Shen Miao was waiting for a while at the entrance while thinking of what had happened. To be completely honest, she got a bit carried away and agreed to a few things that she now regrets. Standing on the back of a giant white crane, Shen Miao sighed and muttered. "Why did I agree to let that girl accompany me? Won't she cause trouble? Moreover, she might slow me down if she doesn't have a good mount…"
A proud smile appeared on her lips as she looked at the elegant beast. "Baihe, if her mount is not up to par, don't intimidate it, okay? Your bloodline level is really high, but we shouldn't bully others."
Baihe twisted its long neck to glance at Shen Miao and showed an arrogant look. Through their spiritual connection, the crane could understand her words to a certain extent. Therefore, once it heard her words, it showed its pride as a beast ruffling its feathers. Shen Miao frowned slightly and then sighed. "So be it. If her mount can't even take a bit of intimidation from you, then she might really not be worth relating with."
Right when they were talking, she heard someone shouting her name. "Shen Miao!"
Looking over to the source of the sound, Shen Miao's expression changed to one of surprise.
After taking a bath and getting a haircut from Yasenia, Luan Feixue looked fresh and spirited. Even when her cheeks were slightly sunken, those bright eyes full of vitality were captivating. Two pairs of large eyes glanced at the surprised Shen Miao, making the rich young miss feel a subtle, strange feeling.
Complementing her facial features, a set of light purple cultivation robes covered her slim and athletic body. The frailness of her thin limbs, cheerfulness, and budding beauty were a lethal combination that left many men on the streets somewhat dazed as their gazes followed the purple-clothed girl.
"You…" Shen Miao was speechless. If this woman could look like this, why did she look like someone who could barely afford to eat? The crane looked at the new arrival, and the arrogant look it had gained a confused tone.
"Woah!"
The crane lowered its head and long neck, placing it by Feixue's side. Then, it started sniffing her. Luan Feixue patted the beak of the giant beast with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong? Do I smell strange?"
"Baihe! Stop that! Raise your head at this very moment!"
Embarrassed by the actions of the crane, the rich young lady jumped down and landed by Luan Feixue's side. When she did so, the sweet, floral scent from the perfume she smelled before was much more noticeable. 'Ah… Does Baihe like this scent? Then… Perhaps he won't mind carrying Shen Miao on his back.'
Meanwhile, Yasenia glanced at the crane lazily and spoke into his mind. "Ignore my scent and act normally. If you do something strange… I'll eat you."
The crane got full-body chills as its feathers puffed out. The urge to instantly slump down in respect for the being that talked appeared in its mind. Still, the threat he felt when it was about to do so froze its body for a good second. Enough for both girls to notice the strangeness.
With the stiff crane in front of them, Shen Miao and Feixue looked at each other. Seeing the same lost look, they quickly understood that they were completely unaware of what caused their reaction.
"Ahem." Shen Miao cleared her throat and asked. "Do you have a mount, servant? I would allow you to mount Baihe. However, he doesn't allow anyone other than me to mount onto his back."
Those words made Feixue feel hesitant. After hesitating for a moment, she asked the creature living in her Beast Pocket. "Um… Can you carry me alongside the crane?"
"No," Yasenia spoke with a languid tone as she slowly harmonized with the world around her. "I told you you'll travel by yourself, so do that. If you need a flying mount, capture one. I am not your mount, nor will I act as one."
To begin with, Yasenia was hiding for a reason. She would be in trouble if a high-level cultivator spotted them while flying around. Yasenia didn't want to go through that. Additionally, Yasenia would not allow anyone to mount on her back. That one time, the day before, was a bit special because the dragoness created a deeper bond between Luan Feixue and herself. It was utterly different when she would need to act like her actual mount.
A flash of disappointment appeared in Feixue's eyes, but she quickly sighed and nodded. "Well, I expected that answer…"
Her muttering didn't escape Shen Miao's sharp ears, who asked out of curiosity. "Who are you talking to?"
"Ah…" Luan Feixue smiled awkwardly. "My battle pe-eet! Ouch! Don't twist my sides! O-Okay, okay! Companion, she is my beast companion! Is that bette-eeer!? Hey! I will say "companion" from now on, so stop twisting my sideesss!"
Her strange attitude baffled both the crane and the master. Rubbing her painful sides, Fexiue coughed. "Sorry for that. Yasenia is a Dragon I found and luckily contracted with. However, she has a big temper, as you might guess from a Dragon. She won't let me use her as my mount because I am too weak…"
Shen Miao frowned. "What an arrogant dragon. Baihe here is probably not much different, and Yasenia dares to act like that? You should discipline her."
Feixue's face turned from awkward to shocked in a few seconds. Even if Shen Miao didn't know, those words were very thought-provoking. 'Disciplining Yasenia?'
The image of placing that soft body and spanking her hard flashed in Feixue's head, making blood rush up her face. The reddening of the face was so unexpected that Shen Miao misunderstood it as her becoming furious about her words. She panicked and blurted. "Ah. Forget my words. Each person has their own way to deal with their own beasts… Um, sorry for trying to force you to do as I pleased."
"Eh? Ah. No, don't worry. I, um, anyway! We've delayed enough, don't you think so?"
Seeing the girl spluttering about, clearly flustered, Shen Miao relented and also pretended as if nothing had happened. "Well, try to mount Baihe then. If you can mount, perfect. If not, we can rent a horse and travel on land."
Luan Feixue nodded twice and jumped onto Baihe's back. The two girls didn't know why, but Baihe stayed perfectly still. This prompted Feixue to ask, confused. "Are you sure he doesn't allow others to mount? He doesn't even look bothered."
The giant crane almost rolled its eyes. 'You have that big lord inside of you! Who would dare complain!? If I complain, I'll become a roasted crane before I can even realize what's happening!'
Even when she was confused, Shen Miao prompted Baihe to move, and soon, they flew off.
Meanwhile, on the walls of the town, two people in black clothes glanced at the shrinking dot in the distance. "Young Miss made a friend, it seems."
"Huh? Wasn't she calling her servant?"
"Couldn't you hear the tone she was using? It's clear that Young Miss is very fond of her."
"Now that you say it… Still, didn't Master train Baihe to only allow Young Miss to mount on its back? Why did it allow that girl so easily?"
"Perhaps she has an affinity toward beasts. The training was not that extreme, after all."
"Anyway, we should get going. Young Miss might find danger inside the clouds."
The two people then disappeared from their standing spots as if they had never been there in the first place.
Simultaneously, Yasenia stopped looking their way with a pensive expression. 'Those two must be Shen Miao's secret guards. Still, their strength is only at the peak of the Fifth Realm. Is there a reason for the father not to send Sixth Realm cultivators?'
Yasenia was still somewhat ignorant of the level of cultivators of the world she was in. Therefore, she interrupted the conversation between Feixue and Shen Miao to ask her. "Hey, can you two speak about the strongest families around? I want to know the overall level of this world."
Feixue tilted her head. 'I can tell you myself. I know this area quite well, since it was part of my studies when I was a royal princess.'
'Oh, right." Yasenia blinked and smiled. "I forgot you were a royal princess. Then, please enlighten me. Is there any family I need to be careful with?"
"None."
Luan Feixue answered simply, baffling the dragoness. "What do you mean?"
"We are on the west side of the continent right now. This side is the least developed, and Transcendence Realm cultivators are few and far between. Therefore, with your current strength, you'll probably be alright."
"Hey, servant! Are you really ignoring your master's words?! I'll stop talking to you if you dare do that again."
"Shen Miao, the first time, it might've made me somewhat scared. The second time, I became wary but mostly indifferent, and now, the third time, I want to laugh out loud."
The young miss harrumphed as an answer. Then, Luan Feixue spoke with Yasenia again. "If you have to be careful of something or someone, that would be imperial families and immortal sects."
"Immortal sects… What are those?"
"It's difficult to differentiate which sects have proper threats to an average power, so in the end, to understand which sects were out of reach, people started classifying them as immortal sects. For a sect to gain the title, it must have at least five Transcendence Realm cultivators.
"Not as many as I expected. To be honest, I was expecting sects to be bustling with Transcendence Realm cultivators."
"At least, Yasenia," Feixue added. "Who knows how many there are if they have been an immortal sect for thousands of years?"
The dragoness understood that truth, of course. Still, the fact that the "backward" place of the continent already had Transcendence Realm cultivators is not a good sign. 'Well, I'll probably learn more about the world situation when we are in class inside one of those sects.'
She asked a few other questions, which Feixue answered patiently.
"How many immortal sects are there?"
Shrugging, Feixue turned toward Shen Miao and asked aloud. "Hey, Shen Miao, how many immortal sects do you think there are? Around 70?"
The rich girl answered with a hum. "Probably more. The quadrennial tournament usually has around 1290 participants, with groups of five to represent one power. Of course, there are powers that present only one, two, three, or four participants due to the lack of geniuses. Still, it should give you a good idea."
Feixue spoke to Yasenia. "Heard that?"
"Loud and clear~."
Shen Miao spoke aloud. "Look, servant. We are arriving at the [Immortal Star City]."
Feixue blinked a few times. "Hey, now that I think about it, weren't you going to call me by my name or something? I thought I told you that I am called Xuefei."
Shen Miao froze, her face clearly showing that she forgot about it. Then, with a cough, she spoke haughtily. "What is this servant speaking about? Just be a good follower and accompany me all the way!"
The crane continued flying through the clouds, leaving the two women standing awkwardly on the back of the beast.