Gu Shiyi fondled the Little Mud Man in her arms. She was also planning to jump into the water. She looked around, tore off a piece of the canopy, wrapped the Little Mud Man in several layers, tucked it into her bosom, then rushed to the railing and leapt into the river with a dive.
"Plop..."
With a splash, Gu Shiyi heavily fell into the water. The canal was man-made and not very deep. After her jump, she quickly touched the bottom. After a few strokes underwater holding her breath, she surfaced near the riverbank. By now, the bank was crowded with people. Seeing her swimming over, someone reached out with a branch to pull her up. Dripping wet, Gu Shiyi climbed ashore, gasping for air and thanked the person,
"Thank you!"
The person waved their hand hurriedly,
"No need for formalities, move aside, there are more people behind!"
Gu Shiyi quickly stepped aside and sat on a blue stone under the tree to catch her breath while watching people on the shore bustling about to rescue others. She took the cloth bundle out from her bosom and unwrapped the Little Mud Man from inside,
"Good... I came out fast enough, it didn't get wet..."
Yanyan's body could not withstand being soaked...
Meanwhile, on the flower boat, the five evil cultivators were gnashing their teeth. In their haste, they did not realize the fire was set deliberately, thinking it was caused by everyone on the boat collapsing or a candle falling over and igniting the blaze, and they cursed under their breath,
"What terrible bad luck!"
The Spirit Clearing Guards were not here yet, but the Official Government forces were coming, today's plans were likely to fall through!
The eldest brother's face was as dark as if water would drip from it, but he was also a decisive man,
"Let's go!"
When the task was impossible, there was no use in lingering—staying any longer would only spell disaster!
The five siblings, born of the same mother, were accustomed to acting together. At the big brother's command, they instantly concealed themselves and flew upwards into the air...
At this moment, Gu Shiyi suddenly felt a sensation and looked up. She saw dark shadows sweeping across the sky, some figures becoming visible as they rapidly fled towards the outskirts of Xuancheng City. Gu Shiyi's gaze followed the five fliers and she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief,
"It seems they're bold enough, yet still fear the Spirit Clearing Guards. They're running away!"
As she pondered this, she saw the five dark masses suddenly halt in mid-air, blocked by a faint figure in front of them...
Gu Shiyi was startled and glanced around. Taking advantage of everyone being distracted by the river scene, she turned and ran into the woods along the riverbank, finding the tallest tree to climb. Peering through the dense leaves, Gu Shiyi could see that the faint figure in the sky was a young cultivator, with a round face, high nose, bright, captivating peach-blossom eyes, and a naturally smiling mouth. Although he might not be deemed the most handsome, his demeanor was somehow soothing and agreeable. She brightened, lifted her confidante onto the tree branch,
"Yanyan, take a look. Is that man up there your type?"
Those in the sky—the five dark masses and the young man—were invisible to the ordinary people fighting the fire below. She could see them because she possessed mana, and Yanyan could see them because she was a ghost, no longer of the flesh and blood visible to the naked eye.
Reminded by Gu Shiyi, Li Yaner looked up and saw the young man in the sky. Not too tall, not too short, neither fat nor thin, clean and fair, his smile warm and gentle. He wasn't exceptionally handsome, but he seemed easy-going and temperate. She could tell he was the kind who'd be an excellent family man, perfectly fitting her own aesthetics, making her exclaim in amazement,
"Really! Who is he... a Great cultivator?"
Otherwise, how could he hover in mid-air, as relaxed and composed as if standing on solid ground? Gu Shiyi whispered,
"Most likely from the Spirit Clearing Guard. Those people have caused such havoc, surely they've drawn the Xuancheng City Spirit Clearing Guards here. This person must be here to stop them!"
This was good, she thought. Best if they caught everyone, then she'd be safe!
"Oh, oh..."
Li Yaner nodded repeatedly as she heard the young cultivator speaking to the five people,
"Gentlemen... you've slaughtered an entire family and are now causing such a commotion in Xuancheng City, thinking you can just walk away like that. Seems like you don't take our Spirit Clearing Guard very seriously!"