The witch tilted her head. She stared at Zhang Yong, then at the girl in his hands, then at the beast running behind them. Strangely, the witch showed not much of a reaction except for that, and that worried Zhang Yong.
Face the glares of the red eyes in front of him, plus the red eyes following right behind, he was filled with self-doubt.
"Shou, Shou, Shou! You hear me, right?" Zhang Yong shouted for the sky, as he picked his pace. "I know this world isn't real, so there won't be any consequences if I died, right?"
Shou answered honestly. "Other than getting ejected from the illusory world after the third time, no. There's nothing to worry about."
"I hope I can put my trust in you, or else I'm going to haunt your store in the afterlife!"
The beast inched closer, and it was at that moment, both he and the girl realized, they could not escape it anymore.
"Hey, Mister Justice, the shadow is about to eat us whole!" She stared at the witch in front and shrunk into Zhang Yong's arms. "And the witch in front of us is reaaaalllly creeping me out. Please, for the love of God, tell me your plan doesn't involve her."
Zhang Yong gnashed his teeth. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, so I'm just not going to reply."
The girl vehemently shook her head. "That might as well be one! Turn around, turn around! If you go there we are going to die! Facing her is ten times worse than that beast!" Her face turned pale due to fright.
"It doesn't make any difference anyway, death is death. So at least let me try my plan." He looked at her. "Uhm, sorry if this does not work out."
The girl's face twitched as she hit his stomach. "Idiot! Idiot Justice! Let me go, let me go!"
In the distance, they both saw the witch lifting her hand. Zhang Yong felt a massive shiver run down his spine. He had seen it once already, and he thought he was prepared. However, just with the beast, these things seem a lot scarier in person. The witch's hand started to faintly glow.
"No can do." He held her tighter. "Now listen carefully. Can you do that martial art where you sap into that inexplicable strength again? The one you used to push me or get out the beast's maw?"
"Uhh, I don't know," the girl grumbled. "Since I have just used it, I'm not at full power anymore. Doing that costs me a lot of concentration, you know? At most, I might be able to handle one-third of my max power."
Zhang Yong's legs began to give out again. He gritted his teeth. "That is enough," he told her.
The Shadow opened its mouth, the all-so familiar beastly smell permeated the air. The witch pointed her finger at the sky, a lovely small flame danced at the tip.
"Hyaaa~ We are going to die, we are so going to die," the girl screamed out, her blank face turning unimaginably pale.
Zhang Yong, at that moment, thought about Li Yangyi. He thought about that boy's own endeavor in this illusory realm, his little bout against that old man, and his last attack, Heart of a Gale. "Too bad, he isn't here, I would have loved to show him how to really execute that move."
He clenched his fist, and soon enough, the wind gathered around him, creating a visible storm. Petals, dirt, and grass were uprooted and joined the tornado Zhang Yong created. It was completely different from Li Yangyi's little squall. "Alright, it's now," he shouted at the girl. "Grab my hand!"
She nodded solemnly.
Zhang Yong came to a halt. The Shadow jumped, and the witch threw her flame. The thing opened its mouth, lunging at Zhang Yong, while that drop of heat faithfully edged closer. The wind seemed to suck everything in.
"Heart of a Gale," he said silently, unbothered by the many things around him; And like the tornado he himself created, he started to turn, and with the momentum created by the girl's and his combined effort, he threw the girl far and wide.
The girl's eyes opened widely, as she flew through the air. She had never expected this outcome. When she had said that the older person should sacrifice themselves, she did so only as a joke. Who knew he'd take that seriously!
She locked eyes with him, unable to say anything at all. Zhang Yong gave her a smile. "Sorry. Don't hurt yourself on the landing."
The man promptly disappeared behind a giant shadow, and the giant shadow disappeared behind an extraordinary light—a blazing fire eradicating everything it touched.
Only the witch and the girl remained. The girl bit her lips. Her eyebrows scrunched together. Her face shook lightly. As the witch stared at her, she burst into angry tears; her fingers ran through the luscious grass and she stared at the witch in hatred.
The witch lifted her finger. There was a short pause before she let her finger fall down once more and walked away, not bothered by the small girl, whose face was adorned with small droplets.
"I'm going to kill you!" she screamed at her, but the witch disappeared behind the shadows of her home. "Damn it!" She hit the ground. Her hand shook. In the end, she curled up in silence. "I shouldn't have left the village..."
There existed no more sound afterward. The beast had left together with Mister Justice—though she knew him for only a short time, and though he appeared sketchy at first (and honestly a little weak), the man turned out to be what he had promised since their first meeting. She sobbed quietly at her powerlessness.
Suddenly—or rather, not so suddenly—the air started to distort. The girl hadn't even realized it at first, only when the air grew a bit more turbulent, did she lift her eyes, in fear that it may have been the witch coming out to get her.
At first, only clothes appeared (for which Zhang Yong was incredibly thankful), but soon after, the man himself followed; little particles slowly gathering together until finally forming into a coherent form—a muscular male with a scruffy beard and short, black hair.
The man breathed in. "Holy crap, I thought I was going to die... Well, I did, huh?" The man clutched his hand, then rested it on his heaving chest. "Even though I knew I would resurrect, it was still way too frightening. It's unbelievable that Li Yinyi can face it with no fear at all." He wiped the sweat off his forehead.
This really was a game that came too close to his heart! No other recreational activity out there could ever hope to compare!
After all, what experience could be more incredible than feeling death itself?
Of course, his gamble was not in vain. Not only did he manage to save the girl, but he had also gathered a lot of spiritual energy too.