“Xiao Xia… you don’t want to leave together?”
Ever since Xia handed the child over to Jiang Che, she had curled back up into that corner.
As if that were her true place.
This scene felt eerily familiar to Jiang Che.
The moment he was expelled from the sect, he felt utterly hopeless.
Wondering if he would be disabled for life, utterly alone.
He even thought about ending it all.
To the point that when he woke up at Hu Jingzhong’s house, he went without food or drink for a long time.
At that moment, he truly wanted to die, wanted to return to his original world.
“Xia…”
Jiang Che walked over and gently placed his hand on Xia’s shoulder.
“Xia, are you afraid that once we go out, your parents won’t be there anymore?”
The moment he finished speaking, Xia’s body trembled slightly.
Jiang Che knew he had guessed right.
In one’s life, from childhood onward, they rarely consider that their closest people might leave.
But the moment you truly think about it, it becomes unbearable!
“Xia, it’s not over yet. You have to believe—they will be safe. So now, we have to go out and find help. Only then will we have a chance to save them. And if it truly comes to the worst, you won’t be alone. You still have me!”
At these words, it was as if Xia’s heart had been pulled up from the bottom of the sea.
Just when she was about to suffocate, hope returned.
She looked up and met Jiang Che’s earnest face.
There were no sweet words or intense eye contact, yet she could feel a sense of safety.
“Uh… don’t look at me like this, I’m actually quite good at taking care of others.
So…
come with me!”
Seeing Jiang Che stretch out his hand—
That hand was even more delicate than her own, and Xia, driven by some inexplicable impulse, grasped it, feeling the warmth.
She always felt like there was another self inside, telling her she should hold onto this hand.
……
Night had fallen deep and heavy.
Xie Xuan tightened his black robe as he and Wu Qing hurried along.
Their destination was the rundown Earth Temple in Zhenbei, where Tie Shu was to hand over another child.
Xie Xuan’s mind was busy calculating the mission his master had given him and the “sacrifice” about to be secured.
His steps were quick but unsteady.
The moment they reached the Earth Temple, Xie Xuan suddenly stopped dead in his tracks!
“Damn it!”
A suppressed yet violent growl exploded from beneath his black robe.
Wu Qing frowned and immediately halted. “What’s wrong?”
“Damn it! The Formation I set in the Bamboo Forest—someone got out! Damn it! It has to be that brat! He must have taken that mute girl and the baby with him!”
Hearing this, Wu Qing immediately made an incredulous expression.
Xie Xuan’s gaze locked onto him fiercely.
“Isn’t your brother guarding there?”
“How would I know? So, what now? Going back to catch them?”
Wu Qing feigned nonchalance, angering Xie Xuan to gnash his teeth.
But the latter quickly broke into a sinister smile.
“It’s fine. Let them run. I set a small Formation on them to track their movements.
First, get the child, then come back and deal with them!”
Wu Qing’s face twitched ever so slightly.
All he could do now was pray silently.
Xie Xuan closed his eyes, lifted his head, leaving Wu Qing staring at him in disbelief.
What twisted thoughts is this pervert having now?
“Phew—, I can feel it, the aura of the Pure Yang Birthday child. This kind of essence intoxicates me…”
Wu Qing’s mouth twitched again. This pervert, just how hungry is he? Thankfully, he didn’t practice the dark arts.
At that moment, from the shadows of the Earth Temple, a middle-aged man carrying a child appeared.
Seeing Tie Shu holding the child, Xie Xuan’s face lit up with joy.
But before he could step forward, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder, flung him into the air, and with a graceful arc, threw him down onto the empty ground outside the temple.
Just as he was about to curse, the spot where he had been standing exploded violently!
“Boom—!!!!”
A dull, earth-shattering roar tore through the night!
A massive fireball, carrying rocks and dirt, shot skyward, sending scorching waves outward.
The ground where Xie Xuan had stood was blasted into a blackened crater, the edges sizzling.
Xie Xuan was stunned into silence, realizing that if he had been a fraction of a second slower, he would have been blown to bits!
Wu Qing twisted and landed beside Xie Xuan, then bowed respectfully.
“May I ask who you are and what business you have here?”
Before he finished speaking,
The smoke from the explosion dispersed.
Only a figure dressed in a dark Daoist robe stood before Tie Shu, whose face was full of shock.
It seemed the explosion had terrified him greatly.
Xu Yan didn’t pay him any mind, emotionless as he looked at Wu Qing and Xie Xuan.
“I originally thought there would be only one of you. Looks like today’s task is going to be more troublesome.”
……
At the same time—
Jiang Che and Xia, having just escaped the wooden house, were also struggling.
Jiang Che was barely holding on; his right leg couldn’t support him, making running impossible.
Combined with his blindness, he soon tripped and fell hard.
Just moments ago, he had wanted to protect Xia, but now he was the weakest.
Earlier, the little rabbit had its own escape route and didn’t stop for Jiang Che, darting swiftly into a hole.
“Maybe… you should go back to Zhentown first. Find the Town Chief there. He can protect you.”
Jiang Che struggled to get up, understanding that he was a burden.
But Xia didn’t leave as he suggested.
Instead, she squatted on the ground holding the child, grabbed Jiang Che’s hand, and spelled out a few words on it.
“I… will… be… your… eyes…”
Jiang Che felt something clutch his heart tightly.
Before he could respond, Xia reached out and helped him up.
His heart was a mix of emotions.
He hoped everything would go smoothly and deeply wished this girl before him could be saved.
Thinking of this, Jiang Che couldn’t help but think of Lin Yin.
Although he dreaded meeting her, the safest method now was to have her come.
But why hadn’t Lin Yin appeared yet?
He hadn’t even used his spiritual power to sever the Shen Shi Lin Yin had left inside him.
Could it be, just as Xie Xuan said, that his master truly had a way to deal with Lin Yin?
What Jiang Che didn’t know was that Lin Yin’s situation was far from optimistic.
Lin Yin was trapped within a Formation but didn’t know when she had stepped into the enemy’s array.
She only felt herself in complete darkness.
The Formation had no actual physical attack; it targeted the Spirit instead.
But Lin Yin’s Spirit was not something this small Formation could shake.
Before her, distorted figures continuously appeared.
“Heh heh heh! Didn’t expect you to hold out this long! Truly the strongest Female Sword Cultivator with talent the Shenxiao Sect has seen in centuries!”
Each time a twisted phantom appeared with a cold laugh, attempting to disrupt her Spirit, Lin Yin’s delicate brows slightly furrowed.
Her jade-like fingers casually slashed through the air.
“Shhh!”
An invisible Sword Energy, sharp and cold, precisely tore the phantom apart, turning it to wisps of black smoke that dissolved into the darkness.