"Dou Qi Wings, a Dou King?"
The crowd below watched in shock as Chen Mo chased after his target.
"A Dou King at such a young age?" Qiuyun's beautiful eyes flickered, a ripple of admiration surfacing in her heroic demeanor.
However, as a stunning young woman clad in azure Dou Qi armor descended from the Azure Beak Eagle, that ripple of admiration instantly dissipated.
"As expected of the Grand Pavilion Master," Tieshi said with a look of longing, then swiftly turned and cleaved a bandit in two with a single stroke of his blade.
"A Dou King?" The leader's expression darkened as he glanced back at the handsome young man hot on his heels. He tightened his grip on the horse's belly and slapped its rump with the back of his blade, trying to widen the distance between them.
Chen Mo frowned, realizing that his Devil's Wings weren't faster than the horse.
"Thousand Thunder Incantation!"
Boom!
A thunderous pillar struck a large tree directly in front of him, causing it to collapse with a resounding crash.
The startled horse threw the leader off its back.
As he fell, the leader's palms slammed heavily onto the ground, allowing him to land on his feet with ease.
The bandit leader gripped his broadsword tightly, about to shout something at Chen Mo hovering in mid-air.
But before he could utter a word, a thunderous pillar struck him squarely on the head without warning. His words were cut short as he collapsed to the ground.
"Ding, killed a Four-Star Dou Grand Master, rewarded with 940 Luck Points."
As the system's voice echoed, Chen Mo furrowed his brows slightly. Was the difference between a Dou Spirit and a Dou Grand Master really this significant?
A gap of over 3,000 Luck Points.
He descended.
He stripped the undamaged Storage Ring from the corpse.
As a diligent cultivator, not looting the body was a bad habit.
He erased the soul imprint on the Storage Ring and left his own.
With a thought, he accessed its contents.
Good heavens, the treasures piled inside nearly blinded Chen Mo.
He was certain that even a Dou Spirit expert's Storage Ring wouldn't contain as many treasures as this one.
Over a dozen Profound Rank Low Level Cultivation Methods and Dou Skills, a vast quantity of Elixirs, and countless Gold Coins.
The wealth accumulated by the bandit leader over the years had now all fallen into Chen Mo's hands.
By the time Chen Mo returned to the main road, the battle had already concluded. The members of the Lofty Cloud Pavilion were cleaning up the battlefield, collecting Storage Rings from the bandits' corpses.
"Heading to the Imperial Capital, what a coincidence."
After tidying up, Chen Mo asked Tieshi where they were escorting these six people. The latter replied that they were heading to the Imperial Capital.
Hearing Chen Mo's murmur, Tieshi was about to respond with a smile when a soft, delicate voice emerged from a woman with a short, heroic haircut. "Grand Pavilion Master, are you also heading to the Imperial Capital?"
The woman wasn't sure if she was addressing him correctly.
"And you are?" Chen Mo was taken aback, unable to believe that such a soft voice could come from a woman with such a heroic appearance.
"Hello, I'm Qiuyun," she introduced herself simply, not mentioning that she was the employer for this trip.
"Hello," Chen Mo nodded. "Yes, we're also heading to the Imperial Capital."
"Then, could I ask you to travel with us?" Qiuyun's voice carried a hint of hesitation, as if she felt her request might be too much.
To her surprise, Chen Mo thought for a moment and agreed.
The Alchemist Convention was still over half a month away, which gave him enough time to reach the Imperial Capital.
Tieshi couldn't believe that the Grand Pavilion Master had agreed.
Not only was Tieshi in disbelief, but Qiuyun, who had made the request, was also taken aback. She then spoke with a hint of embarrassment, "Once we reach the capital and I've dealt with this batch of goods, I'll immediately make up for the commission."
Chen Mo smiled and said, "No need. The commission you've already paid is sufficient. There's no need for any additional compensation."
"No, Grand Pavilion Master, not only did you save my life, but you also agreed to escort us to the capital. If I don't make up for the commission, I'll feel guilty," Qiuyun expressed her heartfelt thoughts.
"Is that so? Then how much commission are you offering? I'm quite expensive, you know," Chen Mo teased, seeing her insistence.
Upon hearing this, Qiuyun named a figure.
Chen Mo was momentarily stunned. That amount could hire a Dou Spirit as a bodyguard.
Despite Chen Mo's attempts to dissuade her, Qiuyun insisted, and it was finally settled at 20,000 Gold Coins as the commission.
The group set off once again.
Along the way, Chen Mo occasionally flew down to chat with Qiuyun.
From their conversations, he learned that Qiuyun came from a small family in the capital, the second daughter of the family head. She had taken up managing the family's affairs early on to avoid an early marriage.
When asked why she didn't use the empire's Flying Magical Beasts, Qiuyun hesitantly explained that her family had been blacklisted by the imperial authorities for selling banned substances.
They were prohibited from using any official transportation services.
During the flight, the journey was rather monotonous. With so many people around, Chen Mo could only secretly take small liberties with Nalan Yanran, not daring to go too far.
During the flight, Chen Mo spotted several Alchemists riding Azure Beak Eagles heading towards the capital.
Some of them, by their appearance, didn't seem to be from the Jia Ma Empire.
Of course, while Chen Mo was surprised by these foreign Alchemists, they too were astonished by Chen Mo's entourage, their expressions revealing a hint of envy.
With Chen Mo and his group escorting them, Qiuyun's caravan encountered no further mishaps on the road.
Nine days passed in this manner.
A grand city, built against a mountain, lay sprawled like a giant dragon, leaving Chen Mo and the others deeply awestruck.
This city was far more magnificent than the Black Rock City Chen Mo had seen before.
Jia Ma Holy City, the capital of the Jia Ma Empire.
Flying was prohibited over the Holy City, and the city gates were patrolled by the military.
Entering the city didn't require a fee, but it did necessitate a thorough inspection by specialized personnel.
Chen Mo wasn't in the queue for inspection; they had connections.
Two days before reaching the Holy City, Nalan Yanran had sent a letter home, informing them of their expected arrival today.
Upon learning from the letter that not only his beloved daughter but also a potential future son-in-law were returning, Nalan Su immediately dispatched the family's steward and guards to welcome Chen Mo and his group at the city gates.
"Junior Brother, let me introduce you. This is Uncle Liu," Nalan Yanran introduced.
"Greetings, Young Master Chen Mo. I am the steward of the Nalan residence. You may call me Steward Liu," Liu Fu introduced himself in advance.
"Since Yan Ran calls you Uncle Liu, I'll do the same," Chen Mo said with a smile. "Uncle Liu."
Hearing this, Liu Fu's fondness for Chen Mo soared.
He then ushered Chen Mo and the others into the prepared carriages.
Chen Mo's subordinates naturally would not board the carriage.
Qiuyun also declined.
What a joke?
If they were to board the carriage, it would truly be shameless.
The guards led the Wind Spirit Finch and the Azure Beak Eagle.
Thus, the gro
up made a grand entrance into the imperial capital.
After entering the city, Qiuyun and her companions bid farewell to Chen Mo, saying they would visit him at Nalan's residence after selling their goods.
(End of Chapter)