Chapter 120: The Roadblock

“What’s going on?” Eleanor asked irritably.

“Our path has been blocked by the Zhou family’s carriage,” the driver’s assistant explained with a troubled expression.

Zhou Chen lifted the carriage curtain and immediately caught Eleanor’s wary gaze directed toward them.

The girl was stunned and exclaimed in shock, “Lady Eleanor!”

Eleanor was very familiar with the girl in the opposing carriage. She was one of the outstanding descendants from a collateral branch of the Zhou family and was now a nine-star Spiritual Illusionist. Not long ago, their mentor had entrusted Eleanor to help the two twin sisters tame their spirit beasts.

However, their mentor had yet to find suitable spirit beasts for them, which caused delays until now.

“What business do the two Misses of the Zhou family have? Why block my convoy?” Eleanor, a rare and esteemed beast tamer, was usually treated with great respect. Elders from the collateral branches of the Zhou family still showed her some courtesy, and naturally, her tone carried a hint of pride. After all, these two girls had once sought her help.

Zhou Qing tugged at her sister’s sleeve inside the carriage.

Zhou Chen hadn’t expected that the convoy carrying Shen Duo was actually Lady Eleanor’s. Jealousy flared fiercely in her chest.

Since she and her sister had advanced to Spiritual Illusionists, their mentor and family elders had been searching for spirit beasts suitable for them, but so far, none had been found. Their mentor had even brought rich gifts to visit Lady Eleanor, begging her to prioritize helping the sisters tame their beasts.

Eleanor was proud and temperamental, and it took three visits before she reluctantly agreed. The sisters had been delighted for quite some time afterward.

Although the Zhou family supported many beast tamers, those resources were reserved for direct descendants. Collateral branches couldn’t freely access them without elder approval. Hence, the collateral branches had gone to great lengths to win Eleanor’s favor and seek her help.

Throughout the Zhou family’s main city, Eleanor was the only beast tamer who refused the Zhou family’s entreaties. Moreover, she was a remarkable beast taming master whom everyone sought to ally with.

Yet, this proud and difficult-to-approach convoy included the girl they despised. They would never forget her name—Shen Duo, the swordswoman who had embarrassed them before their senior fellow disciples at the port of Aisi!

Zhou Chen stepped down from the carriage, bowing respectfully to Eleanor. “Lady Eleanor, your convoy carries acquaintances of ours. May we have the honor of greeting them?”

At this moment, Shen Duo also noticed the two collateral Zhou sisters, inwardly cursing her bad luck to encounter them now.

They had evidently recognized her long ago. It was too late to avoid them. Feng Jun, sitting beside Shen Duo, quietly tightened his grip, ready to defend against any sudden attack.

Eleanor impatiently said, “Then be quick. I’m in a hurry.”

Only then did Zhou Chen approach Shen Duo.

Shen Duo watched her closely, noting their expressions and movements. It seemed they were still unaware of what had happened in the Nascent Valley and thus didn’t know her true identity.

Relieved by this thought, Shen Duo felt the situation could be managed.

Linghu Yu glanced anxiously toward Shen Duo, puzzled as to how the two Zhou collateral cousins knew Shen Duo and Feng Jun.

The atmosphere in the convoy grew tense. From afar, the city gate guards occasionally cast glances their way.

“Shen Duo, we meet again. What a coincidence!” Zhou Chen sneered.

Shen Duo smiled faintly but said nothing.

Zhou Chen hated to see her so indifferent. A surge of anger rose within her chest. “I didn’t expect you to come to the Zhou family’s main city. Since you’re here, why rush to leave?”

“Where I go is my freedom,” Shen Duo replied with a commanding gaze from her carriage seat.

Zhou Chen nearly choked. She wished she could immediately hurl a spiritual energy sphere at Shen Duo, but knowing this was Lady Eleanor’s carriage, she restrained herself.

Eleanor, sensing the escalating tension, hurried over. They had finally left the city and didn’t want to attract the guards’ attention, especially since this was the Zhou family’s stronghold.

“Ladies, I’m in a hurry. Can you set aside your grievances for now? When I return, you can settle them at your leisure. I won’t stop you then,” Eleanor said.

Zhou Qing, seeing Eleanor’s increasingly displeased expression, shivered and tugged at her sister again. “We can’t fall out with Lady Eleanor. What about our spirit beasts? Do you expect the direct branch to help us? If we could endure it at the Aisi port, we can endure it now. As long as she stays close to Lady Eleanor, we’ll have our chance to seek revenge.”

Zhou Chen thought about it and found her sister’s words reasonable.

She shot a fierce glare at Shen Duo before smiling and addressing Eleanor respectfully. “Lady Eleanor, you are right. It’s our fault. We won’t take up more of your time.”

Only then did a trace of satisfaction appear on Eleanor’s face. “Rest assured, your mentor already made an agreement with me. Once suitable spirit beasts are found and brought to me, I will be the first to tame them for you.”

Hearing this, the two girls almost cried out in excitement. Although Eleanor had promised their mentor before, a direct promise made face-to-face was far more reassuring.

Moreover, Eleanor said she would prioritize taming their beasts. Beast taming was mentally exhausting; a master tamer could spend over half a month taming a high-level sacred spirit beast, including rest periods, totaling one or two months. Even if their mentor later brought captured beasts to Lady Eleanor, she might delay for half a year before handing over the contracted beasts. Now, Eleanor’s promise to prioritize them was truly good news!

“Thank you, Lady Eleanor!” The two girls watched Eleanor board the carriage, their excitement barely subsiding.

At that moment, a city guard hurried over to ask what was happening.

Zhou Qing and Zhou Chen, as if finding a sympathetic ear, recounted their grudge against Shen Duo at the Aisi port, carefully omitting the part where Zhou Anlan forced them back to the academy to save face.

The guard’s eyes grew wider and wider in disbelief. “Did you say there was a girl named Shen Duo in the convoy just now?”

Zhou Chen nodded firmly. They would never mistake that face!

The guard groaned and dashed back to report the information to the investigation team.

“Dispatch people to pursue immediately!” the captain of the Zhou family’s investigation team ordered urgently. They had learned about the situation in Norman City and everything that had happened in the Nascent Valley that morning.

The captain cursed inwardly. How had Shen Duo of the Shen family’s direct line and Feng Jun of the Feng family’s direct line slipped past their watch? Catching them would have been a great achievement, possibly earning favor with the elders.

He hastily sent people to chase after Eleanor’s convoy.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qing and Zhou Chen came back to their senses and stared at the investigation team captain in shock. “Uncle Guanghua, did you say Shen Duo is a direct descendant of the Shen family?”

This revelation was more terrifying than capturing a divine beast. The Shen family was one of the four great families on the continent, and Shen Duo was a direct descendant. What a joke! She was a swordswoman—who had ever heard of a direct bloodline descendant of the four great families incapable of absorbing even a trace of spiritual illusion energy? Even Lord Wei Lan could absorb it, and he was said to have decent spiritual illusion talents but chose to focus on swordsmanship.

The captain stared at the two young women like he’d swallowed a fly. “How do you know her?”

Zhou Chen had no choice but to retell the episode at the Aisi port.

“So that girl really is a Sword King?”

“Yes, Uncle Anlan said so. It must be true.” Zhou Qing recalled the aura of Shen Duo’s sword that day and shuddered. Such terrifying swordsmanship was the first she had ever seen, rivaling the sky illusions conjured by the Illusionists clad in armor.

If it hadn’t been so close to their home city, they wouldn’t have dared to block her so boldly.

“Uncle Anlan also said she has comprehended the sword intent.” Zhou Chen’s face paled slightly.

Zhou Guanghua’s expression darkened. He regretted not stopping Eleanor’s convoy sooner.

This Shen Duo—still not sixteen—was already a Sword King who had comprehended sword intent.

Such talent even Feng Jun couldn’t match. No wonder Shen Hui of the Shen family’s investigation team was so determined to find her and bring her back to the main city.

Soon, the pursuers returned.

“Captain, we didn’t catch them. Shen Duo and Feng Jun left on a flying spirit beast! Their beasts’ levels are too high; we couldn’t keep up.”

Zhou Guanghua had anticipated this result. He instructed Zhou Chen and Zhou Qing to enter the city first, then reported the matter to the family elders and personally wrote to Zhou Anlan for clarification.

Shen Duo, Feng Jun, Linghu Yu, and Eleanor sat atop the soaring winged beast, finally able to relax.

“Luckily we left quickly, or the Zhou family’s people would have stopped us. Zhou Guanghua and his group are not to be trifled with,” Linghu Yu sighed.

“What? Linghu Yu, you can’t even beat Zhou Guanghua?” Eleanor mocked from the side.

“Who says I can’t? Though I’m strong, I can’t handle their numbers. Here, only Feng Jun and I have the strength to fight. If Duo weren’t injured, I’d dare to take them on. Besides, you’re just dead weight!”

Eleanor blushed at Linghu Yu’s words. “Linghu Yu, don’t ask me to find spirit beasts anymore, thanks!”

“Don’t be like that, Eleanor. I’m joking! Who dares ignore a beast tamer like you? Tell me, and I’ll beat them to a pulp!”

“...”

Shen Duo and Feng Jun stood silently nearby, listening to their banter with speechless expressions.

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