"Let's go. Stop looking. The more you look, the sadder you'll get," said Long Lin as he pulled me up from the ground. Without waiting for my consent, he made a turn, and in an instant, we were back at the shrine.
As soon as I stepped into the shrine, I sensed that something was off. There was a distinct feeling that something was missing.
It was only then that I remembered Bai Qi. He was truly gone, and even his memorial tablet had disappeared.
I quickly summoned Li Hua and asked about Bai Qi's whereabouts, but no one in the shrine knew where he was.
It seemed that this time Bai Qi was serious. He really didn't want to be my protector anymore.
"Forget it. Let him cool off for a couple of days. Maybe he'll come back in a few days," I said to myself.
I didn't have the mood to look for him at all because when I scanned the memorial tablets in the shrine just now, the tablet of Gu Yuan, the chief priest of the shrine, had also vanished.
The chief priest of the shrine had left. It was obvious that they were breaking up.
"Everyone, disperse. I'm going to take a nap," I said.
"Sis, are you okay?" He Bi asked worriedly.
I forced a smile at him and then turned around and went into my bedroom.
I slept for a long time this time, but I didn't sleep soundly.
In my dream, I vaguely saw Gu Yuan strike Bai Qi on the top of his head. Bai Qi then bled from his seven orifices and fell straight to the ground.
"Bai Qi..." I woke up with a start, sweating profusely.
Seeing that I was still in my bedroom, I let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was just a dream.
Just as I was about to relax, I was suddenly startled by the urgent knocking on the door.
I quickly rolled off the bed and ran to open the door without even putting on my slippers.
"Something's wrong. Bai Qi is in danger," said Jun He, who was standing outside the door.
His expression was very solemn. He didn't look like he was joking at all.
"How could that be? I had dinner with him yesterday," I replied quickly.
"Yesterday? Big sis, you've been sleeping for almost half a month. Hurry up. I've figured out where Bai Qi is. If we don't save him, he'll really die," Jun He said.
After saying that, he picked up the cotton-padded jacket in the room and took me out of the room.
The place Jun He took me to was none other than the cave where I got married to Gu Yuan.
However, as soon as I set foot in the place, the sight in front of me almost made me faint.
There were two people at the entrance of the cave. One of them was kneeling in a pool of blood, covered in wounds. The other one was standing beside him, with a cold expression on his face and a blood-stained dagger in his hand.
I took a closer look. The person covered in blood was wearing a blue tracksuit, and his blue eyes were looking at me blankly.
That person was none other than Bai Qi. His breathing was weak, and he tried twice to get up from the ground but failed.
The person standing beside Bai Qi with a dagger in his hand was Gu Yuan, the chief priest of my shrine.
"Gu Yuan, what are you doing..." At this moment, I didn't care about anything else. I shouted at Gu Yuan and rushed towards him without hesitation.
When Gu Yuan saw me, his expression froze for a moment. Just as I was about to reach Bai Qi, I heard a hissing sound behind me.
Bai Qi saw that I was defenseless. His blue eyes showed fear. Although he was physically weak just now, he somehow managed to teleport in front of me.
"Ugh..." Bai Qi let out a muffled groan. I felt a warm sensation on my face, as if warm water had been splashed on it.
Bai Qi's body began to slide down weakly. I tried to hold his arm, but I was too shocked and weak to react in time. His body was too heavy, and I was dragged down by him and fell on top of him.
I looked down at Bai Qi's chest. A white silk ribbon had pierced through his back and heart. The white silk ribbon had passed through Bai Qi's chest, but he had wrapped it around his hand, otherwise, it would have pierced both of us.
The warm liquid on my face was not warm water, but Bai Qi's fresh blood.
Bai Qi was lying on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, which covered his face. His blue eyes had also become dull.
"Bai Qi... Bai Qi, wake up, Bai Qi..." I grabbed Bai Qi's hand and tried to wake him up.
When Bai Qi heard me calling him, there was a faint smile on his face. The smile was still sweet, but my heart was bitter.
"Lan Lan..." Bai Qi grabbed my hand and called out my name.
"Bai Qi, don't talk. I'll definitely save you. I can heal wounds. I'll save you right away," I said.
After saying that, I tried to cover his bleeding wound with my hand. But it was no longer a wound. It was clearly a blood hole. His inner core and heart had been taken out by the white silk ribbon.
I could heal wounds, but I couldn't restore the missing organs and inner core.
"Lan Lan, forget it. I know I don't have much time left," Bai Qi said weakly.
"I'll definitely save you. I will," I said firmly.
I covered his heart with my hand, and tears welled up in my eyes. Right, I thought of Gu Yuan. He was powerful, and he had inherited the ability to heal wounds from the snake scale. He must be able to save Bai Qi.
"Gu Yuan, please, save him. Please," I begged.
Gu Yuan was standing there, about to reach out to help me, when the white silk ribbon that had been stained with Bai Qi's blood flew out again.
This time, it was heading straight for my head.
"Enough," Gu Yuan roared. The moon golden wheel flew out and cut the white silk ribbon into two pieces. The white silk ribbon lost its magic power and fell to the ground.
I didn't even think about it. I just knelt on the ground and grabbed Gu Yuan's trouser leg, pleading with him with teary eyes.
"Please, save him. Please," I said.
When Gu Yuan saw me like this, there was a flicker of light in his eyes that was barely noticeable.
"You're still soft-hearted. As the future Heavenly Emperor, you must learn to be ruthless," a voice said.
I grabbed Gu Yuan's trouser leg and looked in the direction of the voice.
Bai Xiangjun was holding Bai Qi's inner core in one hand and pulling Jun He with the white silk ribbon in the other hand. I didn't expect that in just a few minutes, he had managed to capture Jun He.
At this moment, I wanted to invite the incense and call Long Lin, but Bai Xiangjun was too powerful. Even Jun He was no match for him. If Long Lin came, he would probably just be another person to accompany Bai Qi to death.
"Please, save Bai Qi first. Please... Xi Nv and your mother, as long as you say the word, she will let Bai Qi go. He is innocent... Wuwuwu..."
I grabbed Gu Yuan's trouser leg and pinned all my hopes on him.
Bai Xiangjun pulled Jun He a few steps forward and said coldly, "He's innocent? Do you know how many things he has delayed for me? For so many years, I've been tracking down the whereabouts of the snake scale. For your sake, Bai Qi not only concealed your true identity but also betrayed me."
"No, it's not like that, Bai Xiangjun. Please, as long as you're willing to let him go, I'm willing to do anything for you. Please save Bai Qi and let Jun He go. Please," I pleaded.
At this moment, I was extremely helpless. I knelt on the ground and begged Gu Yuan and Xi Nv, hoping that they would show mercy and spare Bai Qi and Jun He.