Survive a desperate situation
"You're such a good trick! You even broke this fatal situation. I underestimated you." A cold voice sounded in front of him.
A grey-robed old man stood proudly on a giant rock, blocking the way. His hair and beard were white, and his expression was haughty—it was none other than Ding Yizhen, the elder of the Iron Palm Gang.
Tiaotiao's pupils suddenly constricted, and his heart sank. How could he be here? In a flash, he understood: after he had escaped, Ding Yizhen must have realized he had been tricked and turned back, just in time to run into him and the other heroes. In his panic, he hadn't chosen the right path and had bumped into the other's return path!
"It's Elder Ding," Tiao Tiao suppressed his surging blood and forced a smile. "It's lively over there, Elder, why don't you go check it out?" His mind raced. Ding Yizhen, having suffered before, would never give him another chance with his eloquence. This old man's power was unfathomable; a direct confrontation would be like hitting a rock with an egg. The only way was to maneuver and find a way out.
Unexpectedly, Ding Yizhen had learned his lesson and didn't even give him a chance to speak. A gray shadow flashed, and a palm strike was already launched. The palm force was powerful and fierce, and the moment it was launched, it surged like a raging sea wave.
Wherever the palm wind reached, the green bamboos were broken into pieces, the soil was rolled up, and the air waves were like mountains and seas, blocking all space for dodging.
Tiao Tiao's expression changed drastically. The palm wind was faster than thunder, and there was no escape! He gritted his teeth, frantically mobilizing the internal force in his dantian, crossed his arms over his chest, and rushed forward.
Bang--!
A dull thud echoed. Mo Yu's immense force struck him fiercely. Tiao Tiao felt his arms cleave, his blood rushing backwards, and he stumbled backward, sinking deeply into the mud with every step. Behind him, bamboo shoots as thick as bowls cracked repeatedly, several of them broken by his backwards body.
"puff--!"
Finally, he fell heavily like a kite with a broken string. His throat felt sweet and large amounts of blood spurted out, splashing a large area of glaring scarlet on the mud in front of him.
Ding Yizhen landed gracefully on the ground, looking down from above, and slowly approached step by step, with only cold murderous intent on his skinny face.
Tiao Tiao's vision went black, his internal organs seemed to shift, and he was torn apart by excruciating pain. With an almost inhuman willpower, he bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. The sharp pain pierced his chaotic mind like an ice spike, forcibly pulling his shattered consciousness back to a thread. Taking advantage of this moment of clarity, he used his sword to support himself and struggled to stand. A defiant sneer curved his bloodstained lips. Though his voice was hoarse and muffled, every word was clear: "Ha... cough cough... Elder Ding's iron palm... is nothing special! Come again!"
Ding Yizhen paused abruptly, a flicker of disbelief and astonishment flashing across his cloudy old eyes. He had just delivered a palm strike filled with 100% fury, intending to completely cripple this boy. He had never expected him to actually stand up and even speak provocatively.
At this moment when the mind is divided!
Tiaotiao swung out his left hand hidden behind his back, and a black round ball shot straight at Ding Yizhen's face. He shouted, "Look at my thunder bomb!"
Ding Yizhen's heart trembled, and without a doubt, he retreated quickly. The ball fell with a "bang", and instantly exploded into a thick, choking gray smoke, obscuring his vision.
When the gray smoke was blown away by the mountain wind, the place was empty.
Ding Yizhen snorted sarcastically. As the smoke rose, his sharp gaze caught sight of Tiao Tiao's blurry figure as he turned and tried to flee. Seriously wounded, how far could he escape, no matter how good his Qinggong skills were? He was trapped in a jar.
He stepped heavily on the bluestone with his left foot, sending gravel flying. He shot up into the sky like an arrow, heading in the direction where the figure disappeared. After a few rises and falls, he sank into the lush bamboo sea.
Just behind the huge rock where he had just stood proudly.
Tiaotiao's face was as pale as gold paper, and he huddled against the cold rock. His entire body ached, as if his bones were falling apart. Every weak breath ripped through him in excruciating pain, causing him to tremble uncontrollably. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, staining his blue shirt dark red.
Having taken that stone-shattering palm strike head-on, he was already at the end of his rope, his internal organs bruised and his meridians threatening to rupture. His stance, his provocation, his smoke bombs, were all merely a desperate attempt to escape, squeezing out the last ounce of his willpower. That figure in his back was a carefully laid bait, designed to lure the tiger away from its mountain.
As the sound of Ding Yizhen's receding sleeves ripping through the air faded away, Tiao Tiao's tense mind suddenly relaxed. The agonizing pain he'd been suppressing in his chest and abdomen suddenly erupted. He choked and coughed violently, each time like a sharp knife slicing through his heart, bringing out more blood. His vision was quickly swallowed by darkness, completely overwhelmed by the boundless cold and exhaustion. His consciousness instantly sank into the endless darkness, and he fell into a deep and complete coma.
…
"No!" Ding Yizhen, who was speeding, suddenly stopped, his eyes flashing. "With such serious injuries, there's no way he could have escaped so far in an instant! We've chased him all the way, but there's no trace of him... The only explanation," his face was as gloomy as water, "is that we were going in the wrong direction! This little fox... that last silhouette was also a trap!"
Suddenly, his whole body shook violently!
That rising smoke... the back of the boulder next to him, that most dangerous, yet easily overlooked, spot... could it be?!
At this thought, even though Ding Yizhen was filled with hatred, a flicker of admiration for the young man's quick wit and courage flashed through his heart. Without hesitation, he suddenly turned back like a ghost, heading back the way he had come, pushing his Qinggong to the extreme, and shot back! His clothes tore through the night wind, emitting a sharp whistle.
Dusk, blood-red, sank deep into the devastated bamboo sea. Cracked earth spread like a spiderweb, broken bamboos slanted like white thorns, and the air was filled with the stench of bamboo sap mixed with rust. At the edge of this deadly battlefield, two slender figures struggled to make their way through the broken branches and leaves.
"Miss...you...please wait for me!" Mu Jin, wearing a light yellow long skirt and carrying a heavy medicine basket, was panting and chasing after Su Baiwei, who was wearing a light green long skirt.
Su Baiwei stopped, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her eyes swept across the tragic battlefield: "Mujin, if you dawdle any longer, it will be completely dark."
Mu Jinxiang was sweating profusely. She climbed up a huge rock with her hands and feet. After unloading the medicine basket, she collapsed, breathing weakly: "Miss... just rest here... I... really can't move an even step..."
Su Baiwei didn't respond immediately. Instead, she slowly walked forward and squatted in front of a dark brown stain. She picked up a handful of dirt stained with dark brown blood with her slender fingers, rubbed it carefully, and brought it close to her nose to sniff.
After catching her breath, Mu Jin lazily turned over and said, "Miss... the herbs are almost ready... shall we go back?"
Su Baiwei brushed off the dirt from her fingertips, her expression solemn: "The evil aura here has not dissipated yet, so we can't stay here for long. Let's rest for a while and then leave." As she said that, she sat down on the stone next to Mu Jin.
However, the moment she sat down, Su Baiwei's eyes flashed with alertness. Her nose twitched slightly, and the next moment, she leaped off the rock like a startled wild goose, landing lightly on the back of the boulder.
"Mujin, there's someone here." The voice was very low.
Mu Jin screamed, "Ah!" and hurriedly rolled off the stone. She saw a figure curled up on the ground, his face as pale as snow, his eyes tightly shut. His bloodless lips were stained with a glaring red. A few strands of black hair brushed across his forehead, accentuating his face's fragile, poignant beauty. It was Tiao Tiao, the seriously injured, unconscious man.
Mu Jin was stunned for a moment, muttering, "Oh my God... How could there be such a handsome man in the world... Even injured, he looks like a painting... Miss, how did you know there was someone here?"
Su Baiwei whispered, "The stench of blood here is much stronger than elsewhere." She quickly stepped forward, kneeling and jumping beside him. She called out "Young Master" twice, but there was no response. She sniffed his breath, then focused on checking his pulse. It was faint, almost nonexistent, beneath her fingertips.
Mu Jin leaned in closer and whispered, "How is it?"
Su Baiwei's brow furrowed. "The lungs are damaged, the pulse is weak, the situation is extremely critical!" With a swift tap of her fingertips, she instantly sealed the vital points of Tiaotiao, Neiguan, Tanzhong, and Juque, protecting the heart's vital energy. Then, from her medicine pouch, she pulled out a piece of warm, aged ginseng. Quickly prying open his teeth, she pressed the ginseng slice under his tongue. "Mujin, carry the medicine basket for me. I'll carry this young man."
Mu Jin quickly took the medicine basket and said, "Miss, you're so kind. I should have carried it..."
"In an emergency, we must act decisively." Su Baiwei's gaze fell on the longsword Tiao Tiao was clutching. She carefully drew out the azure, shimmering blade, its blade brimming with a chilling aura.
Su Baiwei's eyes suddenly focused, her expression growing more solemn. She quickly sheathed the Green Light Sword and leaned over to carry Tiao Tiao on her back. The unconscious boy's body felt heavy, and Su Baiwei gritted her teeth, steadying him on her back. "Hurry! If those chasing him turn back, disaster awaits!"
"Um!"
After taking a few steps, Su Baiwei paused and gently put Tiao Tiao down again. She walked to the boulder, raised her bare hand, and with a subtle flick of her wrist, she released her inner strength. A gentle force swept across the ground, and dust instantly flew up, covering up all traces of blood, footprints, and other things. She looked around carefully to make sure she hadn't missed anything, then leaned over again and carefully carried the unconscious Tiao Tiao on her back. Just as she adjusted her position -
A light green silk handkerchief slipped quietly from her loose sleeve pocket, and was carried by the air current, lightly landing on the edge of the back of the boulder, under the shadow of a few broken bamboo roots.
Just as the three figures disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest, a swift gray shadow, carrying a chilling murderous intent, swooped down! It was none other than Ding Yizhen, who had returned from the pursuit. With the swiftness of a hawk, he instantly scaled the back of the boulder, his gaze sweeping across the area like a blade, but he saw only newly ploughed earth, no one in sight.
"Impossible!" Ding Yizhen's face turned pale. "Anyone who is hit by my Iron Palm Technique will be seriously injured, even if they are a Golden Immortal! They can't escape even with wings!"
He paced anxiously, his brow furrowed. Suddenly, his nostrils twitched slightly—a faint, yet unusually clear, herbal scent seemed to linger in the air, completely out of tune with the bloody earth.
"The smell of medicine?" Ding Yizhen's cloudy old eyes suddenly narrowed, and doubts filled his heart. Could it be... that he was rescued?
The thought flashed through his mind like lightning! Ding Yizhen's pupils suddenly shrank, and he suddenly understood. He immediately turned back behind the boulder, slowly raised his right palm, and the gray, cold internal energy gathered into a vortex in his palm, and a light wind blew out of his palm.
call--!
The dust covering the surface was blown away by the strong wind, revealing the deliberately buried bloodstains underneath.
"Humph! As expected!" Ding Yizhen's expression was haughty, his gaze sharp as a knife. Following the faint scent of medicinal herbs, his sharp eyes swept across the messy area at the edge of the boulder's back. Finally, under the shadow of several clumps of broken bamboo roots, he found the light green handkerchief. He leaned over to pick it up. On the plain silk, an elegant white flower was embroidered with silver thread, emitting a faint and refreshing medicinal fragrance.
Ding Yizhen clenched his handkerchief tightly, his knuckles crackling as he sneered, "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink the wine! Jumping around... and this nosy girl... I want to see how long you can escape!"
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