As the three of them were talking, the mist around them suddenly churned, the malevolent, evil energy grew increasingly dense, and heavy footsteps began to approach from all directions.
Huo Chongxiao’s expression sharpened as he gripped his sword tightly. "Be careful!"
The words were barely out of his mouth when a man wreathed in black mist charged out. He held an iron abacus in his hand and swung it viciously toward Bai Mengjin.
Bai Mengjin dodged to the side, and Huo Chongxiao moved to block her, his sword light flickering like lightning. Wherever the blade passed, the black mist was wiped away, and before long, the man was struck to the ground.
"It’s Steward Tian!" Bai Mengxing shouted. "Even he has…?"
This man was clearly more heavily corrupted than the others they had encountered; there was no trace of the sluggishness they had seen before. If not for Huo Chongxiao’s presence, they would not have dealt with him so easily.
Bai Mengjin felt that her eldest uncle and aunt were likely doomed. Steward Tian was her uncle’s right-hand man; if his corruption was this deep, could her uncle really be unaware? Perhaps everyone in the Bai Family, apart from the younger generation, had already become puppets of their grand-uncle.
They should be grateful that their grand-uncle still held onto some shreds of kinship, leaving a seed for the Bai Family. In the true timeline, she and her elder sister would have left for Danxia Palace a month later, and with no hope of escape for the others, the Bai Family would have become their grand-uncle’s playground.
As these thoughts flashed through her mind, the sound of footsteps surrounded them. Shadows loomed in the mist, and it was impossible to tell how many there were.
Bai Mengxing’s legs went weak. "Good heavens! Why are there so many?"
Huo Chongxiao said in a low voice, "The number of corrupted people is increasing. We must leave quickly."
Yue Yunqiao nodded resolutely. "Senior Brother, your cultivation is the highest, you take the lead, and I will assist you!" She then turned to Bai Mengjin. "Junior Sister Bai, protect them. Call me if you can't keep up."
"Understood," Bai Mengjin replied.
Once their plan was set, the corrupted individuals charged. Huo Chongxiao formed a seal, and his flying sword turned into a streak of light, weaving through the demonic creatures and sweeping away the demonic qi.
It was Yue Yunqiao’s first mission, and facing such a difficult situation, she stayed close behind her senior brother, not daring to relax for a moment.
Bai Mengjin protected her brother and sister, parrying and striking with her sword, throwing out spirit talismans whenever she saw an opening. Before long, she had cleared the immediate area.
Huo Chongxiao, worried that the siblings couldn't handle it, intended to help, but upon turning back and seeing this scene, he was quite surprised. "Miss Bai, your spirit talismans are quite formidable."
Before she could speak, Bai Mengxing chimed in first: "Of course! My second sister is the best in the family at drawing talismans!" His tone held a hint of pride, completely forgetting how he had previously bullied her.
Bai Mengjin shot him a glance and replied modestly, "I owe it to my grand-uncle. The talisman brush he had sent over yesterday was a gift from his own teacher back at Danxia Palace, so the talismans drawn with it are of a very high grade. I felt like things had been chaotic lately, so I stayed up all night to draw them."
Yue Yunqiao suddenly realized. "No wonder you were so tired this morning. So you were drawing talismans all night." She sighed, "If I had known, I would have drawn some too. It’s always better to be prepared."
As they spoke, Huo Chongxiao had already cleared a path. "Follow me, move!"
The group passed through the small garden and reached the back gate.
They didn't need to be shown the way along the path to the back mountain, but the mist grew thicker and the demonic qi churned within it, as if black ink had been dropped into water, turning everything around them almost pitch black.
Huo Chongxiao had high cultivation and Yue Yunqiao was protected by magical treasures; neither was affected. As for Bai Mengjin, the denser the demonic qi, the more at home she felt. But Bai Mengxing could no longer hold on. With his low cultivation and no protective gear, he shivered uncontrollably under the erosion of the demonic qi, his teeth chattering.
"I—I'm so cold!" He stumbled, almost dropping Bai Menglian.
Bai Mengjin steadied him and commanded, "Give me your hand."
"What for?" Bai Mengxing’s face was deathly pale. "You aren't trying to take revenge, are you? We’re siblings, after all, joined by blood. Even if I bullied you before, it’s not worth killing me over, is it?"
"The phrase is 'flesh and blood are connected'!" Bai Mengjin snapped. "Hand!"
Fearing her authority, Bai Mengxing cautiously extended his hand.
Bai Mengjin pricked her finger and used her blood to draw a complex pattern on the back of his hand. As she dotted the final stroke, Bai Mengxing felt a warmth spread across his hand as if a small stove had been lit, and his entire body warmed up.
"Ah!" He exhaled a long breath, feeling immensely comfortable.
Huo Chongxiao caught a glimpse of it and was inwardly startled. The talisman pattern wasn't overly complex, but the profound mysteries contained within it were so deep that he couldn't even decipher them.
Is this a secret technique of the Bai Family? This is quite impressive! With this skill in talisman arts alone, she could easily enter Danxia Palace.
Bai Mengjin checked her elder sister’s pulse and found her condition even worse than Bai Mengxing’s. "Young Master Huo, let's stop for a moment."
Huo Chongxiao finished off the demonic creatures in front of him and stopped, asking with concern, "How is your sister?"
Bai Mengjin replied, "My eldest sister was already exhausted and unconscious; she cannot circulate her own energy to resist the demonic qi. We must take precautions."
They found a spot to lay Bai Menglian down. Yue Yunqiao took out a bottle of medicinal pills. "Junior Sister Bai, these are Spirit Cleansing Pills. They can purify the spirit energy in the body and should resolve the immediate crisis."
Bai Mengjin didn't stand on ceremony. "Thank you."
She fed the pill to Bai Menglian and drew the same defensive talisman on her as she had for Bai Mengxing. Luckily, Bai Menglian let out a soft moan and opened her eyes.
Seeing the people in front of her, she was dazed. "Second sister? Eldest brother?"
To see these two together was truly a miracle! Oh, she quickly recalled what happened before she passed out, and it no longer seemed strange. In such a life-or-death situation, siblings naturally had to put aside their old grievances.
"What is happening? These two are..." She looked toward Huo Chongxiao and Yue Yunqiao.
"Eldest sister, you know that guests arrived at the house, right?" Bai Mengjin explained. "This is Master Huo and Fairy Yue from Danxia Palace."
Bai Menglian nodded slightly, stood up, and stretched her limbs, finding her body feeling quite comfortable. Not knowing that the talisman on her hand had been drawn by Bai Mengjin, she assumed it was the work of the two guests, thinking to herself that Danxia Palace was truly remarkable.
She scanned her surroundings and asked, "What on earth happened? Did a demonic cultivator come to cause trouble? Are you on your way to see our grand-uncle?"
Bai Mengjin replied, "We suspect something has happened to grand-uncle. There have been demonic creatures wreaking havoc in the city lately, and the root of it lies within our own Bai Family."
Bai Menglian was shocked. "This..."
Their grand-uncle was a Golden Core cultivator, the very foundation of the Bai Family’s standing. She hadn't panicked when she first noticed the strange occurrences, certain that their grand-uncle would resolve them. Now, hearing that something had happened to him, she felt as if her support had vanished.
"Eldest sister, we must save ourselves!" Bai Mengjin’s tone was heavy. "Master Huo has already notified his sect, but that will take time. We must find grand-uncle and think of a way to delay the speed of this corruption, otherwise, we will all become nutrients for these demonic creatures."
Bai Menglian had always been steady and decisive. Assessing the situation, she immediately said, "I will go with you. I know a small path that leads directly to Wuye Cottage. I will lead the way."