The bright moon shone down as Shi Cuiyan’s sweet scent wafted over.
She closed her eyes, trying to stop herself from overthinking, but the more she reminded herself, the more her unease grew.
Shi Cuiyan was running, drenched in fragrant sweat, too focused to be distracted.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew, and she leaned back, her toes tapping a branch to swiftly change direction.
Xi Fuhong clung to Shi Cuiyan in shock, suddenly noticing a leaf embedded straight into the tree trunk like a dart, a deadly threat if it hit a person.
Xi Fuhong sensed danger but had no time to see the enemy in the dark.
Her ankle tightened, and she was pulled away from Shi Cuiyan’s embrace.
In an instant, the world spun as if she were thrown into the air, head over heels, about to crash to the ground.
Her eyes widened, catching a flash of red light as something wrapped around her waist, pulling her into another embrace.
This person was definitely not Shi Cuiyan.
“Give Xi back!!” An angry shout pierced the silence, and Shi Cuiyan stood on a branch, furious.
“How do you mean ‘give back’?” A deep, magnetic female voice replied from the woods.
Xi Fuhong looked up to see Luo Qingcheng.
Her cold tone carried a hint of mockery.
Having taken someone away, how could she return them? Besides, it should be Shi Cuiyan returning Xi Fuhong.
“Let me go!!” Xi Fuhong suddenly came to her senses, struggling desperately to escape Luo Qingcheng’s grip.
A whip was wrapped around her waist, her right arm pinned behind her, and her left hand held.
She looked up at Luo Qingcheng’s indifferent profile, trembling all over, caught red-handed, dreading what Luo Family Head might do to her.
Luo Qingcheng didn’t stare as usual, instead giving Xi Fuhong a brief glance.
She released her right hand, gripping the whip handle, and with a few swings, unwound the whip from Xi Fuhong’s waist.
Then, holding her, she leaped down from the tree, giving no chance to catch her breath, and immobilized her with a pressure point technique.
“You want her?” Luo Qingcheng turned, her fiery red dress swirling arrogantly in the night.
With a wave of her hand, the long whip snapped onto the branch where Shi Cuiyan stood, pulling with such force that the sturdy branch broke.
Thin clouds covered the moon, the cold wind howled, and Luo Qingcheng’s lips curled into a faint smile, leaving only a murderous intent.
“Just try to take her.”
Author’s note: Ahhhh!!! Luo Luo is so domineering!!!! Finally, a classic tug-of-war scenario, writing it is especially thrilling (shy).
☆ Chapter 46: Between Staying and Leaving
Shi Cuiyan’s feet left the ground as she flipped down from the tree with a few somersaults.
The fierce wind blew, dry leaves swirled, and the thin clouds dispersed, revealing a murderous intent under the moonlight.
Shi Cuiyan’s usual playful demeanor was gone, as she deftly drew a silver dagger.
The blade gleamed sharply, intricately engraved with a pattern of a snake extending along the weapon, as if it were a swift and fierce venomous serpent.
“Luo Family Head, what do you mean by this?” Shi Cuiyan narrowed her eyes dangerously, speaking coldly.
Hearing this, Luo Qingcheng’s smile deepened, but her murderous intent did not diminish.
Her fiery red attire made her look like a vengeful spirit, her once enchanting beauty now only a fierce demon.
Her gaze was firm and cold, like a predator eyeing its prey, determined to tear it apart.
“You took Xi Fuhong and ran away, how do you explain that?” Her tone was indifferent, devoid of any emotion.
With tension high, what more needed to be said? Shi Cuiyan’s heart sank; to bring Xi back, she had no choice but to face Luo Qingcheng with blades.
In a flash, she lunged forward, dagger aimed at Luo Qingcheng’s left side, but Luo Qingcheng was no easy target.
With a swift step, her whip blocked Shi Cuiyan’s path, forcing her to change direction and retreat.
One wielded a close-range blade, the other a long-range weapon, and they were locked in a stalemate for a while.
Shi Cuiyan sneered, suddenly leaping forward, her body soaring ten feet high.
Luo Qingcheng waited silently, seeing the dagger flash as it was thrown from above.
Luo Qingcheng’s lips curled, stepping back half an inch to dodge, her whip wrapping around Shi Cuiyan’s arm, pulling down.
Shi Cuiyan agilely flipped a few times to escape the whip, landing solidly in front of Luo Qingcheng.
With a swift motion, she retrieved the embedded dagger, and in a split second, the blade slashed out.
Luo Qingcheng didn’t dodge, a cut appearing on her cheek.
She used the whip handle as a shield, instantly deflecting the attack, crouching down, her fingers hooking Shi Cuiyan’s throat.
Shi Cuiyan frowned, retracting her weapon, stabilizing her stance, and kicking forward, successfully separating the two.
Shi Cuiyan tasted blood in her throat, turning to spit it out.
Luo Qingcheng raised a delicate hand, wiping away the blood on her cheek.
Under the tree, Xi Fuhong was pale with fear.
She never expected the two to fight, and when she saw Shi Cuiyan spit blood, her heart twisted, almost unable to breathe.
What if Shi Cuiyan died? If she hadn’t run away, this wouldn’t have happened.
Xi Fuhong wanted to shout for them to stop, but no sound came out, only able to watch them fight.
Stop fighting! Please, stop!! She kept shouting in her heart, watching as the fight grew more intense, their attacks ruthless and unrelenting.
Shi Cuiyan’s right hand bled as she continued to attack, while Luo Qingcheng, though uninjured, was forced back to the tree.
The fiery whip swung continuously, interspersed with the dagger’s silver gleam, their clash echoing through the forest.
Suddenly, the whip aimed for Shi Cuiyan’s head, the dagger targeting Luo Qingcheng’s chest, their eyes fierce, murderous intent boiling.
“Stop!!” A voice cut through the sky, distracting both.
The internal force backfired, their energy surged, and both stopped their attacks, flipping back.
“Ugh!!” Shi Cuiyan’s hands hit the ground, the silver dagger falling beside her.
She felt a sharp pain in her chest, suddenly vomiting blood, staining her clothes.
Xi Fuhong rushed forward, kneeling beside her, supporting her frail shoulders, tears of worry streaming down.
She almost thought Shi Cuiyan was going to die.
On the other side, Chen Tanghe released Xi Fuhong’s pressure point, quickly rushing forward to catch Luo Qingcheng as she fell.
Her grip loosened, dropping her weapon, her internal energy in disarray, causing blood to seep from her lips.
Though uninjured externally, she suffered internal injuries.
Chen Tanghe raised his eyebrows; if he hadn’t intervened, both might have been seriously hurt.
“Annoying!” Luo Qingcheng didn’t thank him, instead pushing Chen Tanghe away with a curse.
Seeing this, Chen Tanghe couldn’t hold back, speaking sternly, “Junior sister, if Miss Shi intends to take Miss Xi away, so be it.
Why resort to violence? Is it worth damaging the peace?”
“It’s worth it!” Luo Qingcheng glanced coldly, surprisingly curling her lips.
Chen Tanghe was stunned, not expecting his junior sister to fight for a woman.
He recalled advising Luo Qingcheng earlier, urging her to release Xi Fuhong, as a Gui Po servant wasn’t worth clashing with the Righteous Path.
But Luo Qingcheng repeatedly refused, her persistence shocking, until he questioned if she would return to being the Luo Family Head after the Hulong Secret Treasure affair, no longer holding Xi Fuhong.
He only received a response: “Senior brother, you’re meddling too much.”
What did that mean? Chen Tanghe thought, clenching his fists.
Shi Cuiyan stood up awkwardly, glaring fiercely at Luo Qingcheng, shouting, “Again!!”
Xi Fuhong quickly grabbed her, “Don’t fight anymore! Please! Don’t fight anymore…”
The hand she held was sticky with blood.
She took out a handkerchief to bandage Shi Cuiyan, her heart anxious.
If not for the alliance leader’s intervention, she couldn’t imagine the outcome.
Xi Fuhong feared Shi Cuiyan would fight Luo Qingcheng again, hurriedly picking up her dagger and holding it tightly.
“Don’t touch it, it’s dangerous,” Shi Cuiyan stepped forward to snatch the dagger, seeing her tear-streaked face, feeling a pang of guilt, “Don’t cry, my hand doesn’t hurt, but seeing you like this, my heart hurts a lot.”
She gently wiped away the tears on Xi Fuhong’s face.
