Chapter 44: Returning to Miao Mountain

The trunk was eerily quiet, which struck Emily as unusual. She quickly ran downstairs and opened the trunk to find a large rice dumpling lying peacefully inside, with its bedsheet wrapper soaked in blood.

"Benjamin!" Emily exclaimed in shock, moving the rice dumpling into the car. She peeled away the layers and saw Benjamin's chest wound splitting open, oozing blood.

"Tsk! So fragile!" Yuri sneered, full of disdain. "Such a person will only be a burden. How can they protect you?"

Emily glared at him, ignoring his words. She carefully turned Benjamin over; he was still unconscious.

Yuri observed Emily's cautious demeanor and looked at Benjamin's incredibly handsome face. Suddenly, a lump of cotton seemed to form in his heart. He discreetly glanced at himself in the rear-view mirror, confirming that he was still superior. Feeling somewhat relieved, he kindly reminded them, "There's another body outside."

Emily also remembered the witch who had just been killed by Yuri. She dragged the witch's body inside, cut her own wrist, and let the warm blood flow into Benjamin's mouth.

Tasting the blood, Benjamin groggily grabbed the arm and greedily sucked on it. His consciousness gradually returned, and the chest wound began to heal. After waking up, he discarded the drained corpse and glared at Yuri with a vigilant gaze.

"Why was I suddenly able to see just now?" Emily asked Yuri, somewhat perplexed. It was still foggy in front of her eyes, and she hadn't felt her emotions calm down. How could she suddenly start seeing things?

Yuri smirked triumphantly. "What you saw was an illusion I created for you, but this illusion was based on the actual situation. How about that? I'm clever, right? Come, give me a kiss!" Yuri moved in to take advantage, but Benjamin suddenly kicked him in the chest. The car shook violently, and Yuri nearly got kicked out of the vehicle.

Yuri's smile vanished from his face, replaced by raging fury. The car suddenly filled with the scent of gunpowder.

"Stop messing around! Think about what we should do now!" Emily shouted angrily. It was already fully daylight, and soon there would be residents coming out. If they saw this beat-up car with three people and two corpses inside, along with a severely injured woman lying on the ground nearby, it would be impossible to explain. The immediate priority was to resolve the situation at hand. Yet these two men still had the leisure to fight amongst themselves.

Yuri and Benjamin glared at each other with resentment, attempting to show dominance. But when they saw Emily's terrifying gaze, they obediently sat down, not daring to make a fuss anymore.

"Throw the bodies up in the trees. The three of us will find a place to hide for now and figure things out when it gets dark," Yuri nonchalantly suggested, shrugging his shoulders.

Emily glared at him. "Terrible idea!"

They absolutely couldn't stay here. They had to catch up to Alexander before he reached Cyberville and intercept the Bloodblade.

After scanning her surroundings, Emily made up her mind. She quickly ran outside, lifted the two corpses and the severely injured person, and dashed towards the outskirts. Finally, she threw them into a hollow in the mountainside, then swiftly ran back and stole another car, transferring Benjamin and Yuri into the new vehicle.

The almost scrapped car was covered in branches, with scattered twigs on the ground. It seemed that the ancient tree realized it wasn't a match for Emily. Seeing all the fallen branches, it ceased its actions and pretended to be lifeless. That's why the ancient tree didn't hinder Emily when she drove away in the new car.

While driving, Emily repented in her heart. "Lord, forgive me for my act of theft. When the opportunity arises, I will definitely repay the debt!"

As the car left the ancient town, the town behind them gradually became lively. People gathered around a wrecked car, chattering like sparrows. She also heard someone wailing about their beloved car being gone and someone else howling at the sky. Who knows which cursed person kicked in the shop door without stealing any money, only taking bed sheets...

"Your Highness, two witches from the Hao family are dead, and one is severely injured," a bald "monster" reported with lowered eyes.

A mysterious smile appeared on Gaeyi's face, making it difficult to discern his intentions. "Dispose of them."

"What about the injured one..."

"Dispose of her as well! The Secret Party has no use for useless waste!" Gaeyi's tone carried an aura of ruthlessness and coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

The "monster" retreated upon hearing the order.

Gaeyi squinted his enigmatic sea-blue eyes and murmured to himself, "Emily... truly interesting..."

...

Emily drove for a day and a night, exhausted. Meanwhile, Benjamin and Yuri slept soundly in the car for a whole day. In the evening, Emily parked the car in a small town, enjoyed a seafood feast by herself, and let the two men go hunting. Then she switched places with Yuri and fell asleep in the passenger seat.

During the night, Yuri and Benjamin were wide awake, casting glances at each other, wanting to provoke a fight but fearing they would wake Emily. In the end, they remained silent, holding back their frustrations until dawn.

Emily stretched and sat up, the surroundings becoming familiar. She could even smell the scent of Miao Mountain and recalled the face of Sophia, which resembled a steamed bun.

"Do you plan on following us indefinitely?" Emily asked Yuri with a tilt of her head.

Yuri freed a hand and ruffled Emily's hair. "Wherever you go, I'll go."

"Copycat!" Benjamin muttered indignantly.

"Aren't you one too?" Yuri retorted with an eye roll.

Emily didn't mind Yuri tagging along. Having one more person increased their chances of success, especially considering Yuri's impressive abilities. Just his skill in creating illusions alone had earned her deep admiration. Rescuing the Bloodblade would surely be much easier with his help.

Yuri and Benjamin continued to bicker for a while as the car stopped at the foot of Miao Mountain.

"Why are we here?" Emily asked curiously.

"To visit your old friend," Yuri said, wearing an expression that Emily couldn't decipher, but it made her feel uneasy.

Emily quickly got out of the car and ran towards Sophia's direction. The forest lay in ruins, devastated by a massive fire. Despite the time that had passed, the scent of burning lingered in the air. It was difficult to discern Sophia's scent amidst the destruction, but following Tiger's scent, Emily soon found Sophia.

Emily stood before Sophia's true form, her eyes widening in shock. She covered her mouth and couldn't hold back the sobs. Tears fell uncontrollably. Sophia's true form had been burnt beyond recognition, the trunk reduced to a charred black.

Tiger emerged from the den and saw Emily. He approached her and nudged her leg with his head. She embraced Tiger and burst into tears. Why did it happen like this? Wasn't it raining that day? Wasn't the fire extinguished? Wasn't Sophia safe? Question after question swirled in Emily's mind.

Suddenly, Emily recalled Yuri's enigmatic expression from earlier—a mix of regret, guilt, and helplessness. Could it be... that everything that happened that day was just an illusion he created for her?

"Emily, sis!"

A sweet voice sounded behind Emily. It belonged to Sophia. Emily quickly turned around, but there was no one there. There was no steamed bun face, no adorable smile.