Before Yin could say more, she was already being whisked away by a scarlet-faced Ye Mo. He was gritting his teeth, running like a mama tiger bringing away her cub from hunters hot on their heels.
"Ye Mo bids the Third Princess farewell!" he shouted without even bothering to look over his shoulder.
"Elder Ye—"
In a flash, Ye Mo and Yin were out of the broken pocket dimension and were only a few breaths away from leaving the Patriarch's Main Hall.
Yin furiously yanked a fistful of Ye Mo's long hair. "My spoils of war! Aah! Don't leave them behind! One of my pouches still has space! Get back there, old fogey!"
Ye Mo sneered, and his speed doubled as response.
Her eyes bulged in anger. She pulled his hair harder, giving Ye Mo a firsthand taste of her improved fleshly body's strength. "Return! Return! We are returning!"
In return, he sped up again.
"Old fogey!"
With the girl screaming bloody murder and the man deliberately ignoring the other, no one was backing out.
"Pretend that you're hurt," he finally said the moment he was about to step outside the Main Hall. "I'll do all the talking."
Glaring at him one last time, Yin could understand what he's planning and reluctantly played dead in his arms. It wasn't that she admits defeat. She's still furious! Really, really furious! Those leftover herbs, though they might not be much in her eyes, would be very useful for the Ye Clan.
Those herbs were supposed to pay their life-saving grace!
Yin could not help but pinch Ye Mo, hoping that he would suffer in pain with her twisting his skin around.
Despite the fabric of his robe separating him and her, she could feel his tense steel muscles on his arms and chest. Her hand could barely find a good patch of skin to touch.
Really, being carried by a man sucks!
Hard! Sweaty! Stinky!
'Elder Sister Xuan'er, I miss you terribly wu wu...'
With Patriarch Shangguan Ke and the two Great Elders still frozen inside the pocket dimension, none of the Ming Yue Sect's disciples and ordinary elders could stop Ye Mo and Yin from leaving. After all, this branch specializes in cultivating herbs and the dao of alchemy. None of them were worthy opponents of a genius swordsman, much less a cultivator like him who specializes in speed.
The moment they left the gates of Ming Yue Sect, Ye Mo started flying even faster. When he realized no one was tailing them, he slowed down at a considerably normal flying pace for his cultivation base.
In the short time it takes for an incense to burn, he had practically stopped flying. He could only run and jump from one residence to another, jumping from rooftop to rooftop.
Not because he felt that there was no danger, but because his body was no longer cooperating with him.
Ye Mo felt weak.
From the light beads of sweat dotting his forehead, it could be seen that he was physically and mentally weary, with all his force was nearly spent. Afterall, though he had rested inside the guest courtyard, when he was out searching for Yin, he had exploited his cultivation base to the point his dantian could not bear the pressure. He had also overworked his divine sense to the point that even right now, he was experiencing a splitting headache.
However, he never raised this. He did not complain, and so Yin, despite noticing his situation, respected his ego and chose to keep her mouth mum. Though she was already more powerful and much, much faster than Ye Mo, she allowed herself to be carried like a normal little girl.
How odd. There was a glint of determination in his eyes that made her chest feel funnily warm again.
For some reason, being in his arms was becoming more comfortable as well.
She could not help but wonder why. It couldn't be that Ye Mo got fatter, right?
Besides, she wanted to know why he kept on running despite the building fatigue in his body. Even if he was kind of dense, he would have already noticed that she had a cultivation base, right? That it would be pointless to carry her...
If he is tired, why won't he take a rest?
What a curious little human. It seemed like she should take some time to understand these mortals' way of thinking.
"Hey, old fogey," Yin softly murmured, playfully braiding the fistful of long hair she was pulling a while ago.
"What?"
Yin had another concern. She did not hem and haw like other busybodies and went directly to the point. "Don't you like that Ruo girl? Why are you not pursuing her?"
"Should you be worried about an adult's business? Why don't you try acting like a cute girl, you brat?" Ye Mo simply brushed away her question. After a while, he sighed. "Do not be so eager to grow up. Stay a child for a bit longer. "
Yin blinked, confused. "Why?"
"It is a grownup thing. You wouldn't understand."
"Is love only for grownups?"
"Marriage is."
Finally, Ye Mo could no longer handle his body's fatigue. He staggered on the side of a small street not so far away from the main central road.
Before they hit the ground, Yin quickly waved her hand and a gentle spiritual force steadied his badly-weakened body.
A tiny smile escaped Ye Mo's lips as he dotingly rubbed her head. "Let us walk while I try to replenish my qi."
Yin peered at his calm eyes. "Okay."
With her agreement, he firmly held her hand as they walked like normal mortals towards the main central road.
Leaf City is a first-tiered city, meaning that it was only slightly inferior in terms of Ancient Lin City, the capital of Qing Blessed Lands, in terms of population and liveliness. Upon leaving the smaller street, the two of them were surrounded by a sea of commoners and peddlers, of merchants and mercenaries, of both mortals and cultivators.
Seeing Yin's discomfort in walking normally, Ye Mo laughed a brittle laugh. "You little brat. You never told me that you are a cultivator. A strong one at that. I bet you fly all the time."
Yin raised a brow as she steadied her gait. What Ye Mo said was true.
Back in the underworld, she was a soul seed, a existence that was nothing more than a spirit. After her reincarnation, everyone was always carrying her, both in the Ye Clan and the Ming Yue Sect.
Walking... well, she had forgotten how long it had been. Feeling her feet on the ground actually felt nostalgic. Even the fact that Ye Mo was holding her hand...
But of course, she's never, ever gonna admit that.
She rolled her eyes at him. "Why are you so suddenly nice and sentimental? You are honestly creeping me out."
Ye Mo only laughed, but said nothing. Yin did not bother with him acting all enigmatic. She busied herself sightseeing along the way. As they leisurely strolled towards the Ye residence, they walked past street vendors, inns, markets and other curious sights that could be found in Leaf City.
Yin always pulled Ye Mo here and there. After all, this was the first human city she got to see after who knows how long.
By the time they arrived at the gates of the Ye residence, it was dusk. Yin was wearing a new robe, donning a new hairpin and happily eating tanghulu (1).
Ye Mo then let go of her hand.
Yin looked up at his somber face with a puzzled look. She stopped nibbling on her tanghulu. Her tiny hand was still half-raised in the air, as if it was waiting for him to hold it again.
His face remained expressionless as he lightly asked, "So... when are you leaving?"
--
(1) sugar-coated fruit on a stick