Chapter 53: Past Memories of Xiaodong (Part 1)

The illusion realm in which Yue Dong found himself was remarkably similar to Qing Lan's; both of them were confronted with their most lingering and unforgettable pasts.

Upon ascending Mirror Mountain, he opened his eyes amidst the thick white mist, finding himself once again within Mingshan of the Eastern Territory, face to face with Chen Ying and Xu Wan.

Behind him, the two were fleeing for their lives, desperately trying to outrun a relentless Ghost Tiger in fierce pursuit.

The Ghost Tiger possessed a massive physique, resembling a moving mass of black rock, its body wreathed in eerie black markings. It moved with terrifying speed, its two bell-like eyes locked fixedly upon Chen Ying.

A sudden frown creaked across Yue Dong's brow—only now did he realize that perhaps the words Chen Ying had spoken to him before his death were not the whole truth.

The eyes of the Ghost Tiger were filled with frantic anxiety, and it continuously emitted low, angry growls. From between its fangs, streams of black water shot forth like piercing arrows, all targeting Chen Ying.

It was glaringly obvious that what truly enraged the Ghost Tiger was not merely the fact that these two individuals had stolen the Ghost-Branch Lotus, but that they had plundered every single lotus and utterly destroyed the muddy marshland where the flowers grew!

Yue Dong saw the situation with crystal clarity, his gaze as cold as ice—if Chen Ying had simply dropped the lotus and run for his life at that moment, both he and Xu Wan would likely have escaped unscathed.

Xu Wan, currently in full flight, also perceived this reality. She said anxiously, "Captain, that Ghost Tiger only wants the lotus! Drop the lotus, and we can still escape!"

Hearing this, Chen Ying remained completely expressionless, entirely unmoved.

After a brief moment, however, he turned to Xu Wan, his tone resolute and absolute: "You go ahead. I will hold it back."

Without waiting for a reply, he forcefully thrust one of the lotus flowers into Xu Wan's hands.

Xu Wan parted her lips as if to argue, but Chen Ying stopped her with a gaze of chilling severity.

Left with no choice, she let out a sigh and turned to run forward.

She failed to notice how bizarre Chen Ying's expression truly was, leaving her entire back exposed to him.

Two blade edges materialized in Chen Ying's hands, their tips trembling slightly. Imbued with surging sword qi, the twin blades soared into the air.

Even at that moment, Xu Wan still believed those two blades were meant to strike the Ghost Tiger; she had no inkling whatsoever that she was the true target locked in their sights.

"Swish!"

The blades cleaved through the air. Caught completely off guard, Xu Wan's legs were ruthlessly severed in a split second.

"Bang!"

Her entire body, like a kite with a snapped string, plummeted heavily to the ground. Fresh blood gushed from her mutilated limbs, her face frozen in utter disbelief.

At that exact moment, Chen Ying swept past her like a gust of wind. In that fleeting instant in mid-air, his gaze lowered, casting a hasty parting glance upon Xu Wan.

With an apology written all over his face, he murmured, "Forgive me, A-Wan."

Chen Ying vanished swiftly into the dense forest. Moments later, the Ghost Tiger caught up, having picked up the lingering scent of the Ghost-Branch Lotus upon the woman. It approached slowly, its giant eyes brimming with murderous intent.

Severely wounded, Xu Wan forced herself to remain calm. Enduring the excruciating agony, she clenched her teeth and channeled her spiritual energy to stem the bleeding. Incapable of normal movement now, and watching the Ghost Tiger draw steadily closer, panic gripped her. She continuously propped herself up with her hands, backing away inch by inch.

At this crucible of life and death, a sudden flash of inspiration struck her mind. Realizing the truth of the situation without a moment's hesitation, she mustered every ounce of her remaining strength and hurled the Ghost-Branch Lotus—the one Chen Ying had handed her—far away.

The massive form of the Ghost Tiger drew slowly closer, its eyes blazing crimson. The thick stench hanging in the air grew more oppressive, as if capable of freezing blood and suffocating the breath from one's lungs. The muscles rippling beneath its hide resembled undulating mountain ranges, radiating an even more terrifying aura of slaughter.

In this moment of absolute despair, however, the Ghost Tiger merely snatched up the lotus in its jaws. Casting a cold glance at Xu Wan, it suddenly lowered its body, bounded forward with a mighty leap, and sped away at blinding speed to continue its pursuit of Chen Ying.

Having narrowly escaped death, Xu Wan finally realized she was drenched in cold sweat. Panting heavily, her chest heaving violently, she forced herself to calm down slightly before immediately channeling her spiritual energy to tend to her wounds—sustaining an injury in Mingshan was terrifying enough, let alone losing her mobility entirely.

The process of stopping the bleeding and treating the damage was agonizingly painful. Trembling violently through the torment, Xu Wan's face twisted with harrowing pain.

Standing nearby, Yue Dong reached out, his hand passing phantom-like through Xu Wan's shoulder, his face etched with profound heartache.

...

Half a day passed. Drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, Xu Wan was desperately weak, but the bleeding had finally stopped. Having staved off death, she had managed to cling to life.

Dragging her broken body along the ground by sheer willpower, she yearned to return to Blue Stone Town. Her complexion was as pale as paper, yet she continuously whispered words of encouragement to herself: "A-Wan, you can do this..."

"It's going to be all right."

"Xiao Dong will be back soon. He traveled such a long distance to find me a birthday gift; I cannot let him down. I have to go back..."

Hearing that name sent a tremor through Yue Dong's very soul—there was no one left in this world who would ever call him Xiao Dong again.

Silence gripped Yue Dong as a sudden, piercing chill rose in his heart—the Ghost Tiger had not harmed A-Wan, so why had A-Wan ultimately died?

...

Xu Wan continued to drag her battered, exhausted frame forward, her eyes burning with a desperate, unyielding will to survive.

The Ghost Tiger had not returned for her, but another shadow of death had been lingering silently within the dense forest for a long time.

Staring fixedly at that figure, Yue Dong felt a bone-chilling cold permeate his entire being.

Chen Ying had returned.

An eerie, chilling smile hung on his face, as if he never expected Xu Wan to still be alive—let alone attempting to crawl back to Blue Stone Town.

A strange glint flashed in his eyes as he slowly stepped out from the shadows.

By now, sweat had soaked through Xu Wan's clothes, and her damp hair was matted against her forehead, mingling with the beads of sweat over her eyes. Her vision blurred into obscurity.

She kept dragging herself forward until, at last, her hand brushed against a pair of cold boots.

Raising her head, her gaze locked onto Chen Ying, who was looking down at her with chilling indifference.

She recoiled sharply, her eyes laced with helplessness. "Captain, you..."

Forcing a strained, agonizing smile, her voice was thin as a thread as she trembled, "Captain, did you come back to save me?"

Chen Ying's gaze felt utterly alien and bizarre to her. Letting out a soft sigh, he slowly replied, "Ah, A-Wan, I truly didn't want to come back, but I was afraid, just in case..."

Xu Wan's voice turned icy. "In case... in case of what? In case I wasn't dead yet?"

Chen Ying smiled gently. "A-Wan is so clever, guessing everything."

A tragic, hollow smile touched Xu Wan's face before she lowered her head, seemingly surrendering to the destiny of death.

Watching his comrade of many years lose the very will to survive, even Chen Ying could not help but sigh.

Just as he opened his mouth, preparing to express his sorrow and anguish, immersing himself in the grief of losing a teammate, countless branches were suddenly suffused with a vibrant emerald glow. In an instant, the branches splintered and multiplied, transforming into myriads of razor-sharp wooden blades. Summoning the surrounding flowers, leaves, and blade-grass, they wove together a seemingly endless, torrential storm of floral blades that violently surged straight toward Chen Ying!