Heavens' Laughter-Chapter 110: Run

"Where is Master?" Cai Xiu muttered under her breath, brushing debris off her shoulders as she pushed her way out of the collapsing building.

The structure groaned and crumbled behind her, pieces falling bit by bit. She let out a tired sigh, her gaze darting over her shoulder.

Trailing behind Cai Xiu, a certain woman emerged from the wreckage, her face darkened with frustration and barely-contained fury.

Yùn Yì was not in a good mood…

Cai Xiu, of course, was well aware of the tension. She came to an abrupt stop, spinning on her heel to face the woman.

Crossing her arms, she let out an exasperated scoff.

"Stop being such a stuck-up little bitch," Cai Xiu said bluntly, her eyes narrowing:

"It’s getting really annoying. I’m not a threat to you, okay? I don’t care if you have a crush on Master."

"What!?" Yùn Yì’s face instantly turned crimson. She froze mid-step, her hands flying up to cover her cheeks as she blushed furiously.

Her eyes darted back and forth like a startled child caught in the act.

"Me? Have a crush on the Second Young Master? N-No!" Yùn Yì stammered, her voice rising:

"I simply look up to him!" The words tumbled out in a rush, her tone betraying the obvious lie.

Cai Xiu stared at her in silence, her expression utterly deadpan. "Do you seriously expect me to fall for such a blatant lie? Please."

She tilted her head slightly, an eyebrow raised in exasperation:

"I wasn’t born yesterday, and in case you forgot, I’m a woman too. I know exactly how we act when we’re smitten."

Cai Xiu rubbed the bridge of her nose:

"Honestly, it’s a little insulting you thought I’d buy that nonsense so easily."

Yùn Yì avoided her gaze, her embarrassment bubbling over as she fidgeted nervously:

"Either way, it’s none of your business who I have my heart set on!"

Then, without warning, a chilling aura began to radiate from Yùn Yì’s body.

The air around them turned frigid, and frost crept across the floor, encasing the broken remnants of the building in glimmering ice.

Yùn Yì’s eyes darkened.

"Unless…" she hissed, her gaze narrowing as the temperature dropped further:

"you’re trying to steal the Second Young Master from me? But you wouldn’t dare, would you?"

As Yùn Yì’s stood there, the ice cracking beneath her feet with an ominous sound, a fleeting thought crossed her mind:

’Maybe I should’ve let her get crushed earlier…’

Seeing the ice creep toward her, Cai Xiu then glanced around at the frosty destruction without saying a word.

Her expression remained calm, though a flicker of exasperation flashed in her eyes.

With a soft sigh, Cai Xiu turned on her heel and continued walking.

’This silly little girl is too much to handle!’ she thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes.

Cai Xiu clenched her jaw, suppressing a chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation.

Still, a small, mischievous part of her whispered temptations:

’I could brag about my nightly activities with Master, just to see her lose that icy composure...’

The idea was deliciously petty, almost enough to make Cai Xiu stop in her tracks.

But her rational side quickly dismissed it:

’No, that would be foolish right now. Petty squabbles won’t solve anything.’

Getting no response, Yùn Yì let out an irritated "Humph!" She called back her ice.

Her steps faltered for a moment as she stared daggers into the woman’s back, her lips pressed into a thin line.

After a pause, Yùn Yì fell into step behind her, this time keeping a deliberate distance. Her eyes darted around at the ruined surroundings, focusing on anything but the woman ahead of her.

’Why must I tolerate her, of all people?’ she seethed internally.

The silence between them hung heavy, broken only by the soft crunch of rubble beneath their feet.

Finally, they stepped outside; the building giving way to a chaotic landscape.

Everything was destroyed.

Buildings lay in ruins, reduced to burning, smoldering heaps or piles of rubble.

The acrid stench of smoke filled their noses, stinging their eyes.

Cracked cobblestones were scattered haphazardly.

However, the noise was alive—clashes of battles, the distant roar of flames. They both heard it all clearly.

Cai Xiu and Yùn Yì scanned their surroundings, their gazes sweeping over the desolate streets.

It was deserted.

"It seems those still alive have evacuated far from here," Cai Xiu said, stepping carefully over the countless dead bodies littering the streets.

Most were unrecognizable, either burned to a crisp or reduced to bloody, mangled paste.

Yùn Yì continued to follow, swallowing hard as her eyes went over the gruesome carnage surrounding them.

The scene churned her stomach, and her heart felt heavy with unease.

Yet, Yùn Yì clenched her fists and pressed on, refusing to let the horror slow her steps.

She couldn’t allow herself to falter—what would the Second Young Master think if he saw her weak resolve?

The very thought made Yùn Yì grit her teeth and straighten her back.

Still, as she looked upon the lifeless bodies, a strange realization crept over her.

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Despite the chaos, the blood, and the unmistakable stench of death, Yùn Yì felt... oddly indifferent.

As long as none of the fallen were the Second Young Master, the tragedy didn’t cut as deeply as it should have.

The thought sent a shiver through Yùn Yì, and for a brief moment, she wondered if something was wrong with her.

But just as quickly as the doubt surfaced, she dismissed it:

’No, it’s only natural. The Second Young Master is the only one who truly matters.’

Suddenly, the ground beneath them quaked violently, forcing both Yùn Yì and Cai Xiu to steady themselves, their feet scrambling for balance.

In the distance, the sight before them was something that was hard to believe…

Two colossal, divine birds clashing.

Each strike between the creatures rippled through the air, sending shockwaves that cracked the earth and shattered what little remained standing.

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"Holy shit…" Both Yùn Yì and Cai Xiu breathed the words simultaneously, their voices filled with awe and terror.

They locked eyes, a rare moment of agreement passing between them.

Without another word, they nodded in perfect unison and bolted forward, abandoning all pretense of composure.

Yùn Yì and Cai Xiu leapt and darted over crumbled debris, as they pushed their bodies to the limit.

Parkour-like agility became their survival instinct, carrying them over shattered walls, collapsed buildings, and broken beams.

Every step carried urgency; every leap was fueled by the understanding that staying in this area was courting certain death.

"This is insane!" Yùn Yì shouted, her voice nearly drowned out by the deafening roars and screeches of the divine birds.

Cai Xiu didn’t bother replying, her focus entirely on navigating the chaotic landscape.

She vaulted over a fallen column, landing with practiced grace before glancing back. "Keep moving! Don’t stop for anything!"

"I don’t need you to tell me that!" Yùn Yì snapped back, though she didn’t slow her pace.

As they ran, another shockwave tore through the ground, causing a massive fissure to open just ahead of them.

Without hesitation, Yùn Yì and Cai Xiu leapt over it, their timing synchronized.

Suddenly, a shift in the sky caught their attention.

Both Yùn Yì and Cai Xiu glanced upward, their eyes widening.

Above them, a fleet of flying ships was descending in a catastrophic nose dive, their massive forms spiraling downward.

Alongside dead bodies, which rained down.

"Fuck this! We gotta hurry!" Cai Xiu screamed.

Without hesitation, she channeled her Qi into her legs, her speed surging as she darted forward like a bolt of lightning.

Yùn Yì followed, as she too pushed her Qi into her legs.

However, her movements were less quick, her speed slightly lagging behind.

The dead bodies thudded into the ground around them, some narrowly missing, others splattering blood and gore on impact.

One corpse landed directly in their path, forcing both women to leap over it mid-run, their breaths quick and shallow.

"This is insane!" Yùn Yì gasped, her voice trembling as she struggled to keep up.

"No time for whining! Move faster!" Cai Xiu barked.

As they moved further and further, the first flying ship smashed into the ground with a thunderous impact.

The explosion that followed was deafening.

The force of the blast unleashed a massive shockwave, rippling outward like a destructive tide.

Debris from shattered structures and fragments of the ship itself were hurled in every direction, turning the air into a whirlwind of lethal projectiles.

The shockwave reached Cai Xiu and Yùn Yì in an instant, the sheer force knocking both the women off their feet.

"Shit!?" they both yelled.

Cai Xiu barely managed to twist her body mid-air, landing in a controlled roll that sent her skidding.

Yùn Yì, less practiced, hit the ground hard, the impact driving the breath from her lungs. She groaned as she pushed herself up, coughing from the dust and heat:

"Damn this place to hell!"