Chapter 280: Getting Married
In that instant, Mu Xiaoxiao looked at her with eyes wide open, as if she had seen a ghost.
She even wanted to rush forward, to plead with Qiao Wan and beg her to spare her. But Qiao Wan didn't even bat an eye; she coldly put away her sword and picked up Chu Jiaojiao, turning to leave.
As she walked, she couldn't help but let out a slight sigh.
Even though this body of hers seemed impressive, she was just a regular college student. If this girl really wanted to fight her, she might not be able to win. Unfortunately, Mu Xiaoxiao never showed any intention of resisting.
She sat on the ground, tears slowly streaming down her cheeks.
After Qiao Wan left, she nervously stood up and tried to walk away. But as soon as she took a step, she was startled by the white skeleton person right in front of her, and quickly went back.
"It's... it's nothing..."
Once they realize she's missing, they will surely come looking for her.
As night fell, the place became even more mysterious and eerie.
In the dim light, the white skeleton people crawled towards her, slowly surrounding her.
But what broke Mu Xiaoxiao's spirit even more than being alone was the realization that her life wasn't as valuable as she thought. Her life could be sacrificed and trampled upon.
It was almost more painful than being killed.
How... how could this happen? How did she end up in this situation?
On her way back, Qiao Wan kept thinking about how to escape from there.
It was Qiao Wan's turn. She felt a little regretful in her heart, staying in this comfortable place for too long, she had actually forgotten that this was the "demon realm".
Chu Jiaojiao woke up halfway through the journey, opening her sleepy eyes and asking her, "Brother? Where are we?"
Qiao Wan was a little surprised. The little girl in her hands seemed to be more resilient than she had imagined. If it were her cousin, she would probably have been crying loudly by now.
"Go back to sleep for a while, I'll take you home." Qiao Wan didn't answer, mainly because she didn't know where they were either.
She could only silently press the little girl's head against her shoulder and adjust her to a more comfortable position.
Chu Jiaojiao hugged her neck and fell asleep peacefully.
Looking around at the surroundings, Qiao Wan could only make out that they were on a long street.
At this moment, more than ten young demon cultivators were carrying a six-meter tall statue of Buddha and walking forward.
Qiao Wan felt slightly surprised in her heart.
She had seen a statue of Buddha at the Falling Abyss before, and she thought she had been mistaken.
The demonic cultivator believes in Buddhism? Is there such a thing as religious beliefs? This is too magical!
Holding Chu Jiaojiao tightly, Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment before deciding to go forward and investigate. "Excuse me... Taoist friend, may I ask what this is?"
For some reason, Qiao Wan felt a strong familiarity with the Buddha statue, as if she had seen it somewhere before. But every time she tried to think about it, she heard faint hoarse roar in her ears.
-"Taoist Friend Lu!"
-"Run! Run fast!"
-"The Buddha is alive!"
The young demonic cultivator closest to her seemed very approachable and casually replied, "It was found by Meiren and will be thrown into Falling Abyss later."
Meiren?
The senior with the alternative style?
Qiao Wan was shocked and asked stammeringly, "Meiren believes in Buddhism too?"
The young demonic cultivator burst into laughter.
Apart from their alternative appearance, wearing all black with blood-red eyes, these young demonic cultivators seemed quite cheerful and optimistic at first glance.
"No way."
Perhaps it's because the "pure demon" aura on her body was too obvious, these young demon cultivators never had any doubts.
"This puppet was made by Feng Zhao, and it was given to Lady Mei. You know, taoist friend. Mortals believe in these things the most. If you put some lost souls or ghosts in there and place it in a temple, chaos will ensue in this world, and mortals will always seek the help of gods and Buddhas."
Qiao Wan was no longer shocked, but utterly horrified. A chill rose from the soles of her feet.
To think that the demon realm knew how to use religion to win over people's hearts!
Though shocked on the inside, Qiao Wan remained calm on the surface. "Are we just going to leave things like this in the Falling Abyss?"
The young demon cultivator smiled and said, "We can't just leave it there. Every fifteen days, someone will come to clean and remove things from the demon realm."
"Remove things from the demon realm."
Qiao Wan's heart skipped a beat, caught off guard.
Qiao Wan felt a glimmer of hope for escape. She struggled to steady her voice and continued to ask, "When will the next cleaning be?"
"Probably in three days," came the reply.
After sincerely thanking the young demon cultivators, Qiao Wan's throat felt dry and her heart beat fast. She held back her emotions and hurriedly ran back! She couldn't help but think, if she could hide inside one of the Buddha statues in three days, she could escape!
However, halfway through her escape, Qiao Wan abruptly stopped in her tracks. She realized that three days later was her wedding day with Pei Chunzheng .
In such a sensitive time, Qiao Wan had a wicked thought. How could she successfully escape on this day?
...
Mu Xiaoxiao was awakened by Qiao Wan's voice.
Her entire body was in pain, as if torn apart, and her limbs felt cold and stiff. A wound in her abdomen shattered her dantian.
Having lost her ability to defend herself, she became the target of the demon creatures after being thrown into Falling Abyss.
Hearing a noise, she tried to open her eyes but couldn't.
After briefly regaining consciousness, she almost saw the previous scene in her mind.
Those... those monsters and creatures... they wanted to tear her apart and eat her. She cried and screamed, crawling on the ground like a dog, begging them not to touch her. But her core was still shattered.
Her spiritual power overflowed like the sea, attracting even more monsters to come.
Although she had never focused on cultivation, now that her core was shattered... she couldn't bear this blow.
She had become a complete wreck, Mu Xiaoxiao thought numbly.
This was her retribution for how she treated Chu Jiaojiao. It was paid back a thousandfold on her own.
Her head throbbed and throbbed, Mu Xiaoxiao struggled to lift her eyelids, realizing that she couldn't see out of one eye.
Qiao Wan looked down at the pitiful Mu Xiaoxiao and was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected that by leaving her for a moment, this girl would end up in such a state.
With a puzzled look on Mu Xiaoxiao's face, Qiao Wan fell silent for a moment before expressing her purpose.
"Don't you like that taoist friend?" she asked.
"I'm giving you a chance to marry him."
Mu Xiaoxiao looked strikingly similar to her, and if she could marry the possessive young man in her place...Qiao Wan quietly calculated.
But she didn't want to force her. She was sincerely asking for Mu Xiaoxiao's opinion, asking if she was willing or not.
Anyway...she was already the favored concubine. Qiao Wan hesitated and thought, marrying the two of them again shouldn't be a big problem, right?
"I don't want to marry him." Without further ado, Qiao Wan got straight to the point and said, "You probably won't be pleased if I marry him. How about this, let's cooperate once. After that, I will go as far away as possible and never appear before you and him again."
Marry...Pei Chunzheng?
Mu Xiaoxiao was taken aback, and her heart couldn't help but beat violently in her chest.
This idea blossomed in front of her like a tempting poppy flower.
Xiaoxiao had become a useless person. Mu Xiaoxiao asked herself honestly, could she still marry Shidi Pei?
...
To successfully escape in three days, preparation was essential.
Fortunately, this young man with a troubled personality had not reached the point of imprisoning her, nor restricted her freedom. Perhaps he believed she had been brainwashed, especially since the previous owner was the empress of the demon realm and had no problems coming and going freely in the demon realm.
Soon, Qiao Wan figured out the timing, route, and shift changes of this operation.
Several maids came that day to help her change into bridal clothes. She just needed to find a way to blend in with the maids, then seize the opportunity to slip away. Once she got inside the "garbage truck" in Falling Abyss and left before it did, she would be able to escape.
As part of this plan, Qiao Wan brought someone else along.
Chu Jiaojiao.
Qiao Wan struggled with her conscience about leaving the little girl in the demon realm, but it seemed that the girl had a good relationship with the gloomy young boy. If the news was leaked...
After much consideration, Qiao Wan finally decided to give it a try.
To her surprise, Chu Jiaojiao agreed without hesitation.
"Where are you going after we leave the demon realm, big brother?" Chu Jiaojiao asked.
Once they were out of the demon realm, they would enter the northern battlefield of the Snow Mountain Range.
The battle would be merciless, and the demon realm would surely send people to pursue them.
Qiao Wan did have a plan in mind, but even she was uncertain about it.
Qiao Wan wanted to seek refuge with Venerable One Miaofa, who was said to have a close relationship with the original owner of the body and was in seclusion in the Snow Mountain Range.
Although she felt sorry about it, Qiao Wan couldn't fully trust the well-behaved little girl in front of her. After a moment of hesitation, she responded to Chu Jiaojiao's gaze, "Once we leave the demon realm, we'll take it step by step."
Soon, the day of the grand ceremony arrived.
In the evening, Pei Chunzheng came to find her as usual. They sat side by side on the ground and listened to bedtime stories all night long, until early morning when he finally left.
Dressed as a maid, Qiao Wan stood silently in the crowd, watching attentively as the young girl in a red wedding gown passed by.
Her pure magical aura posed a challenge. To solve this, Qiao Wan bravely cut herself and left a bit of blood behind.
The grand ceremony was about to begin.
The young man was also dressed in a bright red and green auspicious outfit. The patterns on his robe, sleeves, and chest were intricate and detailed, with mountains, rivers, sun, and moon. He wore a jade belt around his waist, showcasing his narrow waist and strong build. His long black hair, usually hanging down, was finally tied neatly at the back of his head, adorned with a colorful ribbon, looking vibrant and elegant.
Standing in the crowd, Qiao Wan had a faint feeling of familiarity with the scene before her, as if she had seen it somewhere before.
Qiao Wan suddenly felt a mix of discomfort, embarrassment, and despair, but then she unexpectedly felt a burst of...uh...hidden delight?!!
Qiao Wan felt like she was about to fall apart: why did she suddenly feel so strangely delighted?!
The young boy, who had been expressionless and icy, finally showed a hint of emotion when he caught sight of the girl walking towards him, following his every step.
His clear and calm eyes suddenly seemed to light up, shining brightly.
Qiao Wan.
Qiao Wan.
The boy took a step forward subconsciously, and the joy in his heart almost consumed him in an instant. He had to tightly clench his fists to restrain this overwhelming joy.
