Ning Xian nodded, and taking advantage of the opportunity when Feng was blocking the others, he kicked open the doors of each room to search.
Even in the most dangerous situations, Ning Xian didn't seem to feel too much urgency. This wasn't the first time she had come out with Feng, and this time, Mu Yuan, who almost never took action, was also there. Surprisingly, with the two of them around, the surrounding dangers seemed far away and almost irrelevant to her.
Feng never strayed too far from her, acting as a barrier that cut off her from the outside world.
Ning Xian found herself outside an armory. Through the carved windowpane on the door, she could see a white figure inside. She kicked the door open and found herself on a strange platform. Bai Mo was trapped in the center, surrounded by steps that seemed to descend from it. Just as Ning Xian was wondering what was going on, a muffled voice sounded: "I advise you to tell the one outside that he'd better not make any rash moves, or the sword hanging over Young Master Bai's head will immediately pierce several holes in his head."
A slender figure dressed in a simple blue robe stood at the innermost part of the armory, her face concealed by a demon mask. Her voice, deep and muffled, came through the mask. Ning Xian looked up and, sure enough, saw several sharp swords hanging directly above Bai Mo's head. If the swords were to fall, even if he dodged to the side, he wouldn't have time to escape that area.
She glanced at Bai Mo, seeing that his hands and feet were bound but he was unharmed, she pursed her lips and frowned as she looked at Ning Xian, shaking her head slightly. Ning Xian returned a helpless smile, then wiped it off and said to the masked man, "You are 'Master'—the eldest son of Chongtian Tower?"
The other party did not deny it, and said in a voice that was neither a smile nor a laugh, "It seems that Feng has told you quite a bit." Through the heavy mask, his voice sounded muffled, and it was difficult to tell whether he had heard it before.
"Since he is the eldest son of Chongtian Tower, it would be difficult to explain if he were to injure the young master of the Bai family, wouldn't it? I wonder what grudge the eldest son has against Feng that would make him go to such lengths?"
The chilling smile seemed to penetrate straight to the bone. The masked man didn't say much to Ning Xian, only saying, "You want to save Young Master Bai? He's right here. As long as Feng comes and rescues him, I guarantee the knife above his head won't fall."
Ning Xian examined the situation closely. Clearly, if there was a problem, it must lie on the steps beneath Bai Mo. She hesitated for a moment, but Feng had already entered from outside the door, standing in front of her and blocking her from behind. "I'll go."
“Feng…” Ning Xian hesitated for a moment, but didn’t know what to say, so he only said, “Be careful.”
Feng glanced at the steps but didn't step up. Instead, he leaped into the air, flipping and heading straight for Bai Mo. Ghost Face seemed to have already figured out Feng's skills. Suddenly, his hand touched a mechanism on the wall, and several black holes appeared on both sides of the wall, shooting out gleaming iron caltrops in mid-air. Feng's sword twirled around him, opening several caltrops. Seeing that two more were about to strike him, Ning Xian panicked and his whip flew out, slicing away two streaks of silver light.
In an instant, the sharp sword above Bai Mo's head suddenly bounced down several inches, almost breaking free of its restraints and shooting straight down, before suddenly stopping.
Ning Xian broke out in a cold sweat, just as the masked man said coldly, "If you interfere again, the sword will not stop next time!"
Although Feng was unharmed after the attack, the force of the impact had dissipated, and he fell to the ground. He was now on those steps, leaving him no choice.
Ning Xian's heart clenched slightly. She almost wanted to call Feng back, but she couldn't just abandon Bai Mo and run away like this. Neither could they.
Bai Mo remained silent, not asking them to save him, knowing that telling them to leave him was pointless. He met Ning Xian's gaze, a slight apology in it, seemingly remorse for implicating him. But he felt that being implicated was unimportant—seeing them risking their lives to save him, he couldn't utter a word. Who had implicated whom, how things had started—none of it mattered anymore. He wished Feng would give up and take Ning Xian away immediately, but what kind of feeling made him understand that they wouldn't abandon him, and this belief stirred a bittersweet emotion within him…
For the first time, his eyes seemed to see the martial world, a demonic sect with swords and shadows, yet full of flesh and blood.
Chapter Fifty
That was the world Ning Xian lived in, so far removed from his own.
The inexplicable feeling of knowing that they wouldn't abandon him or back down was indescribable. The reason wasn't because he was Ning Xian's husband, nor because of any feelings between them. If you asked Ning Xian and Feng, the answer would probably be: there's no reason.
Before landing, Feng had been extra careful. The moment he landed, dense fine thorns suddenly sprouted from the step he was on, their eerie blue light indicating the poison applied to them. Feng leaped up again almost the instant the poisoned needles emerged from the ground. The time was so short that even Ning Xian's sharp eyesight couldn't tell whether the poisoned needles had actually touched Feng.
With just a little leverage, Feng leaped to Bai Mo's side. In that instant, Ning Xian saw that the masked man's hand was already on the handle to activate the mechanism, and the ghost face on the mask seemed to be laughing savagely—the eldest son of Chongtian Tower was as ruthless as a wolf and as cunning as a fox, as everyone in the demonic path knew. Even if he said that he would not make a move as long as Feng saved people alone... who would believe him?
The moment the sharp blade fell from above, Feng swung her sword and cut the ropes binding Bai Mo. There was no time to gather her strength, so she grabbed Bai Mo and pushed off the ground with all her might, causing the two of them to fall directly to the ground. The blade that they had narrowly avoided still left deep and shallow wounds on their bodies. The two of them fell to the ground, but at least their lives were not in danger.
Upon seeing Bai Mo rescued, Ghost Face immediately opened a hidden door behind him to leave. Ning Xian wanted to chase after him, but Feng stopped him, saying, "Don't chase after them, let's go!" He and Bai Mo stood up from the ground, their bodies swaying slightly, almost imperceptibly.
Ning Xian stopped and looked at Feng. He didn't seem to show any abnormality, but this was not Feng's style.
"You encountered that poisoned needle?" Ning Xian stared intently at him, not letting even the slightest change in his face escape her notice. Feng Wei was silent for a moment. In the current situation, it was much more beneficial for his companion to understand his true condition than to keep it a secret. He said, "The poison is not very potent. My internal energy can suppress it for the time being."
Ning Xian nodded vigorously, "Let's go!"
The reinforcements Ci Sheng went to fetch haven't arrived yet, and it's even uncertain whether they'll be able to make it in time. They have to leave on their own, and the sooner the better.
Regardless of whether Feng seemed indifferent, Ning Xian still went up to support him and share some of his burden. "Shall we go find Mu Yuan?"
Feng shook her head. "No, we'll leave first. Without Mu Yuan holding back the Xuanlang Sect's Grand Protector, none of us can leave."
Ning Xian glanced at him—was he planning to ditch Mu Yuan and use him as a backup?
"Anyway, that guy won't die," Phoenix said.
Even Lord Feng has said so, what else can Ning Xian say? She silently repeated to herself, "The capable should do more, the capable should do more..." "Let's go!"
Bai Mo: "..." They would risk their lives to save him, yet they just casually threw away the wooden kite? People of the Demonic Sect... I really can't understand them.
Since they were going to get rid of Mu Yuan and have him hold off the Xuanlang Sect's Grand Protector, it meant that they had to deal with any obstacles that came their way themselves.
A large group of men blocked their path. Unsurprisingly, Ghost Face wouldn't let the opportunity to take advantage of Feng's poisoning and injuries slip by. Feng glanced disdainfully at Ghost Face, who had brought a large group of men but remained in a safe place, and slowly withdrew her hand from Ning Xian's arm, gripping her sword instead.
"Can you cooperate with me?" He glanced at Ning Xian, who was taken aback for a moment, then a matter-of-fact smile appeared on her lips. "Are you underestimating me?"
This was the first time that Feng, who always took on everything independently, had actually asked for help from others.
Ning Xian slammed his long whip heavily onto the ground, as if something had been broken apart. Countless barbs appeared on the slender whip, forming an invisible wall to aid Feng's defense. Any blade that touched her would tear off a piece of flesh.
...
Du Cisheng didn't know how long he had been wandering. He had thought that perhaps if he pushed Ning Xian to the brink, he could force out his own answer and make a choice between resentment and letting go.
However, he still received no answer. He went to contact Ni Chang, but hesitated and left even though he knew it was too late. Did he do this to salvage something, or was he simply trying to ease his conscience?
Reinforcements won't arrive in time.
If Ning Xian and the others cannot break through on their own...
His back ached faintly; the wounds had healed, new skin had grown, leaving only faint marks. But the wound in his heart remained, there it was, and no matter how much he tried to ignore it, it wouldn't disappear.
Even if the initial mistake lay with her brother, who shouldn't have owed the Netherworld Heaven a debt, it was Ning Xian who caused that small but harmonious gang to vanish and be subjugated by others. Yet, it was also Ning Xian who saved this insignificant little gang, allowing it to barely survive. Even he became an appendage, an appendage to her, who had no autonomy. And that gentle and kind second young master, with his pride and integrity, also disappeared forever.
Should we resent or be grateful? Is it fate playing tricks on us, or are we reaping what we sowed? Who is the culprit?
He didn't stay at Ni Chang's place to wait for news, nor could he wait outside Xuanlang Gate to witness the outcome firsthand. When he came to his senses, he was already outside the Bai residence. He paused, reached out to push the gate, only to find his hands icy cold and trembling slightly.