I'm Feng Aotian—And I’m Running Away from My Wedding - Chapter 28

The mist suddenly thickened.

Li Baiying, chasing the treasure-seeking spirit fox, abruptly felt her foot sink as if stepping onto a patch of soft grassland, her body uncontrollably plummeting downward.

“Junior, take three steps to the left, quickly!”

The voice in her mind suddenly turned grave. Hearing this, Li Baiying didn’t dare to be careless and instinctively grabbed the hand of the girl beside her, pulling her along the instructed path.

“Take two steps back, beware of the killing array.”

In an instant, a sharp sword gleam brushed past her cheek, slicing off a few strands of hair. Had she been even a fraction slower, it wouldn’t have been just a matter of drawing blood.

“Head straight north, don’t look back.”

“Yes!”

Li Baiying responded without hesitation, tugging Qin Yixiao as she sprinted northward.

The wind whistled past her ears, and before her eyes, aside from the increasingly dense mist, nothing else was visible.

An ordinary person would surely have been apprehensive at this point. But relying on her instinctive trust in the voice in her mind, her pace quickened, the crimson scales shimmering with a dazzling glow.

“I can no longer sense Fei Yun,” Qin Yixiao paused abruptly and said.

“Is your life more important, or a fox?”

Sensing her hesitation, Li Baiying tightened her grip on Qin Yixiao’s hand. “If it were anyone else, I might not care and let them throw their life away. But you saved my life at the cliff’s edge, and I will return the favor.”

As she spoke, she channeled all the spiraling spiritual energy from her dantian into her legs, transforming into a fleeting stream of light that pierced through the faintly visible mist ahead.

In that moment, a cluster of dark green flowers came into view.

The bouquet resembled a dandelion but was far larger, with buds almost the size of two fists. Strangely, when the white mist touched it, it was swallowed by an invisible force, even transforming into a part of the flower, or perhaps the flower was the very source of the mist.

Beneath it, the red-furred fox crouched, its paws pressed to the ground, ears perked high, looking utterly captivated.

“Ancestor, what kind of flower is this?”

Li Baiying, seeing such a marvel for the first time, couldn’t help but feel curious. “I haven’t come across any records of it in books.”

“We’ll only know when it blooms.” The woman’s voice held a trace of uncertainty for the first time. “Junior, to be safe, you’d better keep your distance from it.”

“How can I get a clear look from afar? Besides, anything that attracts a spirit fox must be a supreme treasure.”

Thinking the Ancestor meant to stay away from the flower, Li Baiying quickly retorted. Well aware that great rewards come with great risks, she didn’t retreat but instead took two steps forward with Qin Yixiao.

Just then, with a “pop,” the flower bloomed, scattering countless green, glowing seeds like fireflies into the air, which they inhaled.

“What is th-”

Li Baiying’s words were cut short as her eyes shifted from lively to vacant, her entire body feeling light as if falling into an illusion.

She dreamed an exceptionally blissful dream.

She still possessed her proud Crimson Flame talent, cultivating smoothly all the way, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation… standing proudly above many great powers.

Not only did she attain the Dao herself, but she also led the entire Li family to forge a renowned reputation in the mortal world. From then on, Taichu Mountain no longer had three great families, only hers reigned supreme, and the entire mountain became her personal training garden.

Everything was as she had longed for, making her reluctant to leave.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her palm. Seated in the clan leader’s chair, her triumphant expression stiffened for a moment.

The fiery red scale was particularly glaring, burning her pupils and reflecting the falseness of this beautiful dream.

“No, this isn’t my life.”

Li Baiying stood up, gazing at the collapsing scene like a mirage, her brow slightly furrowed. “My clan has already been destroyed, and what I must do is not indulge in delusional dreams, but seek revenge.”

The next moment, she stood atop a dome, facing Qin Zhili and Li Ruoruo, who were tortured to the brink of death.

All the black-robed figures were bound tightly and hung by ropes over the cliff, left for wild beasts to devour.

Wave after wave of resentful yet helpless gazes seemed to pierce her soul, sending shivers down her spine.

This time, Li Baiying merely glanced at them before indifferently looking away.

“It’s satisfying to have my vengeance fulfilled, but I prefer to teach them a lesson with my own hands, not through others.”

As her words fell, the captive figures vanished, replaced by a sun-drenched meadow.

“What trick is this now?”

Li Baiying warily scanned her surroundings, finding nothing but birdsong and the fragrance of flowers.

Had the illusion ended? Just as the thought crossed her mind, a soft body pressed against her from behind, a faint, cold fragrance drifting into her nostrils, making her freeze momentarily.

“Who is it?” She tried to break free, but her hands were gripped even tighter.

“Help me…” Qin Yixiao’s cheeks were flushed as she threw herself into Li Baiying’s arms. Her robes were half undone, her beautiful peach-blossom eyes glistening with tears, and her fair skin almost dazzling to the eyes.

The touch felt real, as did the sounds and sights.

Entangled by the unusually forward beauty, Li Baiying’s throat moved slightly. She closed her eyes, suppressing the distracting thoughts in her heart. “If you have any other tricks, use them all at once. Honey traps don’t work on me.”

With a flick of her fingers, she sealed all of Qin Yixiao’s pressure points in a single breath. Once done, she laid the unconscious beauty beneath a tree.

Still feeling it wasn’t secure enough, she took an outer garment from her pack and firmly wrapped it around Qin Yixiao, covering the alluring sight.

She didn’t dare overestimate her self-control.

When it came to “friends,” she didn’t want to taint them with indecent thoughts.

“Hehe, it’s been a long time since I’ve met such an interesting visitor.”

A little girl’s bell-like laughter rang in her ears, then aged into the voice of an Ancestorly woman. “Don’t you want to do something? In my illusion, no one will remember anything after waking up. Even if you cook the raw rice, it won’t matter.”

“That would be boring.”

Li Baiying shrugged, her gaze fixed on the void, her tone calm. “Others might act that way, but I won’t.”

“I only do what I believe is right.”

She drew a serrated wolf-tooth blade from her back, its sharp edge glinting coldly. “Who are you, really? What is your purpose?”

“Oh, little one, don’t be so impatient. You’ve passed my illusion trial, so I ought to give you a reward.”

The voice chuckled, and in an instant, a larger cloud of green mist materialized, surging toward Li Baiying and swallowing her whole before she could react.

“This is a true beautiful dream. Enjoy it to the fullest.”

The mist continued to expand, swallowing the entire meadow and igniting an eerie green glow.

“Fantasy Glaze, you’ve gone too far this time,” the Ancestor abruptly appeared in mid-air, a trace of murderous intent flickering across her enchanting face. “She is my newly accepted disciple. You’d best not stir up trouble.”

“I’m helping her, Ancestor Hong Wang.”

The cyan mist gradually coalesced into the form of a young girl. She playfully blinked her eyes and proudly lifted her chin. “Dare you claim I’m not granting her an opportunity right now?”