Chapter 12.4 - Car chase

The two of them went to the back room once more and settled all the formalities. Xue Rui didn't hesitate to pay for the 17.4 million yuan which included the processing fee. Li XinWen held the rusty jian, eyes brimming with excitement and happiness. He could not wait to return home to uncover the jian's true form. As for the cauldron, he had a feeling that it would take a while before Li XinWen would finally reach the stage where he could use it properly.

The two jians were individually wrapped in a rich crimson velvet fabric and fastened with a leather belt, while the cauldron was placed in a wooden box. As Xue Rui was a VIP customer, three auction staff helped carry the items all the way to Xue Rui's car. It seemed as if the valet attendant was informed beforehand because as they made their exit by the main entrance, Xue Rui's beloved silver Maserati was already waiting for them. After placing the items inside the car's trunk, Xue Rui and Li XinWen boarded the car.

Surprisingly, they did not see the young man from before so the two set off with an easy heart. Unfortunately, their ease did not last for long.

As they turned the corner not far from the auction house, Xue Rui noticed a black Aston Martin Vantage sports car following them. At the next traffic light, he was able to make out the driver's silhouette which closely resembled the man whom they bid against earlier. He glanced at Li XinWen who seemed oblivious to the situation as the latter had his attention on the towering skyscrapers.

"XinWen, I need you to grab on to something."

"Huh? What do you mean Rui-ge?"

"We're being followed," Xue Rui responded as he glanced at the rearview then at the driver side mirror. "It's the man we encountered at the auction house."

Li XinWen made a frown and quickly turned his head to glance at back of the car. True enough he saw another vehicle immediately behind. He squinted his eyes and confirmed that it was indeed the same man from the auction house.

'Ugh… I knew it, how troublesome,' Li XinWen thought as the beginnings of panic started to set at the pit of his stomach when he saw Xue Rui's gaze became serious as he focused on the road. Without warning, Xue Rui stepped on the gas seconds before the light turned green. The car lurched forward startling Li XinWen who quickly grabbed the roof handle above the passenger door.

The car sped through traffic, weaving between lanes and overtaking cars that were too slow as the car ran at 270km/h. Li XinWen could only watch and hold his breath. He gripped the roof handle so tightly that his fingers turned white and were already feeling numb.

'What the hell is happening! I don't want to die again!' thought Li XinWen.

They came to an intersection with the traffic light in their direction blinking amber. Xue Rui glanced over at Li XinWen who, at the same time was looking at him wide-eyed like a deer in headlights.

"Hold on XinWen," Xue Rui said with a mischievous smile across his face and a glint of seduction in his eyes. In his adrenaline rush, he seemed to have forgotten that Li XinWen had recently got into an accident. By the time he remembered later, he was filled with guilt and worry.

Xue Rui stepped on the gas yet again and they ran past the intersection barely missing the rear of an old Toyota Camry as their car swerved to the left. Li XinWen felt his knees weaken and his heart drop moments before the car swerved as they avoided the other vehicle.

Xue Rui glanced at the rearview mirror and saw that the car following them was unable to avoid the red light in the intersection. He smiled in triumph and continued to speed through traffic. He decided to take a different route to Li XinWen's home to lose the pursuing vehicle.

What should have been a leisurely drive home became a car chase out of a movie. Li XinWen had never felt that scared before. Even as he faced the lightning tribulation moments before his death back in Long Xing, he only felt helpless but was not scared. But this car chase was more than enough to scare him out of his wits, and he hoped to never experience this again in the future.

Li XinWen didn't know how much time passed but when they reached his home, he felt dizzy and sick to his stomach. As soon as the car stopped, Li XinWen opened the door and threw up on the ground.

"Ah'Wen!" seeing this, Xue Rui quickly got out of the car, rushed over to the passenger side, and checked on Li XinWen. He gently rubbed Li XinWen's back in a soothing manner while the other retched up.

"Never... Drive like that again..." Li XinWen muttered after a while. Xue Rui took out his handkerchief and carefully wiped Li XinWen's lips.

"I'm sorry..." Xue Rui looked extremely guilty as he stared at Li XinWen's state. "Let me help you into the house... Careful with the vomit," Xue Rui said as he offered to support Li XinWen.

"No need... Let me just rest a bit," Li XinWen replied as he took a moment to calm down. After a while, he felt a lot better and finally got out the car. At the same time, the door to the house opened, revealing Li JingHua who had a worried expression, but when her eyes landed on Xue Rui, it changed to a frown.

"Why did the two of you take so long to get inside?" Li JingHua asked, arms crossed and eyes accusing Xue Rui.

"I got a little sick, Hua-jie, so I had to take a moment to recover," Li XinWen answered. "Rui-ge drove like a madman because someone was following us..." he added as he went to the car's trunk. "Open up."

Xue Rui took out his car's remote control key and pressed the button to open the trunk. The first thing Li XinWen grabbed was the rusty jian and then he threw the other one towards Xue Rui. "Catch."

Xue Rui's face turned pale when Li XinWen hurled the six million worth jian towards him as if they cost just a few yuan bills. He caught it and held it very carefully, afraid of damaging it. Meanwhile, Li JingHua's curiosity grew and decided to approach the car.

"What did the two of you get?" Li JingHua asked as she looked over into the car's trunk and saw another box inside.

"Just a few items," Li XinWen answered with a smile. But just as he was about to pick up the box containing the cauldron, a car stopped right in front of their gate. The driver of the car came out and Li XinWen didn't need to turn around to know who it was. He already knew who it was based on the spiritual signature the young man emitted. He just couldn't help but sigh at his persistence. But what he didn't expect was Li JingHua's surprise at seeing the young man.

"Why is Min XiaoYu here?" Li JingHua voiced out her surprise.

"Jiejie knows him?" Li XinWen asked and Li JingHua showed a complicated look.

Even if Li JingHua knew Min XiaoYu, in the current timeline she shouldn't know of him. After all, this young man only became famous after the apocalypse for his strength and ability.

"Can you guys let me in? I believe we have yet to finish our discussion earlier," the young man, known as Min XiaoYu said with a smile as he stood before the gate.