Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, casting dappled patterns on the winding forest path. The air was filled with the fragrance of soil and foliage, and occasional birdcalls rang out, crisp and melodious.
Yet in the midst of this beautiful scenery, they had no time to admire or enjoy it.
Lin Xiuran and Ouyang Zixin had run deep into the forest, both of them panting heavily. Neither of them were offensive-focused battle soul masters, and both were only at the Great Soul Master level, so their stamina was limited.
They temporarily found a hidden spot to catch their breath, adjust themselves, and look for an opportunity to escape.
Lin Xiuran glanced at Ouyang Zixin. The girl's face was now pale, and fresh blood still trickled from the wounds on her arm.
She leaned against a tree trunk, her eyes dazed after the shock, lost in thought, though the bitterness on her face was unmistakable.
Lin Xiuran stepped forward, tore the sleeve of his jacket, and used it to bind her wound, stopping the bleeding.
His mood was complicated. He couldn't bring himself to abandon her. Perhaps her previous kindness and help had been motivated by a desire to appear in front of Xu Xiaoyu. Yet those actions had genuinely supported him—both emotionally and materially—during his most difficult moments.
Moreover, Ouyang Zixin wasn't useless. Despite her average talent and being only a level 29 Great Soul Master, her soul power was still higher than his.
Earlier, when his defensive spirit device activated, it was actually the first spirit skill of Ouyang Zixin's Pink Fox martial soul that produced the disruptive smoke. Lin Xiuran had used the wind element to speed them both into the forest.
In short, she had played a significant role. Now, escaping would require them to cooperate.
At this moment, Ouyang Zixin seemed to finally comprehend. She stared at Lin Xiuran in silence. "Why…"
Lin Xiuran sighed, a flat expression on his face as he looked toward the sunlight filtered through the leaves. Calmly, he said, "Because… I very well might not even belong to the Xu family."
Ouyang Zixin froze, clearly shocked by his words.
"You may have been wrong about me from the very beginning," Lin Xiuran continued, still not looking at her, as if narrating something mundane.
"At the Xu family, I've never been treated well. I don't even have the Xu surname, and I've never received the care of the Xu parents. Xu Xiaoyu has never seen me as a brother."
"So… your decision to get close to me, to improve your standing with Xu Xiaoyu, was completely misguided."
Ouyang Zixin's mind was in chaos, overwhelmed by this flood of information. She stared blankly at him.
To Lin Xiuran, this was simply stating a fact. But if the same circumstances had applied to her, how terrifying it would have been.
Even Lin Xiuran had been a tool in her eyes to get closer to Xu Xiaoyu. Her kindness toward him had always been goal-oriented.
She was not heartless. Even though she had liked Xu Xiaoyu since childhood, and had approached Lin Xiuran with intent, she had genuinely developed feelings for him over time.
Yet this kind of mistaken affection was fundamentally flawed from the start—it arose for the sake of another, and was destined to be impure and problematic.
Tears welled in Ouyang Zixin's eyes. At that moment, she not only regretted her past mistakes but also regretted trusting Xu Xiaoyu's words and bringing Lin Xiuran here.
Her beloved Xu Xiaoyu had used her as a mere tool and discarded her without mercy.
"Stop crying," Lin Xiuran said, a bit exasperated, then gently reassured her, "What matters now is how to escape, not crying."
Ouyang Zixin nodded and stopped sobbing.
Yes, the only way to atone for her mistakes was to help Lin Xiuran escape. Otherwise, even if she died, she would die filled with regret.
"The forest isn't large, but it's dense. We need to find favorable terrain. Eventually, we can lose them."
Faced with real danger, Lin Xiuran displayed a calmness and wisdom beyond his years. Ouyang Zixin was astonished; she realized she had never truly understood him.
Previously, she had treated him in a big-sisterly way, making many decisions for him, and he had always obeyed. But now, she saw that he was truly exceptional, far stronger than Xu Xiaoyu.
As Lin Xiuran pondered which direction to flee, the rustling of leaves suddenly reached their ears.
He quickly reacted, grabbing Ouyang Zixin to run—but after only a few steps, a figure appeared in front of them.
Lin Xiuran tried to flee in another direction, but gradually they found themselves completely surrounded.
The ice bird Soul Master stepped forward, snorting coldly. "Little brat, still trying to play with us?"
At that moment, Lin Xiuran realized why they had been so precisely encircled.
Beside the ice bird Soul Master, another Soul Master had an unusually large nose. Observing carefully, Lin Xiuran saw that the man's martial soul was a dog-type spirit. No wonder his sense of smell was so acute.
They had spread out to search for them, and the dog martial soul master had discovered them and called the others, forming a tight circle around Lin Xiuran and Ouyang Zixin.
Earlier, the five of them had allowed Lin Xiuran and Ouyang Zixin to escape, so this time they were fully prepared.
Lin Xiuran's gaze hardened. At this point, he had no choice but to go all out. The only tool at his disposal was the defensive spirit device on his wrist.
He just didn't know how many more times it could hold.
This time, the ice bird Soul Master had learned from experience. Following his command, all five of them summoned their martial souls and launched an attack together.
Lin Xiuran dodged as best he could, relying on the defensive spirit device to retreat, barely holding back this round of attacks.
However, the device was under extreme strain. Gray smoke began to seep from it.
Ouyang Zixin's condition was worse. The defensive spirit device could only defend against one attacker. Even though she stayed behind Lin Xiuran, she still suffered more intense attacks. Despite having higher soul power than Lin Xiuran, her body was already wounded in multiple places.
(End of Chapter)