Enemies in Pursuit, Flee at Once!

Yagu seemed to be drifting along the Qingyi River. Passing Qianhu Stockade, Qin Sang found everything normal within. The clansfolk were living peacefully; women were cooking, and children were playing and laughing—a scene of serene harmony. "Huh?" Just as he was about to fly over Qianhu Stockade, Qin Sang suddenly lowered his sword-light and flickered down to the rear hill of the stockade, landing before the thatched hut where Yagu had once lived. It had been less than a year since Yagu left. No one had occupied the hut, and little had changed. Qin Sang stared at a gaping hole in the roof. He recalled that although the hut was dilapidated and inevitably leaked in heavy rain, Yagu had been diligent, regularly cutting thatch to patch it up. She would never have let such severe damage remain. This appeared to have been smashed through by a stone, and the marks were very fresh. Sweeping his spiritual sense inside, Qin Sang indeed discovered a bluestone within the hut. Green moss still clung to it, clearly having just been hauled out from the Qingyi River. Once he got a clear look at the stone, Qin Sang's gaze abruptly tightened. Carved upon the bluestone were eight characters: *Enemies in pursuit. Flee at once upon seeing this!* The handwriting was extremely hurried and messy, but unmistakably Yagu's. Qin Sang reached out and drew the bluestone into his palm. His spiritual sense swept across the surroundings; finding no other anomalies, he immediately flew off on his sword without a moment's delay, continuing his pursuit downstream along the Qingyi River. Before departing, Qin Sang turned his head to glance at Qianhu Stockade. Judging by the positions of the bluestone and the hole in the thatched roof, Yagu had hurled it up from the Qingyi River. Qin Sang could picture the scene: Yagu had crushed the Qingfu coin but received no response. Severely injured and drifting down the Qingyi River, she lacked even the strength to drag herself ashore, so she could only fling this stone up to leave a message for him. Or perhaps she feared her pursuers would track her down and discover the message, so she had not dared leave the river water. If he could not find Yagu, he would certainly come to Qianhu Stockade to check. As for whether this bluestone might be found first by her pursuers, Yagu likely had had no energy left to worry about that—this was all she could do. Who had driven Yagu to resort to such a method to leave a message? Qin Sang looked down at the bluestone. Enemies? Just who were these enemies? Could this danger have been brought on by himself, embroiling Yagu? Qin Sang was utterly perplexed. Carefully recalling his experiences since being teleported here, from the moment he awoke until now, he had killed only twice: once helping Yagu take revenge by eliminating the priest of Yihui Stockade, and once wiping out the bandits who attacked the Five Insects Sect. Both were minor figures. He could be certain those bandits possessed no powerful background; they were lone wolves. Even if they had friends or kin, none would dare oppose a Core Formation cultivator, much less threaten Yagu under the protection of the Five Insects Sect. Within the Five Insects Sect, in truth only Cui Xuanzi and the cultivator surnamed Tong knew of the connection between him and Yagu. Whether it was the Five Insects Sect, Jinglei Stockade, or the Hundred Flowers Palace, he had used a mix of threats and inducements without driving them into a corner. They lacked the courage and had no reason to rebel against him. Qin Sang could not fathom it. Only by finding Yagu could he get to the bottom of the matter. Qin Sang flew downstream along the Qingyi River at astonishing speed. As the distance closed, the sensation from the Qingfu coin grew increasingly distinct—Yagu truly was drifting in the river! This made Qin Sang's heart sink heavily, but he could only suppress the anxiety churning inside him. Before long, the Qingfu coin indicated that Yagu was right below, down on the riverbed. The river surged with immense, turbulent currents. Qin Sang plunged straight into the center of the river on his flying sword and finally located Yagu at the bottom. Yagu's eyes were tightly shut, devoid of the slightest breath. She drifted motionless with the current, wrapped in thick waterweeds, looking just like a corpse. Qin Sang circulated his true essence, gently enveloping Yagu, and carried her upward. *Splash!* Water sprayed in all directions. Holding Yagu, Qin Sang burst from the water and landed on the bank, immediately clearing away the weeds and moisture from her body. Yagu's face was deathly pale; she had clearly gone through a fierce battle. Numerous wounds covered her body, all bloated and bleached white by the water. The most severe was a shocking, bloody hole in her left shoulder, seemingly pierced through by some sharp weapon. An immense force had shattered the bones in her left shoulder to splinters, nearly piercing her heart. Yet her current state was exceptionally grim—her heart had already stopped beating. Qin Sang's expression was grim, but he did not give up hope. He extended his spiritual sense into Yagu's body to examine her, and then a flicker of joy appeared on his face. A lingering breath of life still remained within Yagu! Although she was not dead, her injuries were far too severe; ordinary medicinal pills would be utterly useless. Qin Sang immediately retrieved the Three Light Jade Liquid from his Qianjun Ring, poured out a single drop, and fed it into Yagu's mouth. As the Three Light Jade Liquid entered her body, an immense vitality immediately erupted within Yagu. Qin Sang pressed his hand against Yagu's abdomen, circulating his true essence to help disperse the medicinal power and guide the vitality of the Three Light Jade Liquid to repair her injuries. Before his eyes, the wounds across Yagu's body began healing visibly. The shattered bones in her left shoulder rapidly knit together, and color gradually returned to the skin of her face and body. Even better, a faint heartbeat began to throb in her chest. However, Yagu still showed no signs of waking. Qin Sang frowned secretly. Inspecting Yagu's origin soul, he found it exceedingly frail, hovering right on the verge of dissipating. The vitality brought by the Three Light Jade Liquid could only heal her physical body; it could not mend her origin soul. If this continued, within less than a quarter of an hour, Yagu's origin soul would dissipate, and death would remain inescapable! Qin Sang possessed few pills capable of treating the origin soul, and none possessed miraculous effects comparable to the Three Light Jade Liquid. He took out a bottle of the finest Shenying Pills he had and administered one to Yagu. With the spirit pill inside her, Yagu's origin soul showed signs of improvement, but the recovery process was agonizingly slow. Qin Sang summoned the Flying Yaksha to stand guard, then sat on a boulder by the riverbank holding Yagu, waiting for her to wake. His face was dark as still water. One moment he stared at the waters of the Qingyi River, and the next he looked up into the vast firmament, his gaze profound, contemplating who knew what. Only now did Qin Sang notice that four divine pattern diagrams were tattooed across Yagu's hands and arms. Divine patterns were complex and varied, capable of unleashing all manner of bizarre powers. Qin Sang had no deep understanding of them, but vaguely recalled that the power of the divine patterns on Yagu seemed related to water. He had not expected that instead of devoting herself entirely to cultivating the Dutian Demonic Sound, Yagu had also taken up divine patterns. Yagu's cultivation indeed was only at the third layer of the Qi Refinement stage, and looked to have only just broken through. This fell short of Qin Sang's earlier estimates, likely because divine patterns had divided her focus. A low cultivation base did not necessarily mean Yagu was weak. Qin Sang noticed that the two divine patterns on her hands were far from ordinary. Yagu had only studied divine patterns on the side, yet she had achieved remarkable results in such a short time. Her talent in the Dao of divine patterns left even Qin Sang astonished. Right then, Qin Sang felt Yagu stir in his embrace. Looking down, he saw her eyelashes flutter, her eyes parting into a slit. Her gaze was terribly weak and filled with a touch of confusion. "Brother Qin?" Catching a blurry glimpse of Qin Sang's face, Yagu froze, thinking she was dreaming. She murmured, "Thank the Witch God for letting me dream of Brother Qin one last time..."