27. Escape

As Feng Jing forcefully subdued Mei Lin, he proceeded with a calculated brutality, dragging her limp form back towards the warmth of the campfire. In a chilling display of dominance, he callously executed one of the slaves, their life snuffed out to make room for Mei Lin.

With unyielding determination, Feng Jing secured Mei Lin in chains, her once defiant spirit now subdued and uncertain in the face of his merciless actions.

Bound and restrained, Mei Lin's heart pounded in her chest as she awaited Feng Jing's next move, her senses heightened as she braced herself for whatever trials lay ahead. In the flickering light of the fire, she resolved to steel herself against the challenges to come, determined to fight for her freedom no matter the odds.

"When we will get to the caravan we will be safe and than I will enjoy you." Mei Lin had all the time closed her eyes, because she didn't want him find out that she was blood cultivator. Maybe he will not figurate that, but what if he will. After few hours Feng Jing sitting near the fire, he drank all the vine and because he was drunk he entered cultivation state to get ride of the alcohol in his bloodstream. All slaves were despaired and didn't sleep at all. Mei Lin also sit into the lotus position and entered cultivation state. After while blood from her hand star to disappear. With each passing moment, the blood gradually dissipated, disappearing from her hand and leaving her skin unblemished. After collecting all blood from her hands and legs, with her newly acquired power of moving her hands even without a drop of blood, despite the pain and discomfort, she took of shackles from her hands.

Her hands made strange noises as she struggled to remove the shackles, her knuckles bending awkwardly. Eventually, they fell away. With the impending sunrise, Mei Lin approached Feng Jing quietly, taking the keys from him. With a deft and precise movement, Mei Lin launched herself into action, swiftly seizing the opportunity, which appeared. As Feng Jing staggered back in shock from the crystal knife entering his dantian in the belly.

Taking advantage of the chaos and confusion, Mei Lin urged the slaves to flee to safety, knowing that their freedom depended on her ability to divert Feng Jing's attention away from their escape. With a fierce determination, she engaged Feng Jing in a swift and calculated confrontation, aiming to incapacitate him long enough for the slaves to make their getaway.

He hadn't considered the possibility that Mei Lin could escape because he had tied the chains very securely and even thought about she being a cultivator, so he chained her with more than one chain. Immersed in his cultivation, he failed to sense her presence until the last moment before the knife entered his abdomen.

As the knife struck his dantian, he opened his eyes. Mei Lin had prepared her bottle, which was once again empty as she desired the blood of a cultivator. After pulling out the knife, she positioned the bottle beneath the knife to catch as much blood as possible. As Mei Lin swiftly retrieved the precious drops of Feng Jing's blood, she remained acutely aware of the limitations imposed by her injury and also her own limitations. With her injuries she was in no state to engaging in direct combat with Feng Jing, who was surely experienced in combat was impossible. In the crystal bottle, she managed to collect seven drops from the knife and without waiting for anything else, she stowed the bottle away.

"Fucking bitch. I will kill you, don't even thing about leaving!" Feng Jing's scream echoed through the night, a guttural sound that sent shivers down Mei Lin's spine. She turned to flee, but before she could take a step, the blunt end of the spear crashed into her, sending her sprawling across the ground. The force of the blow left her gasping for breath, pain shooting through her body.

As Feng Jing swung the spear, the tip grazed one of the horse's legs, slicing through flesh with a sickening crunch. The horse reared up, thrashing wildly in agony. In the chaos, its hooves lashed out, striking Feng Jing with brutal force. Bones snapped audibly, the sickening sound mingling with Feng Jing's screams of agony.

Enraged and fueled by pain, Feng Jing swung his spier in a frenzy, the sharp edge tearing through flesh and instantly decapitating the horse. The horse's head rolled to the ground, its lifeless eyes staring into oblivion as blood gushed from the stump of its neck all around covering whole place. Its body convulsed in its death throes before collapsing into the searing flames of the campfire, sending sparks and embers dancing into the air and immediate smell of burned flash start coming from the fire.

Mei Lin, her heart pounding with terror, scrambled to her feet and fled into the darkness, her mind consumed by the last swing and screams of Feng Jing.

She was covered with blood, but she wasn't disgusted by it, on the other hand she felt a sense of satisfaction. Her hand was covered with blood of both herself and Feng Jing, throbbed with agony. Each movement sent sharp tendrils of pain shooting through her body, a cruel reminder of the brutality she had endured.

Her right hand, pierced by the steel of the spear, throbbed with a relentless ache, the wound a festering symbol of her defiance. A jagged cut marred her back, a souvenir from the vicious swing of the machete, its sting a constant reminder of the perilous dance she had engaged in.

Her ribs protested with every breath, the bones cracked and splintered beneath the force of Feng Jing's merciless assault. Each gasp sent waves of agony rippling through her, a cruel reminder of her vulnerability in the face of such savagery. With every labored breath, she run through the darkness that threatened to consume her, and to forge a path of her own making, no matter the cost.

Mei Lin ran as fast as she could, despite her injuries slowing her down. With the rising sun, a new hope emerged at the edge of the forest. She spotted a caravan moving slowly and decided to approach it for protection. The caravan resembled a long snake made up of at least fifty pieces. Each piece was a giant slug with a building on top of it. The first slug was much larger than the others, with a four-story building that dwarfed the rest.

Mei Lin pushed herself forward with no real determination, her breath ragged and her movements strained by the injuries that let down her strength. Yet, with the sun's golden tendrils stretching over the horizon and through the forest, a glimmer of hope danced at the forest's edge. There, amidst the morning haze, a caravan emerged, its presence like a beacon promising safety and sanctuary.