Chapter 296: How Could This Madness Be Without Reason?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
What was even more absurd was that the young master’s goal was not to kill or capture the two ladies. Once he saw that they could not continue, he would stop the pursuit.
When they recovered, however, he would initiate the next round of the hunt; such was the unending cycle.
He would not kill the two ladies, but he did not let them go easily either, surrounding them like a lingering nightmare.
Not only was it a depraved activity, it was outlandishly nonsensical!
It was only when the guards and maids accompanying Ji Lingxi and Yue Rulan were all killed that they were notified by their families of the nonsensical farce of hunting beauties in the guise of bonding!
The flying messenger beasts sent by the two families had been tracked down and killed by this young master. Ji Lingxi finally managed to get her hands on one and find out the entirety of this matter. Upon knowing this, both the ladies almost passed out from the anger.
It was only when the young master knew that he could no longer keep things a secret that he stepped out to talk to the ladies.
The ladies abhorred his madness, how could they agree to the ridiculous polygamous marriage? So they continued to flee and the young master continued his pursuit, maintaining his previous tempo.
He would not let anyone who appeared around them to get away, but he would never kill or severely injure the two of them, so the situation remained such that they played cat and mouse – he was not in a hurry to kill them nor was he impatient to catch them, yet he would never let them go; it was a test of endurance to see who would outlast the other.
The nonsensicality and bewilderment of this matter were unsurpassed in the entire world.
The remarkable beauty of these two ladies often meant a continuous stream of suitors, but they had never once met one like this before!
"Sister Lan, what is going on?" Ji Lingxi was sweating and trying hard to catch her breath. "Even if he’s courting us, or trying to force a marriage, why is this madman doing this?"
Yue Rulan was equally perplexed. Her leg was broken in one of their escapes, so she could only be carried on Ji Lingxi's back now. Thankfully, they had known the truth and were at least relieved that they were not that pressed to flee. Once they were tired, they would just rest on the spot without hesitation.
Although the other party seemed to be preventing them from escaping to Tiantang City with a mysterious motive, it was still a fact that he had not been exactly harsh on them. Up to now, he had only restricted their passage to Tiantang City.
This puzzled the ladies even more.
"I don’t get it, no matter how I think of it." Yue Rulan shook her head, weighed down with her thoughts.
"Since he’s given the betrothal gift to our families, he must have been moved by some aspect of us – is it our appearance? I don’t remember ever meeting this person. For someone who does things like this, he must be rather remarkable in his behavior. If we had met, the impression would definitely have lasted," Ji Lingxi said in distress.
"It is highly likely that I’ve never seen him before!"
Yue Rulan said, "Looking at how he behaves, if we had met earlier, he might have acted out even earlier. He wouldn’t have waited until now. Don’t forget, we’ve been away for so long; he might have found out about our situation when we were away, culminating in this travesty we're facing right now!"
"Still, if he’s never even seen us… aren't his actions a pure sign of madness?" Ji Lingxi was stumped the more she thought about it.
"His actions have never made sense. Think about it, how could someone who intends to ask for marriage use such a method to begin his courtship? How is this in any way 'bonding'? This is simply a way to torment someone to the point of insanity…" Yue Rulan frowned.
"Yet, our families have agreed to his request for marriage and have accepted his betrothal gift. The order of parents consent and the gift of marriage have both been accomplished. No matter how reluctant we are, things have been set for us. The both of us can even be considered as his family now…"
Ji Lingxi said, "Although we’d definitely not agree to the marriage, he can’t be sure of our attitude before he meets us. With his lavishness and family background, there must be plenty of people who want to marry him!"
"That being said, this entire farce is entirely illogical."
"This cat and mouse game, hunting us for tens of thousands miles and killing everyone around us… Who in their right mind would think of this as a way to ask for a lady's hand in marriage?"
Yue Rulan frowned.
"Looking at how thoroughly he has planned this out, there must be a reason behind the madness!"
Ji Lingxi said, "Such nonsensical and insane actions, after giving the betrothal gift… There must be an objective that he wishes to meet."
"If there aren’t any reasons, then why waste so much effort? If he wanted to catch us, he could have done so a long time ago."
"What is his end game? I'm getting a headache from trying to figure it out!"
Both girls discussed the matter as they fled. After so much consideration and musing, they ended up with nothing, not even the slightest clue.
They then spoke about it more and came to a conclusion – the other party must have an important goal; otherwise, there was no other reason to explain such mad behavior.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.
A group of men covered in black from head to toe appeared around them once again as tiny, secret weapons were flung at the girls.
Facing such familiar danger, the ladies could only opt to escape once more. Their teeth were itching from how much they had gritted them out of anger.
Despite no longer having to worry about their safety, they had other woes. The secret weapons would not have threatened their lives but they posed a huge danger of marring the beauty of their faces! Any carelessness would mean an end to their flawless perfection.
It had always been their faces that the women cherished the most; especially so for the beautiful ones, their emphasis on their faces was more than that towards their lives.
Therefore, these ladies could only opt to fight while they continued to flee.
"Hahahaha…"
An arrogant chortle came from the forest ahead of them.
A middle-aged man in green wore a triumphant smile on his face as he watched the ladies escape pathetically; his laughter grew even more mirthful. He was a confident cat that was teasing the mice between his paws.
"Animal!" Ji Lingxi’s clear voice that came from afar was laced with pure hatred.
"Hahaha…"
The man guffawed once again in delight, a reply to Ji Lingxi’s swearing.
There was a skinny and insidious looking elder beside the man. As he observed the ladies’ mental state, he spoke softly, "Young lord, these two women are not simpletons. The resilience of their hearts and the stability of their characters are the cream of the cream for their age. This old servant has never encountered the likes of it before."
The man chuckled. "If it weren’t so, why would they be worthy of our efforts?"
"Based on what I'm seeing, I’m afraid it might be a long time before we achieve the desired state," the elder said.
"Not to worry. What I have now is patience. This game is fun to play!"
The man was grinning. "Send the order, do not exhaust them to the point of death. Give chase a bit more and let them break away. Give them some time to eat, don’t starve my little beauties. These two are really stubborn. We’ve sent them food but they refused; why are they this troublesome?"
"Yes."
"I think we will reach our estimated goal within two months."
The man’s gaze followed Ji Lingxi, who was carrying Yue Rulan in an agile attempt to escaped, and praises fell from his lips, "This daughter of the Ji Family, her innate gift is simply superb! She has achieved a breakthrough of three major levels amidst our hunt, has she not?"
The elder in black robes replied, "That’s right, she’s about the eighth peak now! Young lord, if this girl weren’t indispensable due to the great help she’d be in young lord’s cultivation journey, she might already be this old monster’s prey based solely on her gift!"
The man’s eyes were half shut as he said, "This talent alone is already astounding, even in the Bound of Universe. Then again, if she weren’t this gifted, why would I need her?"
"The young lord is right, of course."
"Did you catch the girl’s monkey?" the man asked.
"The Thousand Illusion Monkey’s movements are agile, and it’s equipped with the ability to camouflage. Its tracks are long gone and there’s no way to catch it. It’s fled far now, but the monkey is still young. It only has its innate ability and has yet to possess advanced intelligence; it won’t cause much trouble, nor unexpected changes to our plan." The elder lowered his head.
"That’s hard to say. Unexpected changes are exactly what they are – unexpected. A small monkey might be able to do just that. In spite of this, even if it went to ask for help, it might not be able to explain what’s happening with its current spiritual acumen." As the young lord spoke, a mocking smirk hung on his lips.
The elder in black chuckled too. "Even if there’s this ‘if’ and the relief troops really came, what kind of relief troop in the Tianxuan Continent can intimidate us? Even their birth families have given up on them, what more anyone else?"
The man said with a smile of anticipation, "Actually, I really anticipate the arrival of calvary… I guess the newcomer is probably the only hope that maintains their current fighting will… If we kill all of their hope right before them… do you think our goal can be achieved sooner?"
"Young lord is brilliant indeed!" A maniacal shine glinted in the elder's eyes.
He then realized with a start, "Young lord, when the monkey escaped, young lord wasn’t that far away. With the young monkey’s barely existent skill, how could it have escaped young lord’s hawk eyes? Was it part of young lord's plan all this while?"
The more the old man thought about it, the more it made sense; he complimented his charge, "The young lord is vigilant and possessed of great foresight indeed!"