The Vicious Beauty Faked His Death Three Times [Transmigration] - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Trapped

Ling Yanhe indeed kept his promise.

During the time the two were fleeing from their pursuers, Lin Qinghan was not harmed in the slightest; leaning on the man’s back even made him feel somewhat drowsy.

But the sense of crisis had not been lifted.

Lin Qinghan looked back at the group of people gradually drawing closer, and his brow furrowed subconsciously.

The distance between these people and them was getting smaller and smaller.

Human physical strength is limited. Ling Yanhe had already transferred a lot of true qi to him earlier, and now, facing a pursuit while having to dodge the attacks of others, his speed inevitably slowed down.

If they didn’t shake off the people behind them soon, they would eventually have to face them head-on.

Lin Qinghan didn’t think the two of them currently stood a chance against the dozen or so people behind them.

Even with the protagonist’s halo, they had no winning odds.

They had to come up with a solution quickly.

“System, can you pull up a map of the vicinity?” Lin Qinghan asked, tapping the system in his mind.

Pulling up for the host…

Lin Qinghan raised an eyebrow slightly as he looked at the map on the panel.

He hadn’t pinned much hope on the system, as all its data came from that sparse outline.

Being able to pull up a map was beyond his expectations, but he couldn’t dwell on that now.

“Ling Yanhe,” Lin Qinghan spoke abruptly while staring at the map, “Go right.”

Ling Yanhe didn’t respond to him, and only acted according to his words after a second or two.

“Go straight. When you reach the fork, choose the left side.”

“Straight.”

“Turn right.”

Lin Qinghan gave orders in a low voice.

The rustling sounds behind them gradually vanished, and the surroundings grew quiet.

Lin Qinghan pulled his thoughts away from the map and looked back; the people hunting them were nowhere to be seen.

And Ling Yanhe’s footsteps also gradually came to a halt.

The good news: they had shaken off the pursuing assassins.

The bad news: they had stumbled into a forest, and the map had reached an unexplorable region.

“How did you know about this place?” Ling Yanhe asked.

“Like you, Young Master, I have my own ways of obtaining information.” Lin Qinghan refused to answer his question.

Having said that, Lin Qinghan tried to get off Ling Yanhe’s back.

“Someone is coming,” Ling Yanhe said in a low voice.

Almost the instant the words fell, a golden net dropped from the sky, expanding from small to large. It abruptly covered the two of them and instantly transformed into a cage, trapping them in place.

Lin Qinghan narrowed his eyes and looked up. An immortal vessel descended from the sky, and an enraged man stepped out.

Behind the man followed dozens of guards upon closer look, they were the very ones who had been chasing them earlier.

The last to exit the vessel was a woman dressed in magnificent robes, with no one by her side.

The moment the woman appeared, Lin Qinghan felt Ling Yanhe’s body stiffen. He squinted at the woman, a guess forming in his heart.

“Heh, a mere two people managed to turn Tianhai Pavilion into such a mess. Utterly preposterous!”

Qi Tonghe’s face darkened instantly as he looked at the two in the cage. He turned to reprimand the dozen or so guards.

Having lost so much face in front of that woman from the Ling family, the rage in Qi Tonghe’s heart was uncontrollable. The killing intent in his eyes was undisguised as he looked at Lin Qinghan and Ling Yanhe in the cage.

“Under whose instructions are you two acting? To dare target the Tianhai Pavilion… your gall is truly immense!”

Lin Qinghan narrowed his eyes at the man speaking.

He didn’t know this person; this plot didn’t exist in the original text.

The outline only stated that Ling Yanhe and Ye Chaoyan escaped Tianhai Pavilion amidst the chaos; it mentioned nothing about being intercepted.

However, Lin Qinghan could roughly deduce this person’s identity.

Given the respectful expressions of those guards, this man’s status in Tianhai Pavilion must be extremely high.

To possess an immortal vessel and travel with Ling Yanhe’s stepmother, the family must be one of the six great clans likely a member of the Qi family, like Qi Bocang.

Seeing that he didn’t look very old, he was probably a member of the younger generation of the Qi family. Since he held power over Tianhai Pavilion, he had to be from the direct line.

Being so desperate to frame the two of them felt like a certain character from the book the one who could never win the position of Clan Leader and was used by Ling Yanhe as a pawn to win over Qi Bocang, the unintelligent second son of the Qi family, Qi Tonghe.

Ah, no wonder he’s asking that, Lin Qinghan thought, arching an eyebrow as he looked at Qi Tonghe.

“Young Master, should we bother with him?” Lin Qinghan whispered to Ling Yanhe.

Ling Yanhe didn’t speak. Instead, a fine thread suddenly lunged toward the cage. In an instant, golden light flashed, and the thread was burned to ash.

“This Golden Thread Net is invulnerable and traps people invisibly. Unless you two have reached the Soul Transformation stage, don’t even dream of walking out of here. Speak! Who sent you!” Qi Tonghe roared.

Lin Qinghan narrowed his eyes at the words.

Soul Transformation stage, huh…

“Young Master, I need your true qi,” Lin Qinghan whispered into Ling Yanhe’s ear.

“Reason.”

Lin Qinghan raised an eyebrow and smiled lightly: “I’m going to take you out of here.”

Having said that, Lin Qinghan lightly hooked his left hand around Ling Yanhe’s neck, while his right hand hung down and swayed slightly.

Ling Yanhe’s figure stiffened; he didn’t respond.

Lin Qinghan wasn’t in a hurry and counted down in his mind.

Three.

Two.

One.

Warm fingers rested on his hand, and true qi flowed into his body through his fingertips.

Seeing this, Lin Qinghan hooked his fingers around the ones resting on his, whispering: “Thank you, Young Master.”

“No need for useless talk,” the youth said coldly, his fingers on Lin Qinghan’s hand curving slightly.

Seeing the two whispering and ignoring him, Qi Tonghe’s anger intensified. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by the person in the cage.

“We are not acting under anyone’s instructions. If the Pavilion Master is willing to let us leave, we could temporarily serve as someone else’s subordinates.”

A gentle voice rang out as the man in black spoke.

Hearing this, Qi Tonghe’s brows sank instantly. He looked at the speaker with a frigid gaze: “Why would I need that? The tortures in this prison are enough to make you spit out everything.”

“If that were the case, the Pavilion Master would have acted already, rather than just using this harmless cage to trap us.” Lin Qinghan laughed lightly and looked at Qi Tonghe. “If the Young Master is willing, we can tell you the whereabouts of the Everspring Ivy, and we can even forge some evidence of the Eldest Young Master’s involvement.”

Ling Yanhe slanted his eyes toward him, but Lin Qinghan didn’t notice.

Upon hearing this, Qi Tonghe narrowed his eyes at Lin Qinghan.

The reason he hadn’t acted was exactly because he needed to know the whereabouts of the Everspring Ivy. As long as the Ivy was there, Tianhai Pavilion could be rebuilt.

But if the Everspring Ivy was gone, Tianhai Pavilion would truly cease to exist.

Moreover, this person actually mentioned his elder brother’s name; he knew his identity.

Seeing Qi Tonghe remain silent, Lin Qinghan couldn’t help but arch an eyebrow.

It seemed he had hit the mark of the other’s concerns.

He just needed to stall for a bit more time. Lin Qinghan gritted his teeth, enduring the demonic power racing through his body.

“If the Pavilion Master doesn’t trust us, you can wait until I’ve revealed the location of the Everspring Ivy before considering whether to let us go.” At this point, Lin Qinghan paused and glanced at the woman behind Qi Tonghe. “Is the Pavilion Master sure you want me to speak here?”

He didn’t need the other’s trust, only time. Just a little longer—just a bit more.

Drip.

Cold sweat from Lin Qinghan’s forehead dripped down, hitting his hard mask.

The fingertips resting on his hand had transformed into a broad palm at some point, now loosely grasping him.

Qi Tonghe froze; he naturally couldn’t let Xu Ji know about the Everspring Ivy.

Furthermore, the pair in the cage consisted of one demon and one human; neither of their cultivation levels matched his, and both were injured. He had many ways to restrict them. Once he learned the location of the Everspring Ivy, he could simply kill them and pin the blame on his elder brother.

“Second Young Master Qi, I have a suggestion.”

Just as Qi Tonghe was about to speak, Xu Ji suddenly stepped forward and interrupted him.

Lin Qinghan frowned, staring at Xu Ji.

“We of the Ling family are skilled with Gu insects. It so happens I have one that can make people speak their true thoughts. Young Master only needs to plant this Gu in them to learn the whole truth. These two who caused such a commotion are not of a kind sort; delay brings trouble. Why doesn’t Young Master let them explain everything clearly right here?”

“The secrets of Tianhai Pavilion must not be leaked. Young Master can manipulate these two to write down what they know. I can withdraw to the immortal vessel for now, and you can bring me back once you’ve finished.”

Xu Ji held out her hand, and a Gu insect appeared in her palm.

Qi Tonghe looked down at her, his gaze finally resting on her palm.

Seeing Qi Tonghe’s silence, Lin Qinghan’s heart sank.

There was no more time.

“Young Master, you must run quickly later.”

A raspy, weak voice fell into Ling Yanhe’s ear, making him subconsciously furrow his brows. His grip on Lin Qinghan’s hand tightened.

Qi Tonghe reached out to take the Gu from Xu Ji’s hand.

“The Shen family is here! Who dares to move against them!”

A sharp voice came from the distance.

In a flash, a carriage charged out, heading straight for Qi Tonghe.

The surrounding guards instantly drew their blades, cold light flashing as long swords pointed at the suddenly appearing carriage.

The reins were yanked hard, and the horses came to a steady halt in front of the cage. The carriage curtain was lifted.

Lin Qinghan looked at the hand reaching out from the carriage, his brow furrowing slightly.

Before the newcomer appeared, a mask flew out from the cage and landed steadily on Shen Miaomiao’s face.

Lin Qinghan felt a burst of sweetness well up in his throat. He quickly leaned on Ling Yanhe’s back, hiding his face.

“What are you trying to show off for?” Ling Yanhe frowned at him, his tone somewhat displeased.

The feeling of forcibly breaking a seal was not pleasant. Lin Qinghan had no time to deal with Ling Yanhe; the spiritual power rampaging through his body made him feel as if he were about to faint.

He leaned weakly against Ling Yanhe, his fingers subconsciously clutching the clothes of the person beneath him.

Suddenly, warm, almost hot fingers squeezed into his, forcibly interlocking with his right hand. Warm spiritual power flowed into his body, temporarily relieving the unbearable pain.

Shen Miaomiao was stunned. She reached up to touch the mask on her face, her gaze landing on the person in the cage.

“Who goes there?” Qi Tonghe looked warily at the girl before him, his expression dismissive.

“Are you deaf? The Shen family token is here. These two are members of our Shen family; they only entered Tianhai Pavilion by mistake and were forced into this turmoil. I am taking them away now.” Shen Miaomiao stepped forward two steps and spoke sharply.

“Heh.” Qi Tonghe sized her up. “Just a yellow-haired girl, and you dare impersonate the Shen family. Men, kill her.”

“I see who dares!”

A massive pressure of spiritual power descended, pinning everyone who intended to move forward to the spot.

A gilded token suddenly manifested, its dazzling golden light stunning everyone present.

Qi Tonghe stared at that brilliant token, nearly grinding his teeth to dust.

The Shen family token, he could not mistake it.

Among the six great clans, the Shen family ranked second, while the Qi family was at the bottom. With Tianhai Pavilion in trouble, if he offended the Shen family now, he would truly have no chance of competing with his elder brother.

“What, do you intend to make an enemy of the Shen family?” Shen Miaomiao spoke coldly, the pressure of her spiritual power increasing by a notch.

Puff—

The surrounding guards spat out blood one after another under this pressure.

Qi Tonghe looked at the tragic scene around him and squeezed his eyes shut.

“We’re leaving!”

The cage transformed back into a golden net and was retracted into Qi Tonghe’s hand. Without sparing another glance at Shen Miaomiao, he immediately turned and boarded the immortal vessel.

Xu Ji was the last to go up. She looked back once, her finger stroking her bracelet, before boarding.

After the vessel left, Shen Miaomiao immediately rushed toward Lin Qinghan.

But before she could draw near, she saw the person lose their strength. His hand suddenly slipped from Ling Yanhe’s shoulder; had his right hand not been gripped deathly tight, he likely would have fallen off.

“Lin…”

Before Shen Miaomiao could react, Ling Yanhe had already walked past her. She only saw those deep eyes, which held a clear sense of urgency.

Seeing him head toward the carriage, Shen Miaomiao dared not delay. Suppressing the panic in her heart, she hurriedly followed.

Before long, the carriage left the dense forest.

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