I'm Feng Aotian—And I’m Running Away from My Wedding - Chapter 31

“Found them! They ran toward the swamp!”

The two-headed hound growled low, drool dripping from its jaws. It could hardly wait to capture its targets and earn the right to feast on spiritual flesh.

At that moment, a group of people stood at the boundary between the frigid pond and the toxic mist swamp. Ahead lay two sets of messy footprints, and in their hands, they held charred firewood, clear remnants of life left unaddressed near the cave earlier.

“Young Master, if we proceed further, I fear the mist-”

“Hah, I have plenty of antidote pills here. Take them and use them.” Qin Mo stared intently at the gradually dissipating thick fog, his eyes gleaming with the satisfaction of impending revenge. “Let’s see where you can run to now.”

“Should we wait for Miss Qin and the others?”

“Why wait for her? She explicitly said that whoever finds them first gets the credit.”

Qin Mo glanced confidently at the dozen or so clansmen behind him. “Li Baiying’s dantian has been destroyed; she’s no different from a cripple now. With so many of us, are we really afraid of her?”

Seeing his resolve, the warrior who had tried to dissuade him swallowed his words and silently followed.

Soon, the group of fifteen plunged into the faintly visible mist.

…

On the other side, Li Baiying was desperately forging ahead, carrying the unconscious Qin Yixiao on her back.

The young girl seemed trapped in a nightmare, her body trembling intermittently. Suddenly, two clear trails of tears streamed down, soaking her collar.

“Ancestor, what’s happening to her?”

Li Baiying trudged through the muddy swamp, one heavy step after another, while communicating with the voice in her mind.

“Once Huan Liu’s illusion takes effect, no one can break it except herself.”

Hong Wang snorted lightly. “All you can do now is pray that her will is strong enough not to be deceived by the illusions.”

Hearing this, Li Baiying gritted her teeth and suddenly halted. “No, I have to go back!”

“Have you lost your mind? If you go back now, you’ll only run into the pursuers. It’s true you’ve improved lately, but they outnumber us. Are you confident you can break through? Don’t let a moment of impulse cost both of your lives!”

“But I can’t just stand by and watch her sink deeper into this nightmare.”

Before she finished speaking, Qin Yixiao shuddered violently, letting out a fragile whimper from her throat. Her once slightly flushed face turned deathly pale, and her entire body swayed unsteadily.

“Ancestor, does that flower called Huan Liu have a way to dispel the illusion?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s enough.” Li Baiying nodded without hesitation, turned around, and transformed into a streak of red light, speeding back the way she came like an unsheathed sword.

“Young one, you’re gambling with your life like this.” The woman’s voice carried a rare tone of gravity. “Don’t you want to keep your life to avenge your clan?”

“I do. Revenge is a must.” Li Baiying replied without a second thought. “But if I don’t do certain things, I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting that ‘I could have.’”

“I owe my life to her for saving me from the cliff. During my injured days, she was the one taking care of me. How could I abandon her and run away alone at a time like this?”

“Since you’ve made your decision, I respect your choice. That demon Huan Liu is the most capricious of all, she delights in others’ misfortune, and playing the victim has never failed to work on her.”

“I understand. Thank you, Ancestor.”

Li Baiying spoke these words of gratitude with genuine sincerity.

In less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn, she saw that swaying green exotic flower once more.

“Hehe, let’s see who’s come to visit.”

Huan Liu seemed to guess her intentions, appearing voluntarily while perched cross-legged on the flower bud. “Beg me. If I’m in a good mood, I might just let her off.”

“Oh, and just you kneeling won’t cut it. I want Hong Wang to kneel alongside you.”

She giggled, but her words were particularly sharp.

“Senior, I beg of you. If I’ve offended you before, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive my ignorance.” Li Baiying smoothly delivered the first half of the plea, then pivoted sharply in the second half. “If you could allow me to enter my companion’s dream, I would be eternally grateful.”

“Oh? You’re here to ask for that?”

Huan Liu blinked in surprise, the hazy mist around her growing more substantial. “So confident? You think you can just go in and bring her out?”

“Whether I succeed or not, you’ll get your entertainment, won’t you?”

Li Baiying countered.

The girl burst into laughter immediately. “Good, good! It’s been ages since I’ve met such an interesting junior. I think I understand why Hong Wang was so determined to take you as her disciple.”

“Heh, I must say, I really do want to see this show.”

With a flick of her finger, green mist coalesced into a roaring giant serpent that swallowed both Li Baiying and the unconscious Qin Yixiao behind her.

…

Slap!

A harsh slap landed on her face.

Li Baiying instinctively raised a fist to retaliate, but noticing the antique decor and the menacing ordinary humans around her, she suppressed her temper.

This was Qin Yixiao’s dream. She feared that any extreme action might cause the illusion to collapse.

For now, finding the other was the priority.

With this in mind, she lowered her gaze and stood with the other maids, listening to the scolding.

“I told you to keep an eye on that good-for-nothing! How did you manage to lose her right under your noses?”

“Young Master and Miss Qin specifically asked to see her. How am I supposed to explain this to them now?”

A pockmarked elderly steward stood with hands on his hips, his demeanor aggressive. “This time, I’ll make sure to flay every one of you! Neglecting your duties? Hmph, it’s time you learned your lesson!”

Instantly, the others shrank back, leaving Li Baiying standing at the front.

“Tch, you! The one looking around, you’ll be the first to taste my whip!”

At the steward’s command, an underling respectfully handed over an iron-tipped whip. He waved it lazily, the swish stirring up dust from the ground, a menacing display.

Under his fierce glare, Li Baiying kept her expression neutral but secretly clenched her fingers into a fist, calculating whether she could find an opportunity to strike a fatal blow.

She wasn’t about to take a beating for nothing, especially not from a bully who preyed on the weak.

“What are you waiting for? Want a few extra lashes?” the steward snapped impatiently.

Just as the situation was about to escalate, light footsteps sounded from outside the door.

“According to clan rules, you have no authority to punish my maids.”

A cold yet pleasant voice came from the doorway. Qin Yixiao was covered in mud, looking as though she had just crawled out from underground, quite disheveled, yet her demeanor remained neither submissive nor arrogant.

“Let her go,” she repeated.