Desperate Situation

Ning Fengzhi nodded gravely.

Chen Xin understood at once. He grabbed Ning Fengzhi by the shoulder, turned into a streak of silver light, and sped after the direction Gu Rong had indicated!

"Little bastard... cough, cough, cough..." Gu Rong cursed. Just as he was about to regulate his breathing where he stood, a dark green figure appeared before him like a ghost, its powerful intimidation making his breath catch.

"Gu Rong!! You dog thing!! I f*** your m***!! You nearly got my granddaughter's husband killed!!!!!"

"Dugu Bo?" Gu Rong's heart jolted. He forced himself to remain calm and frowned. "What do you mean? What granddaughter's husband?"

"What do I mean?" Dugu Bo's eyes widened in fury, murderous intent spilling from them. "Li Tangwang, Dingzhen, de, famous saying."

He gave Gu Rong no chance to explain. With a flash, he seized Gu Rong by the throat and forcibly lifted him off the ground!

"What are you doing?!" Gu Rong was both shocked and enraged. He tried to struggle, only to find that he could barely break free.

"What am I doing?" Dugu Bo narrowed his eyes, his voice icy. "Heh heh, Gu Rong, you'd better pray that kid Zhao Linchuan is all right."

"Otherwise, I'll make your entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect bury themselves with him!"

With that, he ignored Gu Rong's roars and struggles entirely. Dragging him like a dead dog, he turned into a streak of green light and raced after Chen Xin and the others.

On the other side, Zhao Linchuan and Ning Fengzhi's group of four continued their hiding and pursuit for three days and three nights.

Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth and carried the severely injured Zhao Linchuan on her back. Relying on the speed of an agility-attack Soul Master and her familiarity with mountain terrain, she hid her tracks all the way and forcibly escaped several hundred li.

During that time, Zhao Linchuan relied on Wildfire Cannot Burn Out's formidable recovery power to improve his injuries somewhat. After recovering a little Soul Power, he immediately activated Spring Returns to the Earth to heal himself, easing his condition.

He had suggested that Zhu Zhuqing leave on her own and stop getting swept into this dangerous vortex.

However, Zhu Zhuqing merely shook her head calmly. Looking at the flickering campfire, she said softly:

"Anyway, I don't have much time left. Alone, I'd just be waiting to die."

"Rather than that... I might as well stay with you and experience what it feels like to be hunted by a Titled Douluo."

"It sounds... pretty exciting, doesn't it?" The corners of her lips even lifted into a smile that seemed almost relieved.

And so, the two continued hiding as they traveled, supporting one another.

But the goddess of fortune did not continue watching over them.

Or perhaps their luck had truly run out. On the fourth day, while searching for food and supplies, an incomparably sharp Sword Intent suddenly locked onto them like a net cast across the heavens!

Chen Xin and Ning Fengzhi had finally caught up.

A sheer cliff stood before them, powerful enemies behind them. They were completely boxed in, and in their weakened state, there was nowhere left to run.

"Lin Chuan." Ning Fengzhi's voice remained gentle, without the slightest trace of anger, as though he were calling out to a child who had run away from home.

"Come back with me. I can let everything that happened before slide."

He offered tempting terms:

"As long as you return with me, I will not only restore all the status and treatment you once had in the sect, but... I can also make the decision to marry Rongrong to you."

"You were childhood sweethearts to begin with. Why let things reach this point?"

Zhao Linchuan shook his head. Holding the newly condensed Thunder Tyrant Prison Breaking Sword, he firmly shielded Zhu Zhuqing behind him.

"Ning Fengzhi, put away that hypocritical act of yours."

"You and I both know exactly what you're truly plotting."

"That really is... such a pity." Ning Fengzhi sighed softly, his gaze gradually turning cold.

"Since you refuse to return from the wrong path, I'll have to 'invite' you back another way."

His gaze swept over Zhu Zhuqing behind Zhao Linchuan with the coldness of someone appraising merchandise.

"This is your lifesaver? Her looks and figure aren't bad."

"Perhaps she can help you pass down that powerful Martial Soul of yours?"

"I imagine that, in order to repay her kindness, you wouldn't refuse, would you?"

Just as Zhao Linchuan's eyes turned icy and he was about to retort—

Thud—!

A heavy muffled crash rang out amid billowing dust as a black shadow was violently hurled to the ground, landing between them.

"Old Bones?!" Chen Xin's expression changed. The disheveled figure on the ground, his aura weak, was none other than Gu Rong, whom Dugu Bo had captured!

"Hmph!"

Dugu Bo's figure appeared immediately afterward. One foot planted unceremoniously on Gu Rong's back, he swept his sinister gaze across the whole audience.

"Ning Fengzhi, where are you taking my granddaughter's husband?"

"Your granddaughter's husband?" Ning Fengzhi frowned deeply. This information had completely taken him by surprise.

When had Zhao Linchuan developed such a relationship with Dugu Bo?

Suppressing his fury, Chen Xin shouted coldly, "Dugu Bo! Release him!"

"Release him? Heh heh..." Dugu Bo let out a spine-chilling sneer. He lifted his foot and made a grasping motion with his right hand. An invisible force lifted Gu Rong into his palm, his five fingers clamping tightly around Gu Rong's throat.

"Fine! Release my granddaughter's husband and that little girl beside him, and I'll release this pile of rotten bones!"

Ning Fengzhi's expression darkened. "Your Excellency Poison Douluo, are you determined to make an enemy of my Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?"

"So what if I am?!" Dugu Bo's aura erupted. A massive phantom of the Jade Phosphorous Serpent Emperor condensed behind him, terrifying poisonous miasma spreading through the air until even the air let out sizzling sounds of corrosion.

Chen Xin held the Seven Kill Sword, his Sword Intent shooting into the sky without yielding in the slightest. "What if I refuse to release him?"

"Refuse? Heh heh heh..." Dugu Bo's cold laughter was filled with madness. "Then I can only let Gu Rong, along with your entire Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, be buried with my granddaughter's husband!"

He tightened his grip, and Gu Rong immediately let out a pained grunt, his face flushing red.

"Believe me, Ning Fengzhi. I, Dugu Bo, have always meant what I said and done what I promised!"

"You can try and see whether your swords are faster, or whether my poison can wipe out your sect faster!"

Chen Xin's gaze was as sharp as a sword as he looked at Ning Fengzhi, waiting for his decision.

Ning Fengzhi's expression shifted constantly as he weighed his options at lightning speed.

In the end, he drew a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, "Fine! I'll count to three, and we... release them at the same time!"

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Yet after the count ended, neither side moved. The atmosphere grew even more oppressive.

Dugu Bo snorted and broke the silence. "Ning Fengzhi, we're both old foxes, so stop playing these cheap little tricks!"

"I don't trust you!" His tone sharpened. "Now listen to me! I'll count to three, and we release them at the same time!"

"If you dare try anything, I'll immediately take this pile of rotten bones back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect!"

"I believe that by the time you get back, there won't be a single living person left in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect besides you, Ning Fengzhi, and Chen Xin!"

(Damn it, I've been getting scolded these past two days and received a pile of low ratings. Everyone, please give me a five-star rating to cheer me up. The Immortal Herb Qian Renxue took has been changed; you'll be able to see it after tidying things up again.)