Chapter 194 Decayed Corpse of the Withered Fores (1/2)
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Xiao Chen dashed madly without stopping to check how far he had run. In the end, he couldn't help coughing up blood. Even though Zuoqiu Ze's sword didn't land completely on him, the attack was enough to damage his heart meridians. Earlier, he had been counting on a very slim chance of survival in trying to strike fear into Zuoqiu Ze's heart. That was the only reason he managed to escape from that sword attack.
If Zuoqiu Ze was ready to give up his life as he was, it would be impossible for him to run away from that attack.
Murong Xian'er immediately propped him up. ”Brother Xiao Chen, are you injured?”
Xiao Chen shook his head. The reason why he forcefully pretended that he was fine all along was to prevent Zuoqiu Ze from noticing that he was injured. Had Zuoqiu Ze noticed, he would have thrown all caution to the wind and chase after him. Right now, Zuoqiu Ze had become determined to kill him and Xiao Chen himself had made up his mind to eliminate his opponent in this forest. Otherwise, they would really end up dying here if they allowed Zuoqiu Ze to call for experts from his family.
However, it was all quiet around him. There was an indescribable sense of eeriness. He didn't know what danger was lurking in this forest. With his heart meridians hurt, it would take him quite some time to recover. How nice would it be if Muxue was here.
The moment he remembered Li Muxue, he felt a sharp stab of heartache. Murong Xian'er pulled him closer to her when she noticed his increasingly pale face. ”What's wrong, Brother Xiao Chen?”
Xiao Chen shook his head, but he knew that it must the Heartless Curse at work. He had been able to suppress the curse with his existing strength but it proved impossible after he sustained injuries. He must not think of Li Muxue anymore. Whenever he thought of her, he would feel intense pain in his heart.
He scanned his surroundings and found a secluded path. They continued down that path for several hours. The sky had already darkened, sinking the forest into a death-like silence. There was even no cry of birds or insects. However, the moon had appeared overhead the forest that saw no sunlight year round. The moonlight was exceptionally cold and sinister, making the forest appear even more secretive.
Xiao Chen sat cross-legged inside a cave, activating his energy and Qi to heal his injuries. Murong Xian'er was holding up a formation and a Barrier to help conceal his breath. Meanwhile, over at the Zuoqiu Manor in Canglan City:
”Young Ze has been out for so long. Is he still not home yet?”
The one speaking was an old man in a grey robe. He appeared a little pale, but a strange glint would appear in his pupils every now and then. This man was none other than Zuoqiu Ze's grandfather, Zuoqiu Ping.
Standing inside the room was another man dressed in a cyan robe. He was the middle-aged man who appeared in the House of Intoxicated Immortals during the day and advised Zuoqiu Ze not to cause trouble. He said, ”Young Ze ran off to chase after Xiao Chen. I think he'll be back very soon.”
Zuoqiu Ping shook his head, sighing. ”Young Ze is too rash sometimes. Xiao Chen is incredibly crafty, putting even Ling Jingshan in trouble earlier. How can he alone be a match for Xiao Chen?”
”Well… Let's consider this as practice for Young Ze.”
Zuoqiu Ping continued to shake his head and sigh. In the end, he said, ”Tell me how Xiao Chen managed to offend the Ling family.”
The cyan-robed man was silent for a while before raising his head and replying, ”I heard he stole Ling Yuxuan's Spiritual Meridians.”
Zuoqiu Ping's expression turned steely. ”That kid knows how to steal Spiritual Meridians?” He closed his eyes as he spoke. While nodding, he continued, ”I've previously met Ling Ruoxu several times, hoping to take a look at his Meridian-seizing Method. But that old thing kept refusing. In his quest for power, he must have stolen the Spiritual Meridians of quite a few people. Who would've expected that his family member would have his Meridians stolen? Hehe!”
Toward the end of his sentence, he suddenly realized something and his expression changed. ”Since that kid knows how to steal Spiritual Meridians… Young Ze is in trouble!” His figure instantly blurred out of view as he turned into a drawn-out light and disappeared out of the window.
Inside the mountain cave, Xiao Chen breathed out deeply. After allowing his energy and Qi to flow for a few hours, his complexion had improved a fair amount. He raised his head and looked out of the cave. He could faintly sense Zuoqiu Ze's breath. He said solemnly, ”Since you want my life, don't blame me for being rude!”
When Murong Xian'er heard his voice from the entrance of the cave, she immediately ran in and asked, ”Are you feeling better now, Brother Xiao Chen?”
Xiao Chen nodded. ”Yeah, I'm fine now. We can't stay here for long. Let's go.” He pulled her hand and led her out of the cave.
The forested path down the mountain looked endless in the cover of the night, making it difficult to distinguish north from south. Xiao Chen held his breath and focused on his surroundings until he finally found the direction Zuoqiu Ze was coming from. He was searching for a spot to ambush Zuoqiu Ze when he suddenly detected an extremely potent breath drifting from afar.
This breath was very strange as if it didn't originate from a living creature. It was rather frightening. Xiao Chen's sensitivity to spirits had always been superior to most people. He could feel that strange breath vividly, making him feel a jolt of fright deep inside. He didn't dare to use his Divine Sense to sweep in that direction, lest he accidentally disturbed that unknown but terrifying existence in the darkness. Even so, this gave him an idea.
He roughly estimated the location of that existence and whispered, ”Xian'er, can you keep quiet no matter what you see later?”