Zhen just wasn't sure he could get it, because after he made his request, Lin Qingxue suddenly looked displeased.
"It's gone. If you want compensation, I'll pay for it. Change your condition," she said.
Zhen rolled his eyes at that. He knew she just didn't want to return it.
This woman had given up on their relationship because of too many obstacles. She had even said she no longer had any interest in rekindling the relationship after spending a year in America for her master's degree.
Unfortunately, she wasn't willing to return what she should've.
"I won't change the condition. If it's lost, then find it again. It can't be replaced with money," Zhen replied.
"However, you don't have to return it right now. I just want your promise. As long as you promise to return it intact, I'll help you save your grandmother."
"Where would I find it? I told you—it's gone. It can't be found again."
Lin Qingxue looked even more displeased at his insistence on getting it back.
"Ask for something else. Whatever it is, even if it's just to reminisce about the past like you said. I'll fulfill your request," she added, her tone firm and expression indifferent.
Zhen thought he'd misheard and instinctively rubbed his ears.
Of course, that wasn't what he really wanted. If he had asked for it, it was only out of a fleeting desire, and he'd said it purely as a joke.
Unexpectedly, she actually offered it.
Did she not understand what he meant by reminisce about the past?
No—maybe she didn't understand at first, but she'd definitely realize it in a moment. She wasn't a dumb or naive woman.
At this point, Zhen understood well enough that Lin Qingxue was determined not to return the bracelet.
Though it wasn't what he wanted, he somehow felt pleased.
"Well…" Zhen paused for a moment before saying, "Show me where my grandmother is being held."
He didn't give an answer to what he wanted, because now even he wasn't sure.
Still, he was thinking about the 200,000 dollars.
"Follow me," said Lin Qingxue.
With that, she waved her hand.
Zhen then saw a carriage appear in front of him, drawn by a winged horse that was at Level 7.
Lin Qingxue stepped into the carriage and signaled for him to follow her.
Zhen hadn't expected her to have something like this. He wondered where she got it—traveling long distances would be much easier with a carriage like that.
Since she had invited him in, he naturally entered.
It was quite spacious inside, with two long benches facing each other.
Zhen sat on the front bench, while Lin Qingxue sat on the one across from him.
Whoosh!
The winged horse began flapping its wings and soared into the air, pulling the carriage behind it. It floated freely, showing that the carriage had been specially designed.
Even more impressive, it could fly very high—more than two kilometers in the sky—far higher than what the Flying Sword Technique could achieve.
Of course, one couldn't fight while relying on a carriage, so the two had different kinds of value.
Lin Qingxue sat cross-legged, looking absentmindedly out the window.
From time to time, Zhen saw her glancing at him.
The carriage was heading toward Spring City.
It seemed the fire in the city had mostly subsided, though Zhen could still faintly see traces of burned rooftops.
It looked like heavy rain was falling there, though it hadn't completely extinguished the fire yet.
Zhen even saw a lot of lightning in the sky above the city.
Maybe a powerful cultivator had manipulated the weather to bring the rain early.
It didn't take long before the carriage entered the rain zone, and Zhen heard loud pounding sounds on the roof.
Lin Qingxue didn't like noise. Her brow furrowed as she looked up at the roof of the carriage, which—unlike cars on Earth—wasn't soundproofed against the rain.
"You should buy a higher-quality carriage next time," Zhen said jokingly.
"This one already cost more than thirteen thousand Spirit Coins. Of course I'll buy a more expensive one later. If you have Spirit Coins to sell, you can sell them to me," Lin Qingxue replied, sounding slightly offended by his comment.
Zhen hadn't expected the carriage to be that expensive—more than a Tier 2 weapon. He figured the winged horse itself wasn't that pricey, but maybe the carriage's special design raised the cost.
He didn't comment further.
Not long after, Lin Qingxue pointed to a small hill not far from Spring City. It wasn't visible from the ground because of the tall trees surrounding it.
Zhen also saw that there were many holes on the hill—likely tunnel entrances.
"The tunnels in that hill are prisons. They used to belong to the Sacred Cloud Sect, but now they're taken over by the Hundred Flames Sect," Lin Qingxue explained.
Zhen nodded.
"Drop me off here. I'll go to the hill on my own," he said.
Lin Qingxue gave a small nod and ordered the winged horse to descend.
When it landed, Zhen immediately got off the carriage.
Lin Qingxue continued to watch him as he quickly disappeared into the trees.
"Zhen, I just realized—so you know that woman? Your relationship seems unusual," said Golden Crow, who had been following him.
Zhen didn't feel like discussing it, and continued walking until he finally arrived at the base of the prison hill.
He saw at least fifteen disciples of the Hundred Flames Sect, two of whom were at the Tenth Stage of the Qi Master Realm. The rest were weaker, though he figured there were more disciples inside the tunnels.
"Crow, show yourself for a bit and lure all the Hundred Flames Sect disciples to one place," Zhen said to Golden Crow.
It flapped its wings and asked, "Are you planning to slaughter them?"
"Yes. It's the fastest and safest way. Only the dead can't talk," Zhen replied.
He didn't feel anything wrong with killing humans—they were just NPCs, and this was only a game. Besides, as his cultivation increased, he'd somehow started to unconsciously believe that killing wasn't strange in a world where everything was determined by strength.
"Hahaha, that sounds fun…" Golden Crow seemed excited.
It enlarged its body before flying toward the hill.
"Disciples, your ancestor has arrived!" it shouted loudly, startling the Hundred Flames Sect disciples.