I'm Feng Aotian—And I’m Running Away from My Wedding - Chapter 35

This was Li Baiying’s first time stepping into the Qin family ancestral hall.

It was different from what she had imagined an ancestral hall would look like. The vermilion pavilion stood quietly before her, its doors coated in a thick layer of dust.

“It looks like no one has cleaned this place in a long time.”

“Yes. The Third Elder’s succession wasn’t supported by the spirit tablets in the ancestral hall. After he seized power, he neglected the hall and let it fall into disrepair.”

Qin Yixiao sighed softly and pointed behind the vermilion doors. “The core of the formation is my mother’s spirit tablet.”

“Alright!” Li Baiying nodded, taking two steps forward. With a forceful push, the doors creaked open, swinging inward.

The faint glow of candlelight bathed the interior in a warm red hue. Her eyes immediately fell upon a jade-green tablet hanging at the very front, but it was crudely inscribed with a few characters in cinnabar, standing out starkly against the other spirit tablets.

“That’s a fake tablet they created. My mother’s real spirit tablet is missing, I’ve never been able to find any information about its whereabouts in all these years.”

“So, the life token might not have shattered.”

Li Baiying paused, her tone lifting slightly. “That’s good news! If it had truly shattered, they would have displayed it publicly, not replaced it with a forgery. This means there’s still hope!”

“I hope so.” Qin Yixiao showed little emotion, her eyes fixed on the empty space as a sharp ice spike materialized in her palm. “It’s time to leave this illusion.”

In the next moment, a sharp whistling sound cut through the air.

“Who goes there? How dare you trespass into the Qin family ancestral hall?!”

A young woman in pink stood with her arms crossed, followed by five or six clansmen who wore similarly haughty expressions.

She glared coldly at the two figures standing before the altar. “You dare to return? You’ve delivered yourselves right to your doom!”

“Who’s doomed remains to be seen!”

Enemies meeting face to face, their eyes burned with hostility. Li Baiying still remembered how she had outmaneuvered her opponent during the martial arts tournament. Now that their cultivation levels were equal, she was eager to test her skills and claim another victory.

Without hesitation, she channeled the floating pearl in her dantian, sending waves of pale red demonic energy coursing through her meridians.

In a flash, Li Baiying lunged forward like a phantom, leaving a trail of afterimages in the air.

“Hmph, petty tricks.” Qin Zhili sneered, her gaze sharpening as she reacted swiftly, slapping two talismans onto her body in quick succession.

Instantly, a golden barrier enveloped her. Li Baiying’s fist collided with it, producing a loud thud.

“The Golden Bell Shield, a high-level talisman. As expected of a direct descendant of the Qin family, your resources are impressive.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere. For a mere servant, you’re surprisingly capable. What did my sister promise you? I’ll double it.”

Beneath their verbal exchange, undercurrents of tension swirled.

Li Baiying was surprised that the other party didn’t recognize her. But then it occurred to her: this was an illusion, a blend of reality and falsehood. The mystery resolved itself.

Huan Liu had likely constructed this small world based on Qin Yixiao’s memories, and it made sense that some details were overlooked. For instance, she hadn’t heard a single piece of news about the Li family since arriving here, suggesting that part of the illusion had been erased.

“Again!” She spun lightly and threw another heavy punch. This time, it carried the force of a dragon’s roar and tiger’s growl, denting the golden shield.

Seeing this, Qin Zhili’s eyelids twitched. Without hesitation, she spat out a cloud of pink mist.

This move was all too familiar to Li Baiying, it was the same Sun-Shattering Technique her opponent had used on the arena six years ago.

It gathered immense power, its destructive force like a tornado sweeping through, capable of instantly draining the life force of living beings. Without exaggeration, this technique had reached the lower tier of Earth-grade.

But she was no longer the reckless youth from years past.

The moment her opponent began chanting, Li Baiying eased her offensive, instead pulling a small vial from her pocket and tossing it forward decisively:

“Rise!”

With a push of her palm outward, crimson demonic energy formed a gale that shattered the vial, scattering countless powder particles toward her opponent.

“Don’t-”

Recognizing what she was using, Qin Yixiao tensed and hurriedly pulled her back.

“I’m just making the spirit beasts go into heat for her.”

Li Baiying didn’t understand her sudden tension and felt somewhat smug. But then, she suddenly felt a surge of blood rushing to her head, an inexplicable heat rising from her feet to her crown.

“Right, I am now…”

She slapped her forehead belatedly, the words “demon cultivator” on the tip of her tongue. She finally realized she was no longer a martial artist but a genuine demon cultivator with true dragon bloodline. In other words, this powder would affect her too, and even more potently.

“Come with me.”

Qin Yixiao dragged her, stumbling along the path behind the ancestral hall.

Behind them, the excited roars of spirit beasts mingled with the shocked and fearful shouts of Qin Zhili and other disciples, creating a particularly chaotic scene.

Li Baiying could no longer hear anything clearly, her vision blurring. All she could sense was the increasingly potent, sweet fragrance at the tip of her nose.

So fragrant.

Unable to suppress the restless urge any longer, she reached out and embraced the “candy” that had been tempting her all along.

“You… let go!”

Qin Yixiao had just managed to find a quiet room and pushed the door open when the other clung to her like sticky plaster, sniffing rudely at her neck.

The excessive intimacy flushed her cheeks, and even worse, Li Baiying began restlessly pulling at her clothes.

“Rip!”

In the struggle, her fragrant shoulder was exposed, revealing a large expanse of snow-white skin to the other’s heated gaze.

“Found it!” Finally grabbing a small vial, Qin Yixiao didn’t bother to uncork it and smashed it directly on the ground, pills rolling out. Then, she forced the other’s mouth open and shoved one pill inside.

“Mmph.” Chewing the unfamiliar pill, Li Baiying’s movements stalled, her brow furrowing, and her flower-thief-like actions gradually stilled.

Before Qin Yixiao could sigh in relief, the other complained, “So bitter,” then flipped over, pinning her down, and punished her by sealing her lips, plundering recklessly.

Fiery red scales sprouted wildly across her skin, and her pupils narrowed into vertical slits. Qin Yixiao, stared down by her, felt as if she were facing a dangerous, utterly irrational beast.

The fragrance at the tip of her nose grew stronger and stronger.

Li Baiying licked her teeth, trying to mask the unpleasant bitter taste of medicine. She couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten candy. Ever since she participated in the Bone-Testing Ceremony and officially became a martial artist, her life had become monotonous, revolving solely around cultivation and attending lectures, leaving no opportunity to indulge in such things.

Instinctively, she felt that this piece of candy would taste delicious.