C7 Space Teleportation

"What on earth is happening?" Su Xiaoxiao exclaimed loudly.

The tall robber on the ground burst into laughter. "At last, you've caught on, you pesky bird. Get up, no more faking."

The middle-aged man on the ground grumbled, "I asked you for human blood, yet you stubbornly prepared tomato juice. You're cheating, trying to win our bet."

Su Xiaoxiao's mind was still reeling, unable to grasp the situation. Just then, a man with a black bird on his shoulder entered. With a simple gesture, the robber and the middle-aged man shrank and were absorbed into his bracelet.

"It's you!" Su Xiaoxiao recognized the man as Lee Yiran, who had visited her home. She wanted to charge at him in retaliation but halted, suddenly fearful after witnessing his eerie powers. What could his intentions be?

"Haha, smart girl. You realize you're no match for me."

"What is this all about? Why am I here? And you, didn't you kill them all? Where's my mother?" Su Xiaoxiao bombarded him with questions.

"The murder scene you witnessed was nothing but an illusion. The lady is perfectly fine, and so is your mother, safe at home. Go check if you don't believe me. Later, come find me. If you don't, you might spend a lifetime regretting it."

Seeing that he wasn't stopping her, Su Xiaoxiao dashed out and hurried home. Her mother was bustling about, clearly annoyed.

"Such a fuss, not at all ladylike," her mother chided.

Relieved to see her mother unharmed, Su Xiaoxiao ignored the scolding and went to look for Big Teeth, only to see him heading her way. Big Teeth was displeased, explaining he had been following Su Xiaoxiao to ensure she wasn't shirking her duties.

He had watched her enter a snack shop with a target, followed by two burly men who shut the door behind them. Concerned for her safety, it took him ages to pry the door open, only to find the shop assistant and the target inside, with no sign of Su Xiaoxiao.

Big Teeth questioned the shop staff, but they had no recollection of Su Xiaoxiao or the two men, nor any idea why the door had been closed. Frantic, Big Teeth had been on the verge of alerting the authorities and decided to try his luck at Su Xiaoxiao's home first, not expecting to run into her just then.

Su Xiaoxiao brushed off Big Teeth with a few noncommittal remarks before inquiring about the young lady's whereabouts. Big Teeth mentioned he had assigned another attendant to keep watch, and she was likely at the teahouse at the moment.

Rushing after Big Teeth to the snack shop, Su Xiaoxiao found everything as it should be; the shop assistant was doing well. At the teahouse, the young lady was indeed there, sipping tea with ease.

Relief washed over Su Xiaoxiao as she realized all was well. Yet, annoyance nipped at her—why did that person toy with her? Was it amusing? She felt like giving him a piece of her mind, but doubted she could best him in a fight. He had asked her to meet him; should she go?

Fear lingered, but having seen his capabilities and sensing no malice, Su Xiaoxiao's restless heart stirred. She decided to face whatever came her way.

Claiming to feel unwell, Su Xiaoxiao told Big Teeth she needed to rest, leaving him no choice but to release her.

"What do you really want?" Su Xiaoxiao confronted him upon her return.

"Guess?" came the reply.

A moment of realization struck Su Xiaoxiao—could it be?

Lee Yiran watched her, speechless, as she clutched her bean sprouts tightly:

"Don't overthink it. I'm a friend of your father's. You've passed my test, so I'm offering you two choices. The first is a fortune large enough to last a lifetime; the second is to become my nominal disciple and learn my skills."

Without hesitation, Su Xiaoxiao dismissed the first option: "Who are you? Are your skills really that impressive?"

"Cough, cough, listen up. I am the one who shakes the cosmos, crowned with the sun and moon, standing atop a mighty dragon. I am selflessly loving, dashingly handsome, adored by all—cough, choked a bit there. Anyway, I am Lee Yiran, the peerless, charming genius unmatched throughout history!"

"I've never heard of you," she retorted.

Lee Yiran stumbled, a bit taken aback. Kids these days, so naive.

"And how do you measure up to Meng Shuangying, the top name on the Youth Ranking?"

"What? Compare him to me? I could knock him out with a mere fart!"

Su Xiaoxiao suspected that Lee Yiran was all talk, yet upon witnessing his abilities, she realized he was indeed more skilled than herself. Eager to become his apprentice and learn his techniques, her spirits lifted.

To her surprise, Lee Yiran then demanded she pass three challenges before he would consider her for the title of in-name disciple.

Su Xiaoxiao found this quite bothersome but decided it was acceptable. It would be an opportunity to gauge her potential master's prowess. If he proved to be as impressive as he claimed, the effort would be worth it. If not, she could simply go through the motions. She prided herself on her cleverness.

"So, what's your signature move, master? Can I witness it?" she asked.

"First, call me 'handsome,' since you're not my disciple yet. I have very high standards for taking on students. As for my skills, I'm unmatched in this world and have too many to choose from. I'm not sure which one to demonstrate!" Lee Yiran boasted.

Su Xiaoxiao thought Lee Yiran's shamelessness was truly unparalleled and decided to challenge the self-proclaimed king of bluster.

"Um, shifu... I mean, handsome, could you take me to see Red Leaf City in the Red Leaf Empire to the south? I've heard it's covered with red leaves all year round and is stunningly beautiful. I've always wanted to visit, but it's so far away that even on a flying beast, it would take over two months."

Lee Yiran paused, deep in thought.

As he remained silent, Su Xiaoxiao began to feel guilty for her fanciful request.

Even the most adept spatial masters couldn't achieve such a feat. Teleportation over greater distances placed an immense strain on the caster. The most skilled could only manage a few hundred kilometers, and the energy required was substantial, necessitating a long recovery. The Crescent Moon Dynasty was, after all, well over ten thousand kilometers from the Red Leaf Empire.

Su Xiaoxiao was about to apologize to Lee Yiran for her unreasonable ask when he turned to the red flame on his shoulder and remarked, "It seems that old man Baili resides in Red Leaf City. He'd probably detect me the moment I set foot there."

"What, you're scared of him? Oh, that's right, he's been itching for you to marry his granddaughter, hasn't he? Haha," Red Flame teased with a hint of schadenfreude.

"Me, scared? I'm the epitome of an unbeatable, handsome guy. Afraid of some old geezer? No way. Let's just go. Hey, stinking bird, are you coming or not? The Red Leaf Pastry in Red Leaf City is pretty good, after all."

Unexpectedly, Chi Yan, who usually couldn't resist a culinary delight, seemed to have lost his appetite. He probably didn't want to face those familiar faces.

Su Xiaoxiao listened in, realizing that Lee Yiran's hesitation wasn't about being unable to go to Red Leaf City, but something else entirely. She facepalmed in disbelief. He couldn't just be boasting, could he? Pinching her thigh, she wondered if she was still trapped in some illusion.

"Come on over, little miss. Let me show you what I can do. Think you can stump me? Hmph! Remember, hold onto my hand tight, close your eyes, and don't be scared. You might feel a bit dizzy, that's all. Okay, get ready!"

Su Xiaoxiao's hand was gently taken by Lee Yiran, causing her to blush. As she heard him say "ready," she was about to ask for a moment, but her vision blurred before she could speak. Recalling his warning, she quickly shut her eyes. Ah!

Chi Yan watched as the pair before her were enveloped by a ripple in the air. With a whoosh, they vanished, leaving only their footprints as proof of their presence. Chi Yan turned and went back inside, deciding it was time for a nap.

Red Leaf City, the capital of the Red Leaf Empire, was also a renowned tourist destination. Every day, hundreds of thousands of visitors flocked to the city.

Most would head to the city center to admire the emperor's statue and soak in the essence of the empire, making their journey worthwhile.

At that moment, near a central fountain, space twisted and two figures appeared out of nowhere, surprisingly not alarming the resting tourists.

The small, red-haired woman let out a startled cry. Nearby tourists glanced over and remarked, "Must be another country bumpkin amazed by the simplest things."

Jing felt like she was living a dream. With a gasp of awe, she found herself in the place she had longed for. Her head was still spinning a bit, but she quickly shook it off and ran around with glee.

She caressed the pristine artificial mountain and dipped her hand into the fountain, delighting in the sensation of colorful fish swimming against her fingers. Gazing at the sea of red leaves, she plucked one and brought it to her nose. The scent was just as the books described—refreshing and soul-stirring. Jing knew her dream had become a reality; it was truly magical.

Her attention shifted to Lee Yiran, who was pinching his nose, and her eyes sparkled with admiration. She lunged forward, grabbing his arm and shaking it enthusiastically.

"Wow, you're amazing, absolutely amazing! I want to be your apprentice. I'll take on any challenge or test, haha!"

Lee Yiran watched Jing's bubbling excitement and couldn't help but feel a bit smug. A simple display of his skills had her this thrilled; it seemed he still had that irresistible charm. He chuckled to himself.

In stark contrast to Jing's exuberance and Lee Yiran's cocky demeanor, the Red Leaf City defense guards were steeped in anxiety.

Captain Sun Yuan, on duty today, was sweating bullets. His subordinate had just reported an unusual spatial disturbance at the heart of Red Leaf City—a powerful presence had breached the empire's capital's spatial barrier.

What were those empire's spatial mages even for? Hadn't they vowed that no one could penetrate the spatial seal and teleport into the capital? No spatial ability user had ever dared to teleport into the city so brazenly, as it crossed a line for the ancient empire.

Yet, the unthinkable had occurred. If Sun Yuan didn't handle this correctly, his head could literally roll. He was about to call the action team to investigate when a commotion erupted behind him.

"Greetings, Master Yang!"

The crowd bowed to the elderly man in a white robe. Sun Yuan hurried over and, seeing the old man, quickly bowed as well. Despite his internal tirade against the spatial mages, facing this one, he wouldn't dare show an ounce of disrespect.

Yang Baili, who had served the empire with his profound expertise in spatial magic for over forty years, was a figure of great reverence.

As Sun Yuan was about to step forward and clarify the situation, Yang Baili gestured dismissively and said:

"No need for explanations—I'm already aware of what happened. Call off the alarm. It was merely a friend's idea of a joke."

Without paying any mind to the bewildered onlookers, Yang Baili walked away, reflecting on the fact that only someone with his combination of strength and boldness could have pulled off such a stunt. He lamented the unfortunate timing; Xiao Ran was away on a mission, otherwise, he could have arranged a meeting between the two. But knowing the other party found such matters bothersome, he decided not to intrude any further.

Meanwhile, across town, Lee Yiran took Su Xiaoxiao on a casual stroll through Red Leaf City, treating her to the local specialty—red leaf pastries—and even packed some to share with Scarlet Flame. Su Xiaoxiao, ever the sentimental one, gathered numerous fallen red leaves, intent on preserving them as mementos.

After some time, Lee Yiran sensed it was time to head back. He was wary of running into Yang Baili later on, still haunted by the old man's previous matchmaking fervor.

Gently coaxing Su Xiaoxiao, who seemed lost in thought, he informed her that they needed to return, promising to bring her back another day.

With a small pout and a soft "Oh," Su Xiaoxiao acquiesced, and they made their way home.