Until Luo Yingbai’s absence, he felt as if they had been apart for a lifetime. Although he never said it, Xia Xianning knew that he was always happy when spending time with Luo Yingbai.
Xia Xianning saw that it was getting late and didn’t want to waste time overthinking. He took out a stack of pale yellow paper figures from his wallet. He bit his own finger and evenly smeared blood on the spread-out paper figures. The yellow figures’ chests seemed to have a bright red heart.
“Yin spirits descend, obey my decree, go!”
The little yellow figures jumped off the table and ran out the window.
Xia Xianning straightened his clothes and followed slowly, walking to an open ground outside the village. The terrain was rugged, with no nearby place to park a plane. When he arrived, several off-road vehicles were quietly waiting.
A few people stood silently outside the car. As soon as they sensed someone approaching, the quiet darkness was suddenly filled with the sound of bullets being loaded. Xia Xianning raised his hand, and a beam of flashlight shone from his direction.
Seeing him, the people relaxed and gathered around, whispering, “Director Xia, how is it? Are we taking action now?”
Xia Xianning said, “Rescued, behind me. First, take out all the people who were brought in. Special Investigation Unit will handle the Yiyi people. Are the municipal bureau’s people here? The villagers are suspected of human trafficking and intentional murder. Let them take over.”
Yang Zheng said, “The municipal bureau’s people are coming, almost here…”
Before he could finish, a rustling sound came from the distance. As the sound approached, everyone gradually saw clearly that it seemed to be a group of people carrying many bags running in this direction. Yang Zheng saw Xia Xianning’s calm demeanor and knew it was his arrangement. When they got closer, he took two steps back in shock.
These were… clearly, just corpses!
Over twenty corpses had a faint yellow human-shaped mark, running to Xia Xianning like a group of docile lambs. They bowed to him, put down their bags, and opened them to reveal mostly unconscious women, and even three or four young men – all victims kidnapped by the Yiyi people.
Xia Xianning had directly used corpses to infiltrate each household and carry out these victims – truly a crude and rough rescue method, but undeniably effective.
Gou Songze came over, looked, and casually placed a healing talisman on a corpse’s arm: “This person had bad joints when alive, almost dropping an arm when carrying someone.”
Xia Xianning glanced over. Gou Songze said, “They worked hard. It would be better if there were more people helping.”
Xia Xianning clapped his hands, signaling the corpses to carry the people to the cars, and said casually, “These are the ones not yet rotted.”
Gou Songze laughed dryly: “Haha, so that’s how it is. By the way, where are your cousin and Wei Shou?”
Xia Xianning said, “At the Yiyi people’s place. I’ll go take a look.”
Gou Songze said, “Just you? I’ll come with you… Director Xia! Brother, wait a moment!”
Xia Xianning had no intention of waiting: “No need.”
He spoke in a soft and gentle tone, but before he could finish, Wei Shou suddenly saw the other party’s face turn grotesquely distorted in an instant.
He immediately sensed danger and instinctively leaned back, then a hand swept past his nose tip.
Immediately after, the woman screamed with a heart-rending cry: “Get out! I won’t leave, I won’t leave, no one can make me leave here—”
She tightly gripped the cage’s grid with her hand. The others heard the woman’s shout and began to yell as well, glaring with anger at Wei Shou.
Wei Shou had no time to be surprised. After dodging the woman’s scratching, he quickly jumped up from the ground and turned to run for his life.
Countless footsteps approached, and the winged people emerged from all corners, surrounding Wei Shou. Discovering an external enemy, their wings spread completely, entering a full combat state.
Suddenly, a wild wind rose from the ground. The rich moisture unique to the mountain forest condensed, forming droplets the size of beans, which, accelerated by the wind, shot towards Wei Shou like hidden weapons.
This is why the winged people are most terrifying—individually, except for the Winged King, their abilities are not impressive, but when gathered together, such a continuous assault could exhaust a person to death.
Wei Shou could barely keep his eyes open against the wind. Forming a hand seal by feeling, he shouted: “Heavenly Ding Divine Axe, protect my nine layers, slay ghosts, reveal demons, swift as the decree!”
Flowing clouds in the sky converged into a massive axe, falling from above and blocking in front of Wei Shou, helping him deflect this wave of attack. However, a few water droplets still splashed through the side gaps, instantly cutting two bloody gashes on his arm.
The fortunate thing was that the supremely powerful Winged King was absent. The winged people before him grew increasingly numerous. As the frequency of wing flapping increased, it seemed the weather itself changed, with dark clouds gathering and lightning flashing.
With raging wind and rain before him and thunder striking overhead, Wei Shou relied on his agility, using the giant axe for cover, striking out to deflect the raindrops.
He took the opportunity to retreat to the doorway, but under the winged people’s continuous attack, the axe formed from clouds quickly dissipated into the air.
Wei Shou threw out talismans, summoning his arc blade. Now he understood the situation – the bird people were numerous and powerful, with no backup, a clean escape was unrealistic. Killing one would not be a loss, killing two would be a gain!
Thinking this, he roared, disregarding the backlash of his own magical power, and spat a mouthful of blood onto the blade, raising it to strike—
At that moment, a hand reached from behind, two fingers touching the blade’s hilt, actually stopping his full-strength strike.
Wei Shou had no chance to counterattack and was pulled aside by that hand.
His heart sank, thinking he was doomed, but he saw a familiar side profile: “Senior Brother Xia?”
Xia Ruan Ning nodded slightly, standing in front of him. His empty right hand drew a half-arc in the air, a Tai Chi diagram emerging, carrying a sharp momentum that forcefully pushed back all the surrounding winged people, forming a barrier.
Xia Ruan Ning had always been more action than words. After this move, without a moment’s pause, he hooked his fingers. Wei Shou involuntarily released his grip, and the arc blade was now in Xia Ruan Ning’s hand. The blade’s momentum was like a rainbow, breaking through the water mist, thrusting forward.
In an instant, the sky resonated, clear light filled the view, and the blade’s might caused a hundred enemies to retreat, with no one able to withstand its edge!
Xia Ruan Ning flipped the blade, its tip piercing the ground between the two sides, standing with hands behind his back in complete silence, coldly saying just two words: “Hand them over.”
His single move shocked the entire scene. The winged people, who had previously held the advantage, were now both shocked and fearful. After a moment of silence, they suddenly shouted and turned to flee, but Xia Ruan Ning’s barrier was not for show. The first escapee crashed into it, instantly scorched on the wings by the suddenly flashing golden light, crying out in pain.
The others immediately stopped moving.
At this point, Xia Ruan Ning had truly displayed his might. However, he suddenly became distracted – he had been trapped in such a barrier before, by Luo Ying Bai.
