Chapter 9: You Cannot Escape

I hold the wooden hairpin in my palm as if it were a precious treasure, yet the radiance upon it gradually dims, eventually returning to its original state, only the wooden grain has suddenly become much coarser, as if it could break with just a gentle squeeze

I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, no longer feeling panic in my heart, as I felt the pull of that power. After walking for more than half an hour in the woods, I arrived at an open area at the end.

Su Qingyuan walked calmly and composedly behind me, saying, "This is the trace of vital energy I left within you guiding you. There is no need to resist; simply follow it, and you will be able to find the demon essence"

How could there be blood here

Su Qingyuan, come out quickly

This matter concerns the lives of my grandmother and me. It has not been easy to reach this point, and it would be somewhat regrettable if we do not find it

I can vaguely sense the powerful fluctuations emanating from that tree

Suddenly

What should I do

Before dawn, if you cannot find it, then it will be of no use to me. I do not mind personally seeing you on your way

Upon picking it up, I was met with a shocking sight of deep crimson in the palm of my hand, causing my scalp to tingle with alarm

I see now

After taking just two steps, I suddenly stepped on something beneath my feet

I couldn't help but feel puzzled

Here, the cold wind howls, and the chill is pervasive, causing goosebumps to rise all over one's body

Su Qingyuan, what is happening? It seems that my body is not quite responding as it should

Not only beneath my feet, but the entire expanse of black soil is soaked with blood, presenting a bizarre dark red hue

Su Qingyuan

In the village of Kuohe, so many people wanted to put me to death, even my only friend betrayed me, and in the end, it was a wooden hairpin that saved me

He spoke, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes, his tone harsh: "I have already sensed the aura of the demon essence; it should be nearby."

The moon on the horizon seems to have been tainted by this bloody atmosphere, gradually enveloped in a layer of crimson.

My intuition tells me that there is something strange about this place

The blood seeps out from the soil beneath the pile of corpses

I had been in a deep sleep for such a long time

Su Qingyuan suddenly disappeared, should I continue searching for the demon essence?

"One, two, three..." I instinctively counted and found that almost all the bones beneath the grass were like this, making it impossible to count them.

As for Su Qingyuan's demon essence, I still have not found any clues at all up to now

I walked forward along the dried-up riverbed, hugging my arms with both hands, shivering as I went

These bones have already turned white, suggesting they are quite old, resembling the remains of some kind of animal

I suddenly felt a bit flustered

I shouted a few times at the surroundings, yet there was still no sign of Su Qingyuan; all that responded to me was the cold wind whistling past my ears

Hasn't he always been following me? Why is he gone?

The excruciating pain was unbearable, causing a complete loss of consciousness.

In the matter of searching for the demon essence, he is certainly more invested than I am. It is unlikely that he would just disappear without a word, silently and without any notice

I mustered the courage to speak tentatively: "Well, big brother, how about you grant me a little more leniency..."

I feel the stench of blood around me growing stronger

The rocky terrain beneath the ravine was treacherous, and when I fell, I was battered and bruised, as if my body had been run over by a heavy truck

Su Qingyuan said coldly: "You had better follow through on your words"

I was filled with terror and quickly got up, only to discover that there were several piles of animal corpses nearby

I tried to stretch my muscles and found that I could actually sit up, and there were no obvious external injuries on my body

The cold wind howls, and fog rises from the ground

Could it be that this wooden hairpin has healed my wound

Those animals were all skinned, their blood pooling together in heaps, stacked upon one another, forming small mounds

Only the empty space behind could be seen, where was the figure of Su Qingyuan?

Just now, when I fell, I distinctly remember hitting several large rocks, and my clothes and pants were torn in multiple places. Logically, it should be impossible for me to have no injuries at all. How could I not be hurt?

I was taken aback for a moment and said, "Isn't there still one day left?"

Call

Su Qingyuan, the thing you are looking for should be right by that tree

I feel a sense of suffocation in my heart, an indescribable bitterness

Click!

Su Qingyuan looked at me with indifferent eyes and said: "Tonight marks the final deadline I have given you. Instead of wasting time here feeling sad and distressed, you might as well think about how to find the item I require."

I felt a sense of trepidation, wavering in my resolve, and unconsciously began to step back. However, without realizing it, I tripped over something and fell to the ground.

Time is precious, and I dare not delay any longer. I began to search aimlessly on the website https://m.hetushu.com.

The hand touched a damp and sticky substance

I do not know how long has passed, as I slowly opened my eyes, I discovered a faint white light at my chest, flickering like a breath.

Before finishing my words, a sharp glance from Su Qingyuan made me shut my mouth immediately

After a fierce internal struggle, I gritted my teeth and steeled myself to walk towards that tree

At this moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded in my ear: "This wooden spirit hairpin has already fulfilled its final mission; it is now no different from a withered branch."

The area is lush with vegetation, presenting a scene of vibrant greenery, with a century-old tree in the center, its branches and leaves flourishing

Bai Xiang, do not attempt to challenge my patience

The mind is clear and tranquil, as if something has burrowed into my forehead, and my legs begin to move involuntarily towards the nearby forest.

If this continues, not only will I be unable to save my grandmother, but I also will not be able to survive myself

Bai Xiang, this time, you cannot escape!

This gully is much larger than I had imagined, and after rummaging through the bushes for quite a while, I found nothing

His words indirectly confirmed my suspicion

At that moment, a chilling and eerie voice suddenly echoed in my ear.

Amidst my confusion, I saw a glimmer of light, which turned out to be the wooden hairpin I had been carrying close to me all along

It is not unusual to find animal carcasses in the ravine, but the sheer number of them is somewhat abnormal

At this moment, I have come to understand that the most treacherous thing in the world is the human heart

Although Su Qingyuan said that this wooden hairpin is no longer of any use, I still carefully put it away

Ah

I sensed the chilling killing intent emanating from him, and I instinctively shrank my neck, nervously swallowing my saliva: "Alright, alright, I will find it! I will definitely dig three feet into the ground to help you find the precious demon essence!"

After regaining consciousness, I gradually became aware of my surroundings. Although my hands and feet were still cold and numb, the intense pain I had felt earlier was no longer as strong

By the light of the moon, I used my toes to part the grass and discovered a pile of thin, white bones revealed beneath.

Blood

Su Qingyuan pointed to the round moon in the sky and said with a hint of impatience, "You have been in a deep sleep for a day; tonight is the full moon, and you have no time left."

This is truly unbelievable

Further inside, one can still see scattered skulls of canid species

I was about to tell Su Qingyuan this good news, but before I could finish my sentence, I was stunned