As I walked onto the covered bridge, a torch was lit every few steps, gradually disappearing into the distance.
"This Fifth Princess is quite thoughtful!"
It seemed the Fifth Princess was worried I would get lost again, so she had lit the torches along the covered bridge.
As I walked towards the bamboo forest pavilion, I couldn't help but stop, looking at the faintly visible bamboo buildings in the distance, hesitating whether to go in.
When I was rescued earlier, the Fifth Princess had acted like a lady from a prominent family in ancient times, but who knew when she would revert to that wild temper from before.
If I accidentally annoyed her again this time, I'd be in for another beating. I had no inclination to seek out torment.
However, if I didn't see her, I definitely wouldn't be able to leave this bamboo forest, let alone the Fifth Prince's manor. Sudan Novel Network
Just as I was hesitating whether to go in, the Fifth Princess's voice came from inside the room.
"Since you're here, come in. My sister won't appear for now."
Hearing that her "sister" wouldn't appear, I felt a wave of relief. As long as the violent "sister" wasn't present, communication would likely be much smoother.
The messiness in the room had been tidied up. She sat by the dressing table, showing me only her side profile. The white veil reappeared on her face, hiding her features, whether beautiful or not.
I stood at the doorway, not venturing further in. I was genuinely intimidated by her constantly shifting personality – one moment gentle, the next violent. I didn't want to seek trouble for no reason.
She glanced at me sideways but said nothing, simply combing her hair while looking into the mirror on the dressing table.
Afraid of disturbing her, I could only stand there, neither advancing nor retreating, feeling extremely awkward.
After a long while, the Fifth Princess put down her comb and, without turning to face me, said, "Don't you have any questions you want to ask?"
It would be a lie to say I had no questions, but I couldn't forget that the Fifth Princess before me was a "dangerous" individual. Since I had chosen a path that offered a sliver of hope, I couldn't possibly extinguish it out of mere curiosity.
I shook my head. "I have nothing to ask."
"Really?"
"Really."
The Fifth Princess's eyes held a peculiar glint as she said, "I thought you'd be curious why I have two personalities?"
Seeing the playful look in her eyes, my internal alarm bells immediately blared. I had seen that look before, the same one she had when she took out the seal. Was she about to switch to her violent personality again?
Thinking this, without a second thought, I turned and bolted for the exit.
"Oof!"
After taking a couple of steps, I ran straight into the door. My nose stung, and tears instantly welled up. I cursed inwardly, wondering when the door had closed and why I hadn't felt anything.
"Heh heh… haha… you're so stupid, it's hilarious."
The Fifth Princess's laughter sounded like a demonic incantation in my ears.
"Damn it, I've been tricked again."
I clutched my sore nose and looked at the Fifth Princess. Sure enough, her eyes were a deep blue. Although I could hear her laughter, her eyes were icy cold, and her gaze alone made me feel as if I had fallen into an ice cave.
"Tell me, why are you so foolish? How was it? Am I a good impersonation of my sister?"
Looking at her smug expression, I berated myself, "Song Qingyun, Song Qingyun, you're truly incredibly stupid to be fooled by this ghostly woman twice. Even a pig wouldn't fall into the same trap twice, so why have you fallen into this woman's hands twice in a row?"
"How do you want me to play with you?" As she spoke, the Fifth Princess stood up, her eyes filled with excitement as she looked at me. "You clearly escaped, only to be tricked back by my two vengeful spirits. What would my sister think? How did she get entangled with you? How did she get involved with you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the deep blue in the Fifth Princess's eyes flickered, and a voice emerged from her mouth, "Shut up. Don't talk nonsense."
As this command was uttered, the white and blue hues in the Fifth Princess's eyes began to intermingle. It seemed the two personalities were fighting for control again, though this time they weren't rolling on the ground.
"Good opportunity, if I don't run now, when will I?"
Even without using my Yin Eyes, I could tell that the two personalities were once again vying for control of the body, and a victory wouldn't be decided anytime soon.
This time, I had made up my mind. Even if I were shot dead by Zuo Quan outside, I would never fall for this woman's tricks again.
Opening the door, I ran, guided by the torches lining the path. But before I reached the covered bridge, a figure flashed before my eyes, appearing out of nowhere.
I focused my gaze and saw "the Fifth Princess." My heart sank because her eyes were now a deep blue, indicating her "violent personality" was in control.
As soon as I realized this, she let out a cackling laugh, "Trying to run? Where do you think you can go? Die!"
As the word "die" left her lips, the Fifth Princess, who had been the picture of a demure lady, transformed instantly.
Her waterfall-like hair grew wildly, and her delicate hands sprouted sharp claws, lunging towards my neck.
Engaging with her would be suicide. So, as soon as she uttered the word "die," I rolled to the side. In the process of rolling, I fumbled in my bag and hurled rooster's blood at her.
She reacted swiftly, swatting the rooster's blood away with her long hair before it could even reach her. The few drops that landed on her hair sparked briefly before being extinguished by her hair.
"Is that all?"
Her feet seemed to have springs, and with a leap, she flew forward, her moderately long fingernails like scissors aimed at me.
I ducked low, and she flew over me.
I quickly got back on my feet, took out the bone-piercing nail from my bag, and bit my middle finger fiercely. The searing, hot Yang blood instantly flowed out.
There are two places in the human body where Yang blood is most concentrated: the tip of the tongue and the middle finger. I had already used the blood from my tongue once, and its efficacy was greatly reduced. Now, I could only hope that the blood from my middle finger could restrain her.
After biting my middle finger, I made a move as if to flick the blood at her. She flickered and flew far away, which somewhat reassured me that the Yang blood might not be able to restrain her.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, I endured the pain in my middle finger and smeared the blood onto the bone-piercing nail. The once dark nail now appeared like a thousand-watt light bulb when viewed with Yin Eyes, blindingly bright. The object in my hand was no longer a bone-piercing nail but a scorching hot iron.
A glance at the Fifth Princess's reaction told me everything. She had her hands raised to shield her eyes, peering at me through the gaps between her skull and arms.
"Damn it, how do you have a bone-piercing nail made from hundred-year-old lightning-struck wood?"
I didn't answer her question. Even if I knew the reason, I wouldn't tell her.
When I came here, Zhang Dabiao, fearing I wouldn't be able to handle things, gave me an extra bone-piercing nail before he left. Looking at the nail with its worm-eaten holes, I didn't want it. But Zhang Dabiao insisted I take it, telling me it would be of great use at a critical moment.
Trusting Zhang Dabiao wouldn't lie to me, I carried it with me. I kept it with the other bone-piercing nails. When I retrieved my backpack, all the other nails had been discarded, yet this most worn-out one remained.
"Even with hundred-year-old lightning-struck wood, it depends on who is wielding it. In your hands, even thousand-year-old lightning-struck wood is useless."
As the Fifth Princess's voice faded, her hair grew wildly, lashing out like writhing black snakes. I glanced at the bone-piercing nail in my hand, then at the Fifth Princess's snake-like black hair, and the comparison made it clear who was stronger.
Although I disagreed with her calling me useless, I knew that a gap in cultivation could not be bridged by a single treasure, unless I possessed the legendary ancient divine artifact – the God-Beating Whip.
Otherwise, confronting her head-on would be sheer madness.
I glanced at the bamboo building behind her and a plan immediately formed in my mind.
The first time I had fainted and entered the bamboo building, I hadn't noticed anything special about it. But this time, upon re-entering, I realized the bamboo building was extraordinary.
Despite its seemingly simple construction, with gaps everywhere, the interior of the bamboo building was completely devoid of Yin energy in this place of heavy Yin. Instead, it exuded a unique fragrance of bamboo.
When I knocked on the door, the torchlight revealed some blurred patterns on the door panel. Although their original appearance was obscured, the impact of my knock sent a slight numbness through my fingers, indicating the bamboo building's special nature.
With this realization, my heart stirred. It seemed that to survive, I had to enter it again.
"Since you don't want me to live, then we'll perish together. Demoness, behold my flying nail!"