Amidst the swirling chaos, Fang Yaoting stood resolutely outside the magic circle, a formidable guardian defending the two individuals within its shimmering boundary. His sword was a lethal blur, a silver streak in the darkening air as he relentlessly cut down the demon bats assaulting them from all directions. Noticing that the monstrous creatures couldn't breach the magic circle, two foolish men suddenly leapt inside, their desperate intrusion almost forcing Lee Dachin and Guo Longtong out by sheer crowding. Guo Longtong's eyes narrowed in recognition; it was none other than Childe Lou and his servant.
"Childe Lou, please stop pushing!" Guo Longtong complained, trying to keep his balance.
"It's still fit. Let's us stay!" the Lou servant boy insisted, terrified by the bats outside. The two men were clearly petrified.
Near the shimmering magic circle, an ordinary woman stood, her face etched with desperation. She clutched a wailing infant to her chest, while her other hand gripped the small hand of a terrified girl, no more than four years old. The children's cries pierced the chaos, and the woman, a living shield, tried to cover both with her own body, her eyes wide with frantic, protective love.
The woman pleaded, "Please, childes, let my children in?"
"There is not enough space, ma'am," Childe Lou said coldly, refusing.
"Please. Let my children inside," the mother cried and begged, tears streaming down her face. A bat rushed towards the woman, its red eyes glowing.
When Guo Longtong instinctively picked up the little girl, Lee Dachin, seeing the mother's plight, pulled the woman into the magic circle. This action caused Lee Dachin to stumble backward, falling to the ground just outside the magic circle, leaving himself exposed.
"Dachin!" Guo Longtong, still holding the little girl, shouted in alarm.
Lee Dachin stood up slowly, brushing himself off. He said, "It's alright. It doesn't fit all of us anyway."
"Why does Hongse make such a small circle?" Guo Longtong complained, frustrated by the limited space. "Since she's going to make a magic circle, why not create a circle as big as a house?"
Two bats charged straight directly at Lee Dachin.
"Dachin! Watch out!" Guo Longtong shouted, his voice filled with fear.
Fang Yaoting flew over the group of people inside the magic circle to where Lee Dachin was standing and cut the first bat in half, then kicked the second bat to the ground. He brandished his sword and stabbed the second bat, killing it. He stood firmly in front of Lee Dachin, pushed Lee Dachin to the left, then brandished his sword and hit another bat that was approaching. The other bat flew from the left to the right, heading towards Lee Dachin.
Fang Yaoting, without hesitation, covered Lee Dachin with his left arm, and the bat went straight to the arm, biting Fang Yaoting's left forearm and refusing to let go, its claws digging deep. Fang Yaoting endured the searing pain because his arm was still protecting Lee Dachin, and his right hand was still fighting the coming bats.
Lee Dachin, seeing the danger, reached out and grabbed the hairpin Fang Yaoting had given him, and with a desperate thrust, pierced the bat's left eye. The bat shrieked and let go of Fang Yaoting's arm.
Fang Yaoting kicked the injured bat away. When Fang Yaoting's left hand gripped Lee Dachin's right wrist tightly, he used his right hand, now covered in blood, fighting the charging bats relentlessly.
Lee Dachin saw blood dripping from Fang Yaoting's open wound. Fang Yaoting's blood slowly ran down Fang Yaoting's arm into Lee Dachin's right hand, mixing their essences.
Meanwhile, Guo Baiyu began to attack Xianmu, his attacks precise and powerful. Zhao Renshu sent ten talismans, which instantly turned into hundreds of icicles, and shot them at the demonic bats hovering around the people, creating a storm of ice. Zhao Renshu then turned around and attacked Xianmu with Guo Baiyu. Xianmu conjured two swords, blocking the men's combined attacks. Guo Baiyu attacked from the right, and Zhao Renshu attacked from the left. The two men fought as one, a seamless unit: one defensive and the other offensive.
It was difficult for Xianmu to stop Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu's combined attacks. When she flipped backward, preparing for her full counter-attack, she saw four women attacking Qingyu, her sister. She ordered her four bats to help Qingyu escape the overwhelming assault.
When Qingyu was being lifted away by the bats, one of the women (Wu Meirong) sent out six needles towards Qingyu. She quickly turned her sword in her right hand into a spear and aimed it at the hunter who sent the needles. She released her power spear towards the hunter with devastating speed.
Guo Baiyu took the opportunity to shoot his arrows at Xianmu as she was being distracted. His two arrows struck Xianmu's shoulders, piercing deeply. The magic arrows formed two strings, and Guo Baiyu held them tightly with both hands, using his spiritual energy to bind her, while Zhao Renshu moved in and cleanly cut off Xianmu's head with a swift strike. When Xianmu's head fell down, rolling on the stage, the two men heard Qingyu screaming from above them, a wail of pain and fury for her fallen sister.
Xianmu's body began to emit hundreds of beams of light, an ominous sign.
"Oh...Shit...!" Zhao Renshu shouted, recognizing the impending danger.
Xianmu's body exploded in a blinding flash. The explosive force sent Guo Baiyu, Zhao Renshu, and the people around the stage flying twenty yards away, a devastating shockwave.
When the two men finally came to their senses, dazed, a small white pearl flew towards them. Guo Baiyu opened his right palm, and the pearl floated into his palm, glowing softly. Guo Baiyu made a fist and opened his hand again, but the pearl disappeared, absorbed into him.
The bats began to retreat, their monstrous forms dissolving as their master's body parts lay scattered on the stage and surrounding area. The big black bear, Zhao Renshu's summoned spirit, walked towards Zhao Renshu. Zhao Renshu nodded to the bear, and the bear nodded back at Zhao Renshu, a silent farewell. The black bear then slowly disappeared, its task complete.
The two men walked towards the four women. They saw Wu Meirong holding Wu Xiangmei on the ground, cradling her injured sister. All their friends—Fang Yaoting, Lee Dachin, Guo Longtong, and the Huang sisters—had gathered near the Wu sisters, their faces etched with grief. Guo Baiyu bent down and inspected Wu Xiangmei's wound, his medical instincts taking over.
Wu Meirong cried, "Baiyu, please help my sister!"
Guo Baiyu shook his head, his face filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry, this is beyond my medical expertise."
"No! Save her!" Wu Meirong shouted desperately, tears streaming down her face. "She was once your fiancée!"
"Miss Wu, I want to save her," Guo Baiyu said, his voice heavy with regret, "but she has bled too much, and the wound is too big. Her internal organs were severely injured. I'm sorry, this is beyond my medical expertise."
Wu Meirong cried, her body wracked with sobs. "Sister, why did you push me away?"
Wu Xiangmei gurgled with blood in her mouth, her voice weak. "That's what a big sister does." She turned her head slightly and reached her hand towards Guo Baiyu's face, a final gesture. Guo Baiyu gently held her hand. She slowly said in a weak voice, "Baiyu, if Ping'an didn't show up, would you marry me that day?"
Guo Baiyu held her hand, his gaze filled with compassion. "I planned to marry you. It doesn't matter whether Ping'an showed up or not, because I planned to die after the wedding ceremony."
"I always wanted to be hugged and kissed by you," Wu Xiangmei whispered, tears silently falling.
Guo Baiyu hugged Wu Xiangmei in his arms, lowered his head, and kissed her on the forehead, a final, tender embrace. Wu Xiangmei smiled faintly and closed her eyes, and her hand fell from Guo Baiyu's hand to her side. She died peacefully inside Guo Baiyu's embrace. Wu Meirong, sobbing uncontrollably, pulled Wu Xiangmei's body back and hugged her tightly, her grief raw and profound.
Zhao Renshu and Guo Baiyu looked around, searching through the assembled friends. Ping'an was not among them. The friends gathered were Fang Yaoting, Lee Dachin, Guo Longtong, and the Huang sisters.
"Do you guys see Ping'an?" Zhao Renshu asked, his voice filled with desperate urgency.
"No," Huang Hongse replied, shaking her head.
"Baiyu, please look at Childe Fang's arm," Lee Dachin urged, his voice weak.
Guo Baiyu walked over to Fang Yaoting and examined Fang Yaoting's arm. He said, "The injured is not bad. Once we get back to the inn, I will clean it and treat it."