The man looked at Xiao Man, his eyes devoid of life, like a stagnant, cold pool, revealing not a shred of vitality. Xiao Man’s heart leaped. This was bad, he was seeking death!
"Listen to me..." Before Xiao Man could finish, the man released his grip, and they both plunged into the quicksand. Xiao Man felt an urge to curse, but she held back. The moment she hit the quicksand, she lay flat, increasing her surface area to slow her descent.
Seeing Xiao Man lie flat, a smile flickered across the man's lips. He crossed his arms and remained still, letting himself sink.
"A'Man." A shout echoed. Xiao Man quickly turned her head, spotting a figure rushing towards them. She immediately yelled,
"Stop!"
The figure, intending to rush forward, halted abruptly, almost falling due to inertia.
"Retreat!"
Dugu Luo, who always heeded Xiao Man's words, immediately stepped back. She only stopped when Xiao Man said it was alright. "A'Man, why are you lying on the ground? Is it fun? Weren't we going to rescue someone? Are we still going?"
When the man saw Dugu Luo appear, a flicker of emotion crossed his eyes. He then heard Dugu Luo call out "A'Man," and his gaze turned in shock towards Xiao Man. Xiao Man wore a veil, her face completely hidden. He couldn't see her face at all, but this person was unfamiliar. She was definitely not the one he knew!
"Obey my command, do not come any closer," Xiao Man said sternly.
Dugu Luo stood uneasily in the distance, wanting to approach but afraid. Though her mind was not entirely clear, she sensed that Xiao Man was in trouble!
"Did you bully A'Man?" Dugu Luo pointed her greatsword at the man and asked fiercely.
The man looked at the agitated Dugu Luo, his eyes growing more confused. He reached out a hand towards Xiao Man. Seeing this, Dugu Luo, in a moment of desperation, hurled her sword at the man.
The man quickly retracted his hand. The greatsword became embedded between them. Xiao Man's eyes lit up. Grabbing the sword, she used its leverage to pull herself out of the quicksand pit and onto the rocks.
The man followed suit. As the greatsword sank completely into the quicksand, he used it as a fulcrum to fly onto the rocks. If Xiao Man had attacked him then, he wouldn't have been able to escape. But Xiao Man didn't. She simply watched the man ascend.
"You... who are you?" the man asked, his voice hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.
Xiao Man tightened her grip on the sword. If the man intended to attack her, she would strike without hesitation.
"You are... Dugu Luo?" The man looked at Xiao Man, shaking his head. "No, you are not her."
Xiao Man frowned. After a moment, she tentatively asked, "Yan Chi?"
The man's eyes lit up. It had been so long since anyone had called him by his name. Tears welled up in his eyes at that moment, but he held them back. He had sworn long ago never to shed another tear.
"A'Man, can I come closer?" Dugu Luo, seeing them facing each other and seemingly conversing, asked anxiously, as she couldn't hear them over the wind.
"Stay over there!" Xiao Man gestured. If the person before her was Yan Chi, the situation was very unfavorable for her. It seemed she hadn't been mistaken that day in the Imperial Capital of Yusheng; the person she saw had indeed been Yan Chi!
"Are you allied with Prince Qin of Yusheng, or the Imperial Preceptor of Yusheng?" Xiao Man asked slowly. Regardless of whom Yan Chi had allied with, she had figured out at least one thing. The third person from Nanluo Villa, the one who had shattered her father's chest, was this man before her, besides Nangong Yu and Feng Moran!
Yan Chi remained silent, merely gazing at Xiao Man, as if searching for similarities. However, he was disappointed. The person before him, in height and build, was unlike Dugu Man!
Upon confirming that the person before him was not the one he knew, Yan Chi attacked. His target was Xiao Man's veil. Xiao Man did not hesitate. Even though he was a former acquaintance, she showed no leniency. Her sword was drawn, imbued with a lethal resolve.
Yan Chi's presence here was a betrayal. He didn't know what had become of Shangguan Jin and his party. She absolutely could not harm Shangguan Jin due to soft-heartedness. Qin Xue was still waiting for him to return, waiting for him to marry her!
The man grabbed Xiao Man's sword with one hand and the veil with the other, enduring the pain to rip the veil from Xiao Man's head. Xiao Man immediately drew her dagger and counterattacked, stabbing backwards. The man released the sword he was holding and retreated two steps, standing at the edge of the rock.
Xiao Man sheathed her dagger, gripped her sword with both hands, and adopted an attacking stance. The man stared at Xiao Man. "The moves are very similar, but they are fake. A fake can never be real!" Suda Novel Network.
"Get lost!" Dugu Luo flew over and punched a rock. The rock where the man stood instantly cracked, sending him and the rock plummeting into the quicksand pit.
Xiao Man glanced at Yan Chi, who had fallen into the quicksand pit, then led Dugu Luo across the quicksand area and quickly departed.
Shangguan Jin began to see hallucinations. His men were sprawled everywhere, having lost consciousness one by one. He knew he couldn't sleep at this moment. If he slept, they might not wake up. He had to stay awake, but it was impossible. Shangguan Jin had already started to tremble.
The red smoke gradually dissipated, but the rescuers had not arrived. The desert was vast. Without signal guidance, how could anyone discern their direction?
"Xue'er, I'm sorry. It seems I'll have to break my promise," Shangguan Jin said with a wry smile. He seemed to see Qin Xue smiling at him, telling him to get up quickly, not to oversleep, saying the spring flowers had bloomed and they should go admire them together.
*Slap.* Shangguan Jin received a slap to the face, which jolted him back to awareness. His gaze was hazy as he looked ahead, but he couldn't see who was in front of him.
A sweet taste spread through his mouth. Shangguan Jin greedily drank. It was water! It was water!
"A'Luo, check on the others." Xiao Man helped Shangguan Jin up, leaning him against her, allowing him to drink some water to recover.
Dugu Luo then began to check on the remaining people. She gave water to those who were still alive and, once they regained consciousness, distributed the food they had brought.
Shangguan Jin recovered and looked at the water flask and flatbread in his hands, a smile appearing on his face. "I knew you would come to save us."
Besides Shangguan Jin, six other people survived. Xiao Man's food and water were not abundant, but thankfully, it was enough for them to temporarily replenish their strength.
"Miss, how did you find us?" Shangguan Jin asked, chewing on the flatbread and washing it down with water. The coarse flatbread he never usually ate now tasted so delicious. Indeed, when one is starving, anything tastes like a delicacy.
"Signal fire."
"I knew you would definitely see it."
Xiao Man smiled. "It's fortunate you lit it in time. I only just arrived. If I had been any later, you truly would have been reporting to the King of Hell."
"I knew you would come to save us."