Ling’er, run away quickly!

Bai Ling rode the Snow-Cloud Silk down toward the ground. When she was two or three zhang above the earth, she scooped up Xiao Bai and gently tossed the little creature downward, adding a deft twist to ensure Xiao Bai would land as smoothly as possible.

Xiao Bai tumbled through the air, somersaulting several times before it landed safely and steadily on the ground.

“Hurry back and find my mother! Tell her to come save me at once!” Bai Ling shouted as soon as she saw Xiao Bai had landed unharmed.

Xiao Bai whined twice, then darted into the mountains without a backward glance.

“Zhao Liang, let’s go!”

Receiving no reply, Bai Ling turned around in surprise, only to find Zhao Liang was no longer behind her. Looking down, she spotted him on the ground, waving up at her.

It turned out Zhao Liang had seen the giant serpent drawing ever closer and thought to himself that neither of them could possibly escape together. He decided to act as a decoy, drawing the serpent’s attention so Bai Ling could have a chance to flee. Even if it meant sacrificing himself, he could repay her for saving him in the Valley of Desolation.

With this resolve, he had leapt down while Bai Ling was busy tossing Xiao Bai.

“Fool, why did you jump down?” Bai Ling shouted angrily from above.

“Ling’er, go quickly. I reek so badly this snake won’t eat me,” Zhao Liang called back, forcing a cheerful smile.

Bai Ling, clever as ice and snow, knew exactly what he was thinking. Tears welled in her eyes. “Idiot, how could I leave you behind and escape alone?”

With that, she prepared to descend.

Seeing her intentions, Zhao Liang grew frantic and shouted, “Go! Quickly! If you don’t, neither of us will get away!”

While the two argued, the giant serpent lunged at them.

The snake opened its gaping jaws and shot straight for Zhao Liang, who instinctively raised his arm to block.

A pained cry escaped Zhao Liang’s lips as the serpent clamped down hard on his left arm, sweat streaming down his face in fat drops from the agony.

Bai Ling, frozen in terror, burst into tears, lost and helpless. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to watch the horror that was about to unfold.

“Zhao Liang! Zhao Liang! Zhao Liang…” Bai Ling screamed his name, her voice raw with desperation.

But after biting Zhao Liang, the snake did not continue to thrash or tear; instead, its eyes swivelled, and it slowly loosened its jaws, withdrawing a little to study Zhao Liang as if contemplating something.

Gritting his teeth to bear the pain, Zhao Liang dared not move, terrified the serpent might attack again.

Seeing the snake had stopped biting Zhao Liang, Bai Ling stifled her sobs and watched the creature intently, keeping her gaze fixed on its every move.

For a tense moment, the two humans and the serpent faced each other in utter silence.

Suddenly, the snake turned its open maw toward Bai Ling and lunged.

Bai Ling, already on high alert, spun and shot skyward on her Snow-Cloud Silk.

“Zhao Liang, it’s not biting you! Run!” she called as she soared away.

“Ling’er, go! I told you, my stench will keep it from eating me.”

“Idiot! Just run! It’s chasing me now—how am I supposed to escape?” Bai Ling stamped her feet in the air, fuming.

Despite the pain, Zhao Liang took off after Bai Ling and the giant serpent.

But Bai Ling, seeing Zhao Liang stubbornly refuse to flee, could only lead the snake farther and farther away, drawing it after her. Zhao Liang, left behind, could do nothing but watch in helpless anxiety as they vanished into the distance.

By now, Bai Ling’s spiritual strength was nearly spent. After a day spent chasing the white rabbit and then fleeing from the serpent—with only a brief half-hour’s rest—she was utterly exhausted.

Dizziness clouded her mind. The furious speed of her flight drained her spiritual power faster than she could replenish it, and she estimated she could last only moments longer.

But with the giant serpent relentlessly pursuing behind, she had no chance to catch her breath, forced to flee for her life, heedless of everything else.

Her power ebbed with every passing moment; her flight grew lower and lower, sweat streaming, breath coming in ragged gasps, her consciousness beginning to blur. Instinct alone pressed her onward, not even knowing which direction she flew.

Suddenly, she heard Zhao Liang’s voice calling her again. Thinking the fool had somehow caught up, she looked up and managed a bitter smile. In her single-minded flight, she had unwittingly flown in a circle and returned to where she had started.

Perhaps fate itself had decreed all that would come to pass.

Seeing Bai Ling return, Zhao Liang shouted, “Ling’er, hurry, come here!”

At the sight of Zhao Liang, Bai Ling’s taut nerves snapped. Darkness swam before her eyes, a sweet taste rose in her throat, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood, tumbling helplessly from the sky.

Her spiritual strength was completely depleted; she was utterly spent.

Zhao Liang, watching her fall, was struck with terror. Forgetting his own pain, he dashed forward with desperate speed, and just as Bai Ling was about to strike the ground, he caught her in his arms.

The force of her fall knocked them both to the earth.

Bai Ling’s face was deathly pale, her eyes closed, and the blood she’d coughed up stained a wide swath of the ground. Zhao Liang, panic and tears choking his voice, called out to her, “Ling’er, what’s wrong? Please, don’t die! Don’t scare me—wake up, please!”