57: by mistake

Without time to think, Pei Yunchuan found the direction out of the city and ran for his life.

The night wind whistled in his ears, scraping painfully against his cheeks.

He dared not take the main roads, instead choosing narrow mountain paths, almost tripping several times over protruding debris.

His lungs burned with pain, and his legs felt as heavy as if filled with lead.

Only when utterly exhausted did Pei Yunchuan stop, finding a hidden corner to rest.

Pei Yunchuan closed his eyes, his thoughts scattered.

Pei Yunchuan's initial idea was simple: escape and find reinforcements.

If he succeeded, he would be the hero who saved the Sect;

If he failed, he would merely die outside the Spirit-奪取 Array a little earlier. Since death was inevitable, he might as well take a gamble.

He just hadn't expected… a sudden sharp pain in his chest.

Pei Yunchuan's eyes snapped open, looking towards Qingyun Mountain.

Just moments after he rested, the red light on the mountain peak suddenly flared, followed by a muffled thunder-like roar.

Grand Elder and the others had been discovered. Pei Yunchuan knew what the consequences would be, but he dared not think about them.

Involuntarily, the mocking face of Fifth Elder, the hesitant expression of Third Elder, and the hunched back of Grand Elder as he carved the substitute at the end, flashed through his mind.

The final image was Grand Elder's silent instruction.

"Destroy the Spirit-奪取 Array!"

"Destroy the Spirit-奪取 Array!"

"Destroy the Spirit-奪取 Array!"

Pei Yunchuan felt as if he had gone mad; this voice echoed continuously in his mind, preventing him from concentrating.

Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking his Soul.

The Spirit-奪取 Array!

The Spirit-奪取 Array!

Qingyun Immortal Sect began with the Spirit-奪取 Array, and it would end with the Spirit-奪取 Array; everything was retribution.

It was all retribution!

Pei Yunchuan curled his body up, hitting his head several times before he managed to calm down.

"Now is not the time to think about such things."

He fumbled to check his belongings: a jade pendant, half a bottle of Medicinal Pills for wounds, some silver fragments, and the Concealing Qi Pill given by the Sect Master before his death – this dusty Medicinal Pill was his greatest reliance at the moment.

Under the moonlight, he roughly drew a route on the ground.

It would take at least half a month to reach the capital, and Blood Fiend's subordinates would never give him any chance to rest.

Normally, humans need to rest at night, and even Cultivators are no exception.

However, Blood Fiend's Yao Race subordinates were diverse, with many species capable of adapting to patrol duties both day and night.

He was suppressed in all aspects.

"Damn it! How frustrating."

"These savage beasts who drink blood and eat raw meat!"

Pei Yunchuan cursed inwardly, yet he was helpless.

He had to cross the Qing River before dawn to shake off the first wave of pursuers.

Pei Yunchuan took a deep breath and carefully tucked the jade pendant close to his body.

Just as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard a sharp hoot of a night owl in the distance.

His muscles instantly tensed, and he held his breath until the whistle faded into the distance.

"I'm sorry, everyone."

He whispered to Qingyun Mountain, then left in a crouch, his figure quickly merging into the night.

*

Pei Yunchuan's boot soles were already worn through, and his feet were bleeding from being cut by sharp stones.

He gritted his teeth and waded through the icy stream, when he suddenly caught a whiff of a sweet floral scent.

Something was wrong.

How could such a rich floral scent exist in this desolate wilderness?

"Uncle, are you here to play with me?"

A delicate, childish female voice sounded in his ear, and the hairs on Pei Yunchuan's neck instantly stood on end.

"You're like a lingering ghost!"

Pei Yunchuan's spiritual power shot out in the direction of the voice, and his body instantly bolted in the opposite direction.

"Uncle!"

"Don't run! Lord Chuping said there are monsters nearby, it's very dangerous."

The already exhausted Pei Yunchuan muttered inwardly: You are the damn monster!

Are you sick?

Pei Yunchuan, having inadvertently discovered the truth, now felt himself running faster and faster, as if the heavy feeling on his body had completely disappeared.

Pei Yunchuan didn't think much of it, only assuming that he had unleashed unprecedented potential in a moment of crisis, until he had fled a long distance and saw a Human Race village ahead before he finally relaxed.

"Hoo~"

Pei Yunchuan sat on the ground, panting heavily, without any regard for his image.

"Uncle, you're already at the village entrance, why aren't you going home?"

The delicate, childish voice came from above his head, and the exhausted Pei Yunchuan immediately sprang to his feet.

"Who are you?"

Pei Yunchuan's impression of the Yao Race was now at rock bottom.

No matter what kind of Yao, they all deserved to die.

The spider spirit was perched on top of Pei Yunchuan's head, looking at this strange Human, feeling a bit curious.

Seeing how he was running in a panic just now, he must be a villager from nearby. Since he was a villager, he would be under Lord Chuping's jurisdiction, so he must have gotten lost.

The spider used some of its Yao power to gently lift the fellow's body weight, making it easier for him to run faster.

It was another day of doing good deeds.

But the other party didn't seem to appreciate it.

"I am!"

"Lord Chuping said that lost travelers should be brought back to the village~"

The spider extended a front leg and affectionately patted Pei Yunchuan's head, only feeling that this person was truly foolish, unable even to find his way home.

Pei Yunchuan fell to the ground with a thud.

So dizzy.

Damn it, it's poisonous!

* * *

When Pei Yunchuan woke up again, he found himself bound like a zongzi with vines, moving rapidly through the bushes.

Through the gaps, he saw two round-eared mouse Yao carrying a stretcher and running wildly:

"Ling'er, slow down! This Human Race boy's bones are almost falling apart!"

"Shut up! If we don't hurry, this guy will die before his bones fall apart."

The female mouse Yao suddenly slammed on the brakes, and the stretcher "thumped" against a tree root.

Pei Yunchuan grunted, seeing a moss-covered stone tablet ahead – "Chang Sheng Village."

Pei Yunchuan's consciousness gradually cleared amidst the jostling; each sway of the stretcher felt like a hammer striking his temples.

He tried to circulate his spiritual power but found his Meridians like a dry riverbed, unable to muster even a trace of Qi.

Through the gaps in the vines, Pei Yunchuan saw a furry mouse face, with round black eyes gleaming with vigilance.

This time, he was truly going to die.

He never expected to die at the hands of a small mouse Yao.

Pei Yunchuan felt a chill in his heart, completely devoid of any strength to struggle.

As the scenery gradually receded, Pei Yunchuan slowly realized something was amiss.

Both of these mouse Yao were wearing coarse cloth shirts, and even had crudely made jade pendants tied around their waists – this was completely different from the bloodthirsty Yao Race he remembered.

The mountain road turned, and the sight before Pei Yunchuan made him gasp.

On the hillside, terraced fields layered one after another, and further in the distance, smoke curled up from thatched roofs.

It was clearly an ordinary mountain village.

It wasn't a Yao nest after all?