FID – Chapter 1078

Chapter 1078 – He’d Already Left Himself a Backhand

Utterly embarrassing.

Xue Qinglian hadn’t wanted this to happen, he swore.

But his body was far more honest than his heart; what could he do?

“Lucky Nannan, this is your man. You need to train him better. Teach him to treat people politely, tell him to stop narrowing his eyes and threatening folks all the time.” If he released his Big Honglian, the aura in his narrowed eyes wouldn’t lose to Feng Qingbai’s one bit.

Feng Qingbai treated his words like a fart in the wind.

He wrapped an arm around Liu Yusheng, turned, and walked off,straight toward the deep mountains and forests.

There was no chance of getting back into the city. The gates and the docks were surely guarded. Going there would be delivering themselves into a trap.

Xue Qinglian lifted Qian Yi down and followed behind them, dragging his feet lazily.

“The deep mountains are full of bugs. We should go into the city instead. Wouldn’t it be a waste not to use all those masks I made?”

“Change faces all you want, you still won’t talk your way through an identity check. Are you courting death?”

“I have medicine,” he said. He was the Ghost Doctor, the ancestor of all poisons, hello?

“Does your medicine have range?”

“…” Thinking about how arrows had rained from all directions the last time he tried scattering powder, Xue Qinglian obediently quickened his pace. “Nannan, how did you escape? Those bastards didn’t give you trouble, did they?”

“They did.” Liu Yusheng turned her head and flashed him a toothy smile.

What kind of useless question was that? If they hadn’t made things hard for her, would she have run?

“I should’ve let Shan Lai drop dead on the spot,” Xue Qinglian muttered regretfully. “Why bother with slow-acting poison? I should’ve killed her instantly. Then we wouldn’t be fleeing so wretchedly now.”

Hearing the others mention Shan Lai, Qian Yi poked out her small head. “Was it really Sister Shan Lai who harmed you?”

“Sister? What sister? She’s more poisonous than the bugs she raises. A wasp’s sting is vicious enough. Your sister is the queen bee.”

Qian Yi: “…” The Shan Lai she knew wasn’t like that.

Or perhaps she’d never actually known what Shan Lai was truly like.

She had only met that sister a few times before, and each time the woman had treated her politely.

But since Xue Qinglian and the others clearly didn’t like her, she decided not to bring her up again.

After all, she wasn’t that close to her anyway.

If Sister Shan Lai was going against Xue Qinglian, then… she would stand on Xue Qinglian’s side.

She didn’t know why she didn’t hesitate at all—but she simply wouldn’t help anyone hurt Xue Qinglian.

None of the four were familiar with the terrain of Xiliang. Even though Qian Yi was from Xiliang, she had spent her whole life in the village, rarely even stepping outside the gates. Wandering in the deep mountains, she was just as hopelessly lost.

What should’ve been a frantic escape turned into the four of them giving up on panic altogether—moving slowly, almost leisurely, turning a fugitive journey into wilderness sightseeing.

As Xue Qinglian put it, he wasn’t running for his life; he was simply trying to be kind and avoid unnecessary deaths.

Ghost Doctor. Master of Poisons. Look it up.

Whoever touched him would die.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. They had followed the edge of the forest, but no one knew exactly where they had ended up. Still, along the entire route, there had been no pursuing soldiers.

That shouldn’t have been possible. They had infiltrated the Xiliang Imperial Palace and then escaped under the watch of the emperor’s heavily armed guards. There was no wa\y the palace would let them go so easily. They must have stationed troops at various checkpoints throughout the city. How could there be no pursuit?

Moreover, Xue Qinglian had scouted the surrounding villages and hadn’t seen any trace of government soldiers either.

It was as if the Xiliang royal family had completely forgotten about them.

By the late evening of July, the sun was sinking in the west. Fiery clouds burned red along the horizon, painting the entire sky in shades of purple and gold.

In a secluded corner of the forest, dappled sunlight filtered through the trees.

In front of the four of them, a fire burned, with two rabbits roasting on a spit, filling the air with an irresistible aroma.

Yet, for Liu Yusheng, the smell had grown somewhat tiresome. After all, for several days straight, they had eaten nothing but roasted meat. No matter how fragrant, it could become cloying.

Fortunately, she had fruit trees in her space. She could always find a reason to bring some out and share it, giving everyone a change of taste.

In the deep mountains and forests, wild fruits were plentiful. Xue Qinglian and Qian Yi were content to eat without suspicion.

During the meal, someone tossed a fruit, and Liu Yusheng leaned against Feng Qingbai, feeling listless. “I wonder when we’ll finally get out of here. No pursuers, and no soldiers stationed in the nearby towns. What do you think the Xiliang emperor is plotting?”

“Maybe he knows he can’t catch us, so he’s given up,” Xue Qinglian said lazily, leaning against a tree trunk.

“Impossible,” Feng Qingbai said calmly, his long eyes distant. “He’ll find a way to kill me.”

Because he was the King of Nanling.

As long as the Xiliang emperor’s ambitions remained, he would never miss what might be his only chance to eliminate him.

Liu Yusheng nodded. “I think they’re holding back a big move. Right now, it feels more like the calm before a storm.”

Shan Lai’s sharp personality was becoming more evident. Liu Yusheng had a feeling that the woman would not let them go easily.

Xue Qinglian scoffed. “Bring it on. We’ll finish eating and march straight into the town, strolling down the streets openly. Let’s see what they can do.”

Having roamed the Jianghu for so many years, he had faced all kinds of trouble; he was not one to shrink back in fear.

With that, he stood up, heading toward the fire to grab the roasted wild rabbit.

But the moment he straightened, his body wavered, and he stumbled forward, almost falling face-first.

“Xue Qinglian!”

A woman’s startled shout rang in his ears, and someone quickly steadied him, preventing him from falling headfirst into the fire.

“Xue Qinglian!”

When he opened his eyes again, three worried faces stared back at him, and even Feng Qingbai’s brow was furrowed.

Xue Qinglian smelled the metallic tang of blood at the corner of his mouth and smirked. “Oh? Did I vomit blood?”

“Can you be serious for once?” Liu Yusheng’s expression was grave. She placed her fingers on his pulse, her concern deepening.

The little girl Qian Yi looked even paler, crouching nearby with reddened eyes, as if he were on the brink of death.

“My body’s fine, just a little blood from my mouth. Look at all these faces,” Xue Qinglian said, settling himself. He pulled his hand back, keeping Liu Yusheng from continuing her examination. “I’m a doctor myself. If my body had a real problem, I’d know it.”

“Then explain what’s wrong with your body. Normal people don’t suddenly cough up blood,” Liu Yusheng asked directly, not bothering to argue.

“……”

“Do you want to die? I can help with that,” the stoic man across from her added flatly, as if to make sure he was scared straight.

Xue Qinglian slowly leaned back against the tree. “Alright, alright, I’ll explain. Since yesterday, I suddenly felt discomfort in my kidneys. My five internal organs are showing signs of atrophy and failure—just like Feng Mohan’s previous symptoms. But I haven’t been cursed; I’m certain of that.”

Liu Yusheng and Feng Qingbai exchanged a glance and simultaneously said, “Xue Zhong.”

“Probably,” Xue Qinglian murmured, a faint shadow flickering in his eyes, though his face remained lazily smiling. “In the end, man plans and heaven disposes. Who would’ve known my five organs would fail?”

“There’s more than the Life Link Gu in his body. He’s also been implanted with the ‘Undying’ Gu!” Liu Yusheng ground her teeth, her clenched fists trembling uncontrollably.

No wonder there were no pursuers behind them.

So Shan Lai had prepared a backup plan all along!

They had blocked Xue Zhong’s Life Link Gu from triggering but hadn’t realized there was another Gu in his body. Now they were far away in Xiliang. How could they get back in time to save Xue Zhong?