Chapter 30.2 Seize

*****

When Tantai Jin woke up, he found that he was still inside the peach tree demon’s body with a small head lying on his lap.

Su Su’s ink hair was scattered, her lips were pale, and she was collapsed in his arms.

He lifted his hand to touch his left eye only to find that it had recovered and the strange power-filled item had disappeared from his hand out of thin air. Could it be that the item had transformed into his current left eye?

He frowned and pinched the sharp chin of the person in his arms, “Wake up.”

Su Su’s long eyelashes fluttered and she opened her eyes weakly. Her eyes took some time to focus and a faint purple tinge in her left eye imperceptibly dissipated. She blinked her eyes and felt they were a little dry. The eye that was transformed from the World Toppling Flower was still beautiful, looking indistinguishable from the genuine one. But this eye was like a coloured-glaze jade, unable to see things.

If her right eye was covered, her world would be dark.

There was a rumbling sound accompanied by the sound of dripping water inside the tree. The tree demon had lost its divine weapon and was unable to withstand a single blow.

Tantai Jin said, “Let’s get out first.”

Su Su nodded as she held onto the inner wall of the peach tree, struggling to stand up, but her mortal body had forcibly transformed a divine weapon, so her entire body had no strength. 

Before she slipped down, Tantai Jin caught her without a word.

The young man in red carried her on his back with an ice-cold expression.

Su Su didn’t speak, so he didn’t bother to talk either and carried her out together.

The inner walls of the peach tree were wide, but it wasn’t too bad. Su Su’s arms softly rested on his shoulder as they walked the short distance. Tantai Jin stepped out of the peach tree and looked back again. The peach tree demon only had its branches left. Losing the World Toppling Flower, it couldn’t produce peach blossoms in winter, could no longer move around freely, and was looking at them in horror.

Tantai Jin coldly smiled and signaled to the girl on his back, “Summon the thunder and destroy this thing.”

Su Su perked up and activated the formation, using the peach tree as the center, the mysterious thunder struck down. A thigh-thin purple thunderbolt struck the peach tree, making it wail. Without the World Toppling Flower, it lost the ability to move freely.

Tantai Jin carried Su Su on his back while standing at a distance, watching the peach tree being struck for an hour then collapsing with a loud bang.

Tantai Jin was about to leave but Su Su weakly said, “We still need to find Xiao You.”

“You promised it, not me,” Tantai Jin said.

Su Su weakly leaned on his shoulder.

Tantai Jin carried Su Su on his back and was about to leave the residence, but he suddenly walked back and approached the peach tree demon once again. The tree demon was already burnt by the lightning strikes.

“Don’t regret it once you see it,” he coldly said.

Su Su opened her eyes and looked sadly at the women’s corpses under the peach tree.

Their bodies had been pierced through by the peach tree’s branches and had become the peach tree’s nutrients.

The peach tree had grown so big and killed so many people. Like Young Master Wang, the corpses of the women who were in their prime of youth were nothing but skins.

There were so many people that they couldn’t even tell who Xiao You was.

Su Su said, “Let’s go.”

Tantai Jin muttered a yes and they both left Landlord Wang’s residence.

It was still dark and the streets were still hung with red lanterns. The wind blew around them and their shadows gently swayed.

The culprit who had caused all this had turned into a pile of dead wood.

The young man in red was barefoot, carrying the girl on his back. He looked indifferent, walking down the eerie street, without the slightest look of distress on his face.

Tantai Jin asked, “When you came in, did you see the thing in my hand?”

Su Su pretended not to know and weakly said, “What thing was it? When I was swallowed by the tree demon, I saw you passed out and just as I walked in, I lost consciousness too.”

Tantai Jin then stopped speaking. He raised his head to see that the whole town was shrouded in black clouds and the demonic Qi was surprisingly strong.

He carried Su Su for a while. Under the lights, both of their shadows overlapped. Tantai Jin was somewhat agitated. A completely indifferent numbness rose in his heart and he coldly said, “For the sake of you helping me kill the tree demon today, I’ll send you back to the village. From now on, you’re on your own.”

For a long time, there wasn’t any response behind him, and he slightly turned his head to have a look.

The girl’s head hung down and at some point, she’d fallen asleep on his shoulder.

*****

Not long afterwards, it was dawn.

Chen Yanyan did not sleep all night. She was afraid that the substitution marriage would be revealed and her whole family would die before dawn.

The rooster crowed for the first time of the day. Seeing that she was well, Chen Yanyan breathed a deep sigh of relief. The Chen parents knew that they were saved, and they were moved to tears out of gratitude.

Chen Yanyan looked at herself in the mirror and couldn’t help but touch her face. Although she wasn’t pretty, she was at the best age for a young lady. Her demeanor ¹ 举手投足 (jǔshǒu-tóuzú) – one’s every movement (idiom) had a different kind of attraction.

Chen Yanyan changed into clean floral clothing, tied two braided pigtails, and went to the village entrance.

White fog emerged from the forest. Chen Yanyan’s heart was anxious. Thinking of the man that was as stunning as a celestial being, she felt both inferiority ² 自惭形秽 (zìcán-xínghuì) – to feel ashamed of one’s inferiority (idiom); feel unworthy (of others’ company)/have a sense of inferiority (or inadequacy) and longing.

She sat blankly on a big stone at the entrance of the village until the sound of footsteps came from the forest, Chen Yanyan hurriedly jumped off the stone and sure enough, she saw the young man in red.

The woman’s hair bun that he wore yesterday had long been let down and his pitch-black hair was as dark as his pupils. The wedding dress was torn but he didn’t care at all. Chen Yanyan’s heart was thumping wildly, and from his indifference, she found there was an allure that could make others fascinated.

She stepped forward and stuttered, “I……you, are you guys all right?”

Tantai Jin was carrying Su Su on his back, didn’t look at her at all, and walked into the village.

Chen Yanyan also ³ 亦步亦趋 (yìbù-yìqū) – blindly follow suit (idiom); imitate slavishly/do what everyone else is doing/imitate somebody at every step closely followed behind him, “I thank the benefactor for saving my life.”

Even though Su Su had been in a deep sleep, she was woken up by the noise now. She rubbed her eyes and saw Chen Yanyan beside her. Seeing that she’d woken up, Chen Yanyan lowered her head in panic.

Su Su asked, “Lady Chen, are you all right?”

Chen Yanyan shook her head and Su Su patted Tantai Jin’s shoulder, “I’m much better. Thank you, you can put me down.”

Tantai Jin didn’t say much and let her down to walk on her own.

Chen Yanyan looked at Su Su and some jealousy rose up in her heart.

In Chen Yanyan’s heart, Young Master Wang was extremely scary. Before yesterday, she’d even considered not getting into the bridal sedan chair even if she died. If it wasn’t for her mother’s persistent pleading, she was afraid she’d have long sought death.

But…… since Tantai Jin came back safe and sound, Young Master Wang must be dead.

He had protected her.

Chen Yanyan’s fingers tightly clenched her clothes and she spoke to Su Su, “Lady Ye, has that Young Master Wang been eradicated by the both of you?”

Su Su nodded and gave Chen Yanyan a general description of the tree demon.

Chen Yanyan said, “It was actually a peach tree demon. Since it’s dead, the sisters in the village no longer have to be afraid……”

Tantai Jin turned back and indifferently took a glance at Chen Yanyan.

Sensing his gaze, Chen Yanyan’s face blushed deep red. Tantai Jin’s black eyes were slightly cold and a strange smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Su Su didn’t notice the atmosphere between the two of them as she was still unused to the World Toppling Flower in her eye socket. Previously, she’d been hurrying to save people, so she forgot about another extremely important matter, she should have asked the tree demon for the way to enter the Abyss of Desolation.

What burdened Su Su’s heart even more was that Xiao You was dead, so Xiao Ling and her grandparents would surely be heartbroken.

Su Su was preoccupied with her thoughts and walked in front of the two of them. Her clothes weren’t as clean as Chen Yanyan’s, her usually well-tied hair was scattered down, her little face was dirty, and she was hugging her arms to warm herself in the morning fog.

Chen Yanyan suddenly had some confidence. She raised her eyes and looked at Tantai Jin, only to see that Tantai Jin’s black pupils had landed on Su Su, with an expression that was neither happy nor sad.

The jealousy in her heart was like a fiercely territorial viper. Chen Yanyan didn’t speak anymore and headed home.

Knowing that the peach tree demon was killed, the village chief was both sad and relieved. His daughter had also been captured by the tree demon.

That day, the villagers who had lost their daughters went to Landlord Wang’s residence in the town one after another to search for their children’s corpses.

Xiao Ling’s eyes were red and she wanted to kowtow to Su Su.

Su Su pulled her up and stroked her hair, “Xiao You died in order to protect you guys. You living a good life must be her greatest wish. Xiao Ling must live on for your sister’s sake.”

Xiao Ling sobbed and nodded.

She leaned close to Su Su’s ears, hugged her neck and suddenly whispered, “Lady Ye, you must be careful of Chen Yanyan.”

Edited by: Gaze