Chapter 1244 - 1245: Escape
The two were locked in a chase, one pursuing, the other fleeing, and two full hours had passed.
Even a man made of iron would be panting by now, and Song Xiaodong was indeed out of breath and sweating profusely.
This was with him having the advantage, swinging through the trees saved him a lot of energy, otherwise, he would've been exhausted long ago.
Yet Qingluan appeared just as she did at the start, leaping from branches, her white dress flowing in the wind like a fairy flying through the forest, exuding an ethereal beauty.
It's a pity she's a harbinger of death, Song Xiaodong had no mind to appreciate it, only thinking of how to escape.
"Take this! A vibrant caterpillar!" Song Xiaodong, swinging in the air, suddenly spotted a colorful caterpillar on the vine he grabbed, quickly snatched it up, and tossed it towards Qingluan.
Women generally fear such things, though the trick was quite low, but Song Xiaodong couldn't care less, as long as he could get rid of this woman, he would use any trick.
However, Qingluan didn't care, she wasn't flying in a straight line, so Song Xiaodong's casual throw couldn't hit her at all.
"Darn!" Song Xiaodong cursed under his breath and quickly adjusted his strategy.
In the forest, caterpillars were plentiful, and he quickly grabbed a few more, and when Qingluan leaped off a branch, he tossed them at her.
No matter how strong Qingluan's skills were, a person in mid-air couldn't change directions, Song Xiaodong seized the moment and threw the caterpillars.
Unable to dodge, Qingluan flicked her right hand, instantly shattering the caterpillars into powder, though splattering some green liquid.
Qingluan's Protective True Qi prevented the green liquid from touching her skin, but she couldn't shield her clothes, so a lot stuck to her.
"Ah! Darn it!" Qingluan finally spoke up, cursing Song Xiaodong through clenched teeth.
Song Xiaodong laughed heartily, "I've got plenty more surprises for you!"
Qingluan responded coldly, "I initially only wanted to kill you, but now I've changed my mind. After catching you, I'm going to torture you properly and then kill you, so you regret ever existing."
"You need the skills to do that first," Song Xiaodong said, tossing another bunch of caterpillars.
Using Gentle Force this time, Qingluan didn't crush them, just flicked them aside, so they didn't splash on her.
"Hmph, such petty tricks, using them twice," Qingluan scoffed at Song Xiaodong.
"Really? How about this?" Song Xiaodong flicked his hand and tossed something else.
Qingluan thought of using her previous method but saw it was a small green snake.
While caterpillars disgusted her, snakes incited a hint of fear — a human instinct, not a change due to her strength.
Instinctively, she unleashed her True Qi fully, turning the unfortunate snake into a mist of blood.
Snake blood splattered onto Qingluan.
Using excessive force caused her to sink slightly, although she landed on the intended branch, her breath and pace stumbled.
Observing Qingluan's reaction, Song Xiaodong immediately noticed her shift, delighted at finally finding something to slow her down.
"You've truly angered me, and I'm really mad now," Qingluan shouted in fury, once more giving chase.
Forests naturally have many snakes, but amongst such rapid movement, catching one by chance isn't easy.
Five or six minutes later, Song Xiaodong grabbed another snake, tossing it at Qingluan once more.
"I've told you, the same trick won't work again," Qingluan sneered, now holding a branch, effortlessly knocking the snake aside.
"Damn!" Song Xiaodong couldn't help but curse inwardly, seeing her holding a branch, rendering further throws useless — this trick could no longer be used.
"What's wrong, have you exhausted all your tricks?" Qingluan taunted Song Xiaodong.
"I have over ten thousand ways to deal with you, but I disdain using them," Song Xiaodong retorted, though he did seem to have exhausted his ideas, as Qingluan had observed.
Qingluan continued from behind, "Then show them, so you don't feel wronged after I kill you."
Song Xiaodong laughed heartily, "Then watch out, if you fall into my hands, I'll turn you into my bed warmer."
"Will you? But I think you'll never have the chance," Qingluan's face suddenly showed excitement.
Song Xiaodong felt dismayed, for ahead lay a large open area covered in lush green grass, with no trees at all.
On flat ground, Song Xiaodong had almost no chance of escaping.
Trying to change directions now was too late, it would slow him down, and with Qingluan's ghostly movement technique, she could intercept him in the air, leaving only a dead end.
But it was precisely in times like these that Song Xiaodong's cleverness shone; grabbing onto the last vine, he clutched at the tree trunk, tearing away a large piece of bark.
Surveying from above, he'd seen this patch of grass wasn't normal, the ground shimmered with water — it was a swamp.
Running in a swamp was impossible, but using a large piece of bark as an anchor, he could slide through the grass, speeding up significantly.
Song Xiaodong swung to the highest point before letting go, diving towards the swamp like a large bird.
Ten meters behind, Qingluan jumped, diving towards Song Xiaodong, confident she could catch up to him within twenty meters on open ground.
"Splash!" Just before landing, Song Xiaodong tossed the bark onto the ground, spraying water everywhere.
Song Xiaodong hoped the water was only knee-deep, so his escape strategy would work, relying on luck.
At this moment, everything depended on fate!