As he was flying on Hongyu's back, Cao Yun had enough time to calm down. Thankfully, he had a better control over the Drop of Wrath so it had not gone berserk. However, he had to admit that he had almost lost control of his temper. For now, he couldn't be sure whether it was due to his working on the Flying Poison or to his blood cultivation. Most likely, it was a bit of everything.
There was also some frustration hidden within this anger. Indeed, he was getting closer to his goal and finally he would be proactive. But all the frustration he had gathered until now was ready to explode. Hopefully, it would explode on Gu Song when he would find him. Maybe the fact that his goal was so close had amplified these feelings. And his blood cultivation had the same effect on him as it had on demons, it would enhance all his emotions.
If his mind cultivation had been imagined any other way, Cao Yun would hardly be able to control himself. But he still had to be careful not to lose himself or he could easily suffer Qi deviation.
As he was flying, he was also using his compass to detect the seal of his spatial ring. It wasn't extremely precise, but it would be enough for him to detect the presence of the young thief. And indeed, it worked as intended. It didn't take Cao yun more than half an hour to get close to his spatial ring.
The very moment he could feel his own Qi in the spatial ring, he jumped from Hongyu's back and asked her to stay away. Once on the ground, he used his 'Ashen Feather Seal' and completely erased his presence. However, he was astonished by the fact that he could barely feel the young girl. Her stealth wasn't as good as his, but it was impressive nonetheless. Without 'Burning the Cinders of the Six Openings' which only insisted on improving one's perception, he might have missed her even knowing her general location.
The part of the woods they were in were completely covered in mist. It was a rather hollow ground within the Yunling Forest and it was almost always filled with a heavy fog. Although the sun was high in the sky, Cao Yun couldn't see anything at all. The rays of the sun were just making everything blurry around him. Thankfully, he had other senses and he could perceive Qi. As much as she was trying to contain her Qi, Di Xihe was unable to completely conceal herself from Cao Yun's senses.
As he was getting closer to her, he realized though that she was concealing her real identity. Right now, she didn't have the same aura she had when she was acting as his servant. Back there, he had not pried too much and had missed it. That only showed how gifted she was when it came to concealing herself. Her arts had to be crafted for either thieves of assassins.
Unfortunately for her, she had stolen from Cao Yun. She might have escaped the Huang family, but not him, and not considering what she had stolen.
"Show yourself!"
At first, she didn't move. She was probably hoping that Cao Yun was bluffing and that he couldn't find her exact location. Cao Yun himself had fallen for such a bluff in the Palace of Supreme Wisdom. However, this wasn't a bluff at all. Without moving or adding any other word, Cao Yun used his 'Bleeding Eyes' and sent a powerful killing intent exactly where Di Xihe was hiding.
When it touched her, she finally revealed her presence.
"Senior, please excuse this humble junior. I was just hunting..."
"No need to lie! I know exactly who you are! You've stolen something of great importance to me. The question is whether you will give it back to me willingly or whether I'll have to take it from you. You should choose wisely."
"Senior, I really don't..."
Once again, there was no hesitation in Cao Yun's answer. Another wave of killing intent washed over Di Xihe. Although her deception was perfect, she could not deceive Cao Yun. After all, she was literally holding his spatial ring. In this spatial ring, Cao Yun and put a seal with his own Qi. As such, it was very difficult to hide it from him. If he had not thought about doing so, she would have been able to escape. And he would have lost his mother's paintings for ever.
That was also playing on Cao Yun's temper. Because he wanted to protect them, he had almost lost his most precious belongings. No matter what would happen, he would always keep those paintings by his side.
"I have no time to lose with you. I don't intend to hurt you. Just give back what you've stolen. Don't make me take it back by force!"
For a moment, there was no sound and no reaction from Di Xihe. Suddenly, Cao Yun felt three presences split up from Di Xihe's position. She stopped hiding her cultivation and revealed that she was a late Mortal. Her speed however was way beyond what a Mortal could achieve. Cao Yun could tell that she was weak but her arts focused on stealth and speed. In other word, she truly was an expert thief.
Unfortunately for the young girl, she could duplicate her presence but she couldn't hide the seal of Cao Yun. In an instant, he determined which Di Xihe was the real one thanks to his compass. As fast as she was, she was no match for a 3rd-grade Mortal Warrior.
Without drawing his weapon, Cao Yun activated 'The Moon Grounds the Sun' in order to ground his position and improve his speed. Like a gust of wind, he left the deep fog and chased after Di Xihe. For the first time ever, he felt that her Wei Qi was wavering. Until now she had stayed perfectly calm but she was starting to panic as Cao Yun was right behind her. She had probably never thought that he would be able to choose the right one without thinking one second.
Of course, she couldn't know that there was a seal on the spatial ring she had stolen. But she was starting to understand that Cao Yun had some way of tracking her.
It didn't take long for Cao Yun to catch up to the young girl. Knowing that there was no point in trying to escape from him, she decided not to waste her stamina. As such, she chose a nearby spot where there was almost no tree. Although there was no place to hide herself, she knew that this was useless.
Cao Yun didn't think much about this. No matter what she had up her sleeve, it would be useless. Still, he quickly made a Bamboo Map of the place in order to decipher any array formation, just in case. Indeed, that was a good place to set up a few array formations he was familiar with. As such, he was cautious when he approached her. But she didn't activate any kind of trap.
"Senior, I'm very sorry about stealing from you."
"That, I can believe."
"I'm sure we can find some kind of agreement."
As she was trying to seduce him, she exposed her shoulders. At first, Cao Yun thought she was just trying to make him lower his guard. But then, he sensed something else. Her words were hiding a strange rhythm. It was as though she was singing her syllables. And within those rhythms, there was a subtle attack against his mind.
Of course, Cao Yun had developed his mind enough to resist such an attack. But an unsuspecting Mortal Warrior could have fallen prey to such an attempt. That young girl was dangerous.
"Your tricks have no sway over my mood. You're just fanning the flames of my anger. Once again, I have nothing against you, but if you keep playing around with me, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
One last time, Cao Yun used his 'Bleeding Eyes'. Now that he was staring directly at her, his mental attack was at its strongest. Yet, she almost didn't falter. Cao Yun was only able to see a small glint of fear that disappeared straight away. That young girl was very good at controlling her emotions. After all, she was extremely gifted when it came to stealth. Against anyone else from the Huang estate, she would have been able to escape with her booty. However, she had foolishly targeted Cao Yun.
"I lost my patience! I will take what everything you've stolen. If you try and resist, don't blame me for any injury you might sustain."
As Cao Yun was getting closer to the young girl, she started to panic. In an instant, she turned from a very assertive young woman to a trembling mess. As she was shaking, she also ripped apart her clothes. Taken aback, Cao Yun stopped his movement for an instant. Then, Di Xihe screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Help! Save me!"
At that moment, Cao Yun sensed another presence he had neglected. There was someone nearby. And that person intervened.
"You fiend!"
Before he could react, Cao Yun felt a blade on his neck. He was forced to move away from Di Xihe in order to avoid being beheaded. By focusing his Qi in his arm, he manifested 'Dragon's Chest' and he blocked the blade. However, he still felt a biting cold. The blade had almost pierced through his Wei Qi.
There was no doubt. This blade had been made with Divine Ice Steel. It could congeal almost anything, including Cao Yun's Wei Qi.
Between him and Di Xihe, there was now another young woman.
Her figure was elegant and rather small. Even without seeing her face, Cao Yun could tell that she was very young, probably three or four years younger than he was. However, he couldn't see her face at all. She was wearing a large hat with a long veil falling over both her shoulders. With his senses, Cao Yun should have been able to see through it, but he couldn't at all. In fact, he couldn't even tell her cultivation at all. If she hadn't expanded her own Qi during her previous attack, he would never have been able to tell she was a Mortal Warrior. That young woman was perfectly protected from any prying eyes.
After blocking her attack, Cao Yun could roughly tell that she was a 3rd-grade Mortal Warrior like he was. Besides, her Qi was full of Water element and incredibly cold. All around her, Cao Yun could feel an icy temperature that was even able to stop any attacking Qi.
"How dare you attack such a young lady out in the woods?! Are you just a beast in human clothes?!"
"You are mistaken, Miss. This young lady stole from me and she's just trying to deceive you into protecting her."
For a moment, the new woman didn't react. Although he couldn't see her face, Cao Yun knew that he had sowed some doubt in her mind. After all, he was speaking the truth and she could tell. But he might have been a good liar too.
Behind the young woman, Di Xihe had ripped apart a small part of her robe to make it look like Cao Yun had really attacked her. There was even a bruise on her fair skin. Her figure didn't give off the impression of a martial artist. Most likely, she had only trained on her stealth and her speed in order to reach a great proficiency. As a result, her strength was ridiculous, but this also played in her favor as it showed her as a fragile little thing.
"Miss, don't be deceived. He attacked me out of the blue and threatened to rip my clothes to shreds if I didn't give him everything in my possession."
The woman was now in a conundrum. Indeed, both Cao Yun and Di Xihe's words sounded true. As a result, she knew that one of them was a very good liar but she couldn't tell whose story was true. In fact, the two of them could be lying too. Maybe this was an elaborate trap.
"Miss, I have no time to lose. She stole something from me. Ask her to show the spatial rings she has and you'll quickly realize that one of them is mine. The other one belongs to the Huang family."
The name of the Huang family had the impact Cao Yun was looking for.
"What would a young lady who don't seem to be able to protect herself be doing alone in those woods? If you think about it, her story doesn't make sense at all."
Slowly, Cao Yun was winning. The uncontrollable sobs of Di Xihe were not working on the elegant woman. After all, she had probably seen many young women who were able to kill very powerful enemies. She would not be deceived by appearances alone.
"Young lady, if I might be impolite, I'd like to see the spatial rings that you have on yourself..."
"Miss...?!"
Dejected, Di Xihe let her head fall. She seemed completely defeated as she was taking out a spatial ring from her robe. Both Cao Yun and the young lady were careful. The two of them were cautious of everyone around them. After all, no one among the three of them trusted the other two.
As she took out a spatial ring, Cao Yun recognized the spatial ring that contained his family paintings. He had to control himself not to pounce forward and rip it away from her hands. But he had been able to convince the elegant young woman. He was certain that she was not an ally of Di Xihe and had just been lured by her call for help. He had no reason to complicate the situation. Thanks to the seal he had placed in his spatial ring, he could easily prove that it was his.
When she was about to open her hands, a tiny pearl fell from Di Xihe's hands. The moment it touched the ground, a powerful light and a shrill sound spread throughout the area. Even prepared, Cao Yun was taken aback long enough for Di Xihe to disappear.
Instead of trying to use his senses, Cao Yun tried to follow his own seal. However, it had not moved at all. When his senses came back, Cao Yun saw that Di Xihe had left all her belongings behind her. Her robe had fallen on the ground and Cao Yun could see two spatial rings within.
Most likely, she had figured out that Cao Yun was tracking her somehow. Since she didn't know exactly how he was doing so, she had preferred to abandon everything in order to escape. This had been the right decision. Now, Cao Yun had no way of tracking her.
The elegant young woman also looked at the robe and identified the spatial ring Cao Yun had talked about. However, she didn't move and let Cao Yun get close to it. She was still a bit suspicious, but Cao Yun's story had convinced her.