Breaking Free from Pursuit—Now That You're an Orphan, You Want to Drag Me Down Too?

Sitting cross-legged, Lin Xia closed his eyes and fully activated his Soul Power. Like an invisible net, it scanned every inch of his skin and every meridian, from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.

His Soul Power flowed smoothly, but Lin Xia did not dare let down his guard. He sent his senses deeper into the texture of his skin and the roots of his hair, even checking whether the tiny abrasions left from the earlier battle had been tampered with.

After examining himself, Lin Xia turned his gaze to Bulbasaur.

"Bulbasaur, relax."

Lin Xia spoke softly.

He gently placed a hand on the little fellow's warm back, and a gentle, pure stream of Soul Power carefully entered its body.

Though Bulbasaur had a special constitution, it was still young. If Yue Hongsheng wanted to leave a tracking mark behind, it might have been an easier target.

His Soul Power meticulously examined Bulbasaur's life essence, energy core, the roots of its vines, and even the miraculous seed on its back.

Once, twice... Lin Xia's brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Just as he was about to relax, he sharply caught an abnormally faint fluctuation, one that had almost blended completely with the fluctuations of his own Soul Power!

The fluctuation did not come from flesh, blood, or his Soul Power core. Instead, it was... attached to the battered academy uniform on his body, already soaked with river water, mud, and bloodstains!

Lin Xia abruptly opened his eyes. His green-purple heterochromatic eyes flashed with icy light beneath the moonlight, and he understood at once!

This ordinary academy uniform he had changed into before leaving Plant Academy had been Yue Hongsheng's backup plan all along!

The mark was likely extremely well hidden. Perhaps it could only appear when activated by a particular method or Soul Power, like an invisible coordinate.

It would not harm the body or affect cultivation. It could only be sensed through a specific method when needed!

"As expected... you old fox!"

Lin Xia cursed under his breath, a chill piercing straight into his heart.

Fortunately, he had been cautious enough not to take any chances.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly rose to his feet and stripped off every piece of his soaked, filthy clothing.

Along with the small bundle containing dried provisions and academy identification, which carried the same scent as his clothes, he viciously flung them into the center of the rushing river!

Splash!

The clothes and bundle were instantly swallowed by the river, spinning away and vanishing from sight.

Naked, Lin Xia stood amid the cold night wind. Moonlight outlined his youthful body, not yet particularly strong but already carrying defined lines of power, as well as... a ferocious purple mark along his spine.

Poison Vine Bone Wings!

With a thought from Lin Xia—

Buzz!

Blue-purple patterns instantly lit up across his back, writhing and spreading like living things.

Dozens, then hundreds, of slender yet resilient vines, somewhere between flesh and metallic vines, burst from his body in an instant, carrying a faint dark-purple glow!

The vines twisted and intertwined through the air. Rather than forming spears, shields, or weapons, they curled back and gathered like living tentacles, layer upon layer, sheet upon sheet, swiftly wrapping and tightly covering Lin Xia's torso, limbs, and everything below his neck!

Only Lin Xia's vigilant face and soaked hair remained exposed.

The Poison Vine Bone Wings had transformed into a form-fitting vine armor, seamless and covering his entire body.

A faint dark-purple radiance coated its surface. Not only was the armor incredibly tough, it also acted as a natural barrier that isolated Soul Power.

Lin Xia tried moving his arms and legs.

Although the vine armor covered his entire body, it did not feel cumbersome or restrictive in the slightest. The inherent flexibility of the Poison Vine Bone Wings, coupled with his perfect control over the soul bone, allowed him to remain as agile as ever.

Lin Xia could even feel the Poison Vine Bone Wings absorbing faint moonlight on their own, maintaining the dark-purple glow around his body and its isolating effect.

"Bulbasaur, get in."

"Bulba!"

The little fellow immediately understood. It leaped lightly and slipped through a gap in the vine armor around Lin Xia's neck, where the bone vines had deliberately woven a tiny, comfortable space.

Its body heat spread inward, while the aura emitted by the balance of its Life-Poison Unity was perfectly concealed by the vine armor as well.

Once he had confirmed that there were no more abnormal energy fluctuations on his body and that Bulbasaur was safely under his protection, Lin Xia let out a long breath.

Lin Xia gave one last glance at the river where his clothes had disappeared, then looked east, toward the pitch-black, unknown wilderness leading to the Star Luo Empire.

There was no more hesitation in his eyes, only the final calm calculations before setting off.

"I can't follow the river for too long. It'll throw off my direction, and I can't take the main roads either..."

Lin Xia murmured to himself, his sharp gaze sweeping over the dense forests on both riverbanks.

"North. Cross the mountain pass through these mountains, avoid every town and village, and cut straight through. With the Poison Vine Bone Wings concealing my aura, as long as I'm fast enough..."

"Yue Hongsheng might not be able to find me!"

With that thought, Lin Xia no longer lingered. Like a ghost shrouded in faint dark-purple light, he instantly disappeared into the pitch-black forest by the riverbank.

Without leaking even a trace of Soul Power, he relied solely on his enhanced physical strength and the protection of the vine armor to move through the forest as if walking on level ground. He was so fast that only the faint rustling of disturbed leaves could be heard before he vanished without a trace.

Yue Hongsheng's martial soul, the Evil Shadow Nether Poison Chrysanthemum, floated above his head. Its petals slowly opened and closed, continuously transforming pure poison-type Soul Power into all-pervading toxic miasma.

The miasma was colorless and odorless, blending with the forest's natural dampness. It seeped into the veins of every leaf, the cracks in every inch of soil, and saturated every living thing.

After working for so long, Yue Hongsheng had finally filled the entire forest with poison. He refused to believe Lin Xia could endure it or escape his grasp.

Just as Yue Hongsheng was thinking this, his brow suddenly furrowed. A trace of disbelief flashed through his eyes as he looked toward the distant river.

"The aura has appeared, but why is it so far away?!"

After sensing where the aura was located, Yue Hongsheng looked at the poison he had painstakingly spread throughout the forest and nearly lost his composure.

So he'd been played again!!!

Though Yue Hongsheng was furious, pursuit came first. He immediately rushed toward the place where the aura had appeared.

Yet the farther Yue Hongsheng chased, the more something felt wrong!

Why was the aura moving forward at a steady, unhurried pace?

By the time Yue Hongsheng sensed this, doubt had already begun to creep into his heart. Only when he saw the bundle and clothes being carried along by the river did he realize that Lin Xia had discovered the aura he had planted on him.

Having completely lost the guidance of the aura, Yue Hongsheng descended straight into madness.

"Lin Xia!!!!!"

"I will find you!!!!"

Holy Soul Village.

The sun hung low in the west. Before the blacksmith shop, two small figures sat side by side in identical clothes, quietly sitting there.

The faintly red afterglow of the setting sun fell upon them, as though it had branded their bodies with a ring of golden-red light.

"Xiao Wu, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Xiao Wu asked curiously.

"Thank you for always staying with me."

Tang San lowered his head and looked at the ground beneath his feet. His gaze was distant and hazy, yet in the end, he did not let the tears fall.

Xiao Wu burst into laughter.

"Don't be so depressed. Don't you still have Master? Isn't Master another father to you?"

A bitter smile appeared on Tang San's face.

"Xiao Wu, you're right. But do you know? Dad was my only family. Without Dad at home, it isn't a home anymore."

Xiao Wu nodded seriously upon hearing this.

"No home? Doesn't that make you an orphan?"

Tang San fell silent. The tiny bit of atmosphere he had managed to create was instantly wiped out by Xiao Wu's words.

Looking at the quirky girl before him, Tang San ultimately gave up on the little bit of annoyance in his heart and continued.

"Xiao Wu, I don't have any family left. Would you be willing to be my little sister?"

Xiao Wu tossed her head, swinging her long scorpion braid to the front, then said indignantly:

"Now that you're an orphan, you want to drag me down with you too?"