Had I Known I Wouldn't Have Run

Donggua turned her gaze toward Lin Luoyu, who was fighting two opponents at once. The clash of their earth-shattering, sea-splitting power sent shockwaves rippling outward—even the residual force carried considerable might.

Fortunately, she could still spare some spiritual energy to shield against the aftershocks, or else their carriage would have been reduced to splinters.

Lin Luoyu’s strength truly exceeded Donggua’s expectations. For a cultivator at the early Golden Core stage to possess such power was astonishing.

But what puzzled Donggua even more was—when had the quality of demonic cultivators risen so high?

These two mediocre Golden Core cultivators, working together, had actually managed to push Lin Luoyu into a brief disadvantage.

Just as Donggua was pondering this, Cui Hao’s smug voice sounded beside her:

"My senior sister can handle two at once with ease. Impressive, right?"

Donggua blinked, then glanced at the proud-looking Cui Hao. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke up:

"Your senior sister… seems to be the one at a disadvantage."

Cui Hao’s expression instantly stiffened. Without another word, he snatched the nearby whip and lashed the horses harshly.

"Why didn’t you say so earlier? What are we sitting around for? Let’s get out of here!"

Donggua couldn’t hide her astonishment. The difference between these two junior siblings was staggering.

The senior sister, righteous and fearless, charging headfirst into battle—while the junior brother bolted at the first sign of trouble.

The contrast was almost comical. How had Cui Hao even been matched with Lin Luoyu for this journey? Was he perhaps the descendant of some high-ranking elder in their sect?

Cui Hao whipped the horses again, but the carriage still moved sluggishly. His tone grew impatient.

"These damn horses are half-dead already—why are they still so slow?"

He then turned to Donggua, urgency in his voice.

"If you can’t fight, at least you can run, right? Grab the half-melon in the carriage, and let’s get out of here!"

Donggua hesitated. Cui Hao’s fear seemed genuine, not an act—but caution was always wise. She put on a righteous front and said,

"Your senior sister isn’t in the best position, but my presence might still lend some aid—"

"What aid? If a prodigy like me dies here, it’ll be a catastrophic loss for the cultivation world!" Cui Hao cut her off, then continued in a rush,

"Didn’t you hear? That ‘Leader Li’ is right on our tails! If she’s struggling against small fry, what chance do we have when the real threat arrives? Do you want us all to be wiped out?"

"Didn’t you say earlier that we shouldn’t be a burden to my senior sister? If we can run, she can too!"

"Didn’t you hear her orders before the fight? Are you coming or not? If not, I’m leaving without you!"

Donggua studied Cui Hao’s panicked expression and inwardly scoffed.

She had overthought things. There was no grand scheme here.

Sacrificing others for oneself—wasn’t that human nature?

Fine. His words were enough. If this could drive a wedge between the two, all the better.

Donggua reached into the carriage, pulling out the silent half-melon with one hand while grabbing Cui Hao’s collar with the other. Abandoning the carriage, she dashed away at full speed.

If Lin Luoyu truly fell here, Cui Hao would make a convenient bargaining chip.

After covering a considerable distance, a terrifying wave of bloody energy suddenly surged from behind.

Donggua glanced back and saw a crimson blade tear through the sky, descending like judgment. A surge of righteous energy rose to meet it in defiance.

There was no mistaking it—this was the Nascent Soul blood cultivator!

He had arrived far too quickly.

Lin Luoyu was likely doomed.

Without further hesitation, Donggua pushed herself even faster.

"Junior Sister has reached the Golden Core stage."

Li Xingtian retrieved his spiritual treasure—a long blade—and studied Lin Luoyu as the righteous energy around her gradually receded. His gaze lingered briefly on the hovering sword of righteousness circling her, its wariness palpable.

A mere spiritual treasure! Li Xingtian paid it no mind. An artifact couldn’t possibly understand that his cultivation methods were orthodox Daoist techniques.

Still, his fourth junior sister’s radiant aura of righteousness was undeniably striking.

Lin Luoyu grasped the still-vigilant sword, knowing its hostility might seem impolite to her ever-righteous second senior brother. She smiled and greeted him warmly.

"I’ve only just reached Golden Core. How have you been, Second Senior Brother?"

Yu Jing and Wen Zuo stood silently behind Li Xingtian, listening as this righteous cultivator actually addressed their leader as "Second Senior Brother."

It was… an odd sensation. Like witnessing the prelude to some grand conspiracy between the righteous and demonic paths.

Truly, anyone would be easily deceived by this act.

Li Xingtian gave a slight nod. "Well enough. But is it safe for Fifth Junior Brother to travel alone with them?"

Lin Luoyu replied, "He has protective artifacts—gifted by the Tianyan Sect, according to Eldest Senior Sister. There are also Taidao Sect cultivators secretly tracking them. All arranged by Master."

"Good, if Master arranged it."

A faint smile touched Li Xingtian’s lips.

Yu Jing and Wen Zuo exchanged stunned glances—so their leader wasn’t perpetually cold-faced after all.

Li Xingtian looked in the direction Donggua had fled and suddenly suggested,

"It’s still early. Why not find a place to rest and share a cup of tea?"

Lin Luoyu chuckled. "Whatever Second Senior Brother decides."

Li Xingtian nodded, then flicked his wrist. His spiritual blade shot out, unleashing a wave of bloody energy that carved into the empty ground.

Lin Luoyu tightened her grip on the trembling sword of righteousness, maintaining her smile while flooding it with spiritual messages—This is my senior brother! Not a demonic cultivator!

After finishing his performance, Li Xingtian glanced once more at the still-shivering sword.

He had initially found it impressive, but now it was starting to annoy him.

Zhu Yunluo.

Only about two hundred li from the battlefield.

According to Cui Hao, this was the rendezvous point he and Lin Luoyu had agreed upon.

Donggua thought it was still too close, but her injuries made it impossible to flee much farther.

Her expression twisted as she struggled to suppress the churning blood energy wreaking havoc inside her body. Worse, the energy was insidious—it targeted the parts of her consciousness that numbed pain. If she tried to block the agony, the energy would seize the opportunity to ravage her further.

For now, she had no choice but to endure.

This energy was pure torment—destroying flesh and tormenting the spirit alike.

Amidst the pain, Donggua’s patience was already thin. But what grated on her even more was Cui Hao’s incessant muttering.

"We’re doomed, we’re doomed…" Cui Hao kept glancing back the way they’d come, his voice tense. "What if my senior sister failed? What if they’re still chasing us?"

Donggua shot him a look. This man cared nothing for his senior sister—only whether his own life was at risk.

Cui Hao turned to her and suddenly proposed,

"Can you hold on? Should we keep moving, find somewhere safer?"

Donggua suppressed his irritation and pain, saying, "Given your senior sister’s displayed talent, the Evil Spirit Sect might not dare to truly harm her. They’re already being hunted by the Buddhist sects. If they kill a righteous cultivator now—especially one connected to the Taidao Sect—they’ll have no place left to hide in the Eastern Victory Divine Continent."

"They likely have urgent business here and won’t stir up unnecessary trouble."

Cui Hao froze for a moment, his expression softening instantly.

"Then with my peerless talent, if they captured me, wouldn’t they have to enshrine and serve me like an ancestor?"

At this point, Cui Hao shot Donggua a slightly disdainful look and added,

"Why didn’t you say this earlier? Had I known, I wouldn’t have bothered running."

Donggua’s face finally twisted into a snarl.

Not from enduring pain—but from enduring Cui Hao’s shamelessness.