Yan Hui didn't know what the situation outside was like. Her only thought was to track Feng Ming down and kill him to prevent his escape from stabbing them in the back.
The warmth in her heart was growing stronger and stronger. For an unknown amount of time, that warmth spread throughout her body and into her limbs. Yan Hui let out a relaxed sigh. She could finally move.
Yan Hui looked back. Tian Yao was still standing there with his eyes closed. Actually since last night when the moon was full, Tian Yao's face had a sickly blue cast to it. It was like he had been frozen. But now, his face was rosier than before.
He steadily stood there. It wasn't sure if he was sensing the aura in his body or pondering over life. Yan Hui only needed to know that he was alright. Then she turned around to resume the chase.
If Feng Ming managed to run into a busy area, then Yan Hui wouldn't be able to use her Chen Xing Mountain magic...
Thinking of this, Yan Hui gloomily lowered her head and rushed out. However in that moment, she unexpectedly ran into someone standing in the doorway. The man staggered at the impact and stumbled back a few paces.
Yan Hui tensed up, but then she heard a voice say: "What's with the rush?" Yan Hui stared. It was Feng Qian Shuo. She immediately released a pent up-breath. With the injuries Feng Ming had, there was no way he would live after encountering Feng Qian Shuo.
Yan Hui had never experienced anything like the relationship between uncle and the nephew. But from the rumors in the streets, Yan Hui was sure Feng Qian Shuo hated Feng Ming to the point he wanted to rip his uncle apart alive.
All power struggles were fought to the last breath.
After relaxing, Yan Hui tensed up yet again. She looked behind Feng Qian Shuo. He laughed: "Miss Yan Hui, don't look. Naturally, I'm sensible and won't let the others come in to see you." Feng Qian Shuo lightly fanned his fan. "I just came to tell you my uncle has passed away. You can be at ease."
This time, Yan Hui was put to ease.
Now that she could relax, Yan Hui felt all her strength immediately drain out of her. She felt feeble, her stomach twisting in pain. Sweat dotted her forehead. She almost instantly covered her stomach with her hands and slumped down: "Damn...if you want to be a savior, then come earlier!"
Feng Qian Shuo laughed in amusement: "It's because I have faith in you, Miss Yan Hui." He saw Yan Hui still kneeled there without raising her head, and he knew she had truly been severely hurt. He slightly composed himself and knelt in front of Yan Hui, sizing her up. "Can you walk on your own?"
Feng Qian Shuo couldn't allow his subordinates to escort Yan Hui. Although they were trusted aides, the less people who saw Yan Hui here, the better.
Yan Hui waived her hand: "Take your men and go. Pretend like you didn't see me. I still have some business to do."
Feng Qian Shuo was somewhat perplexed. At that moment, another voice come from behind Yan Hui: "What business?"
It was Tian Yao, who finally finished absorbing the dragon horns into his body, walking out. He saw Yan Hui was still kneeling on the ground, unable to get up. He frowned and walked over to her before also kneeling down by her.
Seeing Tian Yao so worried, Feng Qian Shuo smiled and stood up: "Sir Tian Yao can assist you back, so I don't need to worry anymore. I will leave first. You two take care when returning." He didn't linger and nimbly walked away. His voice was heard loudly commanding his subordinates outside the courtyard: "Move the Fox Charm Fragrance out."
Looks like Feng Qian Shuo didn't want to waste the already-made drug.
Right now, Tian Yao and Yan Hui weren't in the mood to concern themselves with where the drugs were being moved to. After all with the dragon horns gone, even if Feng Qian Shuo wanted to make more, he wouldn't be able to. At most he could only sell the remaining fragrance.
Right now, Yan Hui cared about her abdomen. Could her stomach and intestines be severely injured by that hit from Feng Ming? Why did it hurt so much....
Tian Yao saw her forehead was covered in sweat. He clenched his fist: "Is it bad?"
"So you did know that I was hurt?" When Yan Hui brought up the topic, her temper flared. "What were you waiting for?"
Su Ying's words about the Heart Protection Scale flitted through Tian Yao's head. His eyes slightly dropped, but when he opened his mouth he said: "Dragon horns and spiritual items, dragon bones too, need time to be absorbed."
True, when Tian Yao fell into that icy lake, a long time had passed before he got out. Yan Hui almost thought he died.
"My body was only temporarily frozen, but my consciousness was already aware."
It was like when Yan Hui felt the warmth back then, but she was also unable to take a single step.
Yan Hui thought a bit. There was nothing to blame Tian Yao with. She was probably just irritable from the pain: "Let's not leave yet. I still need to find something."
Tian Yao seemed dissatisfied with Yan Hui's words: "You're heavily injured. Look after yourself. If you really need to search, then we can come back later to search."
"No, no. While it's still light, we need to find Bai Xiao Lu's mother and release her. Later on, we might conclude this matter, and her mother will have turned into an evil spirit. That would be injustice."
Yan Hui's hands grasped the air. Tian Yao automatically grabbed her waving hands and helped her up. Yan Hui staggered a little and stumbled into his arms.
It seemed like the extreme pain had numbed Yan Hui's body. She didn't make a single cry or whimper. It also seemed like the pain had driven her into silence since she didn't immediately tell Tian Yao to let go of her. Yan Hui's unusual lack of response discomfited him.
Tian Yao was stunned. He sensed Yan Hui start to move forwards, and he blindly followed after her. He feared if Yan Hui wasn't supported, she would fall.
"When Su Ying left in a rush, she left the Blue Luan Bird. To her, a three-tailed fox demon's soul is insignificant. She wouldn't remember to take the soul away with her. Therefore, the fox demon's soul is definitely still sealed here in some corner." Yan Hui pondered out to herself. She hissed several times in pain. "But Heavenly Fragrance is so big, and we don't know how Su Ying sealed the demon. Where to start looking..."
Tian Yao was silent for a moment. Then he asked: "Are ghost auras like the three-tailed fox demon's aura in the willow grove? All foul and black?"
Yan Hui was looking all around and she absent-mindedly replied: "Ya."
Tian Yao was silent again. When he spoke again, Yan Hui heard: "It's over there. Follow me."
Yan Hui was shocked. She followed after Tian Yao's direction: "How do you know?"
"My dragon horns are the ultimate treasure that can absorb spirituality. They're extremely sensitive to auras. Since they have returned to me, I'm still a bit sluggish. However, sensing otherworldly auras is still simple enough."
Yan Hui listened to Tian Yao's matter-of-fact words. Her eyes lit up: "If we use your horns to poke about tombs, assuming your horns are accurate, then the objects we find buried there are ours?"
"..." No matter what happens, there was no changing her from uttering shocking words...Tian Yao shot her a look out of narrowed eyes. "Go focus finding the ghost."
Yan Hui followed Tian Yao around. When they passed under a bell outside of a room, Yan Hui felt a spell of extremely strong and chill wind.
The bell swayed with no wind stirring it. It rang out. Its movement in an otherwise empty and still room felt especially ominous.
It looks like the soul sealed inside wasn't far from turning into evil spirit. Yan Hui didn't delay any longer and took one step forward. She gathered her magic and broke the seal on the bell. It rang and fell onto the ground. At the same time, a sharp wail cried out, nearly splitting Yan Hui's eardrums.
Yan Hui covered her ears: "So noisy!" She could only yell at the three-tailed fox demon. However, her abdomen tensed up when she yelled, so Yan Hui felt a tearing pain throughout her body. "Ouch! Stop yelling! Your daughter was saved."
With that sentence alone, the evil presence in the room lessened a large degree. Yan Hui bent over clutching her stomach and lamented: "I really saved her. She's at Wang Yu Lou in a room set up for her. That's more than the other fox demons. You can follow me to see your daughter."
The three-tailed fox demon finally settled down. She really wasn't far from becoming an evil sport. Tattered clothes. Long, disarrayed hair. Ghastly-pallored face. And bloody tear streaks looking like cuts running down her face.
The fox demon didn't move an inch. She only stood there, staring at Yan Hui. It was to the point that Yan Hui's stomach started to hurt even more.
"Come with me. Follow me. If I'm tricking you, then you can take me away."
Yan Hui didn't need to use the Escape Earth method anymore. Tian Yao supported her up. Under the three-tailed fox demon's careful gaze, they secretly left through Heavenly Fragrance's back door and returned to Wang Yu Lou.
Yan Hui pointed out the door next to her room to the three-tailed fox demon: "That one. She should still be inside." Yan Hui hadn't finished when the door she was pointing at opened. Bai Xiao Lu stepped out and look at Yan Hui: "Sister Yan, you...you're injured?"
The little girl was worried for Yan Hui.
Yan Hui's heart softened. She looked to the side.
The three-tailed fox demon that was on the cusp of becoming an evil spirit was already slowly recovering into her normal appearance. She gazed upon Bai Xiao Lu, eyes filled with indescribably love. All the bitterness and struggles had disappeared. There was only gratitude and distress that couldn't be suppressed.
Yes, how could there not be distress. This was probably the last time she would see her daughter. Now that she wasn't clinging to the world, it was time to go and reincarnate. Some day in the future, her daughter would have to face harsh difficulty alone. Her mom...
Was gone.
The three-tailed fox demon's black aura was becoming pure. She was starting to become how she looked the first time Yan Hui saw her.
If she were still alive, then she would've definitely been a very pretty fox demon.
"Xiao Lu." Yan Hui's was very soft. "I'm fine. I want you to do something for me. Do what I say, ok?"
Bai Xiao Lu looked at Yan Hui in confusion, but she still nodded. Yan Hui fisted her hand and held it in front of Bai Xiao Lu: "Look at my fist. Don't look away."
Bai Xiao Lu complied.
Then Yan Hui slowly moved her fist until it touched the head of the three-tailed fox demon.
Bai Xiao Lu watched Yan Hui's fist like she could see her mother. It was like life and death had been crossed. Four eyes met.
Tears dripped out of the three-tailed fox demon's eyes. Aside from Yan Hui, no one else could hear her words. But she still covered her mouth out of fear of startling her child: "Thank you." She could barely choke it out through her sobs. "Thank you, thank you!"
Hearing the fox demon thank her, Yan Hui's fist slightly shook.
Then she unfurled her fist. In her palm was a small flame that took the shape of a small fox: "Look, I conjured this up." Yan Hui explained her movements to Bai Xiao Lu.
Because separating Bai Xiao Lu from her mother was hard enough the first time, Yan Hui didn't want the separation to happen a second time. So the choice was to lie and trick. Pretend like she didn't know anything. Perhaps that would be the best for Bai Xiao Lu.
Sure enough, Bai Xiao Lu smiled: "You're the best, Sister Yan."
Yan Hui nodded: "I'm going to go back to my room."
Tian Yao watched off to the side. Without the spell array, he couldn't see the three-tailed fox. However, he could guess what Yan Hui did. Then he couldn't help himself from fixating on Yan Hui's face.
Yan Hui entered the room and closed the door. Yan Hui leaned against the door for several moments: "Tian Yao, do you have a mom?"
Tian Yao shook his head: "I do, but I never met her."
"It must be nice to be raised by one." Yan Hui whispered. "Suddenly, I kinda miss my mom..."
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Aww the feels!!!!