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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 166: Shadows in the Mist
Although Qin Xiaolan and Yu Ren had just arrived in Qingyang City, they did not take a moment to rest. Prince Huixin had done well; for every person they saved, their reputation grew. Thus, they split into two teams—one group remained in Qingyang City while the other headed for Zhang City. Once Qin Xiaolan had organized her personnel, she seemed to hear the sounds of battle and horns coming from Zhang City.
The sisters who stayed behind in Qingyang City waited near the city gate for their return. As Qin Xiaolan and the others approached, they looked at them with anxious expressions.
Qin Xiaolan signaled for the sisters heading to Zhang City to mount their horses. "Don't worry," she said. "Life and death are fated. We won't die so easily."
Some sisters voiced their concerns, "But that's a battlefield..."
Of course, Qin Xiaolan was afraid of going to the battlefield, but now she was the leader; she had to take charge. She understood that organizing personnel to help refugees and treat the wounded was one thing, but going to the battlefield to save people was another.
However, she could not back down. The sisters who remained clearly feared for their safety but still wished to follow Qin Xiaolan to the front lines. She understood their feelings, yet she also knew that she might lose her life at any moment.
"Those of you staying behind must do your best to treat every wounded soldier. Each soldier who returns to the battlefield will contribute to our cause. If we all go and fall in battle, then who will carry on the medical skills of the leader?"
The sisters standing before her looked serious as they replied, "We will come in to treat everyone."
Qin Xiaolan nodded in satisfaction. "Before I return, you must all listen to Sister Zhang Lin's instructions."
The remaining sisters nodded in unison, "Yes, Leader."
After a moment of silence, Qin Xiaolan added, "If I fall in battle, you will take my place, Zhang Lin."
Zhang Lin was taken aback. "Leader! You shouldn't speak such ominous words!"
Qin Xiaolan smiled wryly. "Prince Huixin has done well; a household cannot be without a master for even a day, nor can a nation be without a ruler for a day. The position of leader cannot remain vacant for even a moment; I hope you understand!"
"I..." Zhang Lin frowned and sighed. "I understand, Leader." Her gaze quickly darted toward the other sisters; like Qin Xiaolan, she needed to consider who would be the best candidate to succeed her if misfortune befell her.
Qin Xiaolan took a deep breath. Perhaps her decision was somewhat rash, but there was no time for hesitation now. "Alright, that's all I wanted to say. We need to hurry to Zhang City."
Qin Xiaolan had already made the arrangements and signaled for her sisters to get moving. Zhang Lin glanced at Chen Yushan, who stood by her side. Zhang Lin asked, "What about her?"
"Her?" Qin Xiaolan looked at Chen Yushan for a moment. Before they left the conference hall, Prince Huixin had entrusted Chen Yushan to their care. Qin Xiaolan found Chen Yushan quite charming and appealing. Prince Huixin had also shared her background with them, and they felt sympathy for her. However, since Chen Yushan was still young and knew nothing of medicine, Qin Xiaolan certainly wouldn't let her accompany them.
In the rush of preparations, she almost forgot about Chen Yushan.
Seeing everyone looking at her, Chen Yushan suddenly clenched her fists and declared, "I want to go with you!"
Qin Xiaolan smiled and replied, "No way, what can a child like you do with us?"
Chen Yushan stubbornly shouted, raising her fist, "Don't underestimate me! My father taught me archery, and I've even shot down a few White-feathered Birds!"
The White-feathered Birds were as big as a fist and loved to eat grains. Her words made everyone laugh, easing their anxious feelings.
Qin Xiaolan also smiled, her frown lifting. "Are you really that impressive?"
Chen Yushan stepped forward confidently. "Of course I'm impressive!"
Qin Xiaolan chuckled again. "Why don't you stay here? Don't you like medicine? I can have Sister Zhang Lin teach you."
Chen Yushan widened her eyes in disbelief as she looked at Zhang Lin. Zhang Lin picked her up and said, "I'll teach you medicine; just don't cause trouble for the lady."
"Alright," Qin Xiaolan said. "We should be on our way."
Tears welled up in Chen Yushan's eyes as she watched them slowly depart.
Qin Xiaolan slowed her horse and turned back to Chen Yushan. "I'll be back soon, and then I'll test you on what you've learned."
Chen Yushan wiped away her tears and replied, "Okay! I will study hard!"
At that moment, Qin Xiaolan commanded the others to ride swiftly. She hoped that this mission would not end in failure, and it was also her responsibility to ensure the survival of the sisters under Prince Huixin's protection.
For this reason, she was willing to sacrifice herself if necessary.
---
Now, Lin Chuyu had fully regained her strength and could make her way to the exit aura on her own. However, Li Tang insisted on accompanying her. Li Tang's insistence was not due to concern for Lin Chuyu's physical condition; rather, it seemed she felt a twinge of reluctance to part with Lin Chuyu. The aura was not far from them now, and according to the speed of the Vermilion Bird's flight, they would reach it in just half a stick of incense.
Although they were flying, Li Tang was still channeling a significant amount of energy into Lin Chuyu. Li Tang was not in great shape at that moment. Lin Chuyu understood this and did not hasten their departure. Her lack of urgency did not mean she wasn't anxious; if a nimble Vermilion Bird were to intercept them, it would be disastrous.
Lin Chuyu felt the pressure of time but did not want to go against Li Tang's good intentions.
At that moment, a Vermilion Bird appeared in the distance, still about the size of a fist and some distance away from them. Lin Chuyu exclaimed, "A Vermilion Bird is coming!"
Li Tang turned to take a look, silently praying that it wasn't another Low Mountain Guardian. As the figure of the Vermilion Bird grew larger, Li Tang was not alarmed; instead, she smiled and said, "It's Xiang Bi."
Xiang Bi flapped her wings vigorously; with each beat, she seemed to cover a considerable distance. Soon enough, Xiang Bi was close to them. Lin Chuyu was not very familiar with Xiang Bi, so when Xiang Bi was still at a distance, Lin Chuyu couldn't recognize her. But as Xiang Bi approached and Lin Chuyu saw her clearly, relief washed over her face.
"Li Tang, you're here too," Xiang Bi said as she flew alongside Li Tang. She could sense Li Tang's weak aura and asked, "Li Tang, what's wrong? I feel your energy is intermittent."
"I'm fine," Li Tang replied with a smile.
Xiang Bi tilted her head and scrutinized Li Tang closely. "Are you really okay?"
Li Tang maintained her smile and said, "I'm really fine. Once I get her out, I'll just take a good rest."
Lin Chuyu looked at Xiang Bi and asked, "Are you here to take me back or to help me out?"
Xiang Bi looked at the tense Lin Chuyu and replied, "If I were here to take you back, I wouldn't have come alone."
Only then did Lin Chuyu feel reassured. "But earlier you couldn't..."
Xiang Bi did not let Lin Chuyu finish. "I'm just worried about you. There's an old saying among humans: 'Deliver the Buddha to the West.' So, I came to take a look."
Lin Chuyu felt an indescribable gratitude in her heart. "You all are helping me so much, I..."
Li Tang interrupted, "No need to thank us. As long as you can leave safely, I'll be at ease."
On the way here, Xiang Bi had also seen the corpse of the Low Mountain Guardian. "Was that Low Mountain Guardian killed by you?"
Li Tang replied, "It was she who killed it."
Lin Chuyu added, "Yes, I encountered two Low Mountain Guardians. They were unreasonable, so I killed one and injured the other. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
"There's no trouble at all; the Low Mountain Guardian is dead, and that's that," Xiang Bi seemed indifferent towards the Low Mountain Guardian.
Xiang Bi's reaction made Lin Chuyu curious. "Aren't the Low Mountain Guardians your kin? Your reaction..."
This time, Xiang Bi did not let Lin Chuyu finish again. "Those Low Mountain Guardians are criminals, which is why they were assigned to guard this place. Don't ask so many questions; let's hurry."
Xiang Bi looked at Li Tang and said, "Get on my back."
Li Tang nodded and did not insist further. She transformed into a human form and sat on Xiang Bi's back.
They flew along, with Xiang Bi frequently glancing back, but there were no Low Mountain Guardians pursuing them; she saw nothing at all.
The Low Mountain Guardians were always elusive in the low mountains; if there was no reason to be here, Xiang Bi would rather not come.
As Xiang Bi watched the exit's light grow larger, she said, "We're almost there."
When Lin Chuyu flew closer, she realized that the exit's light was as wide as two city gates. The glowing aura was right in front of them, but at that moment, a mist began to rise around it.
Xiang Bi and Li Tang both found it strange simultaneously. Li Tang asked, "Why is there mist here?"
Xiang Bi's expression tightened as she sensed that the mist was unusual.
The fog here grew thicker, and Xiang Bi said, "Try to fly lower."
This was to avoid losing their sense of direction, but flying low meant that their bodies would occasionally brush against the surface of the low hills, making the flight quite uncomfortable. At that moment, Xiang Bi suggested, "Let's fly higher; perhaps we can escape this mist."
They ascended into the sky. Xiang Bi squinted her eyes and strained to see, only able to make out Lin Chuyu's vague Vermilion Bird Form. The mist was too strange; visibility was so low that they had to rely on their sense of smell and other senses.
Suddenly, a winged figure appeared about ten feet in front of them. The thick fog made it difficult to discern what it was, but from its size, it did not resemble a Vermilion Bird.
Li Tang found it strange and immediately pursued it, forcing her to grip tightly onto Xiang Bi's feathers.
"Don't worry about it!" Li Tang said. "Just focus on getting her out first."
However, the strong wind generated by Xiang Bi's rapid flight drowned out her voice. Xiang Bi searched through the mist, but the figure seemed to vanish into the thick fog. She remarked, "I've never heard of such dense fog near the halo, and that figure isn't a Vermilion Bird. I can't feel at ease without knowing for sure if something foreign has entered."
Li Tang pondered for a moment and suggested, "How about using Nirvana Fire? As long as it attracts that thing's attention, it will be fine."
Xiang Bi considered this and found it feasible. No matter what that thing was, if startled, it would surely come looking for them. She called out to Lin Chuyu ahead, "Come over here!"
Lin Chuyu flew to Xiang Bi's side. At that moment, Xiang Bi said, "Li Tang, hold on tight. If you fall, with this fog so thick, I can't guarantee I'll catch you before you hit the ground."
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