Bloodstained Breeze Path

Without pausing, Little White swung his bone spear around and aimed it straight at Young Master Zircon's throat.

"Ring of Binding..."

Whether Little Goldie had been playing dead or had just been roused by the searing pain, he unleashed one final attack before his death, firing desperately at the skeleton right in front of him. A crystalline ring of ice condensed in midair and wrapped around Little White, knocking him into a stagger.

The bone spear, originally aimed at his throat, went astray and plunged deep into Little Goldie's shoulder.

"Aaaaah-!!!"

Young Master Zircon's agonized scream shook the heavens and earth. His body curled up sharply like a shrimp thrown into a pot of boiling oil, his eyes seemed ready to pop out of their sockets, and his entire face twisted with extreme pain, so contorted that he was utterly unrecognizable.

Apparently, he really had never suffered like this before.

Little White steadied himself and thrust the bone spear forward again, driving it precisely into the bulging eye socket.

That more or less sent the unruly eyeball back where it belonged.

In the final moment before losing consciousness, Little Goldie used all his strength to turn his head toward Chen Mo, his remaining eye filled with confusion and despair.

How could you do this? Didn't you ask why I wouldn't let you go? Why wouldn't you let me speak?

I spent so long preparing those words, carefully composing and revising them, even rehearsing them countless times in my head... Those lines I was supposed to deliver at the moment of victory, with the utmost arrogance, the ones that would have made me feel wonderful all over... Now they're all stuck in my throat!

Didn't this piece of trash fail to summon a zombie? Where did he get this damned thing?

Did he sell his soul?

Damn bastard!

You won't get away...

As Little White thrust his spear down once more, Little Goldie's body jerked slightly, and the light finally faded from his eyes completely.

At the moment of death, he thought of his illustrious family, his brilliant future, and his hometown with its beautiful mountains and rivers.

Perhaps he also thought of the bone staff he had longed for and the girl he had yet to get his hands on.

He felt a little regret.

But it was too late.

And so this young master of the Zircon Family's main branch, nineteenth in line to inherit and a promising young apprentice necromancer, died without a sound in this fertile field.

"Rustle... rustle..."

The sound of branches and leaves being hurriedly pushed aside came from the nearby woods. Clearly, the successive gunshots and that heart-rending scream had alarmed Aili and Little Eleven, who had gone to gather herbs.

Facing the two of them as they hurried back and stood at the edge of the field, their faces filled with alarm and disbelief, Chen Mo spread his hands from a distance, his voice weary and helpless:

"I'm sorry... I had no choice!"

"You both saw it. I didn't want to come. I begged him several times to let me go gather herbs, begged him to let me go... but he refused."

"He sent you away so he could get rid of me... You both understand that too, don't you?"

"I don't want to die!"

"I could only... fight for my life!"

Chen Mo controlled his pace and tone, striving to use the most sincere words to portray himself as an "innocent victim" and someone "forced to resist." It seemed to have some effect.

Though both of them remained fully on guard, their gazes seemed to soften a little as they looked at him.

"Aili, Eleven," Chen Mo said in a low voice, "I can't go back."

"Now, I have to go to the Six-Leaf Woodland and leave Black Raven Castle's territory from there, never to return!"

"Before that... sorry for the trouble, but I need you two to come with me. I don't know the way."

"Please!"

This was the best plan he had settled on after going over it again and again during countless sleepless nights.

Chen Mo needed Little Eleven to guide him. Once he left the Six-Leaf Camp, they would go their separate ways and never meet again.

As long as the two went with him along the Breeze Path to the camp controlled by the centaurs, even if they rushed back to Black Crow Castle at full speed to report him when he left, the castle guards wouldn't have time to intercept him.

After hearing him out, Little Eleven's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and the short crossbow in his hand slowly dipped toward the ground-that was the most peaceful response he could offer.

He didn't know how this Preparatory Apprentice had killed a full-fledged mage apprentice and a ranked warrior, but his experience as a scout told him: Better not ask, and don't try anything!

Chen Mo smiled and nodded at Little Eleven, then turned to Aili.

The girl's eyes were red, clear tears welling up in them as she teetered on the verge of crying.

"Brother Mo... I'm scared... Will you let me go back?" Her voice trembled with tears. "I promise! I swear I won't betray you!"

Chen Mo shook his head firmly. "I'm scared too, Aili, but there's no other way."

"If you go back, how will you explain the others' disappearance to the mentor?"

"Stop making a fuss and listen to me."

"Just one day! If we walk faster, we can reach the Six-Leaf Woodland tonight. Then... you'll be free!"

Under the threat posed by the two corpses on the ground, Aili and Little Eleven could only obey Chen Mo's arrangements and reluctantly set off.

"Oh, right." Chen Mo clapped his hands. "Wait a moment. I'll pack up the Heart of the Magic Tree!"

Calling Little Eleven over, Chen Mo briefly tidied up the scene.

The warm afternoon sun shone gently on the field. Though only a few minutes had passed, insects and flies had already caught the scent of blood and arrived in groups of three or five, buzzing around the two corpses on the ground.

Another ten-odd minutes passed. Little Eleven had taken Duo Gu's bulging backpack and was walking silently alone at the front.

Aili followed close behind Little Eleven, her head lowered and her shoulders shaking slightly. Chen Mo brought up the rear with Skeleton Xiaobai, trailing far behind the others.

The mood on the way back was even more bleak and tense than it had been on the way there. No one said a word, but all of them quickened their pace as if by agreement, each eager to escape their misery.

They rushed silently out of the Dark Forest's inner region and stepped onto the Breeze Path once more.

The signpost was unchanged. If he hadn't been in such a hurry to flee for his life, Chen Mo would have liked to carve something on it too.

Forget it. I'll save it for later... if I ever get a chance to revisit this place.

Under Chen Mo's calm, smiling gaze, which carried an invisible pressure, Little Eleven swallowed hard. His boots traced a stiff, nearly ninety-degree turn on the ground, then stepped heavily onto the Breeze Path, which was piled with rotting leaves and stretched into the distance.

Chapter 9: Bloodstained Breeze Path

The Breeze Path was a narrow, winding trail that ran along the edge of the Dark Forest's inner region, stretching out in both directions. To the east, it led to the main road connecting to Ironback Valley; to the west, it wound straight toward the Redwood Highlands and disappeared into the vast plateau there.

The Six-Leaf Woodland was the nearest and busiest camp.

Controlled by a fierce centaur tribe, the camp was like a digestive chamber in the forest, serving a jumble of functions. It provided all manner of services to traveling merchants, mercenaries, and various marginal groups, from basic lodging, drinks, and supplies to less respectable services like escape, concealment, and the disposal of stolen goods...

Or perhaps it also took care of some other bodily needs.

For Chen Mo, the most important thing about the Six-Leaf Woodland was the gnome-operated airship route-it was the fastest way to escape that he could think of.

From the moment he struck, Chen Mo had already understood that he certainly couldn't go back.

Neither Archmage Black Crow nor the noble Zircon Family would choose to reason with a nobody like him.

They valued status and strength.

Even back in Xia State, offending powerful people of that stature would have landed him in serious trouble, let alone in a different world where the social hierarchy had already become all but rigid.

Chen Mo had killed a young master of a noble family. He had to flee, and the farther he got, the better.

Taking an airship straight out of the Dark Forest was the best choice.

Little Eleven silently led the way, looking back at Aili and glancing at Chen Mo from time to time.

As time slowly passed, Aili seemed to recover from the bloodshed she had just witnessed and cautiously tried to start a conversation.

"Brother Mo... Everyone said your second summoning failed, but you actually succeeded, didn't you?" The girl raised her face and forced an admiring smile. "I knew your talent was the best, Brother. You'll definitely become an amazingly powerful archmage someday!"

She paused and studied Chen Mo's expression. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, and her voice took on a sobbing note. "With your abilities now, you could definitely qualify as a high-level apprentice... Why don't... we go back? We can beg Mage Jiuwei together. Mentor values you so highly; she'll definitely forgive you..."

Tears rolled down at just the right moment, sliding over her slightly gaunt cheeks. Her shoulders trembled along with them, making her look utterly pitiful.

Chen Mo hadn't wanted to respond, but the girl's manner and words crawled over his taut nerves like little bugs, making him uncomfortable all over.

That green-tea act... it's overpowering.

Chen Mo noticed that Little Eleven had already slowed down noticeably several times.

With life and death at stake, there was no room for the slightest hesitation or noise. He stopped and refused firmly:

"Aili, quiet!"

"Right now, all I want is to leave this place. Don't test my patience and goodwill."

"Once we reach the Six-Leaf Camp, you go your way, and I'll go my Breeze Path."

"That's it. End of discussion. Understand?"

The tears Aili had been holding in her eyes poured down. She covered her mouth and sobbed, "I... I'm sorry! I'm just so scared! I'm sorry... Brother Mo, I'm really sorry..."

"All right, stop crying!"

For some reason, Chen Mo felt increasingly irritated.

If they had been on Blue Star, and such a pretty junior schoolmate had been weeping before him, his heart probably would have fluttered.

But this was the Starry Continent! A damned place where reason was written on blades, carved into the tips of staffs, and displayed on noble crests.

He couldn't gamble with his own life and the earnest hopes of his homeland.

"You don't need to apologize. Keep up! I keep my word. I'll let you go when we get close to the Six-Leaf Camp!"

The sun sank in the west, and the light in the forest grew dimmer. The long trek had exhausted Aili, and her steps grew increasingly sluggish, bringing her closer and closer to Chen Mo. Seeing that the group was slowing down, Chen Mo couldn't help urging her again:

"Walk faster!"

Before the words had faded, something unexpected happened!

Aili seemed to trip over a tree root. With a startled cry, she pitched forward.

Chen Mo instinctively stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

A dazzling ice-blue ring of light suddenly burst around Aili!

"Hummm-"

Icy Magic Power erupted in an instant! Crystalline ice formed an inverted cage around Chen Mo, trapping him precisely within it! The bone-chilling cold pierced through his body, as if even his blood were about to freeze, and every hair on his body stood on end in an instant!