Chapter Thirty-Four: Fleeing the Marriage

Hearing his question, Xie Yingying thought of her correspondence with Bai Qirui, so she simply replied, “Nothing.” Truly, if she revealed even the slightest hint of her hope that Bai Qirui would help her escape, Bai Shengyun, sharp as he was, would quickly figure it out and give her another harsh lesson. The fate of Shen Ruru flashed before her eyes, making her shudder involuntarily.

Bai Shengyun raised his brows slightly. He was no fool; naturally, he could tell she was brushing him off.

“I’m a bit tired,” Xie Yingying said with a forced laugh, seeing his disbelief and fearing he would press her further. “I’d like to rest.”

But Bai Shengyun only gripped her hand tighter, making it clear he wasn’t about to let her go.

In fact, after the ceremony, tradition dictated that Xie Yingying should be sent to the bridal chamber, but Bai Shengyun had refused to let her leave, dragging things on until now.

Just then, an elder happened to pass by. Seeing that Xie Yingying had yet to enter the bridal chamber, he was surprised and, with a look of resignation, said to Bai Shengyun, “According to custom, after the ceremony, the bride should enter the bridal chamber. Let her go in.”

“Rules are dead, people are alive,” Bai Shengyun answered, his voice cold and heavy.

The elder could only try to persuade him earnestly, “Young Emperor, even among the human clans, this is the way of things. Such traditions must not be altered lightly, and besides…”

This elder was truly persistent, speaking at such length that Bai Shengyun’s brows knitted in growing annoyance. Yet, owing to the man’s seniority, Bai Shengyun could only wave him off impatiently.

Then, Bai Shengyun turned to the guards behind him and commanded sharply, “Take the Young Consort to the bridal chamber. Watch her closely.”

The guards immediately bowed in acknowledgment, turned to Xie Yingying, and gestured, “This way, please.”

Hearing she could finally leave Bai Shengyun’s sight, Xie Yingying suppressed her inner delight, donned an expression of exhaustion and dismay, and followed the guards into the bridal chamber.

The room was decorated festively—even the wedding bed was adorned with red dates and other items she’d been forced to pick out herself, while the table held a few dishes and a pot of wine.

She was exhausted from the day’s events and hadn’t eaten breakfast, but now was not the time for a meal. Instead, she retrieved the maid’s attire she had hidden carefully in her wedding dress, along with a small packet of mesmer incense.

She’d pondered for days, concluding that a maid’s uniform would be quite useful, so she’d threatened the innocent maid she’d once drugged into handing her a set of clothes and the incense. Not only that, but she’d lain awake all night before the wedding, formulating a solid plan. Now, everything was ready—only the final opportunity was lacking!

She quickly changed into the disguise, then tiptoed to the door, quietly poking a hole in the paper window to peer outside.

Only two guards stood watch nearby.

Satisfied, she withdrew her gaze, extended the mesmer incense through the small hole, and released it.

The guards caught the scent of thick, intoxicating flowers—like the deadly allure of the spider lily. They sensed something was wrong, but by the time they reacted, it was already too late. The incense was potent; before long, both men fell unconscious.

Xie Yingying let out a quiet chuckle, pushed open the door, and darted out as fast as she could, afraid the two guards might suddenly awake.

As she hurried along, she fumbled in her sleeve for the map of Gu Feng Mountain she’d drawn, but no matter how she searched, she couldn’t find it. Realizing she’d forgotten to bring it, she was vexed, “Heavens, how foolish can I be!”

Still, her memory was quite sharp, and she’d drawn the map twice before. Quickly, she reconstructed the terrain in her mind, reasoning that today, with all the festivities, the mountain’s more treacherous paths would be less guarded—most would be drinking at the wedding feast, chasing after good fortune.

With fewer guards and even the secret sentinels reassigned, she managed to slip past most obstacles, stealthily making good progress.

After twisting and turning through various paths, she finally came upon a steep mountain trail.

Looking at the road ahead, her face grew grim.

But it was still better than dying here! The thought flashed through her mind.

Resolute, Xie Yingying took a bold step to descend the mountain, but just as she did, a seductive male voice sounded behind her, “Where are you going?”

Startled, Xie Yingying spun around to see a young man dressed in the sky fox sect’s disciple robes.

“You’re Xie Yingying?” the disciple exclaimed in surprise, “You actually dare to run?”

As he spoke, he moved to seize her.

Xie Yingying’s mind raced. In the split second before he reached her, her eyes reddened and she put on a pitiful, fragile look.

“Brother…” she whimpered sorrowfully, tears welling up and spilling down her cheeks like raindrops on pear blossoms. “Brother, save me…”

At this, the disciple’s heart melted. He instinctively withdrew his demonic energy, biting his lip.

Seeing this, Xie Yingying rejoiced inwardly—there was still hope!

Without waiting for him to recover, she seized the moment of his distraction, recalling all the tragic soap operas she’d watched, and forced out a few more tears, pleading in a broken voice, “Brother… Bai Shengyun has hurt me so deeply…”

She revealed the bruises on her snow-white skin, drawing his gaze with her sobs. “Look at these wounds—all from Bai Shengyun’s hand.”

“Brother, please save me…” Xie Yingying finished with her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.

In truth, she was no longer able to summon real tears, so she simply covered her face and pretended.

The disciple’s heart softened. In a gentle voice he asked, “Do you need any ointment? Does it hurt much…?”

Xie Yingying forced herself to stop crying, affecting a stubborn look, but her beautiful eyes remained moist. “I only want to leave him. Please, I beg you, don’t take me back.”

“But I…”

Xie Yingying grabbed his hand, pleading desperately, “Please, truly… Brother, I can’t fall into Bai Shengyun’s hands. I’ll die…”

A thousand emotions flickered in the disciple’s eyes before he finally gritted his teeth and said, “Very well! How can I help you?”

Xie Yingying’s heart leapt with excitement. Remembering the demonic sect’s method of communication, she hatched another plan.

She kept up her teary act, a glimmer of joy hidden behind the watery veil in her eyes. “Can you keep my secret and fetch me a silk tree blossom?”

The disciple saw that her requests were not difficult—and since there were silk trees behind the mountain, he agreed.

With a light touch, he bounded off to the back mountain, quickly found a cluster of silk tree flowers, picked several, and hurried back.

Seeing Xie Yingying still waiting, he felt an unexpected delight and handed her the blossoms.

“Thank you so much,” she choked out as she accepted them, “Someday, I’ll repay your kindness.”

The disciple flushed and shook his head gently. “No… no need…”

At that, Xie Yingying flashed a sly smile that left him momentarily dazed.

With a quick fist salute, she grinned, “Thank you!”

But before the disciple could react to the sense of wrongness, Xie Yingying darted behind him and struck him sharply on the back of the neck.