11.2

The green-clad woman was a bit taken aback. Her pace quickened and she arrived before Li Shu like a gentle breeze.

"Li Shu, are they crazy?"

Li Shu looked at her and opened his lips to speak, but a mouthful of blood poured out instead. The green-clad woman was a bit taken aback. Her pace quickened and she arrived before Li Shu like a gentle breeze.

"Little Li Shu." She caressed his face. The two old friends looked like a couple straight out of a storybook.

"You sacrificed yourself?"

Snow March watched them, as if watching a story unfold in a play. Suddenly, Li Shu stretched out his hand, grabbed Snow March, and pulled her into their story.

This action consumed what little strength he had left. He gasped, coughed, and finally squeezed out a few words, "Qing Ji, take her away." Qing Ji looked at Snow March and went quiet for a moment.

Snow March smiled awkwardly. "Li Shu, you are making me look like a joke." Li Shu did not speak. He just looked at Snow March, his face now a ghastly grey with no color at all. Slowly, he fell backwards.

"I'm sorry." He left her with these two words and nothing more. The cat demon fell to the ground and turned to dust. Qing Ji said with a bit of regret, "A pity that you gave your life for me."

But to Snow March, those words sounded like -- you also look like a joke. Upon death, demons typically turned into dust. The more powerful the demon, the less trace they left behind.

Snow March stared at the body disintegrating before her. Qing Ji waved her sleeves and the dust swirled up into the sky and dissipated. A couple of particles, still warm, brushed against Snow March's cheek. Her body trembled. Before she could recollect her thoughts, Qing Ji grabbed her by the hand.

"I will grant him his last wish. Let's go." A long sword suddenly appeared.

"No one is leaving."

It was Qing Shu, the Valley Master's fox demon slave. A number of demon masters followed behind her. Even Lin Canglan, the old man himself, had arrived in his wheelchair.

Qu Xiaoxing regained his senses from what had just happened, and pulled at Ji Yunhe. "The Valley Master is here! You have to hurry and put up a performance, save yourself!"

Ji Yunhe glanced at Lin Canglan. All the demon masters in the valley were focused on Qing Ji and Snow March right now.

Lin Canglan's low voice resounded, "Freeing the jade phoenix is an unforgivable crime. Kill them both."

"Yes, sir!"

The demon masters' reply echoed throughout the valley. Qing Ji put on a soft smile.

"Good, some exercise to freshen up my old bones." Qu Xiaoxing again nudged Ji Yunhe.

"Master Warden! Sister March is doomed, you have to earn back the Valley Master's trust! Show him something!"

"Qu Xiaoxing," Ji Yunhe said as she turned her head, her face was serious like never before, "run."

"Huh?"

"Leave the Demon Valley, right now is a heavenly opportunity." Qu Xiaoxing froze.

"Master Warden... you..."

He was afraid to talk out loud, and only used his lips to gesture "want to run away?"

Yes, Ji Yunhe wanted to run. But not just on a whim. She had thoroughly examined the situation. Lin Canglan and all of his men were here right now because they would have to face the wrath of the imperial court if they were to lose the jade phoenix. He certainly needed to fight this demon bird with full force.

But ever since demon masters had come under the court's rule, the great techniques for dealing with such a demon were long lost. Even if all the demon masters in the world were to gather here today, it was still unlikely for them to subdue her. So this battle was a lost cause.

The jade phoenix just woke up and her power had not yet fully recovered. She was unlikely to fight for long or be interested in a bloodbath. She would leave soon. So right now was the best and possibly the only opportunity for Ji Yunhe to get out.

Snow March and Qu Xiaoxing were the only two who had openly sided with Ji Yunhe. Snow March would surely be taken away by the jade phoenix. Ji Yunhe just needed Qu Xiaoxing to be safe, then she would be able to take the opportunity and steal some antidotes from the Valley Master's room and run away.

After all this, the valley would suffer high casualties, be reprimanded by the court and end up in great disarray. No one would have the mind to hunt them down. The sky would be high and the earth would be wide. Plus all the islands out at sea… They would never have to be prisoners of the valley again. Ji Yunhe sorted everything out in her head.

She quietly looked at Lin Canglan. He gave an order with a wave of his hand, and all the demon masters charged at Qing Ji on command. Ji Yunhe glanced at Snow March and pushed Qu Xiaoxing again.

"Go!"

Being free was no longer just a dream.