I'm Feng Aotian—And I’m Running Away from My Wedding - Chapter 6

What was that?

Her running motion paused slightly as she twisted her body like an agile snake mid-air, narrowly dodging a vine.

At this moment, she completely forgot her mother’s pre-departure warnings, her eyes fixated on the clearly rare creature.

Treasures aren’t limited to spirit herbs; spirit beasts count too.

In an instant, that fiery-red, fluffy tail became synonymous with a gleaming serrated wolf-tooth blade in her eyes.

“The top-grade treasure weapon is mine!”

An excited thought flashed through her mind as Li Baiying lightly tapped her toes, swiftly climbing up the giant flower.

In the blink of an eye, she reached out and snatched the fluffy tail from between the flower’s teeth.

A whip-like vine followed immediately after.

“Thump!”

Suspended mid-air, her back stung with a burning pain. Clutching the creature tightly in her arms, Li Baiying peered through the stirred-up dust and locked onto the frozen pond dozens of meters away.

Right now, this was the only way to escape.

“You should be able to swim, right?” She blew a breath toward the spirit beast’s long ears, relaxed her body, and used the force from the vine’s strike to plunge into the water.

“Splash!”

She shattered the ice surface and sank to the bottom of the frigid pond due to inertia. Having held her breath in advance, she wasn’t too panicked and used her inner energy to form a faint red protective barrier around herself.

“Slap!” The vine followed closely but lost its composure in the unfamiliar underwater environment. After flailing wildly a few times, it retreated resentfully.

Li Baiying withdrew her gaze and didn’t immediately surface. Instead, she pushed aside the tangled aquatic plants in front of her and began searching around.

Treasures were everywhere in the secret realm, perhaps she’d be lucky enough to find one?

Though she thought this way, all she found in the mud and sand was a handful of brightly colored pearls, nearly choking on water in the process.

“Cough, cough…”

Emerging from the water somewhat disheveled, Li Baiying scrambled onto the bank using both hands and feet. Before she could catch her breath, the spirit beast tucked in her arms began struggling frantically.

“Alright, I know it was wrong of me to keep you underwater for so long,” she murmured, rubbing the wet fur on the fox’s head. “But since we were already in the water, I had to grab something.”

“What? is the young mistress of the Li Clan planning to claim my spirit beast as her own too?”

A shadow suddenly fell across her face.

“!” Li Baiying abruptly sat up, instinctively about to strike, but she forcibly suppressed her inner energy upon recognizing the newcomer. “It’s you?!”

The girl’s delicate features, even expressionless, made Li Baiying freeze for a moment.

“Has the scar on your face healed completely?”

The words slipped out before she realized how rude they were. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine. I only used it to avoid drawing attention,” Qin Yixiao replied without further explanation, still holding out her hand. “You’re hurting her.”

“This is your spirit beast?”

Li Baiying tentatively released the fox’s scruff, and the little creature immediately burrowed into Qin Yixiao’s arms. Then, it turned its head and chirped at her in protest.

“Tsk, having found a protector makes all the difference.”

Pouting, she playfully pinched the fox’s fluffy tail.

“Squeak!”

The next moment, the damp fur bristled, and the entire tail smacked against her face, splashing her with water.

“Alright, you should stop teasing her.” Qin Yixiao hesitated for a moment before taking out a handkerchief and handing it to her. “She has a proud temperament and can’t bear the slightest grievance.”

“Well, I can’t bear the slightest grievance either.” Li Baiying casually wiped the water trickling down her neck, made a funny face at the pair of dark, gleaming eyes, and startled the fox, causing it to tremble and splash water everywhere.

Seeing this, Qin Yixiao had no choice but to put the fox back into the spirit beast pouch.

“What’s her name?” Li Baiying asked curiously.

“Fei Yun.” The young girl paused before adding softly, “She was left to me by my mother.”

“No wonder. If she were an ordinary spirit beast, I would have recognized her.”

Li Baiying didn’t stay quiet for long before posing another question. “She doesn’t look like she can fight. Is she just for display?”

No sooner had she spoken than a large bulge appeared in the spirit beast pouch, accompanied by faint squeaking sounds, as if the fox was vehemently protesting.

“She’s a treasure-hunting spirit fox.” Qin Yixiao looked at her helplessly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of her lips, as she had already anticipated what the other would say next.

Sure enough, upon hearing the words “treasure-hunting,” Li Baiying sprang up like a carp leaping out of water. “How about we team up?”

“Why?”

“I just saved your spirit fox, so it’s not too much to ask for something in return. Besides, I can scout ahead and act as your shield if there’s any danger. It’s a win-win situation.”

After listing her reasons confidently, she fully expected to hear an agreement. To her surprise, Qin Yixiao shook her head without hesitation.

“First, I never asked you to save Fei Yun. Second, I have a protective talisman left by my mother, so I don’t need any help.”

“But, I-”

Seeing the other girl turn and walk away, Li Baiying gritted her teeth and hurried after her. “Even if we’re not cooperating, we can still be partners! Ever since the martial arts tournament, I’ve felt like we’ve been kindred spirits-”

“Suit yourself.” Under Li Baiying’s intense, pleading gaze, Qin Yixiao turned her head away uncomfortably and replied in a low voice.

“Great, let’s go!”

Li Baiying breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, walking alongside her.

For a moment, she seemed to see a top-tier treasure beckoning to her. But when she snapped out of it, she noticed Qin Yixiao staring at her with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong?”

“You were smiling a bit foolishly just now.” The other girl paused, as if searching for the right words.

“Can’t help it, I was thinking about that wolf-tooth blade.” Li Baiying rubbed her hands together eagerly and asked in return, “Don’t you want it?”

“No.”

The young girl uttered the two words, her eyes momentarily dimming before quickly returning to their usual calmness.

This left Li Baiying, who had been waiting for her to elaborate, somewhat surprised. However, she wisely refrained from pressing further. “Well, that’s perfect. Our goals don’t conflict, so there’s no problem with us working together.”

“It’s not cooperation, it’s…” It’s you forcing your way along.

Qin Yixiao pursed her lips, holding back the slightly harsh words that followed.

She thought to herself that Li Baiying was nothing like the rumors, arrogant, rude, and condescending. Instead, she was remarkably simple and easy to understand, caring only about cultivation.

She had never met anyone like that in her family.

The spirit beast pouch loosened, and the fiery-red fox leaped out, leisurely grooming its fur.

“Fei Yun, lead the way.”

Hearing her master’s command, the fox propped itself up on its front paws, glanced reluctantly at the watchful Li Baiying beside her, let out an “ao” sound, and dashed off at full speed.

“You found the treasure so quickly?”

Li Baiying instinctively moved to follow, but a glance from the corner of her eye caught Qin Yixiao still trudging slowly ahead. Without a second thought, she blurted, “Hold on tight to me,” her fingers already clasping the other’s slender, pale wrist.