"Such a pity… Little children like you will have to meet your end here!"
Her chilling voice pierced the air, high and sharp, as she slowly raised her hand above her head as if pronouncing a death sentence.
In that instant, a ripple of black energy exploded from her body like a cursed storm. Thick, dark smoke surged throughout the room, viscous as if alive. The earthen brick floor cracked, and the house's pillars groaned as though on the verge of collapse.
Suddenly, the door burst open!
Bang!
Furniture blocking the door was flung aside as if swept by a violent gust of wind.
Xin Tingting and Ye Juan recoiled until their backs hit the wall. Ye Juan's face turned pale, tears welling uncontrollably in her eyes.
"I'm scared…" she whimpered near Xin Tingting's ear.
Xin Tingting turned toward her in distress then her eyes caught sight of a jar of black ink lying in a corner of the room amid the debris of a collapsed wooden shelf.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
'I must use this to my advantage…' Gritting her teeth, Xin Tingting grabbed the jar and hurled it with all her strength toward the middle-aged woman approaching the door.
Splat!!
The dark liquid splashed across her face.
"Aaaagh!!"
A high-pitched scream echoed through the room, shaking the walls. The woman flailed madly, her face drenched with ink—especially her eyes. She tried desperately to wipe it off, but the more she rubbed, the worse it smeared. Her furious screams grew louder, like a wounded beast.
"Ye Juan, run!!"
Without hesitation, Xin Tingting seized her friend's wrist and pulled her along.
Their footsteps pounded against the wooden floor and the sunken earth with intensity. Every step made the whole house quake. But there was no time to pause. Their hands gripped tightly like a lifeline holding them to the world.
"I… my foot hurts…" Ye Juan sobbed. She glanced back and her eyes widened in terror. The dark silhouette of the woman was closing in, furious, her sight gone but her power still pulsing ominously.
"Hold on! Just a bit further!"
Xin Tingting spoke firmly, hiding the fear coursing through her own trembling body. Though exhausted, their hearts pounded like war drums.
A loud slam rang out as the woman's palm struck the wall behind them.
Crash!
Wood splintered like it was being torn apart by a monstrous beast.
"You cannot escape!!!"
Her shriek was maniacal, slicing deep into their nerves and forcing their legs to move even faster without thought.
They raced up an endless staircase, banging into railings and columns, nearly stumbling at every turn. But they didn't stop. Neither of them let up.
Panting breaths. Racing hearts. The predator's roar. It all became a chaotic chorus overwhelming their senses.
"Just a bit more... just a bit more..." Xin Tingting whispered like a prayer to herself and Ye Juan.
Behind them… the woman's shadow chased relentlessly. Though blind, she seemed to sense their very life force rushing forward like a vengeful spirit, tireless and crazed.
"If we don't get out… we're dead!" Ye Juan cried in panic, nearly breaking down.
"Then we'll die running full force!"
Xin Tingting snapped back without looking, her pale face streaked with sweat and dust, but her eyes burned with unyielding resolve.
The woman's footsteps were getting closer and closer. They could hear her harsh breathing and smell the stench of her presence.
As they neared the top of the stairs...
"I will never forgive you!!" her voice thundered, shaking the walls.
And then
Boom!!!
A powerful energy exploded from behind them, the impact rocking the entire house. The floor trembled. Pillars groaned. Walls cracked as if about to collapse.
"Ye Juan!!!"
Xin Tingting's scream was full of desperation and finality. She clenched her teeth. The house trembled violently, the floor beneath them splitting apart, the walls threatening to come down.
And in that moment, she grabbed Ye Juan's body tightly.
"No!! Xin Tingting!!" Ye Juan cried in shock, trying to resist, but Xin Tingting's strength was fueled by determination by sacrifice.
"Go!!!"
Her cry was laced with tears, though they had no time to fall.
In the blink of an eye
Xin Tingting shoved Ye Juan with all her strength, as if casting her out of a crumbling world.
Ye Juan's body flew through the doorway. Her scream cut through the wind like a child being torn from the shadows.
Just a fraction of a second later
BOOM!!!
A thunderous explosion shook the earth. Dust erupted skyward. Debris wood, bricks, soil, beams were hurled in every direction like an infernal blast.
The air shockwave slammed Ye Juan's fallen body, tossing her several meters further.
Dust clouded the air. Sunlight was blocked. Everything went eerily quiet save for Ye Juan's ragged breathing.
When her body stopped rolling
She turned back with wide, trembling eyes. Her body froze.
"Xin... Ting... Ting...?"
Her heart sank. Her hands shook. Tears streamed down without her knowing as she stared at the now-flattened ruins… nothing stirred.
Xin Tingting… her beloved friend… was she still alive?
But then…
As the dust gradually faded, a gentle breeze whispered through the rubble like the hush of silence after a great disaster. Pale golden sunlight broke through the haze, slowly revealing the scene like a curtain being drawn open.
Amid the shattered bricks and broken wood, a figure still stood.
Xin Tingting.
Her small form stood on the dusty ground, surrounded by emptiness and the faint scent of smoke. Her messy hair fluttered in the wind but she was wrapped tightly in the arms of someone.
Her eyes were shut tight, her breath frantic from terror. One hand clung to his shirt like it was the last thing keeping her alive. Her whole body trembled with every heartbeat but she was breathing.
She was… still alive.
He...
Bai Wangyan.
His tall, still figure radiated an aura beyond words. It wasn't merely coldness it was terrifying serenity. His eyes gazed forward, void of emotion. Bricks and splinters fell from his shoulders piece by piece, but his body didn't even flinch no blood, no wounds.
His clothes remained pristine as if untouched by battle or destruction. But above all… it was the silence.
Silent… like a tomb.
It was as if death had arrived but he stood as a wall between it and the girl in his arms. He was a fortress of steel, unyielding to even a sliver of death.
No words were spoken…
Not even a breath from him. Only the wind whispered, and Xin Tingting's heart began to slow.
Ye Juan, still lying in front of the ruined house, turned just as the dust cleared. Her eyes widened, her heart seeming to stop at the sight of a boy standing in the heart of ruin, holding her beloved friend. His gaze calm, cold, and bone-chilling
She couldn't look away.
He looked like a legend pulled from an ancient tale.
Like a god of shadow protecting what he held dear.
At that moment…
Xin Tingting slowly opened her tightly shut eyes. Her breath hitched. Her body trembled from lingering fear.
But the first thing she saw was not the ruins.
Not the sky. Not death.
It was… his face.
Bai Wangyan.
The face of a boy so calm… yet exuding an aura so mysterious, so cold, so awe-inspiring that it made her heart skip.
The sound of dust falling from the hem of his robes gradually faded… in the silence after the storm, only the faint breath of someone still alive remained beneath the ashes.
Away from the ruins…
The young man who had fought Bai Wangyan moments ago now lay motionless, his body bruised and gashed. His breath was faint. His lips, once filled with shouts, were now sealed. He was alive… but only barely.
On the other side of the devastated courtyard, a cold breeze brushed over the silvery-haired woman lying peacefully on the ground. She did not move. Her eyes were shut, her face pale as moonlight in winter. A trace of tenderness still lingered in the fingertips of her outstretched hand… as if, before losing consciousness, she had reached out for someone.
Footsteps echoed from the broken wall… a girl sprinted in through the ashes and dust, her dark gray hair streaming behind her. Her peach-colored lips parted from panting. She stopped as her eyes met the scene ahead.
Bai Wangyan still held Xin Tingting tightly. His tall figure like a mountain shielding her from all harm. Though his gaze was cold as a frozen lake, it shook the hearts of those who saw him.
The girl's eyes widened then emotion slowly filled her gaze.
Jealousy. She clenched her fists, her eyes flickering with feelings she could not hide. Though her mother lay unconscious nearby… her feet took a step toward him instead.
"…Earlier... I truly must apologize to you… But what's your name?" she asked softly, with a hint of longing.
But the boy didn't reply.
He didn't even look at her.
He stood silent like a statue cold as ice, showing no emotion.
Xin Tingting slowly loosened her grip on his shirt. Bai Wangyan leaned forward slightly, gently laying her down.
He looked at her for only a moment his gaze indifferent then turned away immediately, as if helping her meant nothing, unworthy of remembrance.
Perhaps the only reason he helped… was to repay an old debt.
He spoke softly, but with authority:
"Follow me."
Xin Tingting hesitated for a moment. But when she looked into his eyes… though there were no words, she understood.
"…Mhm."
She nodded gently, then rose to her feet, following him step by step across the wreckage still warm from battle.
His tall, quiet back was cold… yet strangely comforting.
The gray-haired girl remained still, her gaze fixed on the two figures fading into the distance. Her heart felt constricted by emotions she couldn't name.
…She was displeased.
…She was confused.
…She could not accept it.
For in her life, no boy had ever made her heart waver like this. That charming, cold, powerful boy was impossible to ignore.
But it wasn't surprising… that he might be fond of the golden-haired girl.
For the golden-haired girl was stunning so beautiful, so cute. Even she, as another girl, had to admit that her face was more divine than a painting by the gods.
Finally, the gray-haired girl turned to her unconscious mother. She knelt slowly beside her, reaching for the hand that was neither warm nor cold, and gently checked her pulse.
Thankfully, her mother was still breathing.