"I... I understand," Xiaobai Shengyi said weakly, her eyes welling up with tears.
But she had to be good. Big sister had always said that only obedient children would be loved by their parents and grandparents.
After rejoining Qin Zhao, Bai Murong's attitude towards Xiaobai Shengyi changed dramatically. She was gentle and patient, acting like a concerned elder sister who worried deeply for her younger sibling.
The three small figures walked for a long time in the darkness.
"Your Highness, I'm so tired. I can't hold on much longer," Bai Murong gritted her teeth, her bravery tinged with sadness. "How much further do we have to go?"
"Soon, we'll find Fellow Daoist Li... Huh? Is this a fork in the road?"
Looking at the three-way intersection ahead, both paths vanished into darkness, resembling bottomless graves. Qin Zhao frowned, unable to make up his mind.
"What should we do? Perhaps we should wait here for Sister Li and the others?" Bai Murong said softly. "Sister Li promised to lead us out, and they would never break their word."
"Sister, is... is that really a good idea?" Xiaobai Shengyi said timidly. Sister Li didn't owe them anything; why should she be obligated to lead them out?
Xiaobai Shengyi didn't think she had said anything wrong. However, as soon as she looked up, she saw Bai Murong gazing at her coldly. Even though her tone was gentle, she asked, "Then, sister, what do you suggest we do?"
Qin Zhao surveyed the path ahead, seemingly oblivious to the sisters' disagreement.
Xiaobai Shengyi lowered her head.
"Never mind, let's listen to Shengyi and continue walking. However, Shengyi, which way do you think we should go?" Qin Zhao asked.
Seeing that Qin Zhao was speaking to her, Xiaobai Shengyi closed her eyes and felt the surroundings carefully before making her choice. "I think we should go this way."
She pointed to the left path.
The right path gave her a deeply ominous feeling. If they went that way, she felt they were likely to encounter very bad things.
Qin Zhao was about to follow her direction when Bai Murong pouted indignantly. She turned her head and whispered to Qin Zhao, "Your Highness, Shengyi is too young, her words don't count. I think the right path looks brighter. Let's go right."
Xiaobai Shengyi meekly said, "Then let's go right."
Seeing this, Qin Zhao led the two of them to the right. As soon as they stepped onto it, a cold wind brushed past their shoulders, chilling all three of them to the bone.
"Shengyi, if you're not cold, can you lend your jacket to your sister?" Bai Murong didn't wait for Xiaobai Shengyi to refuse before snatching Xiaobai Shengyi's jacket.
Xiaobai Shengyi dared not refuse and could only follow behind her and Qin Zhao, hugging her shoulders and shrinking into herself.
"Ah!"
Bai Murong suddenly screamed, "These... these black mists are moving!"
"How is that possible?" Qin Zhao frowned slightly. "Murong, are you mistaken? I don't see anything."
"Is it... is it really true?" But she truly felt they were moving. Could these really be strands of a thousand-soul worm?
Qin Zhao said, "It is. We've walked this far, and these black mists have always been like this. Look, these leaves are probably black because of the black mists. Perhaps they are tired and aren't moving. In my opinion, besides the soul-devouring beast, there's nothing else in here—Ah!"
Before Qin Zhao could finish speaking, he tripped over something and fell into a cave.
"Snakes! So many venomous snakes!"
Bai Murong cried out in alarm.
Qin Zhao's face also turned pale. This was a snake den, wasn't it?
Snakes of all sizes, with their forked tongues flicking, coiled and entwined. The "hissing" sound made one's scalp tingle.
"Shengyi! Hurry down and save His Highness!" Bai Murong suddenly turned and stared at Xiaobai Shengyi.
Before Xiaobai Shengyi could react, she heard Bai Murong say, "It's all your fault! If you hadn't insisted on taking this path! How could His Highness and we have encountered such danger? Shengyi, why are you so unlucky? And you've dragged me and His Highness into this, boohoo..."
Xiaobai Shengyi said helplessly, "No, I didn't..."
"It was you! How dare you talk back!" Bai Murong said resentfully.
Xiaobai Shengyi felt extremely hurt by the false accusation. However, seeing Qin Zhao struggling to dodge the venomous snakes below, she was terribly worried and hurried to find something to pull Qin Zhao up.
But the place was too bizarre; there wasn't even a single vine. Xiaobai Shengyi couldn't help but walk further away.
"Your Highness! Shengyi ran off!" Bai Murong said sadly, as if abandoned, and cried out in despair. "Boohoo... Don't worry, I'll find a way to pull you up, boohoo... You have to hold on..."
Qin Zhao, having clearly heard Bai Murong's words, his expression instantly turned grim.
He had come specifically to save Bai Shengyi, and Bai Shengyi had abandoned him to run off alone when he was in danger?
As expected, she was a selfish, foolish girl! Once he got out, he would have to discipline this fool properly and completely control her.
"Hiss..." Distracted, Qin Zhao was bitten by a snake. Fortunately, the poison was not potent, and only his wrist went numb.
On the other side, Xiaobai Shengyi searched and searched, eventually reaching the forest. By sheer coincidence, she encountered Li Shiqing, Chu Tianle, and Feng Wuya.
"Are you Shengyi or Murong? Hurry and help us!"
The three of them had been fighting a giant spider. Although the giant spider was only half-dead, its silk had tightly bound them. It was about to drag them into its massive mouth with its silk.
Xiaobai Shengyi's eyes lit up when she saw the vines behind the giant spider. Without answering Li Shiqing, she took out the explosive talismans given to her by her father and blew up the silk. Then, she grabbed a large patch of vines and left.
"Hey! Little girl!" Li Shiqing wanted to thank her but saw her leaving.
She first freed Chu Tianle and Feng Wuya from the spider silk and instructed, "Tianle, you take Wuya back first. I'll go check on the others."
Feng Wuya had already fainted, and Chu Tianle was also quite frightened by this adventure. However, he remembered Xiaobai Shengyi's retreating figure. He supported Feng Wuya and said, "Sister Chu, don't worry, go ahead."
Xiaobai Shengyi ran back quickly.
"Sister, Your Highness, I have a way to save His Highness!"
She happily held the knotted rope, unaware of Qin Zhao's exhausted and despairing gaze, nor Bai Murong's thoughtful look.
The snakes in the snake den seemed to have a target, only attacking Qin Zhao and not Bai Murong. Could it be that they only needed one person as a food source?
"Your Highness!" Xiaobai Shengyi exclaimed in surprise. It turned out that Qin Zhao had exhausted his spiritual energy and fainted!
Time was of the essence. Bai Murong thought, bringing her hand close to Xiaobai Shengyi, who was standing at the edge of the snake den trying to throw down the vines, and gently pushed!
"Sister..."
Amidst the chaotic dancing of snake heads, Xiaobai Shengyi only caught a glimpse of Bai Murong's cold expression. Then she saw Bai Murong, who had not yet cultivated, leap down with surprising agility and carry Qin Zhao up.