Binding Spell

"Annie, we can't give up this opportunity."

The argument between the sisters continued, and by now, Michelle seemed to have gained the upper hand.

"But... there's nothing we can do." Annie shook her head.

Michelle fell silent for a moment. Then she suddenly stepped closer to Annie and said slowly:

"No, there is. And the only way depends on you."

Gu Bei could not help but pay closer attention.

He also wanted to know what way remained to escape the Riser Family's pursuers.

"The Riser Family has no idea what we're after, nor do they know how many of us there are." Michelle's tone was highly persuasive. "So you can easily lure them away. They'll think the hostage is with you. You just need to run south, and they won't be able to catch you."

Annie hesitated.

"Me... lure them away?"

Michelle nodded, then pointed at Gu Bei and continued:

"I'll hide here with this guy. Once you lead the pursuers away, I'll take him to open the Treasure Vault. After I get what I want, we'll meet up at the old place."

After a pause, she stressed her next words slightly. "Don't worry. I'll definitely wait for you there!"

"..."

After hearing Michelle's words, Annie fell silent.

Not just Annie—even Gu Bei, standing nearby, could tell that Michelle was sacrificing a pawn to protect the king.

Put nicely, she was luring the enemy away. Put bluntly, she was sending Annie to her death. To draw the pursuers' attention, Annie would have to get close to them. And once she did, whether she could shake them off again was anyone's guess.

"What a ruthless move." The system's mechanical voice suddenly rang out. "She made her dear little sister handle all the exhausting work—interrogating and escorting you. Now that she's drained most of Annie's strength, she's sending her out as bait. Even if Annie can use magic, she probably won't be able to shake off the pursuers again."

A chill ran down Gu Bei's spine.

"You mean she'd planned to use Annie as a disposable pawn all along?"

The system sounded utterly certain. "Obviously. She doesn't want one more person sharing her treasure. Think about it—Annie killed Sally. Michelle definitely knew, yet she deliberately pretended to be clueless. Wasn't it all for this move?"

Gu Bei could not help sinking into thought.

Earlier, he had exposed one of Michelle's little tricks, so he had not taken her too seriously. But now that he thought about it, even that victory seemed to have had another side to it.

He had needed to stall for time so he could escape safely. But Michelle had also needed to make a deal on the surface. After all, pursuers were on her tail, and she could not sit there interrogating him forever. Letting Gu Bei win a small victory had probably been intentional.

At that thought, Gu Bei inwardly cried out that he had been fooled.

He should never have opened his mouth in the first place!

If he had held his ground, he might have suffered quite a bit physically, but Michelle wanted the treasure so badly that she definitely would not have killed him.

To evade the Riser Family, Michelle would have had to keep changing locations while interrogating him. In her tug-of-war with the pursuers, he would have had more time to stall and more chances to spot her weaknesses. In the end, he might even have driven Michelle into a complete frenzy.

After all, Michelle should have been the anxious one, not him!

As for physical pain, Gu Bei felt that he had already suffered enough from being jolted around on this journey.

What a loss. I've been taken for everything I've got! he could not help thinking.

"Not necessarily. Annie accidentally beat someone to death, remember? If you hadn't confessed and she had beaten you to death too, wouldn't that have been an even bigger loss?" The system kindly came out to comfort Gu Bei. "No matter what, you still suffered a little less."

Gu Bei sighed, but he soon got over it. So he had fallen for it—what was done was done. Rather than sit here drowning in regret, he might as well think about what to do now.

After all, he did not have much time left.

"Annie definitely doesn't want to be cannon fodder. Tell me, if I sneak away while those two are arguing, what are my chances of succeeding?"

Gu Bei discussed it with the system, though it sounded more like he was talking to himself.

"Very low." The system was as cutting as ever. "Even if they argue, they won't be that blind. How could they fail to notice a living person slipping away right under their noses?"

Gu Bei could not refute that, because it was the truth.

He nodded and said:

"You have a point. So you have a better idea?"

"...No."

"Then we'll do it my way." Gu Bei spoke decisively.

The system had nothing to say.

With the plan decided, Gu Bei turned his attention back to reality. He quietly watched Michelle and Annie, waiting for the best opportunity.

However, his plan fell through.

Annie said nothing, seemingly still undecided. Michelle could tell that time was tight. So she stepped forward, took Annie's hands, and activated sisterly affection mode once more.

"Annie, I've always believed in you. This time, shouldn't you believe in me too?"

Just one sentence, and soft sobs drifted out from beneath Annie's hood.

Then Annie said:

"Mm, I believe you!"

Gu Bei's worldview was shattered once again as he stood there in utter disarray.

They... actually... weren't arguing...

"Michelle, beneath the third tree at the old place, I buried all my precious things there. Remember to dig them up." Sniffling, Annie began chattering as though arranging her final affairs. "You have to live well and fulfill our dream. I'll always be with you..."

As she spoke, the two embraced again and cried until they could barely speak.

Gu Bei was speechless.

"She isn't stupid. She can tell Michelle is just sending her out as cannon fodder. But she already knows she'll probably die, so why doesn't she object at all?"

Gu Bei simply could not believe it.

The system, on the other hand, used the same tone as an auntie wiping away tears while watching a melodramatic romance.

"What a touching pair of lilies."

Because time was pressing, this round of sisterly affection was relatively brief. Annie only cried hurriedly for a few seconds before the two separated. After holding hands and gazing deeply into each other's eyes for several more seconds, Annie nodded and turned around without hesitation.

Her blurry, robe-wrapped figure ran back down the path they had come from.

She was going to lure away the pursuers.

Gu Bei watched Annie's retreating figure gradually disappear, still unable to process it.

His plan had been to escape while they argued, but plans really could never keep up with changes. He had never expected that they would not argue at all, and that Annie would willingly go to her death just like that.

Just how did her mind work?

It seemed he still had much to learn about this new world he had just transmigrated into.

Just as Gu Bei had yet to figure out what to do next, Michelle suddenly moved. She raised a hand and aimed it at Gu Bei as the night wind stirred her loose robe.

A more complex and obscure incantation suddenly reached Gu Bei's ears.

Before Gu Bei could react, he felt a powerful force surge up around him. It instantly bound him, leaving him completely unable to move.

Then Michelle walked over, grabbed Gu Bei by the collar, and began dragging him toward the nearest large tree.

Gu Bei was stunned. What was she trying to do?

Bound by magic, Gu Bei could not resist. He could only watch helplessly as he was dragged up the tree. Then Michelle securely tied him to the highest branch.

After securing Gu Bei, Michelle sat down beside him and adjusted the surrounding leaves, perfectly concealing them both.

She hid in the tree, waiting for the Riser Family's pursuers to be lured away.

And Gu Bei was fixed beside her, watched closely by Michelle, unable to make any small moves at all.

"This woman is incredibly strong!"

In the silence, the system suddenly exclaimed, startling Gu Bei. "Could she actually be a man? I was wrong. I shouldn't have told you to seduce her."

"..."

The system could hardly be blamed. At this moment, Michelle had indeed displayed astonishing strength.

Though Gu Bei's current body was thin and weak, he was still a person. He weighed at least forty or fifty kilograms. Yet Michelle carried him like a bag, climbing the tree swiftly with one hand. Her agility was truly astounding.

Gu Bei could only continue staring blankly.

There really was so much to learn in this new world!

"Don't panic. The magic will dissipate on its own after a while." Michelle glanced at Gu Bei and said casually. "Lord Riser, I only hope we can work together pleasantly. Please don't create unnecessary trouble for me."

"..."

Gu Bei had just wanted to snap back at her, only to discover that the magic not only prevented him from moving, but also stopped him from speaking.

So he could only glare fiercely at her.

"You're finished."

The system popped up again, its cold mechanical voice sounding especially irritating. "You're tied tightly to this tree, with no chance of escape whatsoever. Annie will lure the pursuers away, so you can forget about relying on them to save you. You're really doomed this time."

That was true.

Gu Bei sighed inwardly. Michelle's move was truly ruthless. Not only had she thrown Annie away as cannon fodder, but she had also sealed off every path open to him. Whether it was escape or rescue, Gu Bei would come up empty-handed.

"Poor me, a precise and invincible super artificial intelligence. I was meant for great things, yet I'm going to die with you in this miserable place."

The system began complaining about how its talents had gone unrecognized, making goosebumps rise all over Gu Bei's skin.

"Enough. Stop talking nonsense." Gu Bei hurriedly cut it off. "Who said we're going to die here?"

The system stopped rambling. Though Gu Bei could not see it, he could clearly feel its contempt. "Poor child. Since you're going to die anyway, it's good to hold on to hope."

But Gu Bei did not care.

"Even the wisest person can make a mistake. Michelle may have sealed off all my paths to survival, but by accident, she opened a window for me."

The system remained disdainful. "Really? Where's this window? Why can't I see it?"

Gu Bei did not explain. Instead, he chuckled smugly to himself. Turning his attention back to reality, he looked at the oblivious Michelle beside him, then spoke to the system in his mind.

"You recorded the incantation she just recited, right?"

"..."

The system was instantly left speechless.

"The Water Ball Spell might not be much use, but what about the Binding Spell? She has no idea we still have a trump card like that." As he spoke, Gu Bei looked up at the sky with satisfaction. Night had fallen, dark clouds covered the moon—it was the perfect time for a hunt.

Who would be the prey, and who would be the hunter?

Perhaps it was time for their roles to change.

With the low evening wind, Gu Bei spoke the words that shattered the system's heart.

"Start looping the Binding Spell's incantation."