Chapter 27 (Part 2)

In one swift motion, Rong Shang, who had been strolling just moments before, appeared by her side.

Standing atop the quicksand as though it were solid ground, he reached down and grabbed her by the back of her collar, lifting her effortlessly like a helpless chick. With ease, he pulled her from the quicksand.

Her feet, now chewed and mangled, were a bloody mess. Fresh blood oozed from the wounds in steady streams. Rong Shang’s eyes narrowed at the sight of her bloodied, mud-caked feet, his gaze darkening ominously.

Tossing her onto his shoulder like a sack of grain, he bent down, plunging his arm into the quicksand. With a few swirls, he dragged out a grotesquely blackened creature.

He recognized it immediately—an “Eagle-Headed Vulture,” a demonic beast favored by sorcerers.

Known for its appetite for human skulls, its razor-sharp beak could pierce even the sturdiest materials with ease.

This one’s bloodied beak still bore traces of flesh. Rong Shang’s brow twitched as he crushed the vulture’s beak between his fingers.

The creature didn’t even have time to cry out before it disintegrated into ash, which sifted through his fingers.

These beasts were notorious for living in groups. Without looking, he knew the quicksand was teeming with them.

Unbothered to pick them off one by one, he brushed the ashes away and walked back toward the others, still carrying Yu Zhengzheng.

As he passed by Shanshui, he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before continuing indifferently.

If even her master wasn’t concerned, why should he be?

Rong Shang had barely taken two steps before stopping.

Yu Zhengzheng clutched at his sleeve timidly, pleading in a small voice, “Can you save Shanshui too?”

Xiang Feng had just pulled An Ning out and was hurrying toward Shanshui, who was now waist-deep in the quicksand.

Though Shanshui said nothing, the blood pooling around her was striking. The sight of her injuries, though silent, suggested unbearable pain.

Yu Zhengzheng knew that Rong Shang was cold-hearted, and his saving her was already an act of extraordinary mercy. Even if she got on her knees and begged, he might refuse.

But she couldn’t just watch her first friend die.

Rong Shang ignored her, his voice laced with scorn as he resumed walking, his demeanor as cold and detached as ever.

Her voice trembled as she tried again, this time with a choked sob. “Please…”

He stopped again.

Turning back, Rong Shang glared at her irritably. Women were nothing but trouble—always crying. It grated on his nerves.

With a flicker of impatience, he reached down and pulled Shanshui out of the quicksand as well.

Balancing on his sword, Xiao Yuqing hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on Rong Shang’s retreating figure.

The two male disciples were already dead, while the three survivors had varying degrees of injury. Shanshui’s was the most severe—her feet were bloodied beyond recognition.

Xiang Feng tore a clean piece of his shirt to bandage her wounds, but Shanshui shrank back. “I’m fine.”

He thought she was upset. After a pause, he softened his tone. “An Ning was sinking too quickly. If I’d saved you first, she would’ve died in the quicksand.”

Xiang Feng’s voice was patient. “Don’t be angry with your master, alright?”

Shanshui nodded. “I understand. I’m not angry.”

Xiang Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Shanshui was straightforward—she didn’t dwell on things unnecessarily. If she said she wasn’t upset, then she truly wasn’t upset.

He gently reached for her ankle. “Let me bandage this first. It might hurt, so bear with it for now. Once we’re back, I’ll get you the best healing pills. I promise you won’t have any scars.”

Shanshui pulled her ankle away and shook her head. “I’m a coffin. I don’t feel pain.”

Xiang Feng froze, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

When Yu Zhengzheng caught sight of the wound on An Ning’s foot, she was so furious she nearly puffed up like a pufferfish. She even entertained the thought of pushing Xiang Feng into the quicksand to feed the creatures below.

What a scoundrel! Shanshui must have the worst luck in eight lifetimes to have encountered such an unreliable man.

From the way An Ning had screamed earlier, Yu Zhengzheng thought her leg was gone. But it turned out to be nothing more than a scrape on the sole of her foot.

Thanks to Xiang Feng’s timely intervention, even that minor injury had a chance to heal.

Suppressing the pain in her own feet, Yu Zhengzheng was about to berate Xiang Feng when she looked up and noticed something climbing the cliffs flanking the Sand Valley.

Her lips trembled as she pointed at the cliffs and stammered, “D-demons…”

Everyone turned to look in the direction she indicated. What they saw was a swarm of demonic cultivators standing atop the cliffs. Beneath them scuttled hordes of six-eyed, red-backed spiders, their venomous forms rapidly descending the cliffs in a frenzied attack.

The sheer number of spiders was overwhelming; the once grayish-brown cliffs were now engulfed in an impenetrable black tide.

Yu Zhengzheng’s fear of dense clusters hit her like a punch to the gut. Worse, her deepest phobia was being realized—she wasn’t afraid of much, but spiders, especially hairy-legged ones, made her skin crawl. Faced with thousands of these creatures, her entire body bristled with terror.

Rong Shang frowned deeply. As a divine being, he was immune to all poisons.

To him, these spiders were no different than stones or sand underfoot.

But to the others, the spiders were death incarnate. A single bite from a six-eyed, red-backed spider would be fatal, beyond even the salvation of an immortal healer.

Rong Shang didn’t particularly care about the others’ survival. However, if Yu Zhengzheng were to die, it would mean finding another person to apply his medicine—a task he found tedious just to think about.

With a languid stretch, he loosened his joints. “Take them away,” he instructed Xiang Feng.

Xiang Feng complied, lifting Shanshui onto his shoulder and leading the group in retreat.

Running wasn’t an option; the spiders were too fast. The only way to escape was by taking to the air.

Neither Yu Zhengzheng nor An Ning could fly with a sword, so besides Xiang Feng, only Xiao Yuqing could assist. But he couldn’t carry two people at once, leaving him with a difficult choice.

Caught in this dilemma, Xiao Yuqing’s gaze wavered. He wanted to save Yu Zhengzheng, but Xiang Feng’s stern watch made it impossible to abandon either.

Sensing his predicament, Yu Jiangjiang offered a solution. “I’ll take my sister. You can bring Miss An Ning.”

After a brief hesitation, Xiao Yuqing nodded in agreement. With time running out, there was no room for debate.

Carrying An Ning, Xiao Yuqing departed, followed by the others, who each took flight.

Yu Jiangjiang stepped forward and helped Yu Zhengzheng onto her sword.

Yu Zhengzheng didn’t want to ride with her, but with everyone else preoccupied, no one paid her protests any mind.

With her injured foot, she had no choice but to cling tightly to Yu Jiangjiang’s arm, terrified of falling.

Just as they reached the top of the cliff, the demonic cultivators closed in. Carrying both Yu Zhengzheng and herself was already a struggle for Yu Jiangjiang. Now, evading the attackers made the flight even more precarious.

Seeing the relentless pursuit, Yu Jiangjiang’s fear manifested in trembling legs. Her eyes flashed with a cold resolve as she glanced at the burden beside her.

Even if Yu Zhengzheng survived the fall, the abyss below was crawling with six-eyed spiders. One bite, and she’d perish without a trace, her body likely devoured completely.

Muttering softly under her breath, Yu Jiangjiang said, “Don’t blame me. Your death benefits everyone.”

“What did you say?” Yu Zhengzheng asked, the wind carrying away most of the words.

Yu Jiangjiang simply smiled and said nothing.

Seizing an opening while dodging an attack, Yu Jiangjiang shifted her arm around Yu Zhengzheng’s shoulder and pushed hard.

Caught off guard, Yu Zhengzheng lost her balance. Instinctively, she reached out to grab hold of something, but her hand found only empty air. Her body plummeted straight off the sword.