With the lesson from last time, Jian Sheng's movements were exceptionally cautious.
Although after the fibers were consumed, they would be decomposed by her cultivation technique into the purest energy.
The sensation of the rough, frayed hemp rope scratching against her tender, delicate mouth made it both itchy and painful.
Tears streamed down Jian Sheng’s face as she silently devoured all the rope she could reach and anything else she could bite through.
But it wasn't enough!
The energy converted from the "food," along with the spiritual energy carried by the old man's ice-elemental spells, had all been absorbed by her parched, depleted body.
However, her spiritual sea remained completely devoid of any usable spiritual power.
Fabric and rope were merely mortal objects; they contained some energy, but not much.
Consuming them was more about breaking free from her restraints,
preventing her from being like a fish on a chopping block, at the mercy of others.
Just a little more!
Jian Sheng felt her cheek brush against something cool and smooth.
It was a jade pendant, a token gift from her scummy father after their meeting.
The former Jian Sheng had cherished this jade pendant greatly, even holding it while she slept.
Jian Sheng pressed her face against the bottom of the suitcase, gnawed through the red string attaching the pendant, and held the jade in her mouth.
Jian Sheng had no particular attachment to this jade pendant; for self-preservation, she would eat it. At worst, she could ask her scummy father for another one when she returned.
Her current concern was whether her teeth could crush this jade pendant?
Would the sound of her crushing the jade attract the attention of the old man outside?
And could her cultivation technique digest the jade pendant?
The car had apparently driven onto a section of road with many uneven, damaged potholes.
Jian Sheng was jostled around inside the suitcase.
During a particularly violent turn, the suitcase Jian Sheng was in slid all the way to the old man’s side.
She could even feel the position of the old man’s arm.
Jian Sheng’s entire body tensed, and she lay perfectly still in the suitcase, feigning death.
Fortunately, the old man merely frowned momentarily as the suitcase bumped against him before calmly pushing it away.
She couldn’t afford to delay any longer; Jian Sheng was unwilling to miss any chance of self-rescue.
To be safe, Jian Sheng did not attempt to bite and crush the jade pendant.
With a gulp, the jade pendant slid down her esophagus.
The jade pendant, no bigger than her little finger, lodged in Jian Sheng’s throat, almost causing her eyes to roll back. Fortunately, her cultivation technique was potent, continuously melting and decomposing the jade pendant in her esophagus.
A sliver of spiritual power was finally restored, circulating through her meridians.
It was enough!
Jian Sheng suddenly clenched her small fist!
Using her divine soul to connect with her spiritual power, she opened the space hidden within her natal true spirit, deep within her sea of consciousness.
To prevent the scent of the pills from being detected by the old man, Jian Sheng directly materialized the pills in her mouth and swallowed them quickly.
Combined with her devouring cultivation technique, the medicinal effects were amplified, yielding more than the sum of their parts.
Her internal spiritual power was replenished, and Jian Sheng immediately concealed her entire aura, minimizing her spiritual fluctuations to the extreme.
Then came the second, third, fourth… countless pills were swallowed by Jian Sheng.
Jian Sheng’s spiritual power quickly returned to its peak before the car accident.
But she did not stop.
She was uncertain of the strength of the people around her, nor if there were other accomplices.
All she knew was that she had to increase her power to its bottleneck within the limits of her devouring cultivation technique.
This was the best way to maximize her chances of survival.
As for escaping now while there were fewer people in the car?
Jian Sheng had never considered it.
She had simply been too well-protected by the elders of the cultivation world, which made her hesitant to think for herself when she could rely on others to resolve issues.
But this did not mean she was an idiot!
There were definitely others backing these two individuals.
The fact that the other party quickly transitioned from the failed car accident to this kidnapping incident was evidence of their relentless pursuit of their goal.
After one failure, they would undoubtedly have other methods.
She did not want to live in an environment where she and her family were constantly under secret observation and in peril.
Therefore, the best course of action was to follow these two to their base of operations and capture them all.
In the darkness, a fierce glint, entirely incongruous with her age, flashed in Jian Sheng's eyes.
For my own sake, and to avoid worrying Mommy.
You two will have to accompany me to the Yellow Springs together.
Jian Sheng gently strained her hands, and the ropes binding her back snapped silently.
Not bothering to discard the ropes into her spatial storage, Jian Sheng simply ate them all to destroy the evidence.
The once-unpalatable hemp ropes were grasped by her small hands and devoured expressionlessly.
Apart from the broken strips of tape still stuck to her face, all other restraints on her body had been removed.
With the restoration of her spiritual power, the darkness no longer obscured her vision.
Jian Sheng glanced with some distress at her own raggedly bitten skirt hem, and formed a hand seal.
A barely perceptible ripple of illusion enveloped the small, oversized handbag.
On the surface, Jian Sheng once again appeared to be tightly bound by ropes and tape.
Her spiritual power nourished her numbed arms and legs, and Jian Sheng curled herself up again, closed her eyes, and lay quietly at the bottom of the bag.
Only her mouth occasionally moved, giving the impression that she was not asleep.
The car swayed forward, and a wave of sleepiness washed over Jian Sheng, her chewing mouth gradually falling still.
Her small face, still bearing tear streaks, gradually became serene.
-
The Capital.
The manor where Jian Sheng resided after arriving in the Capital.
Representatives from the Jian, Gu, Chen, and even the Qi families were present.
The Jian family was led by Jian Jun Tan, with Jian Jun Yu, Jian Jun Ruo, and Jian Xiu Huan all in attendance.
Gu Chang Lin personally arrived for the Gu family, accompanied by his second son, Gu Huai Jin.
The Chen family was an affinal family to the Jian family; Jian Jun Tan's wife, Chen Yu Ling, was from the Chen family.
Beside Chen Yu Ling was her twin brother, and also the younger brother of the current Chen family patriarch, Chen Yu Lou.
However, both of them had very displeased expressions, looking reluctant.
What surprised them the most was the last person to arrive.
Qi Sui Bai, the eldest grandson of the Qi family!
Gu Chang Lin's personal attendance was already enough to shock people.
After all, the Gu family was merely an acquaintance, and their marriage alliance had not even been successful.
Even if the Gu family wished to help, sending their son would have been sufficient courtesy.
Now, his personal attendance was significant and made people ponder its implications.
Jian Jun Tan was unaware of the thoughts of others, but he knew he was extremely awkward at the moment.
Gu Chang Lin, as an elder, had inquired about Jian Sheng's whereabouts under Gu Huai Jin's name.
And upon his arrival, he naturally saw Jian Jun Ruo, who was with him.
Recalling what he had said to Gu Chang Lin on the phone, and facing Gu Chang Lin's knowing gaze that seemed to see through everything,
Jian Jun Tan wished he could find a hole to crawl into on the spot.
Fortunately, Qi Sui Bai's arrival provided timely relief.
And this was merely the beginning of a new storm.