Chasing You (Arc 8+)

Beneath the Heavens (XIV)

Holding his nose, Bao Bao marched forward. He was careful not to accidentally step on lumps of flesh and meat as his eyes darted around. From An Zhangyi's description of his sword, the handle was made from the bones of a beast, unlike other swords that are made from rare and precious metals. The colour was so pure and white, it resembled that of freshly fallen snow as not an ounce of contamination could be seen on it. The blade was extremely thin, it was as if you could see through it but it was also exceedingly sharp and durable. Harvested from a rare ore deep in the mountains of Mount Longhu, it was the only other blade made from the ore as the first belonged to the founder of the Longhu An Sect.

On the scabbard and the blade of the sword was the characters 'Hanchan'. Its cool cyan glare was like the sweep of the wind, soundless and precise, and attached at the end of the hilt was an algid black tassel crafted from the fur of the very same beast in which the handle was constructed from.

Even with this kind of description, finding it within the masses of innards and what was once a human was much easier said than done. Especially when he had to search for it in the poorly lit and lackluster room. Initially searching around the corners and empty spaces around the room, Bao Bao came up with nothing. He scrutinized every available spot and the corners of his mouth twitched. He could not leave the stones unturned, so he rolled up his sleeves and bit the bullet.

Digging his hands into the pile of viscera and meaty chunks, he searched through them with a green face. His stomach churned with pure disgust and the rosy complexion was paling at a fascinatingly quick speed. The thick and almost unbreathable air permeated with the strong scent of decay. Even with him only breathing through his mouth and plugging his nasal passageway, Bao Bao could still smell the fetid fragrance.

After digging through three piles, Bao Bao looked as if he experienced hell. His skin was an unhealthy shade of white, bloodshot eyes, his hair was a mess, and his arms and lower half of his legs were covered in blood. Bao Bao really wanted to cry right now as he felt miserable. He didn't know how his host could do it, being able to withstand something like this. Taking in shallow breaths as to not make himself vomit from the smell, Bao Bao eased his heart somewhat and continued to look for Hanchan.

Finally, underneath the last pile, Bao Bao came across a weird texture on the floor. There was something engraved onto the floor but there were bits of the meat and blood in the crevasses. He rapped the flooring with his knuckles and heard a hollow sound. A feeling of elation swept over him, he had finally found something! Feeling the ground, he searched for any way to lift the piece of flooring up.

Bao Bao meticulously felt every inch around that area, totally ignoring the fact that he was feeling on the soft flesh that once belonged to someone. Eventually, he came across a small dip and dug his fingers onto the side of it. Using all of his meager strength, he pulled the piece of loose flooring up. Underneath, the cool gleam of the sheath shimmered. Bao Bao picked up the sword and leaped out of the room. He didn't even bother to close the door as he couldn't bear another second staying inside of that room.

Rushing out, he tried to retrace his steps and meet back with his host. The corpses were attracted to the yang energy radiating off of his healthy body and ran after him. Bao Bao had on a '囧' face as he madly dashed for his life. He swore that he must've eaten the heart of a bear's heart and the gall of a leopard¹ to be this courageous all of a sudden. He requested assistance as he constantly sent out S.O.S signals to a certain administrator who was currently slicing his way up the small hill with the other cultivators.

[QAQ. Come save me, Ah Yu!]

Outside, Xiong Teyi scrunched up his face and hacked his way through the horde.

[You activated your passive, Bao Bei²?]

[Wuu~ Bao Bao has to! Hurry, AH YU!!] Or else you won't have any booty to grab in this world. ｡ﾟヽ(ﾟ'Д｀)ﾉﾟ｡

His voice became higher as a grotesque hand went past his head. It was only now that he wished he could cancel his passive right now. With his reactions just a little bit better than that of an average person, Bao Bao was able to roll away from the fierce corpse. His unrefined actions resembled that of a stick trying to bend and if anyone else saw him right now, they would be laughing.

Xiong Teyi didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this moment. He separated from the group and headed further into the crowd of endless corpses. With one hand, he wielded his sword and ruthlessly brought down his enemies. With his other hand, he was accessing the system. Just as he entered in a string of codes, a message appeared in his mind. He closed the interface and messaged Bao Bao.

[Turn left and run straight, don't stop no matter what.]

Bao Bao quickly acted as they instructed. He did not have time to reply as the corpses were catching up to him, he could see their pure white eyes preying on him and their tongueless mouths gaping wide open. Feeling sick again, he covered his mouth and scurried away. Turning the corner, bolted down the narrow way. Behind him, the fierce corpses slammed into the building as they tried to squeeze into the narrow passageway.

As he went in further, Bao Bao realized that there was a wall at the end. He gave out another '囧'. Was his lover trying to kill him in this world? Why would he send him down a route with a dead end? Feeling aggrieved at this though, he wanted to run back home and live with his son. Hmph. Hmph! Watch this laozi not let you eat this laozi! Let's see if your weapon of mass destruction will self destruct from being idle and pent up for too long!

Just as he reached the end, a deep sonorous voice came from above as if they were a saving life buoy, "Jump."

---

A/N: For those who don't understand why Bao Bao called out 'Ah Yu' it is because he was so scared that he shouted what came naturally. In this instance, its Xiong Teyi's real name, Yan Yu.

---

¹A bear's heart and the gall of a leopard: An idiom meaning to pluck courage. A short explanation is that if you have the gall of a leopard or tiger (something fierce) you would fearless as the animal is. Vice versa for if you have the gall of a smaller animal like a rabbit or mouse, you would be more cowardly and timid.

²Bao Bei: Another word for 'baby'. Can be used intimately between couples or a parent to their child.