Chapter 17
A series of ear-piercing crackling sounds suddenly erupted from the depths of the strange house, followed by a violent roar that pierced through the eardrums and made one's scalp tingle instantly.
Xi Xiao's smooth forehead instantly became covered with fine beads of cold sweat, which slid down her pale cheeks. Her lips moved, and the incantation poured out silently, so fast that the shape of her lips was almost invisible.
The surroundings were deathly silent. All eyes were fixed on the eerie, strange house, as if drawn by invisible threads. No one noticed a tall, handsome figure quietly emerging from the swaying shadows of the trees. His face was covered with a black veil, revealing only a pair of deep eyes, which were now fixed intently on Xi Xiao, motionless.
As Xi Xiao chanted the incantation more and more urgently, the low growl from the strange house grew weaker and weaker. At this critical moment, the dying shadow suddenly burst out with one last terrifying force. Its broken body, devoured by thousands of Gu worms and covered with a foul-smelling, viscous, unknown liquid, suddenly broke free from the constraints of the strange house.
Despite being fragmented, its twisted, inhuman shape was enough to terrify anyone. Instantly, horrified screams ripped through the silence, and the crowd scattered like ants exploding in a volcano. If Xi Xiao had opened her eyes at that moment, she would have been shocked to realize that this monster bursting from her body was exactly the same as the vividly depicted, inhuman, and beastly forbidden evil creature she had glimpsed in Lady Lan's ancient book!
Xi Xiao's face had lost all color, turning almost transparently white, and the incantations burst forth as sharp as blades. Sensing their master's will, the swarm of Gu worms surrounding the demonic creature went completely mad, tearing and devouring the evil thing recklessly.
As the last ancient syllable fell heavily from her lips, the massive demonic body finally crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of filthy dust. Almost simultaneously, Xi Xiao's slender body trembled violently, and a mouthful of scalding blood gushed out unexpectedly, splattering crimson spots onto her plain clothes and the cold ground.
She fell softly backward, the remaining Gu worms emitting faint moans as they hastily gathered together, obediently coiling into a protective circle around her with a faint warmth.
A wave of joyous cheers erupted from the crowd, almost lifting the roof off. Granny Li from Madam Lan's courtyard rushed over, eagerly heading towards the fallen Xi Xiao, wanting to help her up.
However, a sudden change occurred!
The seemingly lifeless remains of the demon suddenly collapsed inward, then exploded with a bang. The filthy limbs and broken bones instantly turned into a thick, ink-like black mist. A cold, gust of wind swept by, and the black mist scattered and flowed like a living thing, spreading out in an instant.
The old woman, Li, who was reaching out to Xi Xiao, froze in her anxiety, then twisted into a chillingly ferocious expression. Her once kind and wrinkled face was now filled with resentment, and her cloudy old eyes shot out a fierce light. "It's all the fault of you and your daughter!" she screamed hoarsely, her voice shrill and unpleasant. Her fingers dug into Xi Xiao's arm, roughly dragging her up. "Why should we suffer this retribution for you! Open the door! Open the stone door and let us out!"
Her shouts were like cold water thrown into boiling oil. More people who inhaled the black mist, their eyes bloodshot and their expressions crazed, surged forward like a tide, surrounding Xi Xiao. The harsh accusations and vicious curses merged into a suffocating wave of sound.
Xie Qilan, who had been slumped on the ground, heartbroken and despondent, suddenly burst into a chilling, maniacal laugh upon hearing the clamor of resentment. She raised her head, looking at Yin Huaisi, who stood beside Xi Xiao with a grim expression, her eyes gleaming with twisted triumph: "Huaisi! Good! As expected of my flesh and blood! Once this 'Bewitching Powder' enters the body, it will draw out the deepest fears and resentments within, causing one to sink into an inescapable illusion… Look, they've all gone mad!"
She whirled her head, her venomous gaze fixed on Xi Xiao's face, a cruel smile spreading across her lips. "Looking at these lowly people you risked your life to save, now they wish they could tear you apart... How does that feel?"
Before she finished speaking, a cold light of determination and relief flashed in Xie Qilan's eyes. She suddenly pulled out a sharp ebony hairpin from her hair and plunged it into her heart without hesitation.
The hairpin tip pierced the brocade with a dull tearing sound, sinking deep into flesh. "Songdai... I've come to find you..." The last few indistinct syllables escaped her throat, her body convulsed violently, the light in her eyes quickly dimmed, and finally froze completely, returning to a deathly silence.
Yin Huaisi coldly observed Xie Qilan's still-warm body on the ground, a chilling mockery slowly curving his lips. He stopped looking at the two people on the ground, all emotion vanishing from his face in an instant, leaving only a deep, indifferent expression.
He turned to Xi Xiao, his voice low: "That demon cannot spread its poison throughout the world, and these people must also die."
Hatred surged from Xi Xiao's bloodless face. She suddenly struggled, shaking off Granny Li's hands that were tightly wrapped around her arm. The force was so great that the old woman staggered backward.
She straightened her swaying body, lifted her leg and walked resolutely through the chaotic crowd, heading straight for the huge stone gate outside the palace that separated the southern border from the outside world.
Behind her, the group of people, driven mad by the bewitching drug, followed her like hyenas that had smelled blood, their eyes bloodshot, stumbling and scrambling, forming a desperate and frenzied torrent.
That majestic stone gate still stands silently between heaven and earth, like the most loyal guardian deity, protecting the people within its gates for centuries.
Xi Xiao stopped at the foot of the door, her tiny figure appearing particularly frail in the shadow of the boulder. She raised her bloodied hand, and without a word, silently pressed it against the cold stone wall. With a muffled, ancient sigh, the stone door suddenly cracked open, letting in a torrent of sunlight and the outside world.
Those who had followed closely behind, filled with the belief that they had escaped, froze instantly on the face of their elation. What awaited them was not freedom, but the elite Yuan Chu soldiers already arrayed in a menacing formation outside!
A cold light flashed like a snow-white ribbon, and blood splattered wherever the blade passed! The shrill screams and the muffled thud of the blade piercing flesh instantly replaced the brief cheers, and the crowd that had been shouting wildly just moments before fell down in droves like harvested wheat.
At the edge of this carnage-like scene, a man clad in black armor stood with his arms crossed, a chilling smile playing on his lips, watching the one-sided slaughter with great interest. Who else could it be but General Lin Wuyong of Yuan Chu?
Xi Xiao seemed oblivious to the hellish scene behind her, not even glancing at Lin Wuyong. Her empty gaze swept past the carnage and corpses, fixed on the familiar land beyond the stone gate, and she was about to step out. However, before her foot could land, a hand with distinct knuckles and an irresistible force suddenly gripped her wrist!
"Let's go." Pei Yun's voice sounded behind her, calm and without any ripples. Without saying a word, he pulled her back and almost half-lifted and half-carried her into a simply decorated awning carriage that had been waiting for a long time.
The car was dimly lit and deathly silent. Even He Ying, who used to be cold and sarcastic towards her, now pursed her lips and avoided her gaze with a complicated expression.
Looking at Pei Yun's face, which appeared even more unfathomable in the shadows, Xi Xiao was gripped by a chilling, absurd sense of despair. She suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the enclosed carriage, sharp, shrill, and tinged with the heavy stench of blood. "Haha..." she laughed, almost breathless. "I am now of no use to you, young master. I wonder... what use do you still have for me? Oh, I almost forgot, my remaining bloodline can ensure your longevity. When do you plan to make your move?"
Scenes from their trip to the Southern Frontier flashed through her mind: using her to enter the forbidden lands of the Southern Frontier, luring her to personally use her own mother's flesh and blood as bait to kill the evil spirits, thus eliminating any potential demonic threat. Then, using her to open the stone gate, he used Yuan Chu's blade to thoroughly purge the Southern Frontier royal family… killing several birds with one stone, a flawless plan! Aside from the thin, perhaps somewhat useful, blood of the Witch Clan within her, she couldn't think of any other value he could possibly have in keeping her.
"Don't you want to see your senior brother and that maid named Yunwu?" Pei Yun's voice came calmly, still like a clear mountain spring, cool and gentle, without the slightest fluctuation, as if the bloody massacre just now had nothing to do with him.
This seemingly casual remark, however, was like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing Xi Xiao's manic laughter. She abruptly raised her head; perhaps the sunlight outside the stone gate had been too dazzling, burning her vision, or perhaps the flickering light from the carriage had affected her. In that instant, Xi Xiao vaguely sensed that something extremely subtle had changed on Pei Yun's exceptionally handsome face.
She glanced at him briefly before looking away, her voice calm and detached, carrying an almost numb indifference: "In that case, please keep your promise and let us leave."
Pei Yun sneered repeatedly, not taking her words to heart. The carriage moved forward steadily, just as resolutely as it had when it arrived.
*
Pushing open the wooden door of the inn, Xi Xiao immediately saw the familiar figure on the bed. Yunwu was sitting cross-legged, her brows furrowed, her small face scrunched up. On either side of her stood a tall man, like two door gods. Although they stood straight, they could not hide the deep weariness between their brows, and there were even faint dark circles under their eyes. It was as if they had been tormented by this young lady for three days and three nights without closing their eyes.
Seeing this scene, Xi Xiao felt a sudden pang of sadness. Those days of picking herbs under the sun in the Medicine Valley, laughing and playing amidst the sound of pounding medicine, now seemed so distant, like a lifetime ago, so blurry and unreal.
Her lips twitched slightly, an attempt to force a reassuring smile, but the smile, like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, only rippled briefly before quickly sinking. She stepped forward slowly, her voice slightly hoarse: "What's all this fuss about? Are you feeling much better?"
Yunwu had been keeping her head down, seemingly sulking with someone, when that haunting voice suddenly rang out. She jolted awake, abruptly looking up. When she saw the slender yet incredibly familiar figure at the doorway, her eyes instantly lit up with a brilliant light, which was then blurred by a torrent of tears.
She practically tumbled off the bed, staggering towards Xi Xiao, and with a gust of wind, crashed into her arms, her arms gripping her waist and back tightly like vines.
"Girl—!" A cry pierced the air, filled with overwhelming joy and endless grievance. Hot tears streamed down her face, instantly soaking the fabric of Xi Xiao's clothes. "Where did you go?! If you leave me like this again without a word, I...I'll really get angry..." She spoke rapidly, her little mouth rattling off accusations, as if she wanted to pour out all the worries, grievances, and little resentments that had accumulated over the past few days.
The force of the impact forced Xi Xiao to take a half-step back before regaining her balance. She closed her eyes and gently rested her chin in the warm, fragrant nape of Yunwu's neck. The maid's incoherent sobs and accusations filled her ears, and her slightly childlike chatter, at this moment, sounded strangely comforting.
She tried to maintain a soothing smile, listening quietly as warm tears soaked her temples. However, deep within her once clear, autumn-water-like eyes, a lingering shadow had settled, and the smile on her lips, in the dim light, was tinged with an indescribable bitterness.
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