the grassland, hoping to be free, hoping to explore fully and become an explorer.

Zhang Qingrui’s yearning expression differed from her poised heiress image; this was her true self.

Song Haoran is like the midday sun, burning with enthusiasm. Zhang Qingrui is like the pure moonlight, while Song Ying is even more diverse, akin to the galaxy.

In the black-and-white world, it felt like day and night changed… Luo Qiu’s vacation time was almost up.

I wish such times could last longer.

Thinking and thinking, the people before him vanished, seemingly in just a blink… Clearly, Song Haoran’s exploration story had reached an exciting part.

Luo Qiu glanced around the pavilion, noticing a sudden emergence of mist nearby. As the mist spread in the air, some moisture hit his face, it felt real.

And as the mist grew denser, all surroundings turned into white haze, and something seemed to flash outside the pavilion.

A long shadow, like a fish swimming in water, wandered around the pavilion through the dense mist.

Luo Qiu looked at the water bottle placed back on the stone table after drinking, revealing a thoughtful expression. Before long, a loud sound suddenly echoed in the dense fog.

It sounded somewhat like a steam whistle, yet slightly different, and gradually moved away, but the mist didn’t disperse.

“Looking…” Moving his gaze, Luo Qiu focused on the direction where the shadow vanished from the mist.

Then he suddenly stood up, muttering, “Happy times pass so quickly.”

He walked into the mist.

…

…

Mist in the mountain streams is quite normal.

Often, one can see the mist swirling among the mountains, resembling an enchanting Immortal Realm—but of course, being inside it gives a different feeling altogether.

“Release some of your demonic power, I’ve taught you how to enhance your senses… Not that way! You eat so much, but your brain hasn’t grown, where did it all go?”

“Sorry, Sister Long. I’ll do my best!”

Luo Pianqian was anxiously trying to use the demonic power that had surged after her recent awakening to sense the surrounding roads—ever since Sister Long Xiruo mentioned it, they had encountered thick fog and were somewhat lost.

The dragon Xiruo in her little girl state only possessed knowledge, with no power at all—of course, if she were willing to use Gui Qianyi’s secret treasure, she could summon a clone with partial power, but it required bloodletting each time, so unless necessary, Xiruo did not intend to bleed herself.

“But Sister Long, this fog seems a bit strange, eh?” Luo Pianqian blinked, looking at the vaguely visible Long Xiruo in her view, and asked.

“Hmm.” At this moment, Long Xiruo nodded, biting her finger thoughtfully and said, “Nature doesn’t change so swiftly, there wasn’t even any rain today, and it hasn’t been long past noon… I’m afraid it’s a matter of ‘Wang’.”

“Are you saying it’s the spirit vein of that transforming dragon doing this?”

Long Xiruo said sternly, “I’ve mentioned before, Wang had congenital deficiencies at birth, and its intellect is somewhat incomplete. Although I finally helped it through its transformation into a dragon, the aftermath hasn’t been well resolved. Therefore, later on, to allow it to complete itself, I set up a seal at its birthplace, hoping to continue borrowing the spirit veins’ powers to compensate for its prenatal deficiencies… its seal might have loosened, this should be caused by Wang’s powers.”

“Sister Long, can your seal loosen too?” In Xiao Butterfly Monster’s eyes, Sister Long Xiruo was almost the most powerful—after all, it was her late Grandpa Tree Monster who instilled this knowledge in her from a young age.

Of course, later Xiao Butterfly Monster learned there was another mighty sister, Su Zijun, and then, there was an even more formidable boss—every time Sister Long mentioned the boss, she would get flustered.

Long Xiruo shook her head at this time, uncertainly saying, “That’s hard to say, these days the Twelve Dragon Veins of Shenzhou have all become very peculiar. I used to investigate for a while, but some incidents made me temporarily give up. Now… currently, I can’t continue the investigation. Regarding my seal setup, generally, there shouldn’t be any issues, but I don’t rule out external factors, just like how iron columns can wear down to needles, and water drills through stone, there’s no wall invulnerable—”

Perhaps touching upon an annoying and frustrating subject, Long Xiruo pulled out a cigarette and habitually lit it.

But at this moment, she suddenly found there was no one around—within the fog, it had reached a point where she couldn’t see her own fingers.

“Pianqian? Pianqian?”

Long Xiruo frowned and called twice, but where was the trace of that little butterfly monster around?

“This idiot…”

Furiously, Long Xiruo threw the cigarette onto the ground and stomped it out, hurriedly heading deeper into the fog—though the way was unseen, the general direction could still be felt.

However, Long Xiruo hadn’t run far when she suddenly collided with something—not painful, but with her current body size, she couldn’t sway it at all, causing her to directly stumble backward.

In front was a tall dark figure, and simultaneously, a feeling of unease surged within Long Xiruo’s heart.

This sense of unease had lingered in her heart for days, but at this moment, it surged to its peak, causing her every hair instantly attracted by static electricity to stand straight, with a tingling sensation on her scalp.

“Be careful.”

Meanwhile, such a voice came, and Long Xiruo felt herself grabbed at the moment of falling backward, then pulled forward.

She once again bumped into the shadow within the fog.

At the instant of body contact, the continuously rising uneasy feeling burst out, causing Long Xiruo to utter a startled cry.

This wasn’t related to will or strength, just like seeing a natural enemy, she resisted and rejected from the bottom of her heart.

“Nothing’s happened, right?”

At this moment, Long Xiruo suddenly had an impulse to cover her ears—because she had recognized the owner of the voice: the culprit causing her present condition.

The club owner… a man whom not even a true dragon standing firm on Divine Land could contest.

Why is he here?

“Why… why are you here!”

The thought in her mind and the instinctive speech emerged almost simultaneously, Long Xiruo quickly broke free from the other’s grasp, retreating a couple of steps, while taking out Gui Qianyi’s secret treasure without hesitation, preparing for the worst—though she knew this man wouldn’t initiate an attack.

“Speaking of which, I’m quite surprised Ms. Long is here too.”

A gentle breeze suddenly appeared around the shadow, and the mist was stirred by the airflow, finally clearing a small space where their vision returned to normal.

Luo Qiu indeed was a bit surprised to see Long Xiruo here, so he curiously asked, “I noticed you seemed a bit anxious, has something happened?”

“No! Nothing at all.” Long Xiruo firmly denied, decisively saying, “There isn’t anything necessary, no need for any service or help, I’m good, thank you.”

Luo Qiu paused, then chuckled softly, “I’m on vacation these days, with no business at my place, so even helping a little would come with no additional demand, feel assured.”

Vacation?

Can the boss take a vacation?

This question lingered in Long Xiruo’s mind for three seconds before she immediately concluded it was most likely a trap—not right, this was surely a trap!

This guy is after the essential blood of the True Dragon in my body, determined to drain me dry!

“I don’t need any help either.” Long Xiruo quietly adjusted her breathing, yet felt this man’s presence here was definitely unusual, so she frowned and asked, “But it is you… Why, with such leisure and delight, did you come to this backwoods place for sightseeing?”

“A bit.” Luo Qiu smiled and said, “Initially, the motive for coming out was indeed for sightseeing.”

Who would believe that!

Long Xiruo wished to rid of this man as soon as possible, feeling that lingering too long might jeopardize her long-recovered vitality!

“But ran into some matters midway.”

However, as Long Xiruo thought excessively, Luo Qiu straightforwardly said, “The surroundings seem peculiar due to some power disorder. This is likely caused by ‘Wang’? It feels quite similar to the ley line power we previously encountered in the city, though there are some differences. Hmm… does Ms. Long know anything that’s happened?”

“Oh?” Long Xiruo expressed a bit of surprise and said, “There are things even you don’t know?”

“Of course.” Luo Qiu replied matter-of-factly, “After all, I am not as aged as Ms. Long, my experiences are naturally lacking.”

Primarily because if he could inquire answers without having to purchase intel, Luo Qiu was very willing to ask and learn more.

But Long Xiruo frowned at this moment, remaining silent.

Damn you, you think I’m aged, you bastard!!

I’m not even two thousand years old yet!!

￥￥￥￥￥

PS: Tonight… grind, just like this.