Chapter 930 - 932 - The Sacrifice of Tu Ying_1
All four held their breath, knowing that even a slightly heavier breath might betray their presence near such an expert.
However, at this moment, a sudden growl echoed out of nowhere, and all four were startled, unable to help but look toward the source of the sound—it was Tu Ying’s stomach...
Tu Ying’s face instantly reddened. They hadn’t eaten since lunch, and now it was evening; how could they not be hungry? It was just that she hadn’t expected her stomach to grumble at such a critical moment!
"Let’s go!" Jianqi scooped up Bai Ruozhu and called out as he rushed out of the cave. In the next second, the enemy expert had already charged over, but Jianqi’s quick reaction allowed them to escape first.
The pursuers hurriedly arrived, and Bai Ruozhu turned pale upon seeing them. The group included not only the expert but also more than a dozen fighters whose strength was almost on par with her dark guards. This team was clearly set up for her dark guards!
Jianqi, using his light skills, took the lead with Bai Ruozhu, while Tu Bai and Tu Ying followed behind. The pursuers, however, were getting closer and closer, with some even circling around to enclose them in a pincer movement.
Right at that moment, Jianqi’s sharp eyes spotted a cave. At a glance, the cave delved deep into the mountain, its end totally out of sight, and he immediately led everyone into it.
"The tunnel is narrow, so not too many can rush in at once. We might be able to hold out for a while, perhaps even find another way," Jianqi whispered.
"Good, let’s keep moving forward for now," Bai Ruozhu said. Her heart had sunk to its lowest point, for if captured, Tu Ying and Tu Bai would definitely be taken away to be used as leverage against Tu Lie. And she and Jianqi would be killed on the spot, as the enemies had just stated their intention.
She admitted she was afraid of dying. She still had parents, siblings, her adorable son, and Achun, whom she longed for. She didn’t want to die, especially not here!
But where was Achun, and could he return in time to rescue them?
She dared not dwell on these thoughts. Along the way, she scattered some Poison, continually creating trouble. Fortunately, she could keep taking Poison out of Space, and because they were fleeing for their lives, the other three did not know she had been using Poison.
To survive, Bai Ruozhu was spreading Poison liberally, aware that most of the pursuers with high inner strength levels could suppress its effects, or that they carried antidotes or substances to delay Poison onset. Her Poison likely wouldn’t be very effective against them. But she also knew that the formula for a truly effective Poison against experts was precious. She had prepared only a small amount and couldn’t afford to waste it unless absolutely necessary.
The cave narrowed significantly as they ventured further, with the tunnel walls being uneven and jagged. Not only did it twist and turn sharply, but it was also exceptionally rough, and sometimes, there were even perilous spear-like Stone Pillars—it didn’t seem to be a man-made Cave.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t have the luxury of contemplation, continuing quickly after Jianqi with the sounds of pursuit coming from behind. Although the pursuers entered the cave, the Poison she spread caused them some trouble, enough to widen the distance between them slightly.
The four hurried deeper inside, soon discovering that the passage branched off. Bai Ruozhu bit her lip and pointed to the right one, guessing that one of them might be a dead end. But without time to hesitate, they had to rely on intuition to choose.
After walking a bit longer, they encountered another split in the path, but this time, Tu Ying suddenly stopped and refused to move.
"I’ve almost depleted my inner strength, continuing to escape like this will doom us all eventually," Tu Ying suddenly said.
Tu Bai’s face changed drastically, as he was the one who knew Tu Ying the best. He grabbed her wrist and said, "Little sister, what are you planning to do? Don’t be foolish. If anyone is to lure them away, it should be me. They want to capture me more than anyone else!"
Tu Ying shook off his hand abruptly, her eyes red as she said, "Big brother, stop joking around. This isn’t the time to act on impulse. You guys need to go quickly. It’s not certain that I’ll be captured if I lead them away, but how could you possibly distract them with your martial arts? It would be a wasted effort."
Her gaze moved over Tu Bai’s shoulder and looked at Bai Ruozhu, "Ruozhu, if you don’t listen to me, I can only sever my own meridians and end my life. You know my temperament. Even if I’m captured, they won’t kill me, but it’s different for all of you. Take my brother and leave. Our Tu Family cannot afford to be threatened. Even if I, Tu Ying, am captured, you must tell my father to stay resolute, or I will surely end my own life."
As she spoke, Tu Ying suddenly exerted all her lightness skill, propelling her body explosively backward. Her eyes, bloodshot, held back the tears, "Don’t come after me, or I will definitely die before your eyes!"
Bai Ruozhu stared blankly at Tu Ying’s face as it grew more and more distant, her heart aching as if cut with a knife. She had never seen such resolute determination on Tu Ying’s face before. She couldn’t help but reach out to grasp at her, as though trying to hold onto the most wonderful moment in time, but sadly, that image was torn apart, and the beautiful woman disappeared into the depths of the cave, leaving no trace.
Tu Bai went after her like a madman, but Jianqi knocked him out with a chop of his hand, then turned to Bai Ruozhu and said, "My lord, we must not fail Miss Tu’s earnest wishes. We must save her brother."
Bai Ruozhu clenched the hand that she had stretched out, only to let it fall despairingly.
"You’re right, we can’t fail Tu Ying’s earnest wishes, let’s go!" Bai Ruozhu almost crushed her own teeth to utter those last words. As she turned around, her tears burst forth like a dam had broken.
Tu Ying not only did it for her brother but also for her and Jianqi. If captured, the first to die would be her and Jianqi!
She swore that she would save Tu Ying and also swore that she would never let the Prince of Duan get away with this. She vowed to reclaim what they were owed!
Jianqi carried Tu Bai swiftly forward, while Bai Ruozhu could only silently follow, tears streaming down her cheeks. Subconsciously, she looked back, hoping to see that heroic and dashing figure one more time, but there was nothing but emptiness deep within the cave—her hopes but a wishful fantasy.
The woman had gone to lure away the enemy as bait. She wasn’t coming back!
Bai Ruozhu fiercely wiped her face, rubbing away the tears that blurred her vision. For the first time, she hated herself this much, hating that she wasn’t strong enough to just watch her friend march towards death.
She didn’t know how long she followed Jianqi until they finally saw the light. They had found another exit from the cave, and perhaps they could escape the pursuit of the Prince of Duan. The fact that the pursuers hadn’t caught up might mean that Tu Ying had successfully led them away.
Upon leaving the cave, Jianqi found a place to hide, set the Tu Bai he was carrying on the ground, and signaled to Bai Ruozhu to rest for a while. Bai Ruozhu collapsed to the ground and covered her face, breaking into painful sobs.
She had thought about bringing everyone into "Space" to avoid the enemy’s pursuit, but she had tried it with living things before. She could only bring one person into "Space."