bayedsolid Chapter 833 The Unyielding Shadow
Chapter 833 The Unyielding Shadow
Escaping the abandoned villa does not mean the end of the danger; on the contrary, it may be the beginning of another chase.
Lin Xuan dared not relax for a moment. Relying on her familiarity with the terrain of Yunyang City, she led the group through the intricate alleyways. These alleyways, like a maze, were places where ordinary citizens and low-level cultivators avoided trouble, and also their best hiding place at this moment.
They dared not walk on main roads, dared not use their spiritual power to fly, and even tried to run as quietly as possible, only bursting into speed when necessary. With each turn, with each passage through a narrow tunnel, Lin Xuan's heart was in her throat.
Behind them, hurried footsteps and shouts could be faintly heard. Clearly, the Shadow Guards had not given up the pursuit despite Zhou Mi's self-destruction. Sun Kui's order was likely to eliminate them at all costs.
"Captain, Sister Liu Yan's injuries..." a team member said in a low voice, his tone filled with worry. Liu Yan's face was growing paler and paler, and her steps were unsteady, clearly indicating that she had lost too much blood.
Lin Xuan glanced back at Liu Yan, her heart filled with anxiety. They needed to find a safe place as soon as possible to treat Liu Yan's wounds, otherwise she might collapse at any moment.
"Hold on, Liu Yan," Lin Xuan said in a deep voice. "There's a safe house we prepared before, not far ahead. Let's go there to take refuge."
Safe houses are secret outposts set up by the "Night Shadow" squad throughout Yunyang City to deal with various emergencies. They are usually inconspicuous residences or abandoned shops, equipped with simple defensive formations and medicines needed for healing.
After running for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lin Xuan led the group into an even more secluded alley. At the end of the alley was a dilapidated general store, its door tightly shut, looking as if it hadn't been open for a long time.
Lin Xuan walked to the door and knocked in a specific rhythm: "Knock, knock knock, knock."
A moment later, a slight clicking sound came from inside the door. Then, the door creaked open and opened a crack.
Lin Xuan looked around warily, and only after confirming that no one was following her did she lead the group inside.
The door closed quietly behind them, shutting out the noise and danger outside.
It was a small shop, filled with all sorts of odds and ends, covered in dust, and looked like it had been abandoned for a long time. But Lin Xuan navigated the clutter with ease, arriving at a wall on the inside of the shop, and pressed her hand on an inconspicuous brick.
"Click."
The wall slowly slid open, revealing a hidden door that could only accommodate one person at a time.
"Go inside," Lin Xuan said softly.
The group entered the hidden door one by one. Inside was a small cellar, only about ten square meters in size, simply furnished with a stone bed, a stone table, several stone stools, some dry food and water piled in the corner, and a simple medicine box. A faint musty and herbal smell permeated the air.
A luminous pearl was embedded in the wall, emitting a faint light that barely illuminated the cellar.
"Finally... I can catch my breath." A team member slumped onto a stone bench, panting heavily, his face filled with exhaustion and lingering fear.
Lin Xuan immediately went to the medicine box, opened it, and took out wound medicine, bandages, and strong liquor. "Liu Yan, come here, let me treat your wound."
Liu Yan walked to the stone bed and sat down, taking off her blood-stained top. The wound on her shoulder blade was deep, and although it had been simply bandaged, it was still bleeding. The surrounding skin and flesh had turned somewhat black, clearly indicating that the short blade had been poisoned!
"Poisonous!" Lin Xuan's expression changed, and she quickly used silver needles to seal several major acupoints around Liu Yan's wound to prevent the poison from spreading. Then, she poured out strong liquor and washed the wound.
"Hiss..." The alcohol irritated her wound, and Liu Yan gasped in pain. Her forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, but she gritted her teeth and remained silent.
Bai Jie and another team member also came over to help hold Liu Yan down and prevent her from struggling.
Lin Xuan carefully cleaned the necrotic flesh and toxins from the wound, her movements practiced and steady. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, a testament not only to physical exertion but also to intense mental concentration.
After treating the wound, applying the best wound medicine, and wrapping it with a clean bandage, Lin Xuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, the toxins should be mostly cleared away. Luckily, it was discovered in time. You need to rest well these next few days and shouldn't use your spiritual power."
Liu Yan nodded weakly: "Thank you, Captain."
Lin Xuan shook her head, looking at everyone's pale and tired faces. Including herself, the original seven-person "Night Shadow" team was now down to five. Xiao Mei, Zhou Mi, Lin Xiaowan... vivid faces flashed through her mind, making her heart ache as if pricked by needles.
Bai Jie lowered her head, her hands clenched into fists so tightly that her nails almost dug into her flesh, and tears silently streamed down her face. She had lost her sister, and she had also lost her comrade-in-arms.
A heavy silence fell over the cellar, broken only by the suppressed breathing of the people inside.
Lin Xuan took a deep breath and broke the silence: "Alright, now is not the time to be sad. Although we are safe for the time being, the crisis is not over. The Shadow Assassins are definitely still searching for us outside, and Sun Kui will not let this go."
She looked at everyone, her eyes gradually hardening: "We must contact Zhao Lie as soon as possible. Only he can help us expose Sun Kui's conspiracy and avenge our fallen sisters!"
“But Captain,” one of the team members said worriedly, “Sun Kui is incredibly powerful now; he practically controls the entire Yunyang City. How can we contact Zhao Lie? And how can we be sure Zhao Lie is trustworthy? What if…”