Broken Linglong (17)
Yun Yanqiu rarely smiled, and even rarely spoke to people he wasn't familiar with. Ye Yingying still remembered how surprised she was when Yun Yanqiu first spoke to her. At that time, the sword formation in the Xuanming Realm was no match for her; no matter how Yun Yanqiu threw her into the formation, she could emerge unharmed within half an hour.
Yun Yanqiu had considered other ways to get rid of her from Xuanming Realm, but Ye Yingying always managed to find another way in. After all, as the master, he couldn't even control the location of the entrance to his own secret realm.
Ye Yingying always entered with a righteous air, and everyone thought that Yun Yanqiu would get annoyed by her antics and hurt her, or at worst, kill her. But for some reason, even though Yun Yanqiu's brows were almost furrowed with worry, he never laid a hand on her. Eventually, he simply stopped paying attention to her and let her wander around the secret realm as long as she didn't touch the Rakshasa Jade.
Feeling emboldened, Ye Yingying became increasingly unrestrained within Xuanming territory, frequently flipping through the books in Yun Yanqiu's room and drinking the tea Yun Yanqiu had just brewed, acting as if she were no outsider. Yun Yanqiu observed this but never spoke to her.
Finally, one day, Ye Yingying pitifully said that she had gone to a frigid area in the Northern Continent and was shivering from the cold. Yun Yanqiu surprisingly replied to her, "You're not afraid of the extreme cold in the Xuanming Realm, so why would you be afraid of a little chill outside?"
Ye Yingying was taken aback when Yun Yanqiu responded, and for a moment she stood there frozen, like an ice sculpture. After a while, she came to her senses, overjoyed, and moved closer to Yun Yanqiu with a smile, saying, "Being next to you warms my heart, so naturally I'm not cold anymore!"
"Glib-tongued."
After making his comments, Yun Yanqiu fell silent again, refusing to utter a word no matter how much Ye Yingying tried to coax him. But the fact that he was willing to speak at all had already given Ye Yingying a great deal of encouragement.
After that, every time Ye Yingying talked on and on, Yun Yanqiu would pick a point to reply with a couple of sentences. In this back and forth, the two formed a kind of unspoken understanding.
"In that case, I'll wait for you." Yun Yanqiu's words brought Ye Yingying back to reality. After saying this, he returned to his room.
Ye Yingying stared blankly at the door that had closed again. She had been hesitant about whether to fulfill her bet with Qin Zhiqing or agree to Qi Shuojun's request that night, but now she didn't need to think about it anymore. Compared to the two soon-to-be-married couple, she decided to prioritize Yun Yanqiu.
As night fell, Ye Yingying set off early for her ancestral home. When she arrived at the foot of the mountain, Qin Zhiqing was already quietly waiting for her again.
Ye Yingying saw her from afar and greeted her, "Miss Qin, you're here so early?"
"It's not early," Qin Zhiqing replied. Normally, if her parents were still in the manor, she would never have been able to leave. But thanks to the Qi family's pre-wedding customs and etiquette, Qi Shuojun, as the groom, had to host a separate banquet for Qin's parents at Zuijinlou. As the bride, she didn't need to accompany them, which allowed her to escape from the manor.
"Then let's not waste any more words." Ye Yingying tugged at the sleeve covering her wrist and said seriously, "How do you plan to break the mechanism?"
Qin Zhiqing nodded: "You just need to know that I can solve it."
"Wow, quite cautious." Ye Yingying crossed her arms and laughed, "Indeed."
After saying that, Qin Zhiqing turned around, walked to the tree that had been marked, and stood there. She raised her hand and poured spiritual power into the mark, and the leaf-shaped mark lit up again.
"Keep up." Qin Zhiqing glanced back at Ye Yingying, then leaned forward and dashed into the woods before Ye Yingying could reply.
"Slow down! I can't run as fast as you!" Ye Yingying shouted behind her, but Qin Zhiqing showed no signs of slowing down, so she had no choice but to catch up quickly.
The two chased each other, like two black lightning bolts weaving through the forest. Halfway through, Qin Zhiqing suddenly stopped and looked around. Ye Yingying stood to the side, wondering what she was up to.
“Something’s not right,” Qin Zhiqing explained. “Usually, by the time we get here, that guy should be getting close.”
"You seem to know it very well," Ye Yingying teased.
Qin Zhiqing ignored her and warily scanned her surroundings. The rustling of leaves occasionally drifted through the woods, suggesting something was lurking in the shadows.
Seeing her so cautious, Ye Yingying couldn't help but say, "Alright, if it's going to appear, I'll be the one to deal with it. Why are you so nervous?"
"You don't understand." Qin Zhiqing's reaction was less nervous and more out of habit. During this time, the golden light and shadow lingered, leaving a deep imprint on Qin Zhiqing's mind. Whenever she arrived at a familiar place, she would instinctively go on alert.
But for some reason, the Azure Golden Hou did not appear today. Ye Yingying was happy to delay a little longer, but Qin Zhiqing waited for a while and still did not see any trace of the monster, so she hurriedly set off and continued to run towards the top of the mountain.
The two followed the markers to the vicinity of the ancestral altar. Looking into the distance, the command flag on the high platform was swaying in the wind, and the surroundings were completely silent. Apart from the two of them, there was no other living creature.
"Come on, show me." Ye Yingying gestured for Qin Zhiqing to proceed.
Qin Zhiqing drew a short knife from her waist and swung it forcefully towards the ground between two large trees. The knife struck something hard, making a crisp sound. The next second, several arrows flew and hit the ground, forming a slanted cross. Judging from the trajectory of the arrows, they all came from the treetops on both sides.
Ye Yingying looked up, the dense branches and leaves blocking most of her view, but under the moonlight, she could still vaguely see the slender arrow shadows on the main trunk.
Qin Zhiqing threw several more short knives at the ground around her, and arrows rained down from the trees. A quick glance around revealed the sheer density of the traps; there was practically nowhere to escape. Qin Zhiqing frowned, raising her hand to throw another, but Ye Yingying stopped her, saying, "If you try a few more times, there won't be any way to get through."
"Miss Qin, your so-called solution isn't to try all the mechanisms to see if there's a way out, is it?" Seeing Qin Zhiqing remain silent, Ye Yingying gasped, knowing she had guessed correctly. "Are you serious?"
She thought Qin Zhiqing's confident bet with her was well-prepared, but her method was so simple and crude. To be honest, it wasn't entirely without effect, but how long would this trial last?
“There are probably more traps around here than just this one. If we try them all, not only will we not have enough time, but the commotion will also alert the Qi family.” Looking at the arrows scattered on the ground, Ye Yingying’s expression turned serious. It seemed that this place was determined not to let anyone pass.
"That's still better than just standing around doing nothing," Qin Zhiqing said firmly, clearly intending to continue trying.
"No, no, no..." Ye Yingying was drenched in sweat. "I'll just go back and ask Qi Shuojun for a solution. Why take such a risk?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Zhiqing's expression hardened. She suddenly realized that she had been too focused on finding the Azure Nether True Fire and had forgotten to find out how much Qi Shuojun knew about this matter! Her brows furrowed immediately: "He knows you're looking for the Azure Nether True Fire? Then doesn't he also know why I came to the ancestral land?"
"Hmm... well." Ye Yingying licked her lips awkwardly, her gaze wandering. "Young Master Qi knows that we are both searching for the True Fire, but don't worry, he didn't tell his father. On the contrary, he even helped to find a solution."
"Why would he do this?" Qin Zhiqing was puzzled. What exactly did Qi Shuojun mean? First, he sent people to follow her, and now that he knows the truth, he's still putting on an act in front of her? He could have simply confronted her and ended the marriage, so why did he do this...?
"Maybe he really cares about you?"
"Impossible!" Qin Zhiqing suddenly denied excitedly.
Ye Yingying was puzzled by her sudden reaction and couldn't help but ask, "Why is it impossible? Qi Shuojun has been treating you quite well, hasn't he? What are you afraid of? Or have you done something wrong?"
Her question struck a nerve with Qin Zhiqing, who was usually indifferent, but now looked tense and flustered.
Ye Yingying was also somewhat surprised. What secret was Qin Zhiqing hiding? And what did this secret have to do with Qi Shuojun?
A series of questions flooded her mind, and for some reason, Ye Yingying blurted out her initial guess: "Could it be that you really have a lover outside?"
"What?"
Before Qin Zhiqing could react, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from not far away. The two of them turned their heads in the direction of the sound at the same time. Instantly, a golden, gleaming beast appeared from the darkness. It walked with a majestic gait, its back arched, and its long, powerful tail swayed behind it, clearly assuming a posture of being ready to pounce.
Realizing the danger, the two didn't hesitate and took off running. The golden-green beast seemed enraged; it roared to the sky, even startling the birds all over the mountain. In an instant, the quiet forest became restless, filled with panic and commotion.
As Qin Zhiqing ran, she yelled at Ye Yingying, "Didn't you have a way to deal with it?!"
"We still need to keep our distance!" Ye Yingying shouted at the top of her lungs, "It could have jumped right onto my face!"
Something's not right, something's definitely not right. This Azure Golden Hou is acting strangely compared to last night! Ye Yingying's intuition was screaming at her, but she was too busy running around to think straight.
She finally managed to glance back and saw that the monster was chasing her even more urgently than before. Its eyes were fierce, and its sharp claws were fully extended. If its prey was even a step too slow, it could become a dead soul under its claws.
Ye Yingying dared not relax and ran towards the foot of the mountain with all her might. Qin Zhiqing, needless to say, was even faster, moving through the forest at a speed far ahead of Ye Yingying. Ye Yingying was somewhat panicked. She clearly felt that she had reached her speed limit, and even if she wanted to go faster, it would be useless.
The heavy breathing of the Azure Golden Hou echoed behind her like a death knell, stirring up an instinctive fear in Ye Yingying's heart. She ran desperately, afraid that a moment's carelessness would result in the beast's sharp claws piercing her chest.
Seeing that she was getting closer and closer to the exit, Ye Yingying gritted her teeth and made a final push, rushing out of the woods without slowing down at all.
"Give me your hand!"
Qin Zhiqing's voice suddenly rang out. Ye Yingying had no time to think, and she forcefully raised her arm, stretching it forward. Immediately afterward, a thick whip came whistling through the air, like a winding python instantly wrapping around Ye Yingying's arm. An irresistible force lifted her into the air, spinning her around.
Ye Yingying looked behind her and saw a gaping maw right in front of her, its sharp teeth reflected in her pupils, about to pierce her flesh.
The whip slammed her heavily onto the hard ground outside the forest. The golden beast howled as if struck by lightning the moment its front paws leaped out of the forest. It was then bounced back into the woods, its golden light dimming.
Ye Yingying was stunned by the scene. She was panting heavily, ignoring the pain from hitting the ground, and stared straight at the faint golden light in the dim woods.
"Stop looking! Let's go!" Qin Zhiqing shouted, releasing the whip that was wrapped around Ye Yingying's arm, then grabbed her hand and ran back.
Ye Yingying staggered to her feet and continued running after Qin Zhiqing. Both of them were panting heavily, and their speed was not as fast as before. Only when they saw the outline of Yuancheng did Qin Zhiqing let go, stop, and bend over to catch her breath.
Ye Yingying, who was standing to the side, stared ahead, her mind filled with the scene that had just occurred. She adjusted her breathing and said slowly, "That Azure Golden Hou was very agitated. Something must have provoked it."
"What do you mean?" Qin Zhiqing straightened up and asked, "Do you think there's something else in those mountains?"
"I don't know, but it only drove us away the night before last, but attacked us directly tonight. Something must have influenced it," Ye Yingying said confidently. "And that barrier..."
Just one day later, things developed in a way that completely exceeded Ye Yingying's expectations. Ye Yingying closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and calmed herself down. Then she opened her eyes and said calmly, "It seems that we still have to find Qi Shuojun."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
