“Who… who are you really?” Bai Shuo stammered, her lips trembling, yet she stubbornly continued to shield Bai Xi.
“Who are we?” Qian Da gave a sinister smile, wiping the dark mist from his lips. “We’re the ones who will send you to meet the immortals.”
Without cutting open his skin, it was clear there was also dark mist around Qian Da’s wrist, suggesting that under his flesh lay only bone as well.
Bai Xi and Bai Shuo had heard many stories of spirits and monsters from theater plays, but they never imagined such creatures could truly exist.
“My father is Bai Xun.” Suddenly, a voice, slightly shaky but determined, broke the silence. Bai Xi struggled to her feet, subtly placing herself between Bai Shuo and the brothers, glaring fiercely at Qian Da. “My father is Grand General Bai Xun, and I am the Emperor’s chosen Crown Princess. No matter if you are human, demon, or ghost, if you dare harm us, the Emperor and my father will not spare you.”
Hearing Bai Xi’s words, Qian Da’s brow furrowed, realizing they had indeed brought back two troublesome captives. He had guessed these girls were unusual but hadn’t anticipated they would be daughters of Grand General Bai Xun. If Bai Xun’s daughter was missing, the capital would surely be in chaos, making escape difficult and future captures even harder.
Qian Da shot a fierce look at the kneeling Qian’er, uncertain what to do. If he could have the Spirit Lord erase their memories and quietly return them to the city, no one would ever know. After all, apart from the capital, no other place had as many children with such high-quality spiritual roots, and he and Qian’er depended on these “offerings” for their survival.
While Qian Da hesitated, a cold wind swept through the area, carrying a stench ten times fouler than before. A three-foot crack split open the ground, and a figure cloaked in black appeared above the fissure.
Upon seeing the figure, the Qian brothers beamed with joy and knelt, shouting, “Spirit Lord!”
The sisters glanced at each other in shock. Was this monster some sort of immortal?
The figure threw back his black hood, revealing a sinister, twisted face.
Most of Bai Shuo’s body was hidden behind Bai Xi.
The cloaked man only glanced at Bai Xi, his eyes filled with greed.
“Little girl, so you’re the Crown Princess chosen by the Emperor?” The man reeked of a fishy stench, and his blood-red eyes left no doubt that he wasn’t human.
Bai Xi’s hand trembled slightly behind her back, yet she remained composed, meeting the red eyes of the man. “Yes, I am the Emperor’s chosen Crown Princess. You would do best to…”
“To let you go?” The man burst into wild laughter, foul wind swirling around him. “Even the High Lords of the Nine Heavens Palace don’t scare me; what could a mere mortal Emperor do?” He licked his lips, sharp teeth glinting, as he looked at Bai Xi with excitement. “No wonder you were born with a heavenly destiny! Once I consume you, at least half of my injuries will be healed!”
“Congratulations, Spirit Lord!” The Qian brothers, hearing this, no longer worried about having kidnapped the Emperor’s future daughter-in-law. Qian Da, obsequious, tried to curry favor with the man. “As long as the Spirit Lord is in good health, our daring abduction from the capital will not have been in vain.” He crept forward, holding out his darkened wrist. “Spirit Lord, we…”
“Enough!” The man snorted, “When I’m finished, do you think I won’t reward you?”
“We wouldn’t dare, we wouldn’t dare.” The man’s shout left Qian Da speechless; he retreated, pulling Qian’er back fearfully.
“Monster! You’re not allowed to eat my sister!” A clear voice rang out from behind Bai Xi as Bai Shuo slipped out from her sister’s shadow. She spread her arms wide, standing between Bai Xi and the man, and shouted, “I am Bai Xi, the Crown Princess chosen by the Emperor! She is my sister, Bai Shuo. Take me and let her go. If you let her return, my father and the Emperor will not seek revenge!”
“A-Shuo! What nonsense are you saying? I am…” Bai Xi’s face changed as she tried to pull Bai Shuo back, but this time she couldn’t budge her sister, who stood firmly in front of her.
“This is all your fault! If you hadn’t wanted to go to the southern city, I wouldn’t have been dragged to this cursed place! Bai Shuo, you’re a curse! I hate you the most!” Bai Shuo shouted at Bai Xi with red eyes, pressing her sister’s body down firmly.
Bai Xi’s lips quivered, and her eyes filled with tears in an instant.
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