Chapter 34 [VIP]

Chapter Summary: Falling into the Water.

The sounds of fighting outside grew increasingly intense. Yu Jing, sitting in the carriage, became more and more nervous, gripping her wide sleeves tightly, fearing something bad might happen. The sounds of fighting grew closer, seemingly right outside the carriage, and Yu Jing and Xiao Ting were so frightened they dared not breathe.

When the carriage curtain was lifted, Yu Jing's mind went blank. Xiao Ting screamed in terror. Before Yu Jing could even react, the sword pierced her bone with a muffled sound. When Xiao Ting went limp, there was no sound.

"Xiaoting! Xiaoting!" Yu Jing reached out and picked up Xiaoting in a panic.

Suddenly, the sound of swords piercing flesh rang out again outside. When Yu Jing looked up, the man outside the carriage had already fallen. The carriage curtain was blown up by the wind, and Yu Jing saw Xie Xuan, his face splattered with blood, a large patch of bright red and dark red on his fair face. But his eyes were resolute and ruthless, without the slightest hesitation.

"Your Majesty, please sit tight." Xie Xuan kicked the man's corpse off the carriage shaft and then spoke.

Before Yu Jing could react, the carriage had already started moving. Unlike the previous steady and slow pace, the carriage was now moving quickly and rapidly.

Yu Jing's hand was warm. When she raised it, it was covered in bright red blood. Yu Jing's hand trembled slightly involuntarily, and she called out in a choked voice, "Xiao Ting!"

The pavilion was now completely silent; the only response Yu Jing received was the gushing blood. Yu Jing could feel the warmth and heaviness in his calf. He had never encountered such a scene in the Heavenly Court, and even after living for over a thousand years, Yu Jing was still deeply disturbed.

The little maid who had just served her tea, now... Thinking of this, Yu Jing's eyes immediately reddened, and she felt a pang of sadness that she couldn't quite describe.

The carriage was struck by a stone, tilting violently to one side. Caught off guard, Yu Jing was thrown heavily against the carriage wall. She winced and gasped in pain. The sound of hooves echoed behind her, the pursuers close behind. Yu Jing suddenly remembered the assassination attempt when she first entered Sheng Hua's body. The assassination had been hastily concluded; now, she suspected it wasn't so simple.

Yu Jing's mind was in turmoil. The carriage stopped abruptly, and Yu Jing lurched forward uncontrollably, grabbing the window sill to steady herself. The carriage curtain billowed in the wind, and Xie Xuan sat on the carriage shaft, his crimson spring robe stained with blood, the color now darker. His high-tied hair was blown by the wind, and ahead lay a sheer cliff that stretched as far as the eye could see. In that instant, Yu Jing seemed to understand something.

Xie Xuan reached out his hand to Yu Jing. Yu Jing glanced at Xiao Ting lying in her arms, knowing that there was no time to lose. She quickly closed Xiao Ting's eyelids, placed her beside the carriage seat, and put her hand in Xie Xuan's. Yu Jing's hand was covered in blood and very cold, while Xie Xuan's hand was warm, perhaps because of the fight.

When Yu Jing stood up, her legs felt a little sore and numb, probably because she had been confined in the carriage for too long. Her skirt was also stained with Xiao Ting's blood, and her legs below the calves were a dark red patch, which looked quite gruesome.

Yu Jing stepped out of the carriage, and the first thing she saw was a sheer cliff before her. If she fell, not only would a mortal lose half of their cultivation, but even a deity would. Xie Xuan jumped down from the carriage first, then reached out to help Yu Jing down. Yu Jing got off the carriage and saw a group of people behind her.

They were all dressed in commoners' clothes, which were covered in blood, but Yu Jing knew that their martial arts skills were by no means inferior. After all, the guards she had brought were all highly skilled in martial arts, and now that some were dead and others were injured, their martial arts skills should be even superior.

They probably knew that Yu Jing and Xie Xuan were at their wits' end, so they weren't in a hurry and stood before them with swords in hand. At that time, the sky was terribly overcast, and it felt like it was already raining even from a distance.

As soon as Yu Jing and Xie Xuan alighted from the carriage, they rushed at them with swords in hand. Xie Xuan didn't hold back, quickly deflecting the swords with his own. The sound of metal clashing was jarring, and Yu Jing suddenly thought of that snowy night when she first met Xie Xuan. Although Xie Xuan and Xie Jin had both given their all in their duel, their circumstances were completely different.

Yu Jing wanted to do something, but found that she couldn't do anything except stay put.

Suddenly, an arrow shot towards them at great speed. Yu Jing tried to dodge, but it was too late. The arrow pierced his chest, and the pain that spread throughout his body was all too familiar. Yu Jing winced in pain and looked down at the wound. The arrow had pierced his left chest; although it was shallow, it still hurt terribly.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!" Xie Xuan called out anxiously, then quickly raised his hand to block the other party's sword.

The enemy outnumbered them, and even though Xie Xuan was powerful, he couldn't withstand such torment. If they were to fight head-on, their chances of winning were slim. Yu Jing, enduring the pain, glanced at the Jade Soul Bead on her wrist. Since that's the case, why not take a gamble!

A light drizzle began to fall, starting lightly, just a few drops. Yu Jing looked at Xie Xuan, mustered her courage, and called out, "Xie Xuan, come here!"

When Xie Xuan heard Yu Jing call him, he turned to look at her, killed the person who was pestering him, and retreated to Yu Jing's side.

Xie Xuan had killed many, but many others remained. Those people knew they were outnumbered and Yu Jing would eventually fall into their hands. Seeing Yu Jing injured and Xie Xuan growing weary, the leader of the group smiled and said, "You should all be well aware of this situation..."

As Yu Jing spoke to him, she steeled her resolve, grabbed Xie Xuan, and ran towards the cliff behind them. Xie Xuan understood Yu Jing's intention the moment she grabbed his hand. He also knew that now, no matter what, they were doomed. Rather than die at their hands, he'd rather die at the bottom of the cliff.

The moment Yu Jing jumped, she already regretted it; the cliff was just too high.

Hopefully, the treasure given by the Goddess Zelan will be of some use; otherwise, she and Xie Xuan will have to return to Heaven together. However… Xie Xuan and the Third Princess weren't in love, so she could consider this her mission accomplished. Thinking this, Yu Jing suddenly felt relieved. If she really did return to Heaven with Xie Xuan, it wouldn't be so bad… a little pain is fine.

With a "plop!", Yu Jing felt herself fall into a soft place, but she couldn't breathe properly. Perhaps due to excessive bleeding, she felt dizzy.

Xie Xuan fell into the water with Yu Jing. He was still conscious; falling from such a height, when he broke the water, he only felt a buzzing in his ears, and then he could hear nothing. He struggled to open his eyes, swam to the surface to breathe heavily, then submerged to look for Yu Jing. He tried to paddle a couple of times in the water, when suddenly a light flashed before his eyes. The scene before him gradually became clearer; the sound of the water beside him seemed to be veiled by something, but he could still hear it clearly.

He glanced around and finally spotted Yu Jing a little further away. She was quietly sinking, blood still oozing from her wounds. Xie Xuan didn't care about anything else and swam towards Yu Jing with all his might. The closer he got to her, the stronger the smell of blood in the water became, and the more worried he became.

He reached out and hugged Yu Jing's waist, pulling her upwards. As they broke the surface, Xie Xuan, panting heavily, looked at Yu Jing. Her face was pale, she looked weak and powerless, her eyes closed; she had already fainted. Xie Xuan panicked. He reached out and touched her nose, feeling a faint breath, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. It took a great deal of effort to get Yu Jing ashore. Her breathing was very weak, and she was injured. He needed to give her breathing first, and then treat her wounds.

Xie Xuan hesitated upon thinking about this. Her wound was just a little off the right side of her chest. If he were to treat her wound, he would have to tear open her clothes, and then he would also have to give her breathing exercises...

Xie Xuan glanced at Yu Jing, hesitating for a moment, when he could clearly feel that Yu Jing's breathing seemed to have weakened. Xie Xuan gritted his teeth, took a deep breath, and leaned down to meet Yu Jing's lips. Her lips were soft and cold, and Xie Xuan continued to kiss her, breath by breath.

Yu Jing lay there, feeling a warm current break through her cold body and travel down her back. The pain in her right chest grew clearer and stronger. Her mind was still on the Heavenly Emperor, wondering how Xie Xuan was doing and whether they had returned to Heaven yet. The thoughts in her mind unconsciously escaped her lips.

Xie Xuan was about to give Yu Jing another breath when he suddenly saw the woman lying there part her thin lips and say something. He couldn't hear clearly, so he leaned closer and heard her call his name in a weak voice.

Xie Xuan!

Xie Xuan was taken aback, but quickly recovered. Saving lives was the priority; nothing else mattered. However, the fact that Yu Jing was willing to speak was a good thing.

Xie Xuan took another deep breath and began to breathe into Yu Jing. Yu Jing slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a familiar profile. When Yu Jing realized what he was doing, she was sobered up instantly. However, although she was awake, she was completely weak, and with the injury to her right chest, she couldn't even move her fingers.

Xie Xuan also sensed something was amiss. He slightly rose, and their eyes met, the distance between them no more than two fingers. Xie Xuan suddenly felt his heart pounding wildly. He quickly stood up and explained, "Your Majesty, I was so anxious to save lives, please forgive me!"

Yu Jing blinked gently, which was taken as an agreement.

The rain seemed to be falling harder than before, pattering and stinging against their skin. Xie Xuan stood up, glanced around, and spotted a clearing sheltered by rocks. He then bent down, picked up Yu Jing, and carried her to the clearing.

Yu Jing was in excruciating pain in her right chest. When Xie Xuan gently picked her up, she knew that Xie Xuan was carrying her to shelter from the rain and was afraid that she would fall. So she reached out and gently hooked her arms around Xie Xuan's neck.