With a loud "bang," the door was forcefully pushed open.
Mo Bai clutched her arm, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, and stumbled inside. Her legs went limp and she collapsed to the ground.
Ah-Liao, who was in the midst of clearing the table, was startled by her sudden entrance. She rushed over in a panic to assist Mo Bai, shouting towards the inner room, "Shifu, Shifu, Sister Mo Bai is hurt!"
"Let go!"
Mo Bai pushed her away, struggling to stand up. She frowned and looked directly at the hastily entering Liang Yudong, speaking softly, "They've found us. I can't beat them. I've set up a Seven Seals Barrier that can hold them off for three days."
"The so-called righteous path excels in taking advantage of others' weaknesses," Liang Yudong coldly observed the entrance. "Your injuries are not light. Come inside, and I'll administer some medicine."
"Yes, yes, Sister Mo Bai, you're bleeding!" A-Liao anxiously interjected.
"Except for the Elixir of Immortality, you know that those medicines only treat the symptoms but not the root cause," Mo Bai completely ignored her, grabbing Liang Yudong's arm. Her sharp nails almost dug into his flesh. "The ordeal is approaching, and both you and I don’t have much time. That bird demon with only five hundred years of cultivation has already faced the ordeal and died. We both know its fate. How much more do you need to finish it?"
Liang Yudong contemplated for a while and replied, "I’m just missing one ingredient... a ginkgo nut."
"Three days," Mo Bai sat down by the table, panting heavily. "If you still can't obtain the ginkgo nut and make the Elixir of Immortality in three days, we might evade human disasters, but we won't escape natural disasters."
"I understand," Liang Yudong withdrew his gaze from the distance and sat across from Mo Bai with a bitter smile. "Humans often say that eking out a living is not easy. They surely never expected that demons also feel the same way." The corners of his mouth raised reluctantly, "Haha, demons, too, want nothing but a calm and breezy life without struggling with time. But that seems unattainable."
Mo Bai lowered her eyes, her beautiful eyelashes trembling slightly.
One table, two people, creating a lonely world.
Ah-Liao couldn't read, but she wasn't stupid.
They had just mentioned "bird demon" and "facing ordeal and dying," and it was easy for her to think of that benevolent old man she had only crossed paths with once but who felt like an old acquaintance. The memory of that deceased bird still lingered.
"Shifu..." She stood between them, "Are you a demon?"
She always remained so calm and serene, with a clear and transparent demeanor, as if nothing unrelated to happiness could find its way into her heart. This included the word "demon," which made many people turn pale when they heard it.
Liang Yudong gazed into her pure, clear eyes like water, but he remained silent.
"Is there a need for secrecy?" Mo Bai glanced at him and then turned to Ah-Liao. "Anyway, you don't know what fear is. Let me tell you, neither your shifu nor I are human. He's a ginkgo tree demon. Don't be fooled by his youthful appearance; he's actually a thousand-year-old old ba$tard."
"And what about you?" Ah-Liao propped up her cheek, curiosity in her eyes but no fear.
"I..." Mo Bai curled her lip, "Why should I tell you."
Ah-Liao’s eyes flashed with understanding as she said, "Sister Mo Bai loves fish so much, is she just a kitty?"
"You damn brat..." Mo Bai struck a posture of wanting to beat her.
"Leave those genuine troublemakers to me," Liang Yudong stood up, interrupting their bickering. "Mo Bai, take Ah-Liao to hide elsewhere."
"Hide?" Mo Bai looked as if someone had stabbed her in a sore spot. She stood up with a whoosh and said sternly, "Where can we hide? Three days from now, if you still haven't found the ginkgo nut for the elixir, no matter where we are, there's only one end."
"I know." Liang Yudong nodded slightly.
"You know?!" Mo Bai's eyes turned as sharp as a knife in an instant. She completely ignored her still bleeding wound, leaping out like lightning and darting into Liang Yudong's room. Moments later, she emerged, holding a book in her hand. "You've been studying this Elixir of Immortality prescription for countless years. Did you think I wouldn't figure it out? Did you think your Forgetful Curse would work on me too? I'm not that foolish girl; I'm also a cultivated demon! I've just been waiting for you to decide!"
"You do indeed possess the cunning of a cat demon," Liang Yudong said calmly as he looked at the crumpled book in her hand. "But haven't you already made your decision?"
"I..." Mo Bai was momentarily at a loss for words. She tossed the book aside and grabbed Liang Yudong's collar, gritting her teeth. "I don't want to go down with you."
"Yes, I know." Liang Yudong remained motionless.
"I..." Mo Bai's beautiful eyebrows were knitted together, and her rosy lips were pursed so hard that they were about to bleed. After a moment’s stalemate, she reluctantly let go of him, her fist pounding against Liang Yudong's chest. She lowered her head and murmured, "I just want to wear nice clothes, eat all kinds of fish, live like a real woman, and be happy..."
"I know..." Liang Yudong sighed softly, holding Mo Bai in his arms. "I'm sorry..."
Mo Bai's shoulders quivered as she sobbed softly.
This was the first time Ah-Liao had heard Liang Yudong apologize, the first time she had seen Mo Bai cry, and the first time she had witnessed them being so close to each other.
But for an instant, she had a faint sense that her tranquil life had been severed by some unknown force.
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