Chapter 19 Onset of Illness "You're a good teammate."
After hearing her story, Bai Yuheng raised her hand and waved it away, dispelling the illusion.
The little golden snake nestled obediently on her shoulder, its gaze fixed on the woman who was weeping uncontrollably.
“There’s only one last step left, the very last step…” Peony murmured to herself, “As long as Yuan Zheng kills Gu Feng, he’ll go completely mad after regaining his senses, and then he’ll smash his head against the He family’s west courtyard and die. No one will suspect they were murdered; they’ll only think they did too many evil deeds in their lives and are suffering retribution…”
She glared fiercely at Bai Yuheng, gritting her teeth as she said, "If you hadn't suddenly appeared and disrupted our plans, they would already be in hell, never to be reincarnated!"
Bai Yuheng was unmoved by her hatred. Since she couldn't pull her up no matter how hard she tried, she made a hand seal to suspend her in mid-air. The golden snake transformed into a rope and tied her hands tightly.
"Now that you've finished your story, let's go catch that peach blossom demon together."
"You!" Peony laughed loudly, "Hahahaha, you call yourself a cultivator, yet you have no empathy whatsoever! You're clearly a cold-blooded animal! You're not worthy of becoming an immortal at all!"
"..." Bai Yuheng's eyes flickered, and she chuckled, "Say what you will, I lost all senses hundreds of years ago. It's no use trying to provoke me with these things."
"..."
Peony looked at her as if she were a monster, her lips trembling for a long time before she turned her head away without uttering a word.
When they arrived at Yuan Zheng's house in silence, Cen Ying and the other two were engaged in a fierce battle with the Peach Blossom Demon.
Cen Ying caught sight of her and shouted, "Yu'er! It killed Yuan Zheng!"
The peach blossom demon hovered above the Yuan family's residence, with countless vines spreading out behind it. On one of the thick vines hung a person—Yuan Zheng—pierced through by the branch.
Peony suddenly looked up at the woman in front of her. She saw the woman transform the golden snake on her wrist into a bow and arrow, and easily leap onto the roof. At the same time, she drew back the bow and arrow, and three arrows shot out of thin air, piercing the night sky and shooting straight at the peach blossom demon who was unable to be in two places at once.
"Chuntao, watch out!"
Bai Yuheng glanced at the screaming Peony, then moved her fingers, and the golden rope binding her hands climbed up her neck until it covered her mouth.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"
Peony glared at her; if looks had substance, she probably would have been riddled with holes by them.
Bai Yuheng paid no attention to her gaze. Seeing that the peach blossom demon had grown many branches and vines that broke the golden arrows she had shot at her, she leaped over another rooftop and kept drawing her bow. Several golden arrows were fired at the same time, piercing through the clouds and moon and passing through its many branches and vines.
The vine that was holding Yuan Zheng broke off, and Bai Yuheng reached out in the direction where Yuan Zheng had fallen. A golden, rope-like object shot out from her wrist, bound him, and landed safely on the ground. Bai Yuheng called out to Cen Ying, "Xiao Ying, go check on him!"
"Alright!" Cen Ying leaped aside to dodge the flying vines, pounced on Yuan Zheng's side, checked his pulse, and administered acupuncture to stabilize his breathing.
Yuan Zheng's eyes widened, his pupils trembled for a moment, his gaze gradually became unfocused, and his dry, blackened lips murmured.
Cen Ying bent down to listen.
"Yes, no..."
Cen Ying checked his pulse, but his last breath had already dissipated.
On the other side, Li Tiankuo engaged in close combat, his silver sword flashing as he severed the vines and relentlessly approached Chuntao.
While dodging the suddenly attacking branches, Cui Mingcan drew the newly learned demon-locking formation.
"Cui Mingcan, are you done drawing yet!" Cen Ying shouted as she finished administering the acupuncture and glanced at the battle situation.
"Little Miss, don't rush me! I'm drawing right now! Almost done!" Cui Mingcan jumped up and dodged the flailing branch, landing on the next spot.
The final stroke is made.
"It's done!" Cui Mingcan exclaimed happily to Bai Yuheng and Li Tiankuo, "Quickly bring this demon over! I'll chant the incantation!"
"good!"
Bai Yuheng agreed, and the bow and arrow in her hand transformed into a large net, covering Chun Tao from top to bottom, leaving her with no way to escape.
With Li Tiankuo's assistance, they cut off the Peach Blossom Demon's escape route.
Cui Mingcan muttered incantations, and the array drawn on the ground gradually glowed with purple light as he whispered. A complex array was activated, and as soon as a demon stepped into it, it would be sucked in by the array's suction force until it was imprisoned in the center of the array.
Spring peach, spring peach...
Peony watched with teary eyes as her friend fell into the formation and was swallowed by the purple light within.
"Trying to lock me up? Don't be so naive!" Chun Tao transformed into her original form, a thick, gnarled, and vigorous peach tree bursting out of the ground from the middle of the formation, soaring into the sky and spreading out.
The purple light of the formation vanished instantly.
"Hahahaha, little brat, you think you can trap me? Practice some more!"
Cui Mingcan said awkwardly, "I just learned this formation, and I haven't practiced it yet, hahaha..."
"Hmph, I'll let you off this time!" With that, the tree's petals released a misty spray that dazzled the eyes.
"Quickly cover your mouth and nose and close your eyes! The pollen is poisonous!" Cen Ying noticed something was wrong in time and reminded them using a megaphone technique.
Upon hearing this, the group had no choice but to abandon their attack and cover their faces, mouths, and noses with their sleeves.
After a long while, the fragrance dissipated, and when everyone opened their eyes again, there was only a huge hole left in the middle of the formation, and the bound peony was gone.
The crowing of roosters filled the air as the first rays of dawn illuminated the earth.
Daylight broke.
Bai Yuheng comforted the little golden snake, walked up to Cen Ying, glanced at Yuan Zheng whose face was ashen, and asked, "Can he still be saved?"
Cen Ying shook her head and sighed, "That demon didn't use illusions, but directly injured my vital points. Even if a great immortal came, he couldn't save me."
"Did the demon break the barrier?" Bai Yuheng asked as she reached out to probe the barrier she had set up.
“No, when we arrived, we saw Yuan Zheng rushing out of the house like a madman, shouting ‘I killed someone! I killed someone!’ The peach blossom demon lurking among them pierced through his heart with a single vine…” Cen Ying’s mood sombered, and she couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of the blood splattering. “We didn’t even have time to save him before we watched him die right in front of us…”
Bai Yuheng didn't know what to say to comfort her, so she simply put her arm around her shoulder and silently soothed her emotions.
Looking at his body, Cui Mingcan couldn't help but sigh, "We rushed here so desperately, but we couldn't save him..."
"Everyone has their own destiny. You've all done your best." Bai Yuheng wasn't good at comforting others. "You've all been working hard all night. Go back and rest."
"What about him?" Cen Ying looked at Yuan Zheng, who had already stiffened.
"I'll handle the aftermath for the Yuan family. You all go and rest," Bai Yuheng said decisively, noticing their fatigue. "Cui Mingcan, take Xiaoying back."
Cui Mingcan nodded.
After the two left, Bai Yuheng handed him the token she had put away.
"Here you go."
Thank you.
Bai Yuheng glanced at him, surprised that he was actually a prince of the current dynasty.
"You need to speak to the authorities about this matter."
Li Tiankuo pursed his lips, tracing the character "贤" with his fingertips, and nodded: "I understand."
"Thanks for your hard work."
Li Tiankuo looked at her with a puzzled expression: "There's no need to be so polite. I'm just doing this for the mission."
He took a few steps forward, facing the rising sunlight.
"You're a good teammate."
"Huh?" Bai Yuheng was completely confused.
Li Tiankuo turned to meet her gaze: "I apologize for what I said the other day. You're a great teammate." "..."
“He is also a very good opponent.” He was the first to look away, gripping his sword as he left.
As dawn broke and darkness vanished.
Bai Yuheng stroked the little golden snake listlessly, squinting as she stared directly into the sunlight.
*
"Ah! Ahhhhh! Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
"My lord, please calm down!"
The servant Gu San restrained the frenzied Gu Feng, who nearly threw him away with a sudden charge.
The servants and maids standing to the side gripped the hemp rope, unsure of where to begin.
"Quick! Tie him up!" Gu San pressed him down, while the disheveled man rammed his head against him.
It took a lot of effort to restrain the deranged Gu Feng.
The maid brought clean water and a handkerchief, and brushed aside his messy hair to wipe it.
"ah!"
The handkerchief fell to the ground, and the maid was terrified by the numerous scars on his face.
Everyone knew how exceptionally handsome the young master of the Gu family was, but at this moment his face was so thin that his cheeks were sunken, his forehead was filled with black mist, his lips were bluish-purple, his face was covered with bloodstains and scabs, and his empty eyes were cold as he bared his teeth and tried to scare away anyone who approached.
The maid was terrified; her hands trembled, and she dared not step forward.
Gu San scolded her, told her to step back, took a new handkerchief, and wiped Gu Feng's face herself.
"Cousin, cousin!"
He Huilan's voice came from the corridor outside the door.
Hurried footsteps rushed into the house.
"Cousin!" He Huilan was startled when she saw Gu Feng like this.
"Gu San, how is my cousin? Have you called a doctor?"
“Reporting to Miss, we’ve already consulted a doctor, but he’s still not well. They all suspect it’s…” Gu San glanced at her, hesitated, then gritted her teeth and said, “They say the young master is cursed, possessed by an evil spirit…”
"Nonsense!" He Huilan, who rarely got angry, was furious now. "Who said that? Does he not want his tongue?"
"Miss, please don't be angry. You are getting married tomorrow, so you should go back early. Your husband will be well taken care of by his servants."
"No! My cousin has always loved me the most since I was little, how can I leave him!" He Huilan snatched the handkerchief from Gu San's hand and personally wiped Gu Feng's face.
“Cousin? Cousin is Hui’er…” He Huilan called out to him softly.
Gu Feng seemed to regain some consciousness and stared at her intently.
"cousin?"
"...Hui'er?"
He Huilan smiled through her tears: "It's me, it's me, cousin!"
Gu Feng tried to raise his hand to wipe her tears, but his hands wouldn't move. He then realized he was tied up. He shouted, "Gu San! Who told you to help me! Untie me!"
Seeing that he had regained his senses, Gu San happily responded and untied the ropes for him.
"Hui'er is getting married tomorrow, why did you come here?" Gu Feng asked, looking at her.
"I heard that you weren't doing well, cousin, so I came to check on you."
Gu Feng smiled.
"Hui'er has feelings for her cousin, and her cousin is very happy. Tomorrow, her cousin must see Hui'er get married in a grand manner."
"Um!"
He Huilan smiled at him.
Gu San had just loosened the ropes and hadn't even had a chance to explain when Gu Feng tackled him to the ground and grabbed his neck with both hands.
"My lord..."
"ah!"
"Miss, let's go!"
A note from the author:
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