Chapter 69 Escape from Death (Part 2)

Jin Suiqing took off her outer garment, tore it into small pieces with sharp pebbles, stacked them up, and placed a small piece of sulfur-based gold on top. She wrapped the sulfur-based gold tightly with layers of cloth, then threw it forcefully into the water.

Less than three seconds after entering the water, the fabric burst open with a "bang".

The experiment failed again, and Jin Suiqing frowned.

She was trying to figure out how to delay the explosion of sulfur-based gold underwater.

Although from a materials science perspective, the hydrophobicity of fabric is more closely related to the material itself, there are currently no suitable materials available. Her fabric is of better quality than the miner's, with a denser weave. Jin Suiqing tried wrapping it in several layers to see if it could achieve a hydrophobic effect.

However, the weather in Jiangnan was hot, and the dark purple outer garment that Jin Shiyu had prepared for her was cool and breathable. Even with many layers, it still couldn't prevent the liquid from seeping in.

Jin Suiqing disassembled another miner's lamp, scooped out the grease inside, rubbed it onto his clothes, tied it tightly with the grease-soaked belt, wrapped it around the sulfur-based gold, and threw it into the water.

The result was the same; it didn't last long before the sulfur-based gold got wet again and exploded. Before Gong Dagou could swim to the bend with the sulfur-based gold, it was too late.

Moreover, the sulfur-based gold ore contains many impurities and is unstable when exploding, which makes Jin Suiqing think of the difference between a sulfur-burning engine and a super sulfur-burning engine.

Stability of energy supply.

The super sulfur combustion engine not only has extremely high stability, but more importantly, it can maximize the energy curve and stably drive large-scale special machinery with the same weight of sulfur base metal.

Since Zuixianlou, she had no chance to come into contact with the super sulfur combustion machine. Seeing it today, Jin Suiqing couldn't help but guess that the difference between the super sulfur combustion machine and the ordinary sulfur combustion machine might start from the treatment of the sulfur base gold inside the machine.

Jin Suiqing hurriedly shook her head, banishing the inappropriate curiosity from her mind, and focused on studying the cloth bag in her hand.

She tried several more times, wrapping the fabric thicker and thicker until the fabric was quickly used up.

Jin Suiqing was engrossed in her research and immediately tried to take off her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) to continue disassembling it without thinking. Ye Zhufeng sighed and called out to her, "Qingqing, continue."

She took off her jacket and tossed it to Jin Suiqing.

Jin Suiqing suddenly realized that when she was engrossed in her studies, she would become so focused that she would forget everything else. Without hesitation, she tore open Ye Zhufeng's blood-stained jacket, smeared a thick layer of oil on it, wrapped a layer of oil-soaked ash in the cloth bag, and threw it into the water.

This time, the cloth bag did not burst open immediately.

Jin Suiqing was extremely nervous. She held her breath, counted down the seconds, and made another identical cloth bag as a control group.

Once all the cloth bags were finished, a loud "bang" rang out, and the cloth bags in the water burst open, sending up a water column as tall as a person straight up to the top of the cave. Water splashed everywhere, and the turbulent water crashed onto the shore, startling everyone!

Li Yousheng wiped the water off his face in a daze. "Goodness, how could a ore no bigger than a fingernail be blasted so high?"

Jin Suiqing was soaked to the bone and stunned by the explosion, forgetting that she was still clutching something in her hand. Ye Zhufeng strode forward, snatched the water-soaked cloth bag from Jin Suiqing's hand, and quickly threw it into the water.

Moments later, the cloth bag exploded underwater, but the explosion was far less violent than the previous one.

A bubble rose from the bottom of the water.

Ye Zhufeng turned Jin Suiqing around and looked at her anxiously, asking, "Are you alright?"

Jin Suiqing and Ye Zhufeng looked at each other blankly and shook their heads.

Ye Zhufeng sighed helplessly and started counting down in his mind. Before he could even reach one, Jin Suiqing opened her eyes wide, her eyes sparkling, and let out a joyful scream: "Ahhhhh Ye Zi, it exploded, it exploded, it exploded! The sulfur-based gold did a delayed explosion!"

Ye Zhufeng breathed a sigh of relief, a look of satisfaction on his face. "Yes, it exploded. You did it, Qingqing."

“Variable, variable…” Jin Suiqing hurriedly squatted down to examine the cloth and sludge on the ground. “The two cloth bags had the same amount of sulfur-based gold and the same filling materials, but the explosions were different. There must have been a variable!”

Jin Suiqing looked at it over and over again, and soon his expression became serious again.

She did not find any obvious variables.

The strange thing is that, without any obvious variables, the experimental results changed dramatically... Could it be that she threw it at the wrong angle?

Jin Suiqing, with a stern face, unhappily tugged at the fabric on the ground.

Experimental failures are common in laboratories, but this isn't a cool, breezy lab; this is a dangerous mine where the lives of the miners behind her are at stake. She simply doesn't have time to try everything and completely eliminate any influencing factors.

Moreover, this mining accident was not caused by a controlled explosion, but by a genuine natural disaster, which is completely different from the original book where the female protagonist was buried alone at the entrance of the cave.

The waterway was blocked, the water level rose, and the miners outside the mine had no mining machinery or pumping equipment. Even if the mine was opened, there was no way to rescue them immediately.

The longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes for the people inside the cave.

Jin Suiqing frantically tugged at the fabric, tearing it in two with a ripping sound. Startled, she had a sudden inspiration, picked up another piece of fabric, and held it close to her eyes, lightly touching the pattern with her fingertips.

To be precise, this dark red fabric is not a pattern, but Ye Zhufeng's dried blood.

The two cloth bags that had just been submerged in the water, the two pieces of fabric with sulfur-colored gold plating, one was stained with Ye Zhufeng's blood, and the other was not.

The blood-stained cloth bag exploded with a delayed effect, while the bloodless cloth bag failed to explode.

Seeing that she was staring intently at the two pieces of tattered cloth, Ye Zhufeng became a little anxious and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong with these two pieces of cloth?"

Jin Suiqing blinked, "Leaf..."

Ye Zhufeng squatted down in front of Jin Suiqing, startled by the fanaticism in her eyes. "Qingqing? What's wrong? If this method doesn't work, let's try another one. Please don't scare me."

Jin Suiqing grinned, revealing a mad scientist-like, eccentric smile. Holding two pieces of blood-stained cloth, Jin Suiqing suddenly threw his arms up and laughed loudly!

Her impression of "The Wind Blows Over the World" was limited to the female supporting character's death. She was unaware of why the female lead innovated the super sulfur combustion engine or how she did so.

Like the magicians of Kyushu, Jin Suiqing harbored great curiosity about the structure of the super sulfur combustion engine and wanted to study it, but he lacked the means to do so. Even if he were to obtain the super sulfur combustion engine by chance, he would be prevented from entering by the Jin family patriarch's incredible anti-theft measures.

If we're talking about the biggest anti-theft measure for the super sulfur combustion engine, then the Jin family is the one who provides it.

Jin Suiqing only needs to perform one last experiment.

She quickly picked up a sharp rock and slashed it hard across her forearm. Instantly, blood seeped from her pale arm.

This sudden action startled everyone in the cave. Ye Zhufeng was unable to stop him in time. Jin Suiqing picked up a small piece of burning sulfur gold, smeared it on his wound, and threw it into the water.

The moment it hits the water, it's like sodium falling into water in a chemistry experiment, instantly boiling and making a small popping sound.

As she expected, the explosive force of the burning sulfur gold, which had come into contact with Ye Zhufeng's blood, was far less than that of the explosive metal.

Ye Zhufeng grabbed her arm, pulled it in front of his eyes, and looked at her red and swollen wound with heartache, saying, "Jin Suiqing, what's wrong with you? Why did you cut yourself!"

"leaf."

Jin Suiqing sniffed, tears of joy welling up in her eyes, but dared not make a sound, and could only whisper, "I've found a way to save us!"

*

The two of them huddled together and squatted on the shore.

Ye Zhufeng gently brushed aside a corner of the dried medicinal powder pasted on the wound, and blood immediately seeped out. Fortunately, the golden and green hairband tied around his elbow stopped the bleeding, and the rate of blood flow was still under control.

Jin Suiqing picked up a piece of sulfur-based gold, stained it with Ye Zhufeng's blood, and then soaked it in water.

Jin Suiqing said in a muffled voice, "The Jin family patriarch's lineage must have discovered and utilized a special substance in his blood, which has the effect of stabilizing the burning of sulfur gold."

The game "Wind Over the World" is categorized under fantasy, which I initially thought was due to its imaginative and fantastical magical artifacts. However, I never imagined that the root of the fantasy genre lay in bloodlines.

Underwater, the sulfur-based gold, which should have exploded immediately, lay peacefully in Jin Suiqing's palm. Ye Zhufeng's blood turned into a thin red line in the green water, emitting a faint halo, circling around the orange-yellow sulfur-based gold.

The blood of the Jin family can fully optimize the magical power curve of sulfur-based gold, stabilizing its function and reducing energy consumption. After the sulfur-based gold ore is processed and concentrated, the blood of the Jin family acts as a stabilizer, allowing the super sulfur-burning engine to stably release enormous energy, thus enabling special magical machinery to operate normally.

This setting transcends the Three Realms and is outside the Five Elements. It's so outrageous that Ye Zhufeng's brow twitched as he noticed that Jin Suiqing's gaze towards him was increasingly like that of someone looking at an endangered species.

Ye Zhufeng was silent for a moment, then said, "This does not conform to scientific principles."

Jin Suiqing: "Fantasy novels don't adhere to scientific principles."

Ye Zhufeng's face gradually contorted. Jin Suiqing, resting his chin on his hand, said, "None of the Jin family heads live long lives. I've noticed that Jin Guizhong has been in poor health since he was a child. He not only indulges in debauchery outside, but it may also be related to bloodletting."

Ye Zhufeng's worldview had been shattered, and he said with difficulty, "I give up trying to understand. Let's stop studying the scumbag for now and plan how we get out of here."

Jin Suiqing responded repeatedly, carefully took some of Ye Zhufeng's blood, wiped it on the remaining sulfur-based gold, carefully smeared it with mud, wrapped it in the remaining cloth, and handed it to Gong Dagou.

Gong Dagou nodded, then leaped into the water, disappearing around the bend with his cloth bag in hand. As he swam back quickly and reached the shore, a muffled explosion echoed from the bend, causing ripples to spread across the fluorescent green water.

Once the water had calmed down, Jin Suiqing observed for a moment. The current was not rapid, just gently swaying. Confirming that the waterway was clear, Jin Suiqing pulled Gong Dagou aside and instructed him, "You swim out first and go to the nearest prefectural city to rent a water pump and a rock drill. Rent them no matter the price, no matter how expensive. I'll pay for it."

Gong Dagou jumped into the water again, but instead of leaving as Jin Suiqing had predicted, he returned.

Jin Suiqing stamped her foot in frustration, "Why are you back again!"

“The waterway was indeed blown open, but the gap is too narrow. My shoulder is stuck, and I can’t get out.” Gong Dagou’s body was half above the water, and his face was also not good. He gestured with his hand to indicate the size of the gap and looked at Jin Suiqing with a solemn expression. “Judging from the size of the opening, only you, Jin Suiqing, can get through.”

Jin Suiqing's eyes widened in surprise. She never expected that her short stature, which usually caused her the most trouble, would become a lifeline for everyone in the mine.

She bit her lip, hesitated for only a moment, and then nodded firmly, saying, "Okay, I'll go."

Ye Zhufeng: "Qingqing! It's very dangerous..."

Jin Suiqing turned and hugged Ye Zhufeng, gently patting her shoulder: "Wait for me to come back."

Ye Zhufeng paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and said in a trembling voice, "Be careful."

After speaking, Jin Suiqing released her and decisively jumped into the water.

*

The mine's water system is connected to the groundwater, and the temperature remains the same throughout the year, chilling to the bone. Jin Suiqing's lips turned bluish-purple, and he shivered incessantly.

Swimming until his limbs were stiff, Jin Suiqing said tremblingly, "Big...big dog, I...I was wrong, it's not your fault...you were...speaking so breathlessly, the water...is...really...cold."

Gong Dagou was strong and muscular. After swimming several laps, he had already gotten used to the water temperature. His body felt warm and comfortable. He quipped, "Are you cold? I feel fine now."

Jin Suiqing's teeth chattered from the cold: "Go...go out and I'll...give you a raise."

Gong Dagou immediately chimed in, "The boss is right, it is indeed very cold." He then symbolically shook his neck, splashing water from his hair all over Jin Suiqing's face. It felt like being cut by ice knives, both cold and painful. Jin Suiqing quickly cried out, "Let's... talk this out! Don't... shake the water..."

Gong Dagou, slightly aggrieved, said "Oh," and focused on boiling water, swimming with Jin Suiqing to the bend in the river.

Before the two dived down, Gong Dagou, standing on the surface of the water, silently gazed at her with his pair of dark, lustrous eyes, like those of a dog.

Jin Suiqing knew that Gong Dagou was not good with words, so she looked at her like this because she cared about her.

After passing through the water tunnel, she would have to swim the rest of the way alone. Not to mention that the waterway was very long and the water temperature was very low, making it easy to lose strength while soaking in the water; it was also unknown whether the current outside the water tunnel was rapid, what the water level was, and whether the mine was completely submerged.

If it were completely submerged, Jin Suiqing would probably not even have room to breathe.

Once they pass through the water cave, no one can guarantee Jin Suiqing's safety.

Jin Suiqing took a deep breath, briefly composed himself, and mustered his courage to say, "I... am ready."

Upon hearing this, Gong Dagou supported Jin Suiqing's waist and pulled her underwater.

The pool appeared to be crystal clear, but it was actually four or five meters deep. As the two went deeper, a sharp pain entered her ear canal, causing her eardrums to bulge and make a thumping sound.

With blurred vision, a throbbing pain in her ears, and a swelling in her chest, Jin Suiqing fearfully grabbed Gong Dagou's wrist.

She immediately shook her head when Gong Dagou stopped diving.

Don't stop, keep diving.

Gong Dagou nodded and led her to continue diving down. Soon, streams of water with strong currents splashed onto Jin Suiqing, pushing the two of them backward.

We've arrived at the water cave.

Jin Suiqing opened her eyes. Behind her, Gong Dagou pushed her hard. Jin Suiqing released the strength she had been holding back, grabbed the sides of the water cave, and squeezed in.

The cramped cave, along with the water pressure coming from all directions, squeezed Jin Suiqing's chest, as if trying to squeeze all the air out of her lungs. She was barely able to squeeze through, and bubbles kept coming out of the corners of her mouth, disappearing in the water in a string.

Jin Suiqing dared not stop. The longer she stopped, the more frightened she would become, stuck in the narrow, bottomless, dark water cave. She gritted her teeth, ignoring the wounds left on her body by the sharp stones, closed her eyes tightly, and pushed off with all her might.

She darted out against the current!

Jin Suiqing quickly waved his arms and treaded water to rise to the surface.

"Whoosh!" Jin Suiqing floated to the surface of the water, opening his mouth to exhale deeply, "Huff whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Without a miner's lamp, it was even darker outside the cave than inside. Jin Suiqing felt a throbbing pain in her chest, and a sweet, metallic taste rose from her throat. She dared not rest for even a moment, and stretched her hands out of the water, groping around in the dark.

The water level was indeed very high; her head was almost touching the top of the cave.

Jin Suiqing bit her lip hard, forcing herself to stay awake in the icy water, lest she be swallowed by the velvety darkness and fear. She gasped for breath, rubbing against the cave wall, and swimming out little by little, relying on her memory.

The waterway meandered and twisted, and Jin Suiqing bumped into countless walls and kowtowed countless times before finally reaching the stone steps where the boat was moored at the entrance of the cave.

Overjoyed, she wept and climbed the steps on all fours.

The entrance to the cave was also blocked by fallen rocks.

Jin Suiqing collapsed to the ground.

“Ye Zi said… the entrance to the cave was blocked,” Jin Suiqing sobbed, her tears burning hot, stinging her cool cheeks as if on fire. Jin Suiqing’s sobs grew increasingly uncontrollable. “So… this is the entrance to the cave that was blocked…”

Yezi and the big dog were trapped inside. There were people waiting for her to save them in the waterway. She swam out with great difficulty, feeling cold and in pain. Her only hope was completely blocked.

There was no light, no wind, and the air was thick with the smell of blood and earth.

Jin Suiqing could no longer bear it and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

She climbed to the cave entrance, picked up a rock, and smashed it against the cave wall, hoping to attract the attention of those outside. She cried and shouted, "Is...is anyone here?! Help, help...there's someone here, someone...someone's here!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks and into her mouth, mingling with the metallic sweetness of blood, both salty and bitter.

Jin Suiqing cried until she was speechless: "Is there... anyone who can save me..."

*

Outside the cave, Jin Shiyu, who was kneeling on the ground, twitched his ears and stood there stunned.

He heard Jin Suiqing crying.

Ignoring the wound on his palm, Jin Shiyu stood up, bracing himself against the uneven rocks, and looked around blankly.

Upon seeing this, the guard directing the mining machines to clear the way quickly helped Jin Shiyu up. "Young Master Jin, what's wrong?"

“I heard Jin Suiqing’s voice; she’s crying.”

Deathguard paused, listened carefully for a moment, but the hum of the mining machinery and the clamor of people digging into the mountain were mixed together, and he heard nothing.

Worried that he might be hallucinating due to excessive mental strain, the guard quickly said, "You probably misheard. You've been working hard all night, go and rest."

The landslide covered a large area and the mountain was greatly altered. Even the local miners could not determine the original location of the cave entrance. They could only spread people out to dig into the mountain. At present, the quarrying machinery entered the site, and the scene was chaotic and noisy. How could they hear a little girl crying?

The Death Guards are all highly skilled individuals; if they didn't hear it, how could Kim Shi-ok possibly have?

“I didn’t mishear,” Jin Shiyu said without speaking, then lowered his head to listen carefully, until even his breathing had completely disappeared. “It’s her crying.”

"It's clearly her crying."

Jin Shiyu suddenly looked up, stumbled and climbed onto the pile of rubble, and lay down on the ground to listen.

It's not here.

He didn't look up, but moved forward two steps while still kneeling.

It's not here either.

He knelt down and continued to move forward.

The Deathguard couldn't bear to look at his madness, so he waved his hand and summoned the mining machine to break rocks and drill holes in the places he had heard about.

The sound of the machinery breaking rocks was deafening. Xu Qingqing suddenly opened her eyes wide, stopped what she was doing, and held her breath. Ma Anping, panting, looked up at her and asked, "Qingqing, what's wrong? Why did you stop digging?"

"I...I think I heard someone throwing stones."

Ma Anping gasped, "Right now, everyone is smashing rocks."

Xu Qingqing shook her head and said firmly, "It's different. It's not a sound from outside; it's a sound coming from inside the mountains."

Ma Anping was taken aback, and her eyes, which had become cloudy due to old age, suddenly lit up. She asked urgently, "Where is it? Qingqing, are you sure?"

"It's too noisy." Xu Qingqing shook her head.

Undeterred, Ma Anping shouted, "Stop! Stop for a moment! Qingqing heard a noise inside, someone is throwing stones!"

Instantly, dozens of people stopped what they were doing, held their breath, and looked at Xu Qingqing hopefully. Xu Qingqing prostrated herself on the sand and listened carefully.

After listening for a moment, Xu Qingqing pointed to her feet, her body trembling uncontrollably, and her hands started digging in the dirt before her brain could even process it, "It's...it's right here...there are people down there, there are people down there!"

"What are you standing there for? Dig!" Ma Anping threw down his hoe, rolled up his sleeves, and shouted with a forceful wave of his hand, "Throw away the tools and dig with your hands! Don't hurt anyone!"

The elderly men and women threw aside their tools and rushed forward, using their five fingers as tools to dig forcefully into the mud and sand. Xu Qingqing dug with all her might, sweat dripping onto the soil.

After knocking for an unknown amount of time, Jin Suiqing was exhausted. To conserve her energy, she forced herself to stop crying and mechanically continued to swing her hand to smash the stone.

His breathing became increasingly labored, and Jin Suiqing gasped for breath with his mouth open, making a wheezing sound like a broken bellows.

Tears continued to flow uncontrollably; they were too bitter. Jin Suiqing raised her head, propping her neck up to prevent the bitter tears from flowing into her mouth. She wiped away her tears and croaked, "Is...is anyone there?"

Jin Suiqing deflated, her neck gave way, and she collapsed backward onto the ground.

Nobody's here.

No one could hear her.

So cold, so sleepy, so wanting to sleep—these were the only thoughts left in Jin Suiqing's weary mind, circling back and forth in her muddled brain.

Struggling to prop himself up, Jin Suiqing looked at his arm covered in scars and thought, "I'll give it another tap."

She knocked again, then closed her eyes and rested for a while.

She threw it forcefully, and the stone in her hand hit the gravel with a "thud," then rolled back down the slope into the water with a "plop," falling alone and pitifully into the water.

All was silent, and Jin Suiqing closed her eyes.

A moment later, her face felt itchy, as if dirt had fallen and covered Jin Suiqing's face. She frowned and raised her hand to brush the dirt away. She thought to herself, "It must have been from that rock that hit me earlier."

A moment later, another piece of soil fell and landed on her chest. Before Jin Suiqing could raise her hand to flick it off, a second piece, a third piece... soil fell one after another.

Jin Suiqing was too lazy to sweep, so she covered herself with dirt, which kept her quite warm.

After a while, Jin Suiqing heard a muffled sound, as if there was a blanket between them. Jin Suiqing was extremely sleepy, so she turned over, thinking that Jin Shiyu should not wake her up, she wanted to sleep a little longer.

"It's silent."

"Is this the place? Qingqing, you didn't hear wrong, did you?"

"You heard me right, this is the place. I clearly heard someone knocking on stones inside just now."

"Never mind, keep digging. The mountain is so big, we can dig it all the way through. There are still seven or eight of our brothers inside, some alive and some dead. We have to dig them out."

Jin Suiqing suddenly opened her eyes.

Yes, she can't sleep. Ye Zi, Da Gou, and seven or eight miners are still trapped behind, waiting for her to deliver a message and for someone to rescue them.

Just then, a voice from above said, "Dig!"

Jin Suiqing's eyes widened suddenly, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

She wasn't mistaken; there was someone there.

Jin Suiqing coughed twice, tearing at his vocal cords which were stuck together with mucus and blood, and with all his might, he said hoarsely, "I...I'm here, I'm inside!"

Xu Qingqing listened intently from the hillside, her body trembled, and she exclaimed with delight, "There are people down there!"

People rushed forward, digging and shoveling with all their might. They unearthed a rock the size of a human head, and with shouts of encouragement, they lifted it up. As the rock was moved, the soil beneath it trembled and collapsed.

A hole was created by the collapse.

Jin Suiqing closed her eyes in a disheveled state. Having been in the dark for so long, she couldn't adjust to the light and found the moonlight dazzling.

She raised her hand to shield her eyes from the glaring light, but a warm hand grabbed her and forcefully pulled her out of the hole.

Xu Qingqing pulled Jin Suiqing out of the hole in the ground, hugged her, and cried loudly.

The light was blinding, she was tired, and cold. Jin Suiqing closed her eyes and laughed, "Why are you crying?"

"Why can't I cry?" Xu Qingqing wailed. "I'm alive, these are tears of joy."

"Fine, fine, go ahead and cry," Jin Suiqing grumbled. "I'm so cold, can you wrap me in a blanket?"

Xu Qingqing hurriedly called for someone to find a blanket. After only two shouts, a nearly deranged person squeezed into the crowd and wrapped Jin Suiqing in a thick blanket.

Jin Suiqing couldn't open her eyes, her nose was blocked, and her hearing was also impaired. Her five senses, along with her frozen limbs, were almost completely shut down. She didn't know who was holding her, but she felt that the person's embrace was warm and comfortable, giving her a familiar sense of security.

Jin Suiqing doesn't have a mother; the only one who seems to be associated with the image of a mother is Jin Shiyu.

It felt as warm as when I first transmigrated into the book, lying in swaddling clothes, being held in Jin Shiyu's arms.

Jin Suiqing mumbled, "Brother...it's so warm."

Kim Si-ok was about to cry.

Jin Shiyu had suppressed his emotions for many years, and even his crying was suppressed. His voice was a little hoarse, and tears slid down from the corners of his eyes one by one. "Jin Suiqing."

Huh?

Jin Suiqing opened her eyes and met Jin Shiyu's gaze.

"Brother... Kim Shi-ok?"

She just said it casually, but it turned out to be him.

Kim Shi-ok's eyes were bloodshot, his amber pupils no longer bright, filled with pain that was about to overflow.

Sixteen years later, seeing his pained expression again, Jin Suiqing felt her heart clench, a mix of ache and joy. She exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Jin Shiyu remained silent, holding Jin Suiqing close, wanting to meld her into his ribs, yet restraining his strength to avoid hurting her. Finally, he slowly lowered his head, pressing his dry, chapped lips against Jin Suiqing's cool forehead, rubbing them forcefully.

"Don't leave me alone," Jin Shiyu tightened his arms, determined to pull Jin Suiqing into his embrace. He said in a low voice, "Otherwise, I will break your legs, lock you up, and make sure you can never get out of bed again."

I can never... leave him again.

Author's note: Nutrient solution collections have both surpassed 1k! So happy!

Presented as a combined set of two chapters.

Mini-theater:

No-prize riddle session

Brother turns evil (Guess a city name)

The answer will be revealed in the next chapter. [Newbie]