The First Summoner - Chapter 73

“All right.” Shen Yan nodded.

Holding the luminous pearl, Zhuge Weiran advanced one careful step at a time and repeatedly looked back to ensure she followed.

The tunnel was wide enough for three people to walk abreast.

Shen Yan studied the surroundings, struggling to believe such a passage existed underground.

Had it been built by human hands?

“Seventh Prince, does this tunnel truly lead to Western Region City?”

Would the region’s great factions tolerate a passage beneath their territory?

“It does. You may rest assured.” Zhuge Weiran nodded. “You’re wondering why such a tunnel exists, aren’t you?”

“Mm.”

“There is a mysterious faction in the Pingze Western Region called the Santong Organization. It provides shortcuts for honored clients who wish to save time, though the price is extremely high. This tunnel was built by Santong and has existed for more than a century. The organization is highly secretive. Anyone who enters without a guide will never leave.”

The Santong Organization?

Such a faction existed in the Western Region?

Shen Yan still knew far too little about this world.

“How much is the fare?”

Zhuge Weiran was about to waive it when Zhuge Youlin shouted from ahead, “At least one thousand taels of gold!”

“Ignore him. You don’t need to pay.” Zhuge Weiran smiled awkwardly.

Shen Yan returned a faint smile but said nothing. The brothers knew the tunnel too well; they likely had a close relationship with Santong.

After walking some distance, she saw a surprising sight.

An ancient, wrinkled tortoise waited in the passage. A white-haired old woman sat on its shell, wearing an embroidered black dress. Vigorous despite her age, she sat with one leg crossed over the other, an indescribably languid air about her.

She studied Shen Yan for several seconds, then smiled at Zhuge Weiran.

“Old Seven, your friend?”

“Yes, Great-Aunt.”

“Then let her climb aboard.”

Zhuge Youlin stepped onto a long platform dragged behind the old tortoise. Made of black iron, it had wheels underneath so the tortoise could tow it easily.

Shen Yan looked at it in silence.

Could a tortoise truly move quickly? It looked rather slow.

“Climb on,” Zhuge Weiran invited.

She felt as though she were walking into a trap. Could this contraption truly shorten the journey?

With a complicated expression, she stepped onto the swaying platform and sat like Zhuge Youlin.

After greeting his great-aunt, Zhuge Weiran sat behind Shen Yan.

Before the tortoise moved, Zhuge Youlin turned with a grin and offered a rare piece of good advice.

“Hold that handle, or you’ll regret it.”

Shen Yan found the raised grip at the platform’s edge and obeyed after a moment’s hesitation.

The old woman looked back and teased, “My poor old tortoise is all bones, yet for the sake of delivering you two to Western Region City, it must still drag you along.”

Zhuge Youlin bared his teeth in a smile. “Great-Aunt, Seventh Brother and I will definitely enter Western Region Academy! We won’t disappoint you or Old Tortoise!”

The tortoise snorted as if it understood.

The old woman laughed, turned to Shen Yan, and arched a brow slightly.

“What’s your name, girl?”

“Shen Yan.”

The name seemed unfamiliar to her. She only nodded.

“How did you meet our Weiran?”

“We met briefly during a competition.”

“Oh?”

The old woman looked teasingly at Zhuge Weiran, apparently suspecting he had taken a liking to Shen Yan.

He shook his head quickly with a bitter smile.

Her interest in gossip subsided.

“Hold tight. We’re setting off.”

“All right.”

She patted the old tortoise’s shell.

Shen Yan expected it to crawl forward slowly.

Instead—

Whoosh!

The tortoise shot away like a whirlwind.

Fast. Far too fast!

The road ahead blurred completely as dust rolled around them.

Inertia nearly flung Shen Yan backward. Zhuge Weiran moved to steady her, but she caught the handle and pulled herself upright. He withdrew his hand.

The white-haired woman remained perfectly relaxed on the tortoise’s back. Occasionally she looked at their dust-covered faces and smiled.

“We’re accelerating.”

Zhuge Youlin’s face collapsed. “Don’t—!”

His protest was useless.

The tortoise ran faster. The platform bucked violently through the dark tunnel, filled with nothing but the smell of soil.

Shen Yan gripped the handle while wind and grit battered her face. The roar in her ears swallowed every other sound.

The shaking was so violent that it felt capable of splitting one’s backside apart.

“Seventh Prince, how many days until we reach Western Region City?” Shen Yan called.

“What did you say?” The wind drowned her out.

She took a breath and shouted, “When will we reach Western Region City?!”

“Seven or eight days!” he shouted back.

Shen Yan’s feelings were complicated.

It was certainly fast, but brutal on the backside.

Once Zhuge Youlin adapted, he began enjoying himself.

“Charge!” he yelled excitedly.

The old tortoise accelerated again.

The platform banged, scraped, and bounced against the ground beneath them.