Chapter 17: Escape from the Mysterious Stronghold

The morning light is a stingy golden thread, which struggles to penetrate the thick clouds and the cracks in the stone cave, casting a faint light on this cold and damp corner.

The light could not dispel the coldness in the cave, but instead made the fishy smell of blood and mud mixed in the air more clearly discernible.

Su Qinghan's eyelashes trembled slightly, like butterfly wings wet with dew. She slowly opened her eyes, and her consciousness struggled to rise from the chaotic darkness.

The bone-chilling cold caused her to shiver uncontrollably. Then, aches, pain, and exhaustion surged like a flood, instantly flooding her limbs. Every muscle, every bone, cried out in silent protest. Last night's brutal, bloody battle was like a nightmare from which she couldn't wake up, its aftermath relentlessly ravaging her body.

She struggled to sit up, but fell back down due to a severe dizziness.

At this moment, Su Qinghan caught a glimpse of another person lying next to him out of the corner of his eye.

Deep night.

The faint light fell precisely on his pale, paper-white face. His eyes were tightly closed, his lips were chapped, and even in his coma, his brows remained tightly furrowed, as if he were fighting a desperate battle against endless pain. His handsome face had lost all its aloofness and coldness, leaving only a heart-wrenching fragility.

Su Qinghan's heart suddenly tightened. He ignored his own discomfort and quickly turned sideways, extending his trembling fingers to touch his neck.

The feeling coming from the fingertips was scorching heat and a pulse that was weak but still beating tenaciously.

He is still alive.

This discovery was like a powerful shot of adrenaline, instantly injecting a surge of energy into Su Qinghan's nearly drained heart. A night of fear, a double exhaustion of body and mind, seemed to find a purpose at this moment.

She let out a long, silent sigh, her nerves, stretched to their limit, relaxing slightly. However, this relaxation made her body's most primitive desires become extremely clear—the drumming hunger in her stomach and the burning thirst in her throat were strongly reminding her that they were already in a desperate situation.

She and Shen Ye had not eaten or drunk anything for a whole day and night.

She checked her injuries. They had been bandaged, though not delicately, but her life was no longer in danger. However, her internal energy had been severely depleted, and her physical strength had long since been exhausted. And Shen Ye… Su Qinghan's gaze fell on the blood-soaked, haphazardly wrapped strips of cloth on his body, and her heart sank again.

The wounds on his body, whether it was the knife wound, the arrow wound in the back of his shoulder, or the penetrating wound in his thigh, any one of them was enough to knock a strong man to the ground. If he did not receive timely medical treatment and recuperation, even if he had extraordinary abilities, he would definitely not survive in these desolate mountains and wilderness.

Can't stay here any longer.

Su Qinghan struggled to stand up, staggered to the cave entrance, and carefully pushed aside the wet vines that blocked the entrance.

A cool breeze mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees after the rain blew towards her, clearing her confused mind a little.

Outside the cave was a steep, almost vertical slope covered with slippery moss and jagged rocks. The morning mist, like a white veil, enveloped the entire mountain forest, making visibility extremely low.

She looked around, trying to discern the direction. But all she could see was rolling hills and an endless sea of ​​forest. They were clearly in the deep mountains, far from the Valley of Broken Souls, a place rarely visited by humans.

To walk out of here with a man who is seriously injured, unconscious and may die at any time... This is not difficult, but a fantasy.

Give up on him.

If you go alone, your chances of survival will undoubtedly be much greater.

This thought, like a cold poisonous snake, once again slowly emerged from the darkest corner of my heart, spitting out scarlet tongue.

Reason, like an icy awl, kept circling and penetrating into her mind.

She, Su Qinghan, is a master detective from the Six Gates, burdened with a deep blood feud. Her life is not just her own, but also at the heart of her father's unjust case and the Su family's innocence. She cannot die here.

And he, Chen Ye, is an assassin from the Tianji Pavilion, a ghost walking in the darkness, and an unpredictable variable on his path to revenge. He saved her, but his purpose is unclear; the secrets he carries are unfathomable.

Intellectually speaking, she and he were natural enemies. Leaving him here, letting him fend for himself, was undoubtedly the best option for her "interests."

Su Qinghan's eyes became complicated and struggling.

She turned around and looked at the man lying quietly in the cave. The morning light cast an illusory golden edge on his pale outline.

But……

Beneath the iceberg of rationality lies the surging emotional magma that cannot be suppressed no matter what.

In her mind, she uncontrollably recalled the scene of him using his back to block several cold knives for her. That tall and straight figure was like an unshakable mountain.

Before her eyes, she could see him pushing himself towards the path of survival under the rain of arrows, using his body and sword to block death for her.

"well……"

Su Qinghan let out another long sigh, as if he wanted to let out all the contradictions and struggles in his heart.

She made a decision.

No, it should be said that her heart had already made the choice for her the moment Shen Ye decided to save her yesterday. All the struggles that followed were merely the futile, last-ditch resistance of the cold, rational "Su Shenpo."

Just think of it as paying off a debt.

Su Qinghan said to herself in her heart. She had found a perfect excuse for herself, enough to convince the cold and hard "Six Gates Divine Constable Su Qinghan".

If he spares my life, I'll spare his. When he recovers, our grudge will be wiped clean. We'll go our separate ways, never to be seen again. If we ever meet again in the martial arts world, friend or foe, we'll fight it out on our own merits, with no mercy.

With this clear "excuse", the confusion and hesitation in her heart immediately dissipated, and was replaced by an unprecedented determination.

She returned to the cave and began to prepare to leave.

She first used her blood-stained longsword to tear several long strips from her already tattered skirt. She looked at her once gorgeous, now reduced to rags, and smiled self-deprecatingly. Then, she carefully and firmly tied the strips together, making a simple but sturdy brace.

After doing all this, she walked to Shen Ye, squatted down, and tried to help him up as gently as possible.

"Hey, I'm going to take you away from here," she whispered to his closed eyes, "If you still have a shred of consciousness, cooperate with me and don't cause me any trouble."

Shen Ye still had his eyes closed and showed no reaction, like a statue that had lost all signs of life.

Su Qinghan had no choice but to use all her strength to help him sit up. This seemingly simple action consumed a great deal of her physical strength, causing a thin layer of sweat to seep out of her smooth forehead.

Shen Ye's body was like a puddle of mud, all its weight pressing heavily on her. The astonishing heat, coming through her clothes, burned her to the point of shock.

Su Qinghan gritted his teeth and struggled to lean his upper body against his arms, then quickly passed the cloth strap through his armpits, around his shoulders, and tied a knot in front of his chest with all his strength.

This way, she could use her entire back to bear most of his weight.

Even so, when she exerted force with her legs and tried to stand up with him on her back, the heavy weight still made her stagger and almost fall backwards.

"You...you look quite thin, but why are you so heavy..." She couldn't help but complain in a low voice, but there was a hint of intimacy and helplessness in her tone that she herself had not noticed.

Chen Ye's head leaned weakly against her shoulder. The scorching heat from his high fever continuously penetrated through his thin clothes. His steady yet weak breathing echoed in her ears, and each breath brought a stream of warm air that brushed against the sensitive side of her neck.

Such an intimate posture made Su Qinghan's cheeks slightly hot. This was a dangerous intimacy that made her cheeks hot.

She forced herself not to think too much, took a deep breath, mobilized the little remaining "Canglang Jue" true qi in her dantian, protected her heart meridian, then steadied her body, and moved out of the cave step by step with great difficulty.

In Shen Ye's chaotic and dark ocean of consciousness, he seemed like a lone boat, floating in the endless waves.

The severe pain was like the surging sea water, slapping him again and again, trying to tear him apart completely and drag him into the abyss of drowning.

The cold was like a biting gloomy wind, corroding every pore of his limbs and bones, trying to freeze his soul completely.

He felt like he was going to die.

It was just like how he felt many years ago when he was first brought into the Tianji Pavilion and was imprisoned in a water dungeon by his master because of a small mistake. That kind of despair, coldness, and helplessness were the most profound memories of his childhood.

He was a tool, a commodity. If it was damaged, it would be thrown away. This was the belief that had been instilled in him since childhood.

However, just when he was about to be completely swallowed by the darkness, a ray of warmth stubbornly seeped in.

It was a very strange warm current.

It came from his back, from his shoulders, from that which tightly isolated him from the entire cold world... a soft yet tough support.

This warm current dispelled some of the coldness.

Then, he smelled a familiar, cool fragrance, like the scent of plum blossoms blooming in the sunlight after a snowy day.

This smell, like a ray of light, tore through the chaos in his consciousness.

He remembered.

It’s Su Qinghan.

He tried hard to open his eyes, but his eyelids seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and he could only pry open a heavy gap.

The scene before my eyes is blurry and shaky.

He saw her pretty profile, her lips tightly pursed due to exertion, the beads of sweat that kept oozing out and sliding down her forehead, and her eyes that were once as clear as water, now filled with unconcealable fatigue and unyielding stubbornness.

He saw that she was carrying him on her back, slipping with every step, struggling forward on the steep and muddy mountain road.

The road beneath her feet was bumpy and uneven, and with every step, her body trembled slightly from the immense weight. Several times, she nearly slipped due to the slippery moss beneath her feet, but at the last moment, she managed to steady herself with incredible fortitude.

Chen Ye's heart was hit hard by an unprecedented and unfamiliar emotion.

This emotion is called "shock" and also called "heartache".

He had spent his entire life giving to others. For the Tianji Pavilion, for the Pavilion Master, for those cold and icy missions. He had never imagined that one day, someone would give so much for him, regardless of the cost.

She was also a woman who should have been his enemy and might even have hated him to the core.

Why?

He couldn't understand it. This was beyond all the knowledge he had acquired over the past twenty years.

Tools don't need to be protected. This is the rule of Tianji Pavilion.

But why would she protect a "tool" that could backfire on her at any time?

He wanted to say something, but only some meaningless hoarse sounds came out of his throat, like an old bellows.

He wanted to move, to use his own strength to help her share some of the weight. But all his strength seemed to have been drained away, and even moving a finger became a luxury.

He could only do this, leaning against her weakly, feeling the warmth from her thin but firm back, listening to her increasingly rapid breathing, and having every difficult step she took clearly imprinted in the depths of his soul.

For the first time, he hated his own powerlessness so much.

Time passes by bit by bit during the arduous journey.

The sun slowly rose from behind the mountains in the east, dispelling the mist in the forest and bringing some warmth.

Su Qinghan no longer knew how long he had been walking or how many times he had fallen.

Her legs felt as heavy as lead; every time she lifted them, it felt like she was struggling against a tremendous force. The cloth had left deep, bloody marks on her shoulders, burning with pain until she nearly lost consciousness. Her internal strength was completely gone, and she was only supported by an unyielding will.

She felt several times that she was about to reach her limit, and the scene in front of her eyes became darker and darker.

But every time she wanted to give up, the faint but steady breathing of Shen Ye in her ears would give her new strength.

She couldn't fall.

At least, she couldn't fall down until she found a safe place. This thought became her only obsession at the moment.

Finally, after she exhaustedly climbed over a ridge, the view ahead suddenly became clear.

Su Qinghan's footsteps suddenly stopped.

She saw it.

On the other side of the valley, amidst the morning mist, one could vaguely see the outlines of a patchwork of houses, with green tiles and white walls, and even a few wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys.

It's a village!

There are people!

A surge of ecstasy, like a flash flood, instantly washed away all of Su Qinghan's fatigue and pain. It was a huge sense of happiness, a feeling of having been saved from a desperate situation, that made her almost cry with joy.

"We...we are saved..." she murmured to herself, her voice trembling slightly with excitement, causing Shen Ye on her back to sway.

She turned her head in ecstasy, wanting to tell the man on her back the good news, even though he might not be able to hear it at all.

But he found that Chen Ye had opened his eyes again at some point.

This time, his eyes were no longer confused and fragile. Instead, they were clear and profound, carrying an indescribably complex emotion she had never seen before. There was surprise, inquiry, and a hint of something... a burning passion she couldn't understand.

He just looked at her quietly over her shoulder, as if he wanted to carve her appearance into his bones.

Su Qinghan felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by him, her heart skipping a beat for no apparent reason. She subconsciously avoided his gaze, a barely perceptible blush rising on her face.

"You...you're awake?" She spoke incoherently, trying to cover up her embarrassment with words. "Do you see? There's a village up ahead. We'll soon find a place to rest and find a doctor to treat your injuries."

Shen Ye did not answer her.

He simply used up all his strength and slowly raised one hand - the right hand that was not injured. He gently wiped away the mud that had been stained on her cheek at some point.

His fingertips were cold and rough, with thick calluses from years of holding a sword.

But the touch was so gentle, like a feather skimming across the surface of a lake, stirring up ripples in her heart.

Su Qinghan's body suddenly stiffened.

A strange electric current instantly spread from that point on her cheek to her entire body, making her almost forget to breathe.

Chen Ye's lips moved slightly, and he uttered two words in a voice so hoarse and weak that it was almost blown away by the wind.

“…This way.”

After saying this, his hands dropped weakly, his head tilted, and he seemed to have exhausted his last bit of strength and fainted again.

Su Qinghan stood there in a daze, unable to react for a moment.

This way?

What does he mean?

She looked in the general direction Chen Ye had indicated. To the left of the village, a small, unassuming path, shaded by vegetation, wound its way to an even more secluded bamboo forest. Deep within the forest, where the fog thickened, the outline of an isolated courtyard could be vaguely seen.

Could it be...

A bold guess emerged in Su Qinghan's mind.

This man was like a bottomless whirlpool. The more she struggled, the deeper she sank. Could there be enemies in that village? At this moment, the sounds of barking dogs and interrogations could be heard from the village.

The sounds coming from the village made the ecstasy that had just risen in her heart seem like a bucket of ice water was poured over her head, instantly cooling it down. Instead, she was filled with even stronger vigilance and doubt.

But what lies within the secret base of a top assassin in the night? Is it a life-saving remedy or a deadly trap?

But now, she has no other choice.

Rather than going to a completely unfamiliar village, facing unknown villagers and potential risks, perhaps going to his designated "safe house" is the safest option at the moment.

At least, there, she could temporarily figure out who this man was.

What was his intention in saving himself?

Su Qinghan took a deep breath, and his eyes became firm and sharp again.

She adjusted the man on her back, holding him tighter, and then took heavy steps towards the inconspicuous path, step by step...