Qi Huan's gaze grew increasingly determined as her fingertips dug deep into her palms, forcing herself to remain calm.
Shu's condition was dire; the urgent task at hand was to get him down the mountain as quickly as possible.
But with assassins gathered outside the space, how could they break through their encirclement and safely escape?
She quickly ran through various scenarios in her mind before addressing the system:
"Search for toys that make sounds."
"Certainly, host."
"I've found fifteen electric early education toys for you. Which one would you like to choose?"
"The cheapest one."
She was frugal and preferred to save where possible.
Whoosh—
A small delivery box appeared out of thin air.
Qi Huan unceremoniously tore it open with her bare hands, revealing a little yellow duck that could sing and dance.
She inserted the batteries, flipped the switch, and the duckling began to sing:
"Let's learn to meow together, meow meow meow~"
The system followed with a "meow" of its own, curiously inquiring, "At a time like this, how can you still be in the mood to play, host?"
"Besides, does it sing better than I do?!"
"Yes."
Satisfied, Qi Huan turned off the switch and instructed the system: "Purchase ten more ducklings!"
Soon after.
The space was filled with a chorus of "meow meow" sounds.
She cradled all the toy ducklings in her arms, cast a deep glance at the unconscious Li Shuchen, and then issued the command: Out!
The scene before her eyes changed abruptly.
Under the hazy moonlight, tree shadows danced, and assassins from all factions showed unprecedented unity.
Their usually precious swords were now being used to dig the earth.
Zhu Yan stood nearby, cheering them on and confidently declaring, "Li Shuchen must be underground! The big grass ball with him knows earth-traversing techniques!"
The big grass ball, Qi Huan, appeared wordlessly and tossed a duckling at him. Then, taking advantage of everyone's distraction by the duckling, she threw the others in different directions.
Suddenly, the entire forest was filled with—
"Let's learn to meow together, let's meow meow meow~"
The assassins were stunned. What on earth was this?
They all stopped what they were doing, vigilantly scanning their surroundings, but found nothing.
Because as soon as Qi Huan finished throwing the ducklings, she immediately flashed back into the space.
Upon entering the space, she kicked the necklace on the ground far away.
After waiting for a brief moment, she exited the space again.
The ducklings' songs effectively masked her footsteps, while their colorful flashing lights attracted the attention of most of the assassins, intentionally or not.
As one song ended, the ducklings automatically began playing the next.
"Daddy's daddy is called grandpa, daddy's mommy is called grandma......"
The assassins listened in bewilderment.
Taking advantage of their distraction, she threw the necklace again and quickly flashed back into the space.
This cycle repeated, throwing it further and further each time.
Finally, the ducks' songs could no longer be heard.
She began to run frantically, sprinting to the edge of a cliff.
At this moment, several black-clad assassins caught up.
The lead assassin wanted to persuade her to be sensible, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he involuntarily uttered a "meow."
The song was just too catchy...
In his moment of confusion, Qi Huan leapt off the mountain.
"Meow?"
"Meow meow?"
The assassins looked at each other in confusion.
"Boss, what do we do now? We've lost the trail again!
Jumping from such a height, she's certainly dead.
Her death doesn't matter, but who are we going to question about Li Shuchen's whereabouts?"
The leader was silent for a moment before saying, "Find her body."
"Li Shuchen appeared for her earlier, proving she's important to him. Whether she's dead or alive, as long as we stick close to her, we'll find Li Shuchen."
The assassins swiftly moved through the night, racing towards the foot of the mountain.
Faster than them was the free fall of the necklace.
Qi Huan, gripping the necklace, jumped off the cliff and quickly entered the space.
She waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, estimating that the necklace had hit the ground, before coming out.
As soon as she exited the space, she found herself face to face with a pair of bright, intelligent eyes.
The horse snorted and curiously approached the large ball of grass before it.
...Only to get a mouthful of artificial grass.
Qi Huan smiled gently: "Hello there, old friend."
She swiftly mounted the horse, skillfully tied the necklace to the reins, and then deftly produced a silver needle, jabbing it into the horse's rump.
The familiar sting spurred the horse into action, its four hooves pounding as it galloped away.
At some point, the wind had quietly scattered the clouds, and the crescent moon hung brightly in the sky.
A "mad horse" raced through the moonlit night, running farther and farther, leaving the tall and imposing Mi Mountain far behind.
Meanwhile, Qi Huan wasn't idle in the space.
She took out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned the black blood from the corners of Li Shuchen's mouth.
Her movements were extremely gentle, afraid of causing him any pain.
Before her, Shu lay with his jet-black hair spread out, his face as pale as paper, his brows tightly furrowed, seemingly still in unbearable pain even in his unconscious state.
In this moment when he couldn't see, Qi Huan's tears fell in a steady stream.
"I'm taking you home."
"I'm taking you to find a doctor."
"Wait for me."
All her worries and fears expelled with her tears, Qi Huan moved back to the nearby chair and began to contemplate her next move.
The assassins could catch up at any moment; she needed to get back to Yunzhou City quickly and regroup with Yan Ge and the others.
To avoid being recognized by the assassins, she began to disguise herself.
"System, bring out the cosplay set I got from unpacking a delivery a long, long time ago."
She remembered there was a white wig, a set of wrinkle gel and face paint for [Blown Wrinkle Aging Makeup], and a witch costume.
She planned to transform into an old woman, then put on the dirty clothes from when she had disguised herself as a refugee earlier, masquerading as an old beggar to evade the assassins' pursuit and encirclement.
Qi Huan fumbled with the user manual, clumsily getting to work.
Half an hour later, she looked at the old woman in the mirror and couldn't help but chuckle softly.
"Not bad. I doubt anyone but Heizi could recognize me."
Then, she changed into the dirty, tattered clothes and exited the space.
The horse suddenly felt someone on its back and immediately tried to buck her off in panic.
Qi Huan quickly tightened the reins and shouted:
"Whoa~"
"Stop! You're about to throw off my wig!"
"If you don't listen, see if I don't stick you again!"
......
The horse eventually slowed to a stop.
She untied the necklace and put it back around her neck, then nimbly dismounted.
Though riding horseback would have been faster, she chose not to take that risk. Her attire clashed jarringly with the chestnut-colored pony. She sensibly opted to go on foot instead.
Qi Huan gave the horse a pat on its rump, setting it free to roam.
Hunching over, she hadn't gone far along the main road when she encountered a group of men in black.
Their eyes were sharp as hawks', keenly scanning in all directions, searching for any sign of the woman and Li Shuchen.
By now, the eastern sky was lightening to a pale, fish-belly white. A layer of frost coated the withered grass along the roadside.
Qi Huan's silver wig was whiter than the frost, her back more bent than the crooked-necked trees lining the path. She shuffled along the edge of the road, stooped and quavering.
The assassins spared her a single glance before swiftly moving on.
The woman they had encountered earlier had black hair - it was impossible for her to have suddenly become silver-haired.
Spurring their horses onward, they split into several groups, combing the surrounding area in a meticulous search pattern.
