CH 81

Chapter 81: Did This Little Gongzi Miss Me That Much? We Haven’t Been Apart For Long, Have We?

At this time, the two Secret Servants who were escorting Qi Ci were feeling very distraught.

First of all, both the carriage and the luggage had been lost, and the three of them had to walk all the way back. Second, the road to the Capital was already blocked, so they had to take another path, making a big turn before they could return to the Capital.

As they walked, Qi Ci showed great uneasiness. When noticing this, one of the Secret Servants tried to reassure him: “Your Highness, don’t worry. Lord Bian is not an ordinary person, he will surely be able to beat that fierce beast to death.”

Qi Ci nodded, knowing that this wasn’t the time to feel frustrated. He tried his best to cheer himself up and hurried on their walk.

“Your Highness, how about we go back to the town where we stayed earlier so we can buy some horses and continue our journey?” One of the Secret Servants asked Qi Ci for instructions.

Qi Ci pondered for a while and then said: “Alright, let’s do that. We should also let the people in that town know that there are fierce beasts wandering around. Let them know that they should be careful.”

Suddenly, the ground shook loudly and the three of them staggered, falling to the ground one after another. At the same time, a large crack formed on the ground, and one of the Secret Servants nearly fell into it, however, the other Secret Servant rescued him in time.

“What’s going on?!” The Secret Servant shouted.

As soon as the Secret Servant spoke, he felt a chill run down his spine. However, it wasn’t just him, as both Qi Ci and the other Secret Servant felt the same. The three of them felt as if their flesh and blood had been torn from their bodies, breaking their bones bit by bit until all of their deepest fears were ripped from their guts.

All three looked at the same time in the same direction, and what they saw made their blood run cold.

The Taotie was not far from where they were, spitting blood from its mouth as it looked directly at them.

Qi Ci’s head buzzed with terrible thoughts: ‘If the Taotie is here, what happened to Bian Zhonghua? Was he able to escape? Or….’ Such a thought made Qi Ci tremble in fear, to the point where his bones began to creak. After all, Qi Ci didn’t dare to think of such a possibility, quickly trying to calm his mind.

The gaze that the ferocious beast cast upon them was oppressive and terrifying. At that moment, the two Secret Servants rushed to draw their swords to protect Qi Ci: “Your Highness, we will take care of this, hurry and run away as fast as you can!”

“You two….” Qi Ci was unwilling to part, wanting to escape together.

Right when Qi Ci was about to stop them, he saw that the two Secret Servants stared at each other, only to shout next: “Your Highness, run!!!”

With that said, one of the Secret Servants pushed Qi Ci aside. Then, both of them swung their swords at the Taotie.

Qi Ci stumbled forward, and as he desperately gritted his teeth, he ran away as fast as he could. Unexpectedly, Qi Ci suddenly heard a terrible cry of pain behind him. Unable to stop himself, Qi Ci turned his head as he ran, only to see that under the Taotie’s feet were the two Secret Servants, whose bodies were being pierced by the Taotie’s sharp teeth.

Then, the Taotie swallowed them both in one bite, along with the grass and trees on the ground, without even needing to chew.

Qi Ci shuddered and a sensation of sorrow swept through his body. Given that Qi Ci didn’t want to dishonor the loyalty those two Secret Servants showed to him, he ran desperately with red and teary eyes.

The Taotie could see where Qi Ci was trying to run away, and with a single hand, it uprooted the tree right next to it, forcefully throwing it at Qi Ci.

Qi Ci was able to dodge the trunk in a panic, but because his feet weren’t stable enough, he ended up falling to the ground. After rolling on the ground several times, with his arms protecting his head from the harsh impact, Qi Ci’s body ended up hitting a stone wall heavily. At that moment, Qi Ci felt as if his internal organs had been stirred with a stick, while his entire body ached from scratches and bruises.

Qi Ci struggled to get up a few times, and as he gritted his teeth, he thought, ‘I don’t want to die like this’. Therefore, Qi Ci staggered, determined to continue escaping. However, as soon as his feet landed on the ground, a searing pain hit his knees. 

‘How am I going to run now?’

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The Taotie walked slowly toward Qi Ci, its eyes filled with an undisguised feeling of disdain and contempt.

When Qi Ci realized that the Taotie was only a few meters away from him, Qi Ci suddenly picked up a stone from the ground and threw it viciously at the Taotie. However, the stone barely grazed the Taotie’s skin, rolling to the ground as if nothing had happened. Clearly, the Taotie hadn’t even felt the touch of the stone.

After glancing at the stone that had rolled on the ground, the Taotie simply opened its mouth and pounced at Qi Ci.

Qi Ci closed his eyes, feeling nothing but despair. At that moment, he couldn’t help but think about how happy and carefree his life had been after he started traveling this land. The only thing he regretted was that he was never able to confess his love to Bian Zhonghua, just as he regretted not knowing what happened to Bian Zhonghua after they parted ways. If Qi Ci could have a single wish just before he died, it would be not to find Bian Zhonghua on the road to the Yellow Springs1.

As these wild thoughts grew within Qi Ci’s mind, Qi Ci suddenly felt like his body had risen into the air, only to fall into someone’s arms right after.

When Qi Ci opened his eyes, he saw a familiar face.

‘Like a mountain being overtaken by water, I was immersed in a desperate situation. But you, like the dense willow trees and blooming flowers2, have taken me back from death’s door3, bringing me nothing but joy.’

Bian Zhonghua hugged Qi Ci tightly as he jumped a few steps back, getting away from the Taotie. As Bian Zhonghua looked at Qi Ci, he laughed: “Surprised? Didn’t I tell you that I would come back for you?”

Qi Ci held onto Bian Zhonghua’s clothes as tightly as he could, but in the end, he was unable to utter a single word. He simply stared at Bian Zhonghua, as if he was going to disappear from his sight at any moment.

Bian Zhonghua couldn’t stop himself from teasing him: “What? Did this little Gongzi miss me that much? We haven’t been apart for long, have we?”

Qi Ci nodded with a sniffling nose: “I’m glad you’re alright.”

As soon as Qi Ci said those words, the Taotie’s voice was heard: “You actually appeared. This time, I won’t let you escape.”

After saying this, the Taotie stomped on the ground violently, shaking both the earth and the mountains. Even Bian Zhonghua, with his usual stable posture, could barely stand firm. After calming his mind, Bian Zhonghua held onto Qi Ci and began to dodge the trees that started to fall one after another. However, the next second, Bian Zhonghua saw how a large crack had suddenly appeared on the ground.

Immediately afterward, the ground began to collapse in all possible directions, while debris began to fall down the opening made in the ground. On the other hand, the place where Bian Zhonghua and Qi Ci were standing suddenly rose from the ground, while the surrounding area turned into cliffs!

Bian Zhonghua and Qi Ci were trapped, and their only way out was blocked by the Taotie!

The Taotie laughed loudly with pride, and its unpleasant voice rang in their ears.

It seemed that Bian Zhonghua didn’t expect this to happen, as his face looked quite gloomy. After putting Qi Ci down, Bian Zhonghua pushed him behind him, thinking: ‘I can only fight now.’

“Hide,” Bian Zhonghua whispered to Qi Ci.

Qi Ci was filled with worry, but he also knew that he couldn’t be of help no matter how much he wanted to. Thus, he took a few steps back and hid behind a tree.

Bian Zhonghua took a deep breath, summoned the sword flooded with silver light, and immediately sent it towards the Taotie. On the cliff, the wind was so strong that it could lift Bian Zhonghua’s sleeves, hitting his arms fiercely.

‘At least….at least I should lead the Taotie away so that Qi Ci can escape.’

The Taotie stared at Bian Zhonghua and said: “Demon Emperor Zhonghua, how pathetic you have become. You became like this after being trapped by love, and now you’re repeating the same mistake.”

Bian Zhonghua said: “I must have beat you before because you talk too much. You shouldn’t hurt Qi Ci in order to force me out.”

The Taotie sneered: “You’re nothing but a waste now. Once I stomp you to the ground, I’ll bite that man to pieces. I’ll bite off his limbs first, so you can hear each of his miserable cries. Then I’m going to suck his blood through his head until he’s completely dry.”

The sword in Bian Zhonghua’s hand shook all of a sudden, flying into the air with the intention of stabbing the Taotie. But at that moment, the Taotie roared towards the sky as it raised its beast foot, stomping the sword on the ground!

The sword clanked and struggled several times, trying to free itself from the beast’s foot. But in the end, it couldn’t move a single centimeter, getting trampled under the ferocious beast!

Bian Zhonghua was completely shocked, leaned over, and coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The Taotie laughed once again with glee.

“Bian Zhonghua!!” Qi Ci shouted in panic.

Actually, Bian Zhonghua looked quite calm, as if he had a countermeasure. After wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Bian Zhonghua took out a small box from his bosom, muttering: “I just realized I still had this with me.”

Bian Zhonghua threw the box at Qi Ci and yelled: “Put it away and make sure to give it to Qin Yicang when you’re back in the Capital. I don’t want to owe him a favor.”

Qi Ci caught the wooden box, discovering that it contained various unknown incense inside. Qi Ci then fixed his gaze on Bian Zhonghua, who had summoned his sword again.

Bian Zhonghua slowly raised the sword with his right hand and pointed it at the Taotie with a completely determined cold gaze.

The Taotie mocked: “Demon Emperor Zhonghua, don’t waste your energy.”

Bian Zhonghua laughed coldly, then pointed the blade of the sword at his own shoulder.

The shoulder that had the dragon pattern!

Bian Zhonghua stabbed his shoulder fiercely with the sword! At that moment, the red dragon pattern appeared and disappeared intercalated, while blood oozed out from the wound, staining the blade of the sword as well as the shoulder. Bian Zhonghua frowned, bending over in pain, almost unable to get up.

The blood-stained sword began to gradually disappear, melting into Bian Zhonghua’s flesh and blood. The dragon pattern also began to gradually disappear. At the same time, the wound on his shoulder began to heal!

Qi Ci was completely stunned, when all of a sudden, he remembered something important.

Bian Zhonghua once told him that his power was sealed by the dragon pattern on his right shoulder….

However, Bian Zhonghua also said that once it was unsealed, he wouldn’t be able to control his own power, his tendons and veins would shatter and he would be possessed!!!