Chapter 103: No Room For Escape (I)

Chapter 103: No Room For Escape (I)

Li Xiangping sat quietly by the fire which illuminated his face with a golden-red sheen. His clothes were worn and torn, and he seemed utterly exhausted.

The ends of his leg hair were curling up from the heat of the flame, but yet, his gaze remained laser-focused on the yams roasting in the fire pit.

He had been fleeing from danger to danger these days and had narrowly escaped death at the hands of Qi Cultivators multiple times now. He has already grown accustomed to deaths having killed countless Mount Yue’s generals, and having experienced rallying people to assault Great Jueting.

Li Xiangping’s demeanor had changed from that of a privileged courtyard dweller to that of a rugged man. The blood and flames of the multitude of battles have toughened him up, gradually turning him into another Jianixi.

“Great King! Mu Jiaoman has gone to Mount Wu... and no one knows what his intentions are!”

Instead of correcting his way of addressing Li Xiangping, Ahuici, and his men even managed to influence Li Qiuyang and Chen Donghe to refer to Li Xiangping as the Great King as well.

Chen Donghe’s leather armor bore a cut, revealing a crimson wound beneath the dirt and dried blood stains. With a map in hand, he traced the routes and patterns with his fingers thoughtfully.

“You must tread carefully, Great King!” he advised with a grave expression.

“Indeed.” Li Xiangping chuckled as he silently grasped the crystal-clear pearl in his pocket.

He’s most likely seeking help from a cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Realm. I can’t continue wasting any more time and I ought to think of a way to send this... thing home as soon as possible!

Li Xiangping had been fighting westward and had acquired the transparent pearl from the altar of a major tribe.

Sensing the Profound Pearl Talisman Pearl in his Qihai acupoint reacting to it, he decided to take it along with him as he figured it probably bore a connection to the mirror at home.

Glancing mischievously at Chen Donghe, who had an extremely serious look on his face, Li Xiangping decided to tease him.

He looked up at the boy with a mischievous smile.

“Hey, He’er, are you smitten with my daughter, Tian’er? Shall I arrange a marriage for you?” he teased with a cheeky tone.

Chen Donghe’s handsome face immediately flushed and his eyes darted down to stare at his toes silently, embarrassed. Li Qiuyang burst into laughter immediately which earned him a kick from Chen Donghe in response, though the boy did not dare to meet Li Xiangping’s gaze.

Li Xiangping shook his head and chuckled. “If Tian’er accepts it, I have no objections! My only condition is that you must take her as your first wife!”

Hearing the approval of his potential father-in-law, Chen Donghe blushed even more, struggling to speak.

“I-I’ll... never... disappoint Tian’er...” he mumbled, stumbling over his words in deep embarrassment.

The crowd erupted into laughter, and Chen Donghe immediately wished the ground would just swallow him then and there.

Ahuici laughed so hard that he coughed.

“Sheesh, the men on Mount Yue snatch any woman they fancy as their wives, no one does things like you people.”

“You want to try doing that?” Li Xiangping asked with an eyebrow raised and a teasing smile.

Ahuici quickly begged for mercy, his quick reaction amusing Chen Donghe so much that he even forgot about his own embarrassment earlier.

The aroma of roasted yams filled the air as Li Xiangping savored his meal. It reminded him of his younger days when he and his elder brother, Li Changhu, would secretly roast yams by the fire pit. Li Changhu always found ways to make him snacks back when he was just a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy.

“I’ve... lived a great life!” he proclaimed with all his might, his voice hoarse and strained.

Memories flashed before him before finally settling on a meandering river where a teenager had just caught a green-tailed fish, then picked up a broken bluish-gray mirror with a curious look on his face. The sunlight illuminated his face and a dazzling smile graced his lips.

The black qi dissipated as quickly as it had appeared, snaking its way back into the void as Li Xiangping’s body withered completely.

However, a gray light suddenly burst forth from Li Xiangping’s Shenyang Mansion.

Every last trace of the black qi was absorbed by the talisman qi in his Shenyang Mansion like a hungry ghost devouring a feast.

Only Li Xiangping’s withered corpse remained kneeling on the ground, a final white light exuding from his Qihai acupoint before gently fading into the void too.

Almost instantly, the crowd let out a loud cry in unison.

“It’s a curse! He was killed by a curse! Jianixi, you coward!” Ahuici cried out in anguish.

“Family Head!”

Chen Donghe wept before Li Xiangping’s body, clenching his fists with such might that they bled.

Sobs filled the air as Li Qiuyang made his way forward, eyes red and glistening.

The sound of flapping wings suddenly filled the air, silencing Chen Donghe’s cries. He was stunned for a moment before immediately pressing his ears to Li Xiangping’s chest.

“Everyone, quiet!” he yelled at the crowd with a deep frown as he tried to focus. The cries and commotion immediately ceased at his command, and after listening for a few moments, he carefully laid Li Xiangping’s body on the ground.

With trembling hands, Chen Donghe placed his fingers gently on Li Xiangping’s pale lips. He applied a little force to part them and immediately heard the flapping noises growing louder.

Ahuici and Li Qiuyang, standing on opposite sides of his body, were visibly stunned. They, too, kneeled down to check.

Buzzzz...

With a sudden force, Chen Donghe watched as a grayish-black locust burst out violently from Li Xiangping’s mouth. Its body was adorned with barbs, the patterns on its wings resembling leaves.

It bounced in Chen Donghe’s hand for a moment before taking flight, its wings flapping rapidly as it whizzed away.

“This is...”

“Locusts! So many locusts!”

The people shouted in alarm as thousands of grayish-black locusts emerged from Li Xiangping’s body, soaring into the sky like a dark storm. People stumbled backward in pain as the swarm of locusts flew past them, their barbs hurting their skin.

“Donghe... This is...” Ahuici’s voice slowly trailed off.

Chen Donghe, with tears still streaming down his face, grabbed Li Xiangping’s Ebony Bow and cast a glance at the disappearing corpse.

As the locusts slowly escaped into the night sky, Chen Donghe gritted his teeth in anger.

“Move out! Don’t let them catch you!” he commanded fiercely.