Chapter 142: 142
By now, the little packrat was already well acquainted with life on the run, and it was hardly out of its depths, even without the support of Jun Xiaomo . Thus, it composed itself, perked up its spirits very quickly, and prepared to look for traces of Jun Xiaomo among the sea of lush, tall grass .
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It sniffed at stalks of grass and took whiffs from flowers . Yet as a “fake” little packrat, it could hardly tell the difference between the scents of all these things .
I must have lost Xiaomo by now .
The little packrat slumped to the ground in despair and curled itself into a ball as it bit indignantly at its tail .
Will Xiaomo discover that I’m missing and come back for me? The little packrat lamented to itself .
In fact, Jun Xiaomo had already discovered that her little packrat had gone missing by now . But she was also currently trapped by the Mistlands illusion . How was she going to be able to rush over to rescue the little packrat of hers?
Furthermore, when the little packrat had scampered all over the place aimlessly, what it failed to realize was that it had run in the wrong direction . It was now located even further from Jun Xiaomo than ever .
The little packrat lay on the ground for a while listlessly . Then gradually, it discovered that the fog in front of its eyes had begun to dissipate .
The fog has dissipated?! Then won’t I be able to locate Jun Xiaomo very easily now?!
The little packrat perked up its spirits once again . Its black, beady eyes stared transfixed into the vanishing fog, as though doing that would make the fog dissipate more quickly .
Yet when the fog had finally dissipated, the little packrat discovered that his surroundings had somehow…seemed to change? The grass had become far shorter, and there were no longer any flowers on the field .
The little packrat took a few steps forward, and a brand, new horizon opened up before his very eyes . The grasslands ended a short distance away, a somewhat familiar brick road presented itself just beyond the grasslands .
Squeak squeak? The little packrat tilted its head in confusion . It was unsure where this place was .
Just this moment, an extremely familiar voice called out from behind it . It was a voice that he hated and despised –
“It’s over here! Let’s surround it!”
Rustling sounds rang out . Moments later, a few well-built young men ran out of the woods adjoining that brick road . They wore the uniform of the Dawn Sect disciples . One of the men even wore a vicious, macabre smile on his face as he glared threateningly at the little packrat .
“Run?! Let’s see how long you can keep running for! How dare you scratch martial sister Wanrou? Just wait till you see what I’m going to do to you!”
The little packrat shuddered, and the fur on its body began to stand on ends – no wonder these surroundings seemed so familiar! Wasn’t this place within Dawn Sect’s grounds? This was the road I had run along when I finally managed to encounter Xiaomo!
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And the person staring at it viciously was none other than the man who had bought the little packrat to please his martial sister Wanrou, Ke Xinwen .
Yet even Ke Xinwen was unaware of Yu Wanrou’s black heart underneath that warm and gentle disposition she maintained . She had earlier viciously jabbed the little packrat with her sharp nails just because her little packrat had been unresponsive to her cajoling!
Why else would the little packrat scratch her and escape from captivity?
More importantly, the little packrat was a demonic cultivator, and demonic energy naturally coursed through its body . In this regard, it knew that it would not be wise for it to hang around spiritual cultivators for too long because it had also learnt these so-called sanctimonious and dignified people would not hesitate to destroy anything remotely related to demonic energy .
Back then, the little packrat had almost been resigned to its fate of perishing within the Dawn Sect . It had never expected to serendipitously encounter its final lifeline, Jun Xiaomo .
Why have I returned to Dawn Sect now?! And why did they say I scratched Yu Wanrou? Have I returned to the past?!
A series of befuddling questions immediately surfaced in the little packrat’s mind, but the little packrat knew that it did not have the luxury of time to answer these questions . Ke Xinwen and his lackeys were already hot on its tail .
Thus, the little packrat cocked its back and began channeling its energy to its hind legs .
Then, when Ke Xinwen pounced at it, the little packrat leapt ferociously from the ground and scratched Ke Xinwen’s face before scampering out of the encirclement of helpless disciples .
“Damn! Go after it!” Ke Xinwen clutched at his face in pain as he ordered his martial brother in anger .
The little packrat ran for its life, but it did not get very far before it began to grow weary . After all, it had already expended a lot of energy looking for Jun Xiaomo within the Mistlands earlier . Right now, its four tiny little limbs felt as though they had pebbles tied to each of them .
It was further weighed down by its plump and round body . Jun Xiaomo had really fed it too well .
Squeak squeak squeak…
The little packrat tried to understand the situation as it ran along . However, it simply could not understand why it had seemed to return to the past .
It had to be said that he had only seventeen years of life under his belt before he had mistakenly eaten the Shapeshifting Fruit and turned into a little packrat . These seventeen years were far too little .
At the very least, the short span of seventeen years of life experience meant that it had failed to distinguish the present trappings of an illusory world . In fact, its mind had not even considered that possibility at all .
The only thoughts running through its mind were why it had “returned to the past” .
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Right now, it knew from its prior experience that all it had to do was to follow the road in front of it and run towards where Jun Xiaomo was . Then, everything would be fine .
Thus, with this conviction firmly rooted in its mind, it followed the road and sprinted ahead .
Soon…I’ll be there soon…
Although the footsteps and the sounds of cursing and swearing behind it gradually drew near . The little packrat’s heart was completely calm and composed . It knew that Jun Xiaomo would be seated atop the large rock not too far away . Once it dashed into her bosom, then this crisis would be over .
Squeak squeak! The little packrat darted through the shrubbery at the end of the road as it triumphantly yelled out the name of its lifeline, Xiaomo .
Unfortunately, Jun Xiaomo was nowhere to be seen this time round .
Having dashed through the shrubbery, it was now at the edge of the plains with only one large rock located in its midst . But nobody sat atop this rock . The rock sat coldly under the cool illumination of the afternoon sun .
Where’s Xiaomo?
The little packrat could hardly believe what it saw . It squeaked incessantly as it ran rounds around the large rock . Each squeak was filled with more anxiety than the last .
But Jun Xiaomo was still nowhere to be seen .
The little packrat’s unwavering spirit was finally broken . Anxiety began to mount in its heart – Could it be that I had run here too early, so Jun Xiaomo hasn’t appeared yet?!
Just as the thought of waiting here crossed the little packrat’s mind, loud rustling sounds travelled from the shrubbery not too far away – Ke Xinwen and his lackeys were here!
Having no other choice, the little packrat gritted his teeth, turned in a different direction, and scuttled madly down yet another road .
Although Jun Xiaomo was nowhere to be seen at these plains, it knew where Jun Xiaomo’s abode was . Therefore, its contingency plan was to run straight to Jun Xiaomo’s abode to look for her there .
It would be alright even if it could not immediately locate Jun Xiaomo there . It knew Jun Xiaomo’s abode like the back of its paw, and it was confident that it would be able to find a safe hiding spot and wait until Jun Xiaomo returned home .
Squeak…squeak squeak…
The little packrat’s squeaks grew intermittent . It had run so hard that it was furiously trying to catch its breath . However, it knew that it could not stop running . The moment that it did would mark the moment that Ke Xinwen and his lackeys caught up to it .
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Thus, the little packrat ran on and on, and it drew closer and closer to its destination . Finally, Jun Xiaomo’s abode was just around the corner…
The little packrat mustered all of its strength to make that final break for its safe haven . As it turned the corner, the little packrat was greeted by an exquisite looking little courtyard .
Squeak squeak!!!
The little packrat was filled with delight and relief . If these squeaks could be translated to the human language, it had essentially just loudly greeted the person in the courtyard, “Xiaomo!!!”
That’s right . The first thing that the little packrat had seen in the courtyard was that familiar young lady seated on the stone bench with her head buried in her books, Jun Xiaomo .
Squeak squeak squeak! The little packrat joyously darted towards that lady in the yard . Its two black, beady eyes glimmered brightly, as though it was on the brink of tears .
Naturally, these were tears of excitement . As a creature with a soul of seventeen years of age, it was hardly so fragile as to break down in tears that easily .
However, just as it was about to leap through the gate of Jun Xiaomo’s courtyard, a wave of powerful force repelled it back, flinging it back out . It slammed back onto the ground in the distant, and its snow-white fur was instantly covered with a layer of soil .
Squeak squeak… The little packrat recoiled in pain . Then, it discovered that the powerful force had forcibly twisted its paws into an odd, unnatural shape . There were even traces of blood on its fur .
It had been injured .
The little packrat tucked its right claw gingerly into the fur in its chest as it picked itself back up . It shook off the dirt on its back, before making its way towards Jun Xiaomo’s courtyard once more, one limp at a time .
In the little packrat’s eyes, Jun Xiaomo was its only safe haven .
But what it failed to realize was that the lady in the courtyard was not the real Jun Xiaomo . It was nothing more than an illusion .
Squeak squeak… The little packrat lay at the doorstep, stretching out its good paw to see if the powerful, repulsion force was still there . Fortunately, it felt no resistance this time .
Therefore, with one paw supporting the weight of its body, it flopped forward over the doorstep and rolled into Jun Xiaomo’s courtyard .
Squeak squeak! The little packrat called out to Jun Xiaomo once more as it hobbled over towards the stone bench where Jun Xiaomo was seated .
Yet after taking only a few steps, another wave of powerful repulsion force slammed against it once more . This time, the little packrat was flung even further than where he had landed before .
Squeak squeak… The little packrat whimpered in dismay . By now, Jun Xiaomo’s figure had grown blur and faint in its eyes .
Its organs had just been injured, and excruciating pain spread from its limbs . It could no longer move .
The little packrat couldn’t understand what this all meant . It could only curl itself into a ball as it continued to call out desperately to Jun Xiaomo who remained seated in her courtyard .
It could be that its squeaks had been too feeble, or perhaps Jun Xiaomo had been too enthralled by the book she was reading . Whatever the case was, Jun Xiaomo remained still and passive on her stone bench despite the little packrat’s incessant calls .
A wave of despair and despondence began to sweep over the little packrat’s heart .
“You’re really good at running, aren’t you? You’ve actually found your way to the Heavenly Peak!” A terrifying looking Ke Xinwen and his lackeys finally appeared behind the little packrat . Then, with one grab, Ke Xinwen picked it up .
He picked up the little packrat by its tail .
Squeak squeak squeak… The little packrat tried extremely hard to struggle . It even attempted to scratch Ke Xinwen with its paws, but to no avail .
But this commotion finally attracted Jun Xiaomo’s attention . She slowly set down the book in her hands and walked over towards Ke Xinwen’s side as she inquired curiously, “Martial brother Ke, this is…”
Squeak squeak squeak! The little packrat yelled out Jun Xiaomo’s name in exasperation . It desperately hoped that Jun Xiaomo could once again save it from Ke Xinwen’s evil clutches as she had done before .
But this time, Jun Xiaomo failed to respond to its call for help .
Ke Xinwen threw a disgusted look at the little packrat in his arms, swung it about wickedly, before explaining to Jun Xiaomo, “This was a gift I had bought for martial sister Wanrou . I’d never expected that it would scratch martial sister Wanrou so viciously and then run all the way here . I’ve finally caught it now, and I’m going to force it to apologize to martial sister Wanrou . ”
The little packrat had been swung around so hard by Ke Xinwen that it was completely discombobulated . It ceased calling out for help, but it still looked pleadingly towards where Jun Xiaomo was, hoping that she would notice its plea for help .
Jun Xiaomo glanced over nonchalantly at the little packrat, before calmly responding, “Since that’s the case, then please bring it away, Ke Xinwen . It had been squeaking so incessantly outside my abode that I couldn’t even concentrate on my book . ”
The little packrat’s eyes widened in horror . It stared at Jun Xiaomo in complete disbelief, only to be returned a completely cold and distant gaze from Jun Xiaomo . There was no sympathy and pity whatsoever in the depths of her eyes .
Jun Xiaomo had looked at it as though it was no better than a dead animal . It was no different that when she looked at the rocks nearby .
In that moment, the little packrat’s heart hit rock bottom .