Life and Death Exchange

She ran frantically in the dark night, ceaselessly searching for Bai Xiao.

Senior Two, seeing her so anxious, asked, "Is that person very important to the Princess?"

"Very important."

Senior Two suddenly fell silent for a moment. Until he caught a faint scent of Fu An Hua, and said, "Princess, Gui Hua Dao is nearby."

Senior Three, who had been trotting along, said fearfully, "Blood, there's the smell of blood."

She stopped running. "What blood? Why can I not smell anything?" she asked.

Senior Two explained, "Senior Three's nose is very sensitive to blood, perhaps..."

Senior Two hesitated, as if apprehensive about something. But she was different; saving others was her top priority at the moment.

"Where is it?"

Senior Three pointed north. She immediately dashed in that direction.

The group ran for a hundred meters, then saw Bai Xiao being cornered by Gui Hua Dao.

Ten-odd minutes earlier.

"Are you truly from this place? Why can we not get out of here?"

Young Lady Yan, suspected by Bai Xiao about her origins, said angrily, "Young Master and I are now in the same boat. Are you doubting me now?"

In the desolate forest, two frail individuals relied on each other. Suddenly, a cold gust of wind blew down both their spines. Yan Zi, fearfully hugging herself, said, "Hey, I think we should get out of here as fast as possible."

A voice, full of enchantment and hidden meaning, spoke up: "Hey, you two are my sacrifices, are you not?"

Bai Xiao turned to look at Yan Zi. Her face contorted as she shook her head, signaling him not to turn around.

Both understood each other, counting down the seconds to run together. Yan Zi bounced once for the second second, another bounce for the first second. With one more bounce, both ran away from Gui Hua Dao.

Yan Zi, running and fearful, cried, "Oh heavens, we are not your sacrifices... no... no."

"If you say that, will Gui Hua Dao surely spare us? Do not waste words; focus on running."

The two ran for a while, then saw Gui Hua Dao blocking their path ahead. They changed direction to another path, but Gui Hua Dao caught up again.

"We've fallen into a trap."

Yan Zi's limbs trembled; she felt as if she had lost all energy to keep running. "From the very beginning, we had no escape," she said.

"If, at first, the young lady and I had waited for my subordinates to arrive, then perhaps there would still be a way out now."

"Was it not you who devised the plan?"

Gui Hua Dao revealed her true form right before them. "Is this the couple the villagers brought to me? Still the same as years ago, this is not a couple in love," she said.

Bai Xiao had an idea. "Then what if we truly are in love? Will you spare us?" he asked.

Gui Hua Dao was slightly startled, as this was a question she had never considered. The ghostess pondered for a moment, then said, "Perhaps."

When the two heard this, it was like a ray of light that could save them at this moment. Yan Zi, quick-witted, hugged his arm, hiding behind Bai Xiao, and exclaimed, "My lord!"

Gui Hua Dao chuckled, then transformed into a beautiful young woman, walking over and taking Bai Xiao's hand.

"I love you, my lord."

Xuan Lian gazed at Bai Xiao with enchanting eyes. If he were to show even a slight tremor of emotion for her, his soul would be instantly stolen.

But she noticed his heart did not quicken its beat, and his hands were cold. Her face immediately contorted, her eyes narrowing.

But then her pupils dilated, as if she had understood something.

Yan Zi, meanwhile, widened her eyes, witnessing this strange scene, her mouth agape as she stammered, "Wh-what is happening?"

Gui Hua Dao released his hand, looked up, and burst into laughter, saying, "I knew it, I knew it."

Then, quick as lightning, she seized Yan Zi by the neck, lifting her like a chicken awaiting slaughter.

Bai Xiao slowly retreated, turning his head to flee, when Gui Hua Dao said, "You two claimed to be in love, yet you run away without saving the one you cherish."

Bai Xiao calmly replied, "If I save her, will not both of us die? I am not so foolish."

Gui Hua Dao burst into laughter. Yan Zi, in her grasp, struggled to escape the death trap. Her eyes gradually reddened; even if a single tear of hers touched Gui Hua Dao's soul, it did not touch the ghostess's heart.

Knowing she would die regardless, she struggled to utter, "Protect... my family..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Gui Hua Dao squeezed her neck tightly, so hard that her bones shattered, and Yan Zi's head tilted to one side, then rolled to the ground.

Her head severed from her neck, her lower body still dangled, held only by the ghostess's grip on her windpipe.

Gui Hua Dao's hand was sticky with blood. She died with her eyes open.

Gui Hua Dao chuckled faintly. "You are truly heartless. A person of flesh and blood killed by me like this, yet you show no trace of pity. Is it that you possess no romantic feelings?" she said.

"Whether I do or do not, does it determine whether you kill me?"

"So rational, so heartless. I like you now. You, I shall devour."

Gui Hua Dao lunged. Bai Xiao turned his head, seeing death right before his eyes, yet he showed no panic, looking as if he had accepted it.

At this moment, Wan Ru and the exorcist team were following the scent of blood. Wan Ru asked, "Are we almost there?"

Senior Three, trotting ahead, said, "Almost, Princess."

Senior Three ran a little further, then sniffed the air, saying, "We're here."

She impatiently ran ahead and saw Gui Hua Dao and Bai Xiao conversing. Before she could even devise a plan to save Bai Xiao, she saw Gui Hua Dao charging to kill him.

She cried out in fear, "Bai Xiao, spread your arms!"

Bai Xiao, standing still and awaiting his fate, heard her and immediately turned his head towards her. Ghost Xuan Lian, surprised by her appearance, missed the opportunity to seize Bai Xiao.

She took a stack of talismans from her sleeve and galloped towards Bai Xiao. Grasping his two hands, Wan Ru spun around with the momentum. Their eyes met in that instant. Bai Xiao's dark eyes suddenly flashed, then extinguished, as if something was restraining them. Wan Ru, meanwhile, looked at him with reassuring eyes.

She and Bai Xiao had exchanged positions. Bai Xiao, with the momentum of the spin, was propelled and fell out of the danger zone.

She regained her balance and soared towards Gui Hua Dao. Gui Hua Dao intended to seize her.

The talismans in her hand were released, flying in all directions. Her feet were like skates; she slid and glided past Gui Hua Dao's grasp.

She pressed her feet to the ground to brake, then commanded, "Zuo Huo!"

By some miraculous means, the talismans had fallen onto Gui Hua Dao's body. And when Wan Ru uttered "Zuo Huo," those talismans burst into flames, incinerating Gui Hua Dao's evil body.