Chapter 178 Dependent on Each Other for Life, Is Prince Su Dead?

Amidst the dark cliffs, gusts of cold wind howled past my ears.

Accompanied by snow, sand, and ice fragments, it kept seeping into every crevice of my body.

Li Qingluo struggled to hold Prince Su tightly, then looked up at the sky.

Those dark figures finally left.

She looked at her wrist; a thin, long thread was wrapped around a small, crooked tree trunk, which originally wouldn't have been able to support her and Prince Su.

Fortunately, Prince Su still had a four-foot-eight-inch long sword.

The sword was now deeply embedded in a crevice in the cliff face, which stabilized the two and prevented them from falling further.

Li Qingluo glanced down at what lay beneath her. Although it was pitch black and she couldn't see the bottom, she was still anxious and quickly looked up again.

As the wind howled, their bodies swayed back and forth.

The wind on this cliff is so strong it can actually lift a person up; it's truly terrifying.

Unfortunately, this is not Guanshui Cliff in Qishan.

That day, she was at Guanshui Cliff because Zheng Lingzhou had made prior arrangements, so she knew where there were trees that could save her life and where there was a cliff face where she could escape.

Today, jumping off that cliff was a reckless act of blindfolded risking my life!

Fortunately, with Prince Su around, she might not necessarily die today.

Li Qingluo: "Your Highness, perhaps we should separate for now? I see that tree up there; if it were only supporting my weight, it probably wouldn't break. Your Highness wouldn't be struggling like this."

Duan Rongshi: "Miss Li, do you have any plans in mind?"

Li Qingluo estimated that the two of them were currently hanging in the middle of the cliff, making it extremely difficult to go up or down.

Duan Rongshi: "No matter what, we cannot stay here any longer. Miss Li, listen to what I have to say."

"Place your feet on the cliff face; there should be a place to step and gain leverage. Then, climb up the thin thread on your wrist to the tree. I will be right behind you, following shortly."

Li Qingluo nodded: "Yes."

Going down is indeed even more hopeless, but going up at least offers some hope.

Li Qingluo stretched out her foot and tentatively stepped on the cliff face.

There really was a protruding rock where you could put your foot down.

She then found another stone using the same method, and just as she was about to release Prince Su, her left foot suddenly slipped—

"ah!"

Li Qingluo couldn't help but let out a soft cry as Duan Rongshi pulled her tightly back into his arms.

The whistling wind couldn't drown out the rapid beating of my heart.

Perhaps she was so frightened that she was a little confused, but why was the heartbeat so strong?

Before she could even understand what was happening, Duan Rongshi lowered his head and scolded her, "If Miss Li is not careful again, even if you are shattered to pieces, I will not save you! Do you understand?"

In the pitch-black night, the two locked eyes, their intense desire to survive palpable.

Li Qingluo swallowed hard. "Yes, I understand. Thank you, Your Highness..."

Li Qingluo dared not be distracted any longer; she could smell the increasingly strong stench of blood emanating from Prince Su.

He must be injured!

She was originally sent by Zhuiyu to deliver medicine to him.

Although when I saw him in the woods, he probably only had minor injuries.

But during the fierce fight, those dark figures kept attacking him in an endless stream, and he managed to protect himself so well that not a single inch of his skin was broken. Clearly, he had been ambushed.

Although Li Qingluo also wore a hidden arrow on her wrist, she only carried six arrows on her body.

She used four weapons in that battle.

With the help of Prince Su, the short dagger also managed to stab out a few times.

There was so little she could do; simply keeping herself safe was already her best effort, and she wasn't holding anyone back.

Therefore, Li Qingluo knew that she should try to minimize any further accidents so as not to increase the burden on Prince Su.

She steadied herself once more, then reached out with both hands along the cliff face.

She clung tightly to the cliff face like a spider, then lifted her feet to find new footholds and pushed herself upwards.

With their hands and feet working together, they actually managed to climb upwards smoothly.

Li Qingluo looked down at Prince Su with delight: "Your Highness Prince Su, this method is truly feasible!"

Duan Rongshi kept his head up, so he naturally knew that she had successfully stepped onto it.

He nodded slightly with satisfaction: "Alright, you may go first."

If it were any other woman, she would have been terrified and crying long ago.

She, on the other hand, managed to find a glimmer of joy even in dire straits.

Even though he had just scolded her, after witnessing these bloody scenes, she still had the courage to obediently climb a cliff that was completely invisible in the dark.

This woman truly always manages to surprise him.

Li Qingluo nodded and continued climbing steadily and smoothly without stopping.

If she slipped, the thin thread would always hold her up, so Li Qingluo easily climbed up to the small tree.

She hugged the not-so-thick tree trunk and turned over to sit on it.

Then he looked down and wondered why Prince Su was still standing there and hadn't come up.

Was he... waiting down there the whole time, afraid she would fall again?

Li Qingluo didn't dare to think anything further and immediately called out in a low voice, "Your Highness—Your Highness? Your Highness Prince Su, please come up quickly!"

Seeing that she was temporarily safe, Duan Rongshi raised his blood-covered arm and grabbed a rock on the cliff face.

He slowly climbed upwards, then drew his sword and sheathed it, his movements much slower than Li Qingluo's.

Li Qingluo was wondering what was going on when she saw Prince Su slip and almost fall off the cliff!

If he hadn't been holding onto the sword hilt tightly with both hands, he would have really fallen!

Li Qingluo's heart leaped into her throat instantly, and she immediately reached out and shot out a thin thread: "Your Highness, catch it!"

Duan Rongshi looked up, and the cold wind blew away the stray hairs that had fallen across his forehead.

Although he couldn't see clearly, he seemed to see those eyes, as bright as stars, so clear.

Between heaven and earth, it seems that in an instant, the sea dries up and the rocks crumble, but the stars remain eternally bright and immortal.

Duan Rongshi grabbed the thin thread, and this time, taking advantage of the momentum, he drew his sword and used his lightness skill to fly up.

He landed lightly beside the tree where Li Qingluo was, inserted the sword into the cliff face again, and then turned around to lean against the cliff.

Li Qingluo quickly asked him, "Your Highness, are you still able to hold on?"

She had a premonition that Prince Su's injuries were more serious than she had guessed.

If we linger on the cliff any longer, the consequences will be unimaginable!

Duan Rongshi did not deny the matter, and said softly while clutching his chest, "We need to leave here quickly."

But with cliffs looming before them, how could they possibly escape?

Horse ranch camp.

After seeing Li Qing off, Zhui Yu said to Sha Lei with great pride, "If His Highness sees Miss Li, do you think he might be so happy that he would reward me with some treasure?"

Sha Lei glared at him: "Do you want a beating? You're bolder than a mastiff, daring to act on the prince's orders."

Zhuiyu: "I was just guessing what the prince was thinking. I knew he would be happy to see Miss Li safe and sound."

Sha Lei: "But you acted on your own initiative, which is a grave taboo. Don't you know the rules and regulations our prince has followed all these years?"

Zhuiyu chuckled: "You're so old-fashioned! Rules are rigid, but people's hearts are flexible."

“Don’t you lot understand our Prince’s heart? When has the Prince ever not said one thing but meant another when it comes to Miss Li? I’m just creating opportunities for them to meet and spend time together so that the Prince can understand his feelings sooner. What’s wrong with that?”

"If Your Highness is truly displeased, I'll accept any punishment, even a beating! Humph!"

Sha Lei pointed at him: "You...! You're asking for it!"

However, Que'er glared intently at Zhuiyu, her accusing eyes seeming to say: Where did you take my girl?! You bad guy! You villain!

Chasing Rain: ? ? ?

Indeed, Miss Li's maids are all quite extraordinary!

After dealing with Princess Nanping and the others, Zhuiyu and Shalei were about to set off to send everyone back to Jinling when suddenly a horse covered in blood rushed back.

The horse was carrying a person, none other than Pofeng, who was covered in blood and unconscious!

Sha Lei and Zhui Yu's expressions changed drastically, and their hearts skipped a beat at the same time.

As dawn broke, Li Qingluo and Duan Rongshi finally climbed to a platform where they could finally stand firmly.

In truth, there's always a way out; their lives weren't meant to end there.

Last night, not far from that small tree, Duan Rongshi vaguely saw a large tree again.

Li Qingluo shot out thin threads to probe the way. Once they were firmly and securely wrapped, the two of them took turns using their swords and following the threads to slowly move to the side of the big tree.

I originally planned to stay until dawn, but unexpectedly the rocks on the nearby cliff face became much larger.

So they pressed on with renewed vigor, carefully following the direction they were heading.

Now, they can finally breathe a sigh of relief and take a break.

Li Qingluo didn't care about her image anymore. She lay sprawled on the rock, panting heavily.

“Your Highness, I just saw a narrow path ahead. If we follow this path, we’ll surely find our way out of this place…”

Li Qingluo turned to look at Prince Su, only to see him leaning against a boulder, his head bowed gently.

She suddenly realized something was wrong and immediately got up and crawled over.

"Your Highness, Your Highness?"

When she reached out and pushed Duan Rong hard, she was met with his cold gaze: "I heard you, be quiet."

However, after saying this, he suddenly swayed and fell into Li Qingluo's arms.

"Your Highness Prince Su, Your Highness Prince Su?"

Li Qingluo's heart pounded wildly. This time, no matter how much she shook him, Duan Rongshi did not react.

She saw his face in the dim light of dawn; it was completely bloodless.

Her usually rosy lips were now a dark purple!

Li Qingluo's heart skipped a beat. She realized that Prince Su was showing signs of poisoning!

She quickly reached out her slightly trembling hand to check Prince Su's breath.

This almost scared Li Qingluo out of her wits!

Prince Su has stopped breathing?

Li Qinglu shook him forcefully again: "Prince Su, Prince Su!?"

She suddenly raised the hand that had just been hugging his shoulders and saw a patch of black blood on her palm.

It turns out that Prince Su's shoulder and back had been struck by a poisoned dart at some unknown time, and it was probably this thing that had taken his life!