After flying for about three or four hours, a slow, drawling voice suddenly came from behind James Smith: “Young friend up ahead, please wait.”

James Smith turned to look back. About ten miles behind, a crimson arc of light flickered, chasing right at the tail of the great eagle. At this moment, it was the black eagle carrying James Smith in swift flight—not James Smith controlling the mount—so whether to stop or not was not up to him. The great eagle showed no intention of slowing down; on the contrary, it flew even faster.

Seeing that James Smith refused to stop, the person laughed lazily again: “Young friend up ahead, that black eagle probably isn’t yours, is it? This beast is quite magnificent—how about giving it to me? I have an old friend whose eight-hundredth birthday is approaching, and I’ve been fretting over not having a suitable gift. If I refine this beast and present it to him as a mount, it would be quite impressive.”

James Smith couldn’t help but be shocked. The other party was smiling politely, but his words made it clear he intended to take by force. If the black-robed elder—who had taken the form of the black eagle—were subdued, James Smith feared his own life would be in grave danger as well.

Though the man spoke slowly, he flew with astonishing speed. In the time it took to say a few words, the crimson arc had already caught up, but he didn’t make a move right away. Instead, he flew side by side with James Smith. The newcomer was a middle-aged Daoist, with a rather proper appearance, except for a pair of slightly oversized front teeth that stuck out whenever he smiled, giving him a somewhat strange look.

The Daoist stood atop a crimson flying sword, smiling as he nodded at James Smith: “I am John Harris of Chilian Peak. May I ask your name, young friend, and which sect you hail from?”

James Smith ignored him. The giant black eagle seemed to sense the other’s power and dared not fight John Harris, so it beat its wings even harder, surging forward and weaving up and down in an attempt to shake off the pursuer. But the enemy’s sword-riding skill was extraordinary—he was like a flash of lightning, and the black eagle simply couldn’t shake him. After half a day of pursuit, the sword’s glow still clung tightly at their side.

John Harris burst out laughing, and James Smith’s heart sank. Even if he didn’t understand the ways of magic, he could at least see the situation: this cunning Daoist had them completely at his mercy. Truly, there’s always someone better out there. The black-robed benefactor had once scared off several sword immortals with just a wooden bell, surely an extraordinary figure in the cultivation world, but today, faced with John Harris, there wasn’t even a chance to escape.

James Smith sighed inwardly and turned to look at John Harris.

John Harris smiled: “What’s this, young friend? Are you finally willing to speak?”

As he finished speaking, John Harris saw the drowsy, sleepy-eyed youth suddenly break into a clear, bright smile—a sharp contrast to his previous weary look.

James Smith smiled and said four words: “You’re in trouble!” Before the words had even faded, he bent his legs and leapt straight off the back of the great black eagle!

……

Even James Smith hadn’t expected that the moment he jumped, a gentle force would rise up beneath his feet, softly supporting his body and halting his fall.

Opening his eyes, he saw a green auspicious light holding him aloft in midair. The black-robed elder, who had previously taken the form of the black eagle, now appeared in human form again, still with that stern, unsmiling demeanor, but now with a hint of amusement and curiosity in his gaze as he studied James Smith.

James Smith blurted out, “Why didn’t you run… huh?” Before he could finish, he realized something was off: the eagle was still floating nearby.

The black robe was the black robe, and the eagle was the eagle—they were not the same.

Looking at John Harris again, his expression had completely changed—from shock to utter terror. He stared blankly at the black-robed elder for a moment, then suddenly flipped over and knelt, kowtowing frantically: “I didn’t know the venerable ancestor was here, nor that the young master was riding the eagle for fun. Please forgive me, ancestor, spare my life!”

The black-robed elder didn’t even glance at John Harris, but instead asked James Smith: “Did you really think that, with your hundred or so pounds, you could slow down the black eagle’s flight? Did you think that by jumping off, it could shake off its pursuer?”

James Smith still didn’t quite understand the relationship between the black robe and the black eagle, but even in his confusion, he knew the crisis was over and he was safe. He breathed a sigh of relief and replied calmly, “At the very least, it would be a little faster. And besides, that thieving Daoist would probably chase after me first, so you—no, I mean the black eagle, the black eagle would have a chance to escape.”

The black-robed elder raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. “Tell me more.”

“A real bandit would just strike once and take the loot, but this John Harris kept chasing us and toying with us for half a day. Is he really so idle and bored? Think about it: he has bad intentions, but he also has misgivings.”

How could an ordinary youth be riding a divine eagle through the skies? John Harris clearly couldn’t figure out James Smith’s background, which is why he kept chasing and probing, wanting to see what kind of backing James Smith had before deciding whether to actually rob him.

James Smith saw through the thief’s guilty conscience, but since he knew nothing about the cultivation world, trying to bluff would only expose him. Continuing to flee would just make the thief more confident. So, instead of wasting time on futile tricks, he simply jumped off the eagle.

The thieving Daoist assumed James Smith had an extraordinary background, so he would never think the youth was committing suicide by jumping. And when James Smith jumped and said, “You’re in trouble,” it only made the Daoist more certain that the youth was going to fetch some powerful expert for revenge.