Decisive Battle (II)

Su Baiwei was trapped in mid-air by blood-red chains, and watched Rainbow Cat struggling on the brink of life and death, feeling extremely anxious.

We can't wait any longer, we must buy time for him!

She raised her head, staring at the high rock platform, and shouted, "Chi Lian! I know you are here, come out!"

A figure stepped out in response, slowly walking to the edge of the platform. A half-silver mask glowed coldly. Chi Lian, clad in a dark red robe, stood with his hands behind his back, gazing leisurely down below. His men quickly brought over chairs and a coffee table, setting out the tea set. Steam rose from the air.

He sat down leisurely, picked up his teacup and blew gently, a playful smile on his lips, as if he was enjoying a good show. "You are worthy of being the leader of the Seven Swords. You can hold on for so long. Wonderful, really wonderful."

Rainbow Cat below had no time to care about anything else. The sword flashed and the line between life and death was drawn. Even the time to breathe seemed a luxury.

Su Baiwei suppressed the sweet taste rising in her throat and raised her voice above the chaos below: "Chi Lian! It's me you want, let them go!"

Chi Lian sneered, as if she had heard something extremely ridiculous, "Let them go? After all these years, how can you still be so... naive?"

"As long as you let them go," she took a deep breath, her voice trembling, "I will do whatever you say."

"Oh?" Chi Lian's tone rose lazily, and he seemed to finally be in high spirits. He took a slow sip of tea, a hint of evil flashing in his eyes. "Then... kneel down and beg me."

Rainbow Cat narrowly avoided a heart-ripping claw and hissed, "Don't..." Before he could finish his words, he was hit by another claw on the back, blood splattered, and he stumbled forward. The sharp claws of the other medicine man were already in front of his throat.

"I kneel!" Su Baiwei screamed in shock, "I kneel right now!"

Chi Lian raised her hand, and Ding Kui paused. The piercing ringing ceased abruptly. The medicine man, charging forward, suddenly stopped, frozen in place. His five fingers rested just half an inch from Hongmao's throat.

Hongmao leaned on his sword, panting heavily, sweat and blood dripping from his forehead. He raised his head with difficulty and looked towards the center of the light array. His lips moved but no sound came out.

Chi Lian seemed very satisfied with the scene. He took a sip of tea, condensed a wisp of red true energy at his fingertips, and pointed it in the air towards a certain part of the formation.

Su Baiwei's restraints loosened slightly, and she finally landed on the ground. She stared at the blood-soaked Rainbow Cat, closed her eyes, and dug her nails into her palms. When she opened them again, only determination remained. Her knees buckled, and she fell heavily to the cold, hard ground. The dull thud of her knees hitting the stone platform echoed throughout the mine.

"Kneeling alone is not enough," Chi Lian said in a contemptuous tone, putting down the teacup. "Kowtow three times. After each kowtow, say: 'That short-lived wretch Su Yuanshan is no match for a single finger of Chi Lian Hall Master.'"

Su Baiwei's face instantly turned pale as paper, and she trembled violently. The chains burned her skin, and her internal energy continued to drain away, and she felt a surge of weakness.

"Don't..." Hongmao struggled to stand up, but fell to his knees again. He propped himself up with his sword and coughed up blood foam: "He... won't... keep his promise..."

Chi Lian curled up the corners of his lips: "Don't want to?" Ding Kui raised his hand slightly and pretended to ring the bell.

"I say!" Su Baiwei interrupted hurriedly.

She leaned forward slowly, her head banging against the stone surface, her forehead instantly turning purple. Her cheeks burned, and her voice broke: "Su Yuanshan...can't match...the Red Snake Hall Master...by even a finger."

"What? I didn't hear clearly," Chi Lian turned his head and smiled ostentatiously, "There's too much noise here, speak louder!"

Su Baiwei dug her nails into her flesh, suddenly raised her head, and shouted in a loud voice: "Su Yuanshan is no match for the leader of the Chilian Hall with a single finger!" Her clear voice echoed in the cave, and every word seemed to break her bones.

In the distance, there seemed to be the faint sound of a sword whistling through the air. Chi Lian's eyebrows twitched, but he pretended not to hear it. Instead, his smile deepened. He clapped his hands and laughed, slowly counting: "One."

The second time, she kowtowed heavily, her forehead slamming against the cold stone, tearing her skin and flesh. Warm blood gushed out, blurring her vision. Fighting back the dizziness and humiliation, she roared, "Su Yuanshan is no match for a single finger from the Red Snake Hall Master!"

"Two." Chi Lian looked at her with interest, his tone frivolous, "Tsk tsk, our most noble little niece, why is she so polite today?"

The third time, her head felt heavy. Memories flashed through her mind—her father gently placing a stalk of prunella vulgaris in her palm, holding her small hand as he wrote stroke by stroke under candlelight, or sitting at her bedside, holding the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine and coaxing her to sleep. She would always quietly open her eyes and peek at his quiet profile.

Tears finally burst out. "Su Yuanshan... can't even compare to the leader of the Chilian Hall... with just one finger..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably, with obvious sobs, but she managed to hold it together.

"Three." Chi Lian counted slowly, an almost ferocious look of pride on his face. "I wonder if your father, if he were still alive, would be so angry that he would come back to life when he heard his treasured daughter say such 'fair' words?" He chuckled softly, then suddenly his smile faded and he waved his hand casually.

The golden bell in Ding Kui's hand rang again, and the stagnant medicine man's eyes suddenly showed a green light. He let out a low roar and pounced on Hongmao with an even crazier momentum!

"You!" Su Baiwei raised her head suddenly, her face, which was mixed with blood and tears, was first shocked, and then turned into overwhelming anger.

"What's wrong with me?" Chi Lian looked down at him, his eyes filled with increasing scorn. "Didn't Young Master Hongmao warn you long ago? I don't keep my word." He leaned forward slightly, a mocking look on his face. "You're so smart, shouldn't you know me well? How could you be so naive as to believe the enemy's promise?" He sneered. "Do you think I can't see through your attempts to stall for time?"

He brought the tea again, his tone gentle but every word piercing the heart: "I will slowly torture you and crush the Su family's ridiculous pride. I will also take their lives as well."

Su Baiwei's entire body trembled violently. Humiliation, anger, and anxiety... transformed into countless blunt knives, repeatedly slicing at her heart.

Chi Lian leisurely admired her trembling, as if watching a play. He said softly, "Oh, by the way, do you know who created this exquisite 'Dragon Trapping Formation'?"

He paused deliberately, catching her suddenly constricted pupils with satisfaction, before slowly revealing the answer: "It's none other than your father, that extraordinary genius—Su Yuanshan." He shook his head with feigned regret, and sighed. "Back then, the trap he painstakingly created to prevent the Mother Gu from escaping has now trapped his only bloodline... Tell me, isn't it fascinating to be imprisoned and crushed by your own father's wisdom?"

This sentence was like the last straw that completely broke her back.

The last trace of color on Su Baiwei's face instantly faded, as if all her strength had been drained away. She knelt dejectedly on the ground. The crystal medicine bottle, which had been loosened by the previous collision, now rolled out of her arms with her movement.

Clang!

A crisp sound struck her ears. Su Baiwei raised her head, her eyes flickering. The blue coral pink in the bottle shone faintly, as if reflecting the figure waiting for her return home.

Blood trickled down her forehead, flowing through the corners of her eyes, transforming into two lines of mournful, bloody tears. She bit her lower lip, the rusty smell lingering between her teeth. An almost brutal will surged from the depths of her heart, pushing her against the bloody constraints surrounding her. Inch by inch, she straightened her back and stood up.

It hasn't collapsed yet? A hint of surprise flashed across Chi Lian's eyes. At this moment, figures flashed at the end of the passage. Doudou and Dada finally rushed over and broke into the cave.

A flash of sarcasm flashed across Chi Lian's eyes, but he didn't stop him. Instead, he calmly sipped his tea, a playful smile on his lips, as if he were watching a doomed fight between trapped beasts. He gathered a stream of crimson Qi from his fingertips and casually pointed it at the formation, instantly tying Su Baiwei back into mid-air.

Just as they were standing firm, they looked up to see Su Baiwei chained and bloodied, their hearts trembling. In that instant, the surrounding medicine men had already pounced on them.

Doudou and Dada brandished their swords to meet the enemy. The medicine man here was completely different from the one seen outside. He was swift and invulnerable to swords and spears, and exuded a strange aura.

"Hurry up and save Rainbow Cat!" As Su Baiwei struggled, the blood-red chains clanged.

Doudou and Dada's hearts tightened as they leaped from the stone wall. Glancing past the medicine men, they finally saw the scene below. Rainbow Cat, bloodied and torn, stumbled under the assault of several medicine men. His sword still swung, but it was already at its limit, clearly at its limit.

"It's raining heavily!" Dou Dou shouted softly, and the Yuhua Sword burst out with green light all over the sky. The sword points poured down like heavy rain, and several medicine men on the outermost edge staggered and fell backwards.

Almost instantly, Dada swung his whirlwind sword. "The wind rises and the clouds surge!" He shouted in a deep voice, and the sword whirled rapidly. The cyan-blue sword energy, like a giant dragon, slammed into the most dense part of the medicine man. The whirlwind barely tore a gap in the air.

Rainbow Cat was blown away by the blast. Dada tapped his toes, soaring into the air like the wind. He reached out and lifted him, dissipating the force, dropping him to the ground. The two of them intertwined their bodies, standing back to back, protecting the severely injured Rainbow Cat firmly in their center.