Even under the combined assault of over a dozen Fourth Realm guards, that Heiyu Figure still did not fall behind.
Her movements were like a tiger or a leopard, black hair cascading like a river of ink and stars. Through the mask, her crimson eyes gleamed with a devouring light.
Let alone ordinary people with no cultivation— even they, the guards, felt a chill at their necks the moment they were caught by those crimson eyes, as if the aura of death was about to become tangible.
A Liu steadied his breathing. With no time to care where the maid Xiaoli was, he unhesitatingly pulled a small jade porcelain vial from his robes, pulled out the stopper, poured out a dark pill with a black jade luster, and tossed it into his mouth.
Boom!
A torrent of domineering medicinal power exploded inside him, making A Liu feel as if he were possessed by a warlord—strength surging endlessly through every limb.
“Young Master, be careful! I’m coming to save you!”
With a roar, he leapt at the Heiyu Figure.
The two clashed in a whirlwind, fist winds roaring and blade lights howling, the force so fierce that others found no chance to intervene.
At the same time, more Jingting Guard members joined the fray from behind. They sealed off the battlefield, and the leading Jingting Guard Commander, also of the Fifth Realm, leaped into the fight alongside A Liu. Together, they fiercely besieged the Heiyu Figure, and the situation was momentarily reversed.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gu Wangchen boarded the carriage under the protection of the guards. The horses neighed loudly as the Coachman turned the carriage, preparing to flee the scene.
“GET LOST!!!”
A demonic, thunderous shout pierced the ears, draining the color from the faces of onlookers on both sides of Phoenix Avenue. In just a breath, the whole scene fell into eerie silence.
“Hyah!”
Crack—
Hooves thundered, carriage wheels crushed the loose stones of the avenue, and the carriage began to pick up speed.
Pulling open the rear carriage window, Gu Wangchen watched as the inheritor of demonic arts was beset by A Liu and the Jingting Guard Commander. Though the distance between them grew greater, the sense of danger in his chest only intensified.
He remembered… in the original plot, Mu Chanyi’s Swallow Heaven Demonic Art could absorb both true qi and life essence—later even the Empire’s Capital Dragon Qi itself. It was a heaven-defying technique.
Moreover, if he remembered right, she could even go berserk!
Huff… boom—!!!
Just then, the black-red demonic aura around Mu Chanyi suddenly swelled to a new level. Even the once-white Bai Tong Mask was stained scarlet.
She reached out, catching and gripping two long blades coming at her from either side. With a furious shout, her fingers tightened.
Clang!
Both blades snapped in her grip, and two streaks of bright red slowly dripped from her pale palms, pooling on the ground as two blood-colored Mandala flowers.
But she seemed unfazed, gripping the broken blades and hurling them hard toward A Liu and the Jingting Guard Commander.
Whoosh—clink…
The two barely dodged; one broken blade embedded itself deep in a shop sign by the road, the other chasing after the carriage and piercing the carriage wall.
“Holy—!”
Looking down at the broken blade that nearly split open his belly, Gu Wangchen broke out in a cold sweat, heart pounding in his throat.
This woman really could go berserk. Even with A Liu powered by the Heiyu Pill and a Jingting Guard Commander of the same realm, neither could defeat her.
And it seemed she was still heavily wounded.
Lifting his head again, he looked out the rear window—only to find Mu Chanyi, beset moments ago, had vanished without a trace.
Crap!
Gu Wangchen instinctively jumped to the side, glancing up at the carriage roof and shouting to the Coachman, “Faster! Give it everything you’ve got and lose her!”
“Hyah!” The Coachman snapped the whip furiously, the hoofbeats now threatening to shatter the stone pavement.
Boom!!
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the carriage roof split open. A black figure dropped from above, landing directly on the central hardwood tea table and shattering a jade-white porcelain teapot.
Tea splashed everywhere, soaking Gu Wangchen’s robes.
No time to think. Since he hadn’t managed to throw her off, Gu Wangchen didn’t care that the carriage was still moving at full speed. He grabbed the window frame and tensed his legs, preparing to leap out.
Better to take a tumble on the street than be caught by that monster.
But just as he gathered strength in his legs and began to jump, a tremendous force yanked him back by the collar.
Crap!
Gu Wangchen’s heart went cold, hope sinking.
If she lost control now and couldn’t be reasoned with, no countermeasures he had would matter.
However…
Recalling his backup plan, his mind steadied. In a flash, two plans of action formed in his head.
“Behave. If you so much as struggle, I’ll snap… one of your fingers!”
At the same time, a slender arm wrapped in bandages and covered in wounds curled around his neck. Because of their height difference, Gu Wangchen caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye—she seemed to be standing on tiptoe.
“Alright, miss. Whatever you want, I’ll cooperate fully.” Seeing she could still communicate, Gu Wangchen calmed down at once and began implementing Plan One.
Mu Chanyi didn’t reply, instead pulling the broken blade from the carriage wall and stowing it in her Storage Pouch at her waist.
Hmm, good material. Might come in handy later—best to keep it.
She then circulated her inner qi, and a black-red aura burst from her body, instantly shattering the already fragile carriage walls.
Bang—!
Wood splintered, debris flying everywhere, and Gu Wangchen suddenly had an all-angles view of Phoenix Avenue.
She shattered the whole carriage with a single palm?
What kind of monster is this?!
With the carriage unbalanced, all the Coachman’s efforts couldn’t stop it from tipping over.
Gu Wangchen felt himself yanked into the air, wind roaring past. His vision spun, and the next second, he landed at the entrance of a side street off Phoenix Avenue.
“Let go of the Young Master!”
“Release Master Gu!”
At this moment, A Liu and the Jingting Guard Commander, along with dozens of Gu Family guards and Jingting Guard Officers, surrounded the two on Phoenix Avenue.
But out of concern for Gu Wangchen’s safety, none dared move in.
“All of you… get the hell out of my way!”
Mu Chanyi gritted her teeth, her voice quivering as if she were suppressing intense pain.
“Otherwise… this guy will be the first to bleed today!”
With that, she began backing into the alley with Gu Wangchen in tow.
“Stop! Do you know who you’re holding?!” the Jingting Guard Commander shouted. “That’s Master Gu, son of Right Chancellor Gu Huaizhang! If you—”
“Shut up, I don’t care who he is…” Mu Chanyi’s clawed fingers dug into Gu Wangchen’s neck, a trickle of bright red dripping slowly down.
“Miss, don’t listen to their nonsense. If you want anything, tell me. You know my father is the current Chancellor—I can definitely give you what you need.”
Seeing Mu Chanyi’s mood begin to waver, Gu Wangchen quickly tried to calm her.
“And all of you—can’t you see what’s happening? Step back, all of you, ten zhang away!”
“But Young Master…” A Liu hesitated.
“Are you deaf? Back off, all of you!”
Once the crowd had retreated, Gu Wangchen felt the urgent breaths behind him finally ease.
Good. Just as he had expected. Time to proceed with Plan One.
After a moment’s thought, he continued, “Miss, I can see you’re seriously injured. I imagine you need a safe place to recover, right?”
He pulled out a bottle of pills, waved it behind him. “This is the Xuanning Rejuvenation Pill. Take it. I’ll have everyone stay at a safe distance, and you can leave directly.”
“You…”
Mu Chanyi seemed confused for a moment, staring at the jade porcelain vial in Gu Wangchen’s hand, her scarlet eyes going blank.
She’d just kidnapped him—why was he giving her medicine?
“Miss, don’t worry about poison. After all, we met by chance; take this as me spending a little to make a good connection.”
Gu Wangchen wasn’t worried that Mu Chanyi would kill innocents for no reason. Her ways were strange and unscrupulous, yes, but she had her limits.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t rank among the most popular female characters in Xianyuan.
Besides, even if she got caught by the Jingting Guard today, the story would ensure she escaped the imperial prison soon after.
Letting her go now wouldn’t drastically alter the story’s course.
After all, he still needed the plot to turn his fate around and raise his Destiny Value.
At that, Mu Chanyi’s hands acted before her mind. She accepted the Xuanning Rejuvenation Pill from Gu Wangchen and tucked it into her leather Storage Pouch at her waist.
Seeing her take the pill, Gu Wangchen smiled slightly. He knew she was a hoarder—offer her consumable treasures, and she’d open up.
Thinking this, he flicked his forefinger as if by accident.
At the same time, shadows along the building’s edge began to shift ever so slightly.