Chapter 16: Chapter Sixteen: A Moment of Crisis

The Gang wind could not be sustained, and this shadow was no ordinary being; though it had been injured by the Gang qi in its moment of carelessness, it now regained composure, gathering the black qi around its body into a net, within which golden threads were woven, completely enclosing the Gang wind.

Only then did the shadow have a chance to look at the one who had just harmed it.

Before its eyes was a little girl, face filled with terror, wearing patched and mended old clothes, seemingly only in her teens; though her features were fairly delicate and lively, she clearly suffered from malnutrition and looked every bit an ordinary village girl—how could she possibly emit such majestic Gang qi?

“Could it be that she accidentally obtained some magic treasure, and the treasure automatically protected its master?”

The shadow’s mind flashed with thought, its eyes instantly filled with greed; without further hesitation, while still controlling the black net, its other withered, black-enshrouded claw shot out eighteen feet, striking again at He Xiuniang.

“Ying ying!”

“Ding!”

A white light struck the claw, halting it mid-motion with a metallic clang.

It was the white shadow, seeing the shadow entangled, spitting out a white light to block it, then darting past He Xiuniang.

Seeing the white shadow pass, He Xiuniang naturally realized—the protective talisman Gu Zhao had given her had activated; feeling the warmth in her chest gradually cooling, she did not hesitate, turning and running.

But He Xiuniang was just an ordinary little girl; the white shadow and the black qi had moved so fast she could barely see them—how fast could she possibly be?

“Jie jie jie!”

Sensing the Gang wind was rootless and seeing He Xiuniang turn and flee, the shadow assumed her magic treasure had only one strike left; without delay, its entire form dissolved into a mass of black qi, lunging again at He Xiuniang.

He Xiuniang felt a chilling Yinhan qi strike her once more.

“Give me—ah?”

The next instant, another surge of majestic sunlight-and-moonlight Gang qi erupted from He Xiuniang’s body, instantly locking onto the source of the Yinhan qi and transforming into a whirlwind that engulfed the shadow.

“How is there more?”

The shadow shrieked, and in desperation, it spat out a cloud of black smoke streaked with golden light, shielding its entire body; though it blocked the furious Gang wind, the golden light within the smoke nearly dimmed to nothing.

“My Golden Thought Threads!”

The shadow cried out in anguish, its gaze toward He Xiuniang now filled with cruelty and bloodlust.

But the Heavenly Gang Talisman had just activated, at its peak intensity; and the shadow had already been wounded by the first Gang qi, while still controlling the black net to block the remaining Gang qi—it simply had no spare hand.

He Xiuniang heard the shadow’s shriek behind her, felt the second Heavenly Gang Talisman gradually cooling, her expression frantic yet her eyes resolute; gritting her teeth, she ran on.

The white shadow, seeing the shadow entangled, also recognized He Xiuniang’s condition; sensing the majestic Gang qi that seemed to respond only to qi signatures, it dared not intervene, fearing it would draw the wrath upon itself.

Beneath that majestic sunlight-and-moonlight, it felt its own insignificance; its inner demonic power shrank back in fear; it did not know whether He Xiuniang could still activate more Gang qi, or whether she might turn on it, so it kept its distance, trailing her without drawing near.

“Ying ying ying!”

The white shadow darted past He Xiuniang, finding a suitable escape route.

He Xiuniang glanced sideways and saw the white shadow’s true form—a pure white fox, though now dirty and streaked with blood, clearly injured in its earlier clash with the shadow.

The girl and the fox sprinted through the forest, fleeing blindly, yet He Xiuniang unconsciously avoided the direction of the village and the small hill.

The village… I can’t go there!

Gu Zhao… Grandpa said the Young Master might still be injured—I don’t know if he’s recovered…

I can escape on my own!

But just as He Xiuniang felt she had run for ages, no longer hearing the distant roars or the warmth in her chest, a cloud of black smoke suddenly materialized before her.

“Little wench, where are you running to?”

A cruel voice spoke; the black smoke slowly dispersed, revealing a man hovering midair, clad in black fitted armor with partial plating, pale face, and entirely black pupils, blocking He Xiuniang’s path.

He Xiuniang slammed to a halt and fell to the ground.

The white fox instantly froze, fur standing on end.

The man first glanced at the white fox, then cautiously regarded He Xiuniang.

Those two bursts of Gang qi had not only injured him but also drained much of his magic power, even damaging a significant portion of the Golden Thought Threads bestowed by the Lord.

Thus, his gaze toward He Xiuniang now held both wariness and greed—but he dared not move.

“That treasure cannot harm me, nor can it protect you!” The man licked his lips, “Hand over the treasure, and I’ll spare your life. Otherwise, I’ll rip out your soul and tear it apart—you’ll wish for death but never find it!”

Seeing the man halt and threaten, He Xiuniang’s mind seized the opportunity: “That treasure was given to me by my Young Master—who are you, to covet my Young Master’s belongings?”

The man indeed paused, his eyes filled with doubt; but after a moment of silence, he suddenly laughed, “You, dressed like a village girl—what Young Master? You must have stumbled upon some treasure in some mountain corner, and now you’re bluffing to scare me off.”

His eyes flashed; with a flick of his finger, a thread of black-gold silk materialized in midair, shooting like a beam straight toward He Xiuniang’s forehead.

“Ding!”

The golden thread was blocked, then a streak of white light returned to the white fox’s mouth.

“Ying ying ying!” The white fox bared its teeth at the man.

The man’s face darkened—he understood the fox’s plan.

He tested with the Golden Thought Threads, which he could sever at will; the fox could intercept him—but if he unleashed his full power, he risked triggering the backlash of that Gang qi.

Clever tactic—but do you think I’ll be stopped by such a trick?

The man sneered, revealing white teeth; he reached out, his hand transforming into a withered, bony claw that shot out ten feet in an instant, striking directly at the white fox.

“Deal with you first, and then it’ll be over, won’t it?”

“Ying—”

The white fox shrieked and instantly darted behind He Xiuniang.

The claw hesitated slightly, then swung around, sweeping toward He Xiuniang—but the man’s expression was grave, ready to retreat and defend at any moment.

He Xiuniang understood the fox’s plan too—but she was already hopeless.

Neither the fox nor the man knew, but she knew clearly: if she hadn’t yet had time to give the second Heavenly Gang Talisman to Grandpa, she would already be dead.

But both Heavenly Gang Talismans were spent—what power did she have left to block this black claw?

He Xiuniang closed her eyes, and once again, the image of that noble yet unassuming, kind and gentle figure flashed through her mind.

Then she seemed to hear his voice again.

“Thunder and lightning chase each other; heaven and earth are the eyes. The eight directions’ righteous qi—lightning flashes!”