Forge a path to success.

Chapter 153 Never Left
"What is this?!" Vande shouted in despair.

"I don't know!" Ji Huaisu shouted back. "The information from our ancestors is too much for me to process, and it's not good stuff!"

"There's no need to discuss things like whether it's good or bad, which are obvious at a glance. The real issue is how to deal with it," Chu Hengkong said.

The three of them hid behind the ice wall, like three unlucky soldiers barely clinging to life in a trench. On the other side of the ice wall was the door that opened from underground.

Seconds ago, a string of bat-like dark energy, accompanied by a laugh that sounded terrifying, flew into the ground. Then, the door swung open, releasing a strange and inexplicable suction force from the deep darkness behind it. This suction force did not disturb the mortal world or move mortals; not a single speck of dust was stirred. Yet, only these few people were desperately pulled forward as if they had been grabbed, a bizarre phenomenon comparable to a ghost story.

Ji Huaisu reinforced the ice wall behind them as quickly as possible, otherwise they would be sucked directly into the doorway through the ice in just half a second. In the distance, they saw familiar figures rushing towards them, each moving as fast as a rabbit.

Van der panicked and frantically waved his tentacles: "Don't come any closer! Something's strange!!"

"Are the whites of your eyes growing out?" Shax's face darkened. He stabbed the Holy Lance into his foot like a cane, but even so, it didn't slow him down. Qingye waved her hands frantically, but couldn't maintain her balance. She tumbled head over heels and crashed into the ice wall. Ji Huaisu gasped as if she had been hit herself.

"Damn, Xiaoye, you're not exactly lightweight either..."

"To make body image jokes at a time like this, Sister Huaisu, you're incredibly thick-skinned!" Qingye cried out in anguish. "What on earth is this?!"

The stone seed was still tied around her waist as she wrote as quickly as possible: 【Some kind of ancient karmic technique… an attraction targeting a specific group of people—just think of it that way!】

"You could even tell that? Just how well-connected is the Divine Tree Clan's intelligence network?! Seriously, this specific group looks exactly like us! Why are we the only ones in the whole city who are so unlucky?!" Qingye screamed for the second time.

"Xiao Ye, wake up! We just fought a battle with the Demon of Misfortune! Can you find anyone in the world more unlucky than us?" Ji Huaisu said.

"The more convincing your words are, the more it makes us look like a disaster!" Qingye covered her eyes. "Seriously, we clearly beat Oleksandr... Shouldn't we be the luckiest people in the world right now?!"

"We turned things around through bad luck, didn't we?" Van Der said dejectedly, "Through the misfortune transferred onto Chu Hengkong... which triggered the old man's own misfortune..."

Now that you mention it, I feel like there's an even more terrifying landmine lurking nearby...

“After all, it’s a snake, and its viciousness is well-known in the industry.” Shakes sneered. “There was once a mysterious assassin known for his bad luck, who was skilled at killing people in accidents with a probability of one in ten million, such as plane crashes, car accidents, and lightning strikes. He was hired to assassinate Chu Hengkong.”

"And then?" Vande asked, his eyes wide.

"He came back crying."

"Haha," Chu Hengkong said.

"You still have the nerve to laugh! What are you laughing at?!" Vande screamed.

At this moment, Gulibo floated in the air like a balloon, then slammed headfirst into the ice wall. Ji Huaisu gasped again; even the slightest external force could make her waver. Gulibo slid down like a pancake, barely breathing.

"Seeing that everyone still has the energy to laugh and joke makes me feel like the world is going crazy in a peaceful way..."

Everyone was in good spirits; their shock and unease remained on the surface, and they acted as if on a spring outing, chatting and laughing. After all, all their trump cards had been used up in the continuous battles, all their perseverance had been exhausted in the counterattacks, and even their passion had been almost completely sold off in the final battle between knights and demons.

Even Chu Hengkong is too exhausted to fight anymore. Having fought to this point, he has the right to applaud without batting an eye no matter what happens. He's completely drained; he's resigned to fate.

He breathed quietly amidst the sound of ice shattering, thinking about Huilong City, his family from the past, and random thoughts like what he should say to his partner. Just then, he faintly heard light footsteps, and his weary heart suddenly pounded. His eyes widened as he saw long, blood-red hair fluttering in the wind.

"Qingxia!"

The red-haired banshee stood amidst the rubble, her eyes still glazed with sleep. A flicker of hope ignited in everyone's hearts. This mysterious and unpredictable banshee possessed immense power and knew far too many secrets; her appearance was a sign of a turning point. Perhaps she could still do something!
Qingxia blinked, her eyes still sleepy: "Ah...is it morning already...?"

"It's past lunchtime! Stop acting like a college student who just woke up!" Vande yelled. "Look at the situation! You should know what's going on! Please tell me, there's something you can do!"

Qingxia carefully examined each person, then clenched her right fist and struck her left hand.

"Yes, the campaign against Dong Zhuo has been successful. It's time to return to the Crusade headquarters," she said solemnly.

"What the hell did you say?" Shakes almost couldn't breathe.

Chu Hengkong finally couldn't hold back anymore. Despite the fact that the other party was his savior and was mysterious and unpredictable, his emotions burst out in his words: "Why can't I understand what you're saying, whether it's the egg era or the centaur era?!"

"Don't worry, don't worry, I understand exactly what needs to be done. So~"

Qingxia jogged over and came smilingly to the bewildered Miss Qingye.

Two remotely controlled bone knives extended and cut the ropes binding the stone. The stone was then lifted up.

In the absence of everyone's gaze, the red-haired banshee picked up the stone seed with one hand and blew a kiss to Chu Hengkong: "Going out in a group might lead to encountering trash, so I suggest you brave warriors set off in batches. I'll go ahead first and take my leave!"

【save】

She ran out carrying the stone seed, crashing through the ice wall and galloping into the darkness like a wild horse. After running a few steps, she slid down, and a bone-white eggshell grew from her back, enveloping her and the stone seed together, transforming her back into that astonishingly large egg.

The egg rolled happily into the ground, and then into the mysterious doorway.

Ji Huaisu's ice wall began to disintegrate upon impact, and some people's faces turned as white as paper. Chu Hengkong immediately stood up and rushed inside, shouting, "I can't take it anymore! I'm going to smash her to pieces!"

“Brother, hold back. Let’s not even talk about how a good man doesn’t argue with a woman; she’s your savior,” Vande said.

Chu Hengkong's expression was ferocious: "I'll repay her kindness after I'm done beating her up!!"

"Ah Kong, wake up! You can't beat her!" Ji Huaisu grabbed her partner who was rushing forward. "If you go up now, you'll just get beaten into a pulp! Once you've recovered some strength, we'll go together and definitely take down that monster!"

"You make it sound so righteous that it's a two-on-one fight. You're such a righteous knight!"

At this moment, everyone finally recovered from their shock and realized the reality that had just occurred. Gulibo was the first to act, letting out a miserable howl as it rushed out of the hole: "God, God, the Divine Tree, ahhhhhh!"

It was swept up by the torrent and flew into the doorway.

Next to him, closest to the cave, was Shax. He had the Holy Lance strapped to his body, seemingly wanting to curse, yet also wanting to laugh.

"It's a farewell to a boring life."

As Qingye watched Shax fly away, she clutched the nearest block of ice and cast a pleading, sorrowful glance at the two of them. The trio returned her gaze with a look that seemed to say, "I fucking want to cry too."

"I, I..." Miss Qingye covered her face, "I just ran away from home, why did it turn out like this?! Please give me back my knife!!!"

Chu Hengkong threw the borrowed dagger back, and Qingye, wielding two swords, charged forward bravely, displaying the heroic spirit of a warrior charging into battle.

The ice wall was about to collapse; cracks were spreading around the large hole Qingxia had created, and the broken ice was dissipating in the distant wind. Chu Hengkong suddenly felt incredibly exhausted, both physically and mentally.

"In the end, it turned out like a comedy comic." The assassin smiled wryly.

"So you finally realized it?" Vande said expressionlessly. "We're like the indestructible trio from a comedy comic. No matter what difficulties or obstacles we encounter, we can crush them with our invincible comedic charm."

"I feel sleepy..." Ji Huaisu said weakly.

"Don't raise the flag of suicide at this time," Chu Hengkong replied calmly.

They sat side by side, leaning against the crumbling ice wall, thinking of nothing, immersed in the last few brief seconds of tranquility bestowed upon them by heaven. Vande, curled up in its pocket, was so exhausted it had fallen asleep. Chu Hengkong could also feel the drowsiness; in such extreme exhaustion, both his physical body and his spirit were caught in slow, labored breathing. It was like sinking into a warm, muddy bed, half-dreaming, half-awake, where a second felt like an eternity.

Perhaps a second later, or three seconds later, he heard Ji Huaisu say, "I want to try to save you..."

"I thought we were partners."

"……Oh."

Light and delicate, like grass sprouting from the ground, the girl's fingertips touched the sole of his palm. He didn't move, and the girl repeated patiently, the increasing pressure indicating her growing impatience. He lifted his hand, leaving a little space. The girl's hand deftly slipped inside, pressing against his palm.

"..."

Rarely, the assassin felt troubled; he was truly not good at this kind of thing. His partner gently nudged his shoulder. He slowly bent his fingers, and the girl hooked them on the ground in cooperation. As their fingers intertwined, his hand clasped with Ji Huaisu's. The girl's hand wasn't as delicate as a lady's, but it carried a reassuring warmth.

"Really." Ji Huaisu leaned on his shoulder.

He chuckled softly, feeling his body lighten. Finally, the ice wall shattered, and they were swept up by the chaotic gale, flying into the unknown beyond the dark gate.

Chu Hengkong heard the door close and opened his eyes before losing consciousness. The blonde girl was flying alongside him, tightly holding his hand.

Her eyes were as beautiful as purple crystals.

(End of this chapter)