Chapter 122, Chapter Twenty-Three: The Lost Manor

"ah--!"

A scream came from afar, and Li Yufei looked up abruptly.

The sound was very close, but the situation could not be seen through the buildings and landscape.

She anxiously thrust her sword while glancing around, trying to find out what was happening elsewhere.

Xiaowen's face was already white, and she was sore and weak.

Even a plastic clothesline is not easy to use for two hours straight.

The situation at the 6-point position held by the two men was still acceptable, but judging from the continuous broadcast instructions, the overall battle situation was clearly deteriorating.

"Sister Feifei, look!" Xiaowen suddenly exclaimed. Li Yufei turned around and looked in the direction she was pointing.

At the eleven o'clock position, a white figure fell from the sky and landed in the manor.

The girl's trembling voice rang out: "That's... a swan?"

The first swan to rush into the territory from the sky was followed by dozens of birds.

A breach appeared in the barrier, and swarms of birds immediately pierced the manor like arrows.

"Ah—!" An even more terrified scream came from the same spot. The loudspeaker blared, urgently broadcasting throughout the manor: "Attention everyone, breaches have appeared in the sky at 11:00 and on the ground at 7:30. Please provide support while ensuring the safety of your own positions. We also ask other personnel who are not currently on duty to provide support as much as possible."

In front of the binoculars, Song Xiaona paused as she flipped through the personnel roster.

She suddenly looked up. Who issued this order?

Dean?

She understood his thinking, but upon hearing this news, ordinary people would be too scared to even run away, let alone go to help.

This broadcast is completely meaningless.

As the afternoon began, the demon's power gradually increased, while the humans, who had resisted for twelve hours, grew increasingly exhausted.

Damn it, there are too few people; there's no way to spare any.

Song Xiaona flipped to the last page, then simply threw the notebook aside, took the bow and arrow from her back, drew the arrow, and aimed it at the demon in her field of vision.

Due to the distance and the fact that Song Xiaona was not a professional, only one of her three arrows hit the scallop that had rushed in.

She was shooting arrows while frantically trying to find a solution.

Once a breach occurs, it becomes a complete broken window effect.

With demons swarming in, the untrained, hastily assembled team will inevitably crumble immediately.

Once their psychological defenses collapse, people are unlikely to follow orders. Rather than guarding the leaky enclosure, they would rather retreat inside the building.

Song Xiaona made a decision immediately and issued the final command from the central control system—

"Find cover, and try to hide in the castle's basement!"

Since we can't hold it, let's first gather people together and pool our wisdom and efforts.

The equestrian messenger immediately relayed the instructions to the broadcasting station, and Song Xiaona also abandoned futile shooting and used binoculars to find a safe route to the castle.

Upon seeing this, Song Xiaona's expression changed slightly.

That idiot—

"7:30? Isn't that right next to us?" Xiaowen's face turned pale. "Sister Feifei, let's run!"

Li Yufei looked at the frenzied scallops and wildly growing vines in front of her, then looked in the direction of 7:30.

Should we run? But if they run too, this position will be breached, and the situation will get worse.

"No, we can't run!" She grabbed Xiaowen.

Xiaowen's hands and feet were ice-cold. "But...but it's so close to us..."

Not only was the breach at 7:30 close to them, but another breach, at 11:00, was right next to Cheng Yuzhou!

Li Yufei looked across the room in a panic.

Did he run away? A grown man like him would know to run if he encountered danger, wouldn't he?

Even though she knew Cheng Yuzhou was no ordinary person, the surveillance video kept replaying in Li Yufei's mind uncontrollably.

In the blurry images, the process of the firecracker landing, sparking, exploding, and ultimately engulfing the entire gas station played frame by frame in her mind.

The phone call Cheng Yuzhou made before his death kept echoing in her ears—

"We took a look at our home along the way."

"Once the New Year is over, we'll put your portrait in there, and then we can hold the wedding."

"Feifei, I'm so happy..."

"We're almost at the gas station. I'll hang up now. See you in an hour."

See you in an hour... See you in an hour...

He clearly told her that, but she didn't take it to heart at all...

"Sister Feifei!" Someone ran past them, and their defenses began to crumble. Watching the others flee, Xiaowen became increasingly anxious, struggling in Li Yufei's arms. "Sister Feifei, it's no use just the two of us here. Everyone's running away, we need to hurry!"

Did Cheng Yuzhou manage to escape in time this time?

She has to, she has to go see him...

Li Yufei let go for a moment, and Xiao Wen immediately ran towards the castle.

With one less person, the color of the barrier in front of Li Yufei immediately dimmed.

She dragged her long sword, struggling between staying to defend and searching for Cheng Yuzhou.

Bang--!

As faith points decreased, the impact of the scallop doubled, and the sound of the poppy spitting out poisonous mist seemed to blow right next to my ear.

Click...

A crack spread before her eyes.

Li Yufei involuntarily took a step back when suddenly, the broadcast came on.

She immediately looked up; it was Cheng Yuzhou's voice!

A calm male voice echoed throughout the manor: "Gentlemen, please assemble at the castle immediately! If you encounter danger along the way, take out your baptismal tablets and kiss the face of the demon!"

What is that? A kissing face?

Li Yufei was stunned. In that brief pause, the crack in front of her burst open like a flood, suddenly splitting into more than a dozen branches!

It's going to crack!

Without further hesitation, Li Yufei grabbed her sword, turned, and sprinted toward the radio station.

There was nothing she could do; she couldn't save the barrier, but Cheng Yuzhou might still be able to be saved. At least this time, she couldn't let him die where she couldn't see him!

The sky was unpredictable and mysterious, and after the birds darted into the manor, a patch of sky was revealed.

The black and purple clouds intertwined like a thick oil painting, as if some terrifying troll was about to emerge from them.

There weren't many people on the road. The manor was too big and there were too few living people. Once they scattered and ran away, you could hardly see any of them.

A gust of wind hit her face, and before she could even think, her body made Li Yufei crouch down.

"Ah!" she cried out, turning around. A white dove flew over her head, its mutated, eagle-like talons brushing against the top of her hair, almost grabbing her head.

A lingering fear crept up Li Yufei's spine, and she covered her head, backing away in terror.

The white dove, having missed its first attack, circled halfway through the air before swooping down on her again.

"Ah!" Li Yufei raised her sword with both hands and frantically slashed at her head and in front of her.

This chaotic sword technique leaves the white doves nowhere to land, but the downside is that they get tired after only a few minutes of swinging.

The two were locked in a stalemate, with the white bird circling around Li Yufei in mid-air. Li Yufei was both anxious and exhausted. To make matters worse, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye that some scallops had already intruded and were hopping toward her from a distance.

Oh my god, how could she be so unlucky!

This time, it's not Cheng Yuzhou who will die where she can't see him; it's her who will die where Cheng Yuzhou can't see her!

At least others respond with "You jump, I jump," but why do they just say "You die, I die"?

We're not even married yet, so there's no need for us to be bound together by life and death and share the same fate as husband and wife!

Just as Li Yufei was in despair and thought she was going to be worn down by a bird, she heard a loud shout: "Li Yufei!"

The voice that she loathed so much now sounded like heavenly music.

Li Yufei was almost in tears. She turned around excitedly and saw Song Xiaona standing on the steps thirty meters away.

Under the bizarre and colorful sky, Song Xiaona nocked an arrow and drew her bow, shouting to Li Yufei, "I'm not sure I can hit it, you run first—don't run this way!"

"Okay, okay!" Now whatever she says is fine.

"Three, two, one, run!"

Li Yufei took off running, and the pigeon immediately caught up. At the same time, Song Xiaona released the string.

The arrow missed the pigeon, but it grazed its face and stopped it behind it.

The faith attached to the arrow caused the pigeon to retreat. It changed its altitude to pursue, but was shot again by Song Xiaona.

The arrow severed two of its primary feathers. It whimpered in alarm, wary of Song Xiaona's arrow, and hovered in the air, ceasing its attack.

Song Xiaona didn't linger and immediately caught up with Li Yufei.

She called after her, "To the chapel!"

Li Yufei turned to look at her, "He's at the radio station, he wants me to meet him back at the castle!"

"The road is full of monsters, how are you going to get back from this far away!"

As they spoke, the barrier in mid-air shattered, and several poppies coiled above crashed down like upright giant pythons, sending up a cloud of dust.

Li Yufei, who was running ahead, suddenly stopped.

The flower stems, seven or eight meters long, intertwined into a thick strip, lying across the ground in front of the two people. They slowly wriggled, searching for their target.

Birds chirped and darted into the breach in the collapsed barrier.

Song Xiaona shouted, "What are you standing there for? Run!"

Li Yufei gritted her teeth, glanced at the castle a few kilometers away, and finally turned around to follow Song Xiaona and escape towards the chapel.

The nimble birds chased after her, and Song Xiaona turned around and shot several arrows. There were so many that the arrows were no longer effective.

A sparrow swooped down from under the arrow, its claws aimed at Song Xiaona's eyes.

She had no time to dodge and was hit head-on.

"Song Xiaona—!" Li Yufei cried out, her heart stopping abruptly.

Song Xiaona covered her eyes.

More and more birds swooped in, but she stood still. Li Yufei steeled her heart, picked her up, and ran.

Song Xiaona was stunned for a moment, then came to her senses, leaned on Li Yufei's shoulder, turned around and screamed: "What are you doing!"

"Guess what I'm doing?" Li Yufei stared in disbelief, then remembered that she was blind and immediately announced to her, "I'm running for my life! Don't panic, I'm helping you escape!"

Song Xiaona wanted to explain, but when she looked up and saw the swarm of birds like locusts, she didn't have time to argue with her anymore. She shut up and used her bow to shoo the birds away from their heads.

Li Yufei's shoulders weren't broad, and Song Xiaona was lying on top of her, her chest bumping against Li Yufei's shoulders, bouncing and bumping with every step.

She was experiencing breast tenderness before her period.

The pain was unbearable.

Song Xiaona gritted her teeth and endured the pain. The sparrow didn't cause her any harm, but Li Yufei's shoulder almost knocked her unconscious from the pain.

"Ah!" Li Yufei suddenly stopped, and Song Xiaona bumped into her shoulder hard.

She nearly choked, her face drained of color. "What happened now..."

"Front……"

Song Xiaona struggled to turn to the side, and in the distance, she could see a patch of wriggling greenery in front of Li Yufei.

Poppies, which seemed to have crawled in through some hole, climbed like ivy all the way to the streetlights on the side of the road.

It spread and multiplied along the road, forming a dense green sphere, dotted with brightly colored poppies, like the eyes of demons.

The road ahead was blocked, while birds danced wildly behind.

Song Xiaona quickly scanned her surroundings. "There's a phone booth up ahead. Let's hide for a bit!"

Li Yufei rushed over immediately.

The transparent little telephone booth was built purely as part of the town's medieval style. The space in front of the old-fashioned rotary telephone was just big enough for two girls.

The moment the door closed, another sparrow scurried in, its head already poking through the crack, its beak frantically pecking and biting inside.

Bang!

Li Yufei picked up the sword hilt, pushed the chirping bird out, and tightly closed the door.

She stood panting in front of the door, which had no lock, so she had to keep holding the handle.

In the cramped space, birds attacked the walls, their claws and beaks striking the glass like hail, creating a never-ending silence.

Behind her was Song Xiaona's panting, suppressing her pain.

Li Yufei leaned against the door, panting heavily to calm her breathing, not daring to look back at Song Xiaona's face.

After a long silence, she finally spoke in a hoarse voice: "You...you don't have to worry, I know you came here to save me...when we get back, I'll give you one of my eyes, so you won't go blind."

Song Xiaona paused in her chest-touching gesture and turned her head to look at the back of Li Yufei's head.

Her curly hair was messily stuck to her back, with a few strands running into her collar.

The woman, whose hair was always disheveled, now lowered her head and hoarsely told her that she would give her one of her eyes—

Opps.

Song Xiaona covered her lips.

This is so awesome!

"One?" She quietly took out her phone, turned on the video recording, her tone somber, a sinister smile blooming in her eyes, "I lost both my eyes! If it weren't for saving you, I wouldn't have needed to come out of the chapel, and you only gave me back one eye?"

Li Yufei felt guilty and shrank back, "I know... I'll buy the other one as soon as possible."

She didn't let her come out to save her...

She shrugged and drooped her head, looking as if she were facing the wall to admit her mistake.

How many times has Song Xiaona been beaten by Li Yufei since she was a child? When has she ever felt remorse?

This feels amazing.

“Isn’t this obvious?” She zoomed in, suppressing her excitement. “Besides these?”

Li Yufei pursed her lips, "Surgery fees, nursing fees, and your losses... Name your price, and I'll compensate you for everything."

"Money?" Song Xiaona scoffed. "How much money do you have now?"

That tone was really irritating. But when she thought about how Song Xiaona had been blinded by birds because of her, Li Yufei couldn't bring herself to be tough.

She sniffled and mumbled weakly, "Anyway, I'll definitely give it to you."

"Besides money, isn't there anything else you should do?"

"What?"

"For example, they would serve me like a beast of burden."

Li Yufei swallowed her anger and said, "Fine, I'll take care of you. I'll stay with you until you recover."

Li Yufei couldn't imagine how devastated she would be if she lost her eyes, such an arrogant woman.

She turned to her and comforted her, "Anyway, don't be discouraged, with today's medical care..."

The hesitant attempt at comfort came to an abrupt end.

Li Yufei opened her eyes and stared intently at Song Xiaona's unharmed face.

"Song Xiaona!!! How dare you play me!"

The sound startled the birds outside the phone booth, causing them to fly away.

"Pfft, hahaha... I never expected you to be this stupid." Song Xiaona laughed so hard she almost fell over. "I already said 'there's a phone booth up ahead'—if I were blind, would I even be able to see it?"

"I thought that was what you saw before you went blind!" Li Yufei grabbed her by the collar, wishing she could gouge out her eyes right now. "I'm still trying to figure out where to get a cornea, I was even thinking of begging my stupid ex at that top-tier hospital, and you just play me like this!"

Bang!!

A swan suddenly crashed into the phone booth door, forcing Li Yufei to stop beating her. She quickly pulled her hand off Song Xiaona's collar, braced herself against the door, and continued cursing with only her mouth open, "What are you laughing at! I'm speechless. I've never seen such a despicable woman in my life. Why don't you just die!"

“I’ve never seen such a stupid woman as you. It’s a miracle you’re still alive.” Song Xiaona straightened the clothes that she had crumpled. “You’ve been bitten on the hand by a scallop once. Even if you’ve forgotten that we have faith points protecting us, you should still remember that as long as you pray to the goddess, you can be instantly healed.”

Li Yufei was taken aback.

She really hadn't remembered.

"Why didn't you say so earlier? Look at me chasing pigeons all by myself!" With faith points, she didn't even need to wield her sword!

Song Xiaona's smile froze slightly.

She forgot... until her eyes were grabbed, at which point she remembered she had faith points.

"Consider yourself lucky," Li Yufei gritted her teeth. "You'd better pray you never get hurt and don't fall into my hands."

"What are you talking about? Of course I'd come to you if I was injured, after all—" Song Xiaona took out her phone and pressed play:

"Okay, I'll take care of you. I'll stay with you until you recover."

In short, don't be discouraged...

Li Yufei's pupils contracted to the extreme.

Song Xiaona curled her lips, "Why wouldn't I use a free slave?"

"Delete it! Delete it! Delete it!" Li Yufei screamed. "I'll give you three seconds to delete it completely right now!"

"Is this how you beg for help?" Song Xiaona shrugged. "I still prefer the way you were just now."

"Are you even human?! I was so worried about you, and you were recording a video!"

Song Xiaona laughed loudly, "Li Yufei, I think you haven't realized the reality of the situation. What if I put this video in the class group chat..." "Ahhhhhh, shut your rotten ditch, I'm going to tear you apart!"

The last "ah" was not out of anger.

The glass door behind her was slammed violently. Distracted from arguing with Song Xiaona, Li Yufei couldn't withstand the impact and was suddenly thrown forward.

Without a doubt, this is the day the devil descends, a day of disaster and misfortune.

Otherwise, how can this nightmarish drama be explained?

She pounced on Song Xiaona, who was forced to lean back and her head hit the telephone stand.

The two were suspended at a 45-degree angle in mid-air, face to face, lips touching. It was a scene of waltzing that was romantic to the extreme.

The air was deathly still.

The noisy phone booth fell silent instantly. In that lightning-fast instant, the furious roars and vicious, mocking laughter were all frozen in time, dissipating into the air and returning to dust.

Two breaths later, they silently parted ways.

One person braced themselves against the door, while the other, clutching the back of their head from the impact, leaned against the telephone stand, like sunflowers in their twilight years, their flower heads withering and decaying in opposite directions.

Song Xiaona put away her phone, slowly tidied her clothes and hair, and looked down at the ground.

Li Yufei pressed her shoulder against the door, picked at the paint on the handle with her fingers, and looked up at the sky.

She looked around and suddenly saw a figure standing not far away.

Thirty or forty meters away, Cheng Yuzhou, who had rushed over with a bow, stood on the steps.

He stood there, holding a bow similar to Song Xiaona's in one hand and leading a black horse in the other, staring blankly into the phone booth where the two of them were in the cold wind.

Outside the small glass pavilion, sparrows chirped, pigeons hooted, and swans cried out.

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cluck cluck

Yo-yo-ga-ga

The three people, with their six eyes, met each other under the strange sky and amidst the chaotic dance of demons.

After a moment, Cheng Yuzhou looked away with a gloomy expression.

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Author's note: Last chapter, the male lead's chin was hit with a headbutt; this chapter, it's the female supporting character's chest's turn.

Li Yufei is a female protagonist in a bumper car-themed game. She creates opportunities for everyone around her equally, ensuring that everyone close to her gets something.