I'm Feng Aotian—And I’m Running Away from My Wedding - Chapter 37

Li Baiying remained silent for a while. After a long pause, she finally spoke:

“Ancestor, what price must I pay?”

Nothing good comes without reason. Behind every seemingly sweet appearance lies a layer of arsenic. A single misstep could lead to losing both the wife and the troops.

Having experienced poisoning and the destruction of her family, she couldn’t help but be more cautious in all matters.

“Hehe, little one, it’s not too late to consider the cost after you’ve heard what I have to say.”

The woman remained calm and composed, as if she had anticipated her reaction. “Let me ask you, you grew up on Taichu Mountain, correct?”

“Yes, I never left the mountain until I was nineteen.”

“Then how much do you know about the history of Taichu Mountain?”

Hearing this, Li Baiying was slightly taken aback. She glanced around to get her bearings, then took a path with more weeds before answering distractedly, “Well, Ancestor, according to the books I read as a child, Taichu Mountain has one major spiritual vein and three minor spiritual veins. It’s rich in resources and considered a blessed land for martial artists to cultivate.”

“Is that all?”

The woman seemed dissatisfied with her answer and sighed. “If that’s all there is to it, it would be a terrible waste.”

“I don’t think there’s anything else. Oh, right, demon cultivators were once prevalent on Taichu Mountain long ago. Our ancestors ventured deep into the cliffs and reached an agreement with them, allowing us to occupy the mountain and thrive.”

As she spoke, Li Baiying seemed to recall something and tentatively asked, “Ancestor, in the illusion, I saw that one of my Li family ancestors had a daughter with a dragon demon cultivator. Is that what you’re referring to?”

“No.”

The woman let out a long sigh. “I’m just lamenting that your three great families are sitting on a gold mine but don’t know how to use it.””

“A gold mine? Here?”

“Not a literal gold mine, but Taichu Mountain holds treasures that most people can only dream of. Don’t believe me? When you reach an open area ahead, turn left at the third tree and walk twenty steps forward.”

Filled with doubt, Li Baiying quickened her pace.

She followed the instructions, turning left at the third withered tree trunk. In an instant, it felt as if she had stepped into another dimension, with countless subtle fluctuations brushing past her ears.

“This is… an array formation!”

“It is an array formation, but only the first layer.”

Hong Wang said unhurriedly, “Look back. What do you see?”

Li Baiying immediately turned around and found, to her surprise, that the area behind her was now piled with skeletons. The corpses stared at her with hollow eye sockets, their cold gaze making her feel as if she were already dead.

After the initial shock, she steadied her mind and carefully observed, quickly noticing something peculiar:

“These corpses seem to have been here for a long time. Many parts have been weathered away. They must be martial artists who previously broke into the array formation.”

“Correct,” the woman’s voice carried a hint of approval. “If this place were only filled with endless ferocious beasts and dangers, why would so many people come here one after another?”

“Could it be that the books didn’t record this because someone intentionally left it out?”

Li Baiying suddenly understood and analyzed, “If I were to discover a treasure trove, I would definitely try to claim it for myself. If I couldn’t manage it right away, I would still find a way to conceal it. There’s no way I would let any information about it spread.”

“That’s the reasoning.”

The woman took a step closer, her tone persuasive. “The Qin family’s pursuit of you isn’t just about eliminating a threat.”

“If they truly wanted you dead, they would have sent their elders instead of selecting elite clan members to chase you like a cat playing with a mouse. Their goal is to capture you alive.”

“Ancestor, are you implying that I’m also connected to the hidden treasure within Taichu Mountain?”

“Not just you, all three of your families are linked to it. Think carefully: when your families initially chose to coexist peacefully, they likely signed numerous secret agreements, one of which probably involved sharing the treasure equally.”

“Unfortunately, your Li family’s power later declined, which gave the other two families improper ideas. They planned to eliminate you in secret, reducing the number of competitors.”

“…”

Li Baiying remained silent. She had assumed the annihilation of her clan was merely about resource disputes, never imagining the reasons ran so deep. The revelation only fueled her anger.

“I agree with your assessment, Ancestor. If their goal was merely to capture me alone, the Qin family wouldn’t have dispatched so many people. It seems they are setting up a layered trap, determined to ensnare me.”

She took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the turmoil in her chest. “Then, Ancestor, what was the suggestion you mentioned earlier?”

“It’s simple. Take your young companion and go to the Wu family to abduct a direct descendant. I will teach you how to unlock the hidden treasure vault of Taichu Mountain.”

“No problem.”

Li Baiying agreed without hesitation. Finally, she ventured cautiously, “But… Ancestor, how do you know all this?”

“It’s not that I know, every demon cultivator here knows. It’s a legacy etched into our bones. By all logic, your families should have been the most aware of this, but the truth was obscured by those with ulterior motives.”

“I see.”

Li Baiying snapped back to attention and glanced at the young girl who had been following her. “Where did that red-furred fox go?”

“Here.”

A low, threatening growl sounded as a petite, fiery-red figure darted out from the spirit beast pouch, baring its claws at her.

The treasure-seeking spirit fox seemed more restless than before, its claws unconsciously digging deep into the mud, eyes darting wildly, and nose constantly sniffing the air.

“Fei Yun, what’s wrong with you?”

Qin Yixiao also noticed its unusual behavior and tentatively reached out, intending to pat the fox’s head as usual.

However, the next moment, the spirit fox bared its teeth, leaped forward aggressively, and struck her hand hard with its tail.

“Better put it away quickly. The magnetic field here seems to be affecting it greatly.”

Seeing this, Li Baiying was already seventy to eighty percent convinced of Hong Wang’s claims.

She hurriedly applied medicine to the young girl beside her while continuing her mental dialogue with the ancestral consciousness. “Ancestor, where is the entrance to the treasure vault? Can you show me first?”

“To the north. The exact entrance will only be revealed once the seals are activated with the essence blood of all three of you.”

“Good. I’ll go to the Wu family and capture someone right away.”

A cold glint flashed in her eyes as she made a swift decision.

The current situation was like rowing a boat against the current, if you don’t advance, you retreat. If she kept running like this, even to the ends of the earth, pursuers would still follow. It was better to take a risk and enhance her strength, ensuring these people would never dare to appear before her again.

Moreover, she found it hard to believe that the Wu family, led by Wu Ling, had no knowledge of the targeting of the Li family.

Since they were already enemies, she might as well stir up a storm and ensure no one could rest easy.

“Wait here for me,” she said hesitantly before setting off, speaking earnestly to Qin Yixiao. “I’ll try to be back as quickly as possible.”