Chapter 26 Her hands were shaking

"Chu Xiao..."

Still shaken, Shen You instinctively clung tightly to him with both hands.

"Don't be afraid," Chu Xiao tightened his grip on her slender waist, his eyelids slightly lowered as he looked down at the cliff hanging precariously below.

Yuhua Mountain is not very steep, otherwise the summer palace and the autumn hunt in previous years would not have been held here.

But it is quite high up, and below are dense forests, making it impossible to see how deep they are; it just looks particularly frightening.

The two of them were suspended in mid-air by the vines on the cliff edge, with small pebbles rolling down from time to time.

Chu Xiao quickly assessed the current situation.

Apart from the vines and branches growing outwards, there was nothing else to hold onto on the cliff edge.

Below, dense forests grew, their height unknown, and it was unclear whether they were rocks, trees, or a river.

Fortunately, through the dense branches, one could vaguely see a rock near the bottom of the cliff, which looked like a cave.

Chu Xiao had an idea in mind.

He looked at Shen You and saw that she was also craning her neck to look down. He said in a deep voice, "Don't look down."

The bottomless valley only made her more afraid.

Shen You pursed her lips and tightened her grip on his arm. "How...how do we get down?"

"Borrowing...borrowing resources?"

She had never encountered such a situation before, but being intelligent, she was able to discern the current situation despite her fear.

“Yes,” Chu Xiao nodded, “Hold me tight.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he shook the vine, intending to use the momentum of the vine to swing to the nearest tree trunk, but the vine could no longer support the weight of the two people.

It snapped with a "crack".

"ah--"

Everything happened too fast, and the original plan could not be carried out.

The two fell straight down.

Chu Xiao could only hold Shen You tightly in his arms, protecting her in his embrace, and then use his back to push aside the rocks and branches growing out of the cliff to prevent her from being scratched.

"Chu Xiao!"

The summer light flickered as he plummeted at high speed, stinging Shen You's eyes. The wind howled in his ears; it was summer, yet the mountain wind felt as cold as autumn or winter.

She could feel the man's strong, warm embrace, and the vibrations from the rocks and branches he bumped into as he shielded her with his body.

With a "bang," the two fell onto the rocks.

Chu Xiao held her tightly, using his body as a cushion, and did not let go even as he coughed up blood.

"Chu Xiao..."

"Chu Xiao..."

Shen You was well protected by him, and only suffered a few bloody scratches from the branches on the cliff edge.

But Chu Xiao, who was lying beneath her, had already fainted and was unconscious.

Shen You's little face turned pale with fright, and she quickly sat up to look at him, "Don't scare me..."

The man's narrow-sleeved outfit was disheveled, his sleeves were torn by tree branches, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were tightly closed. No matter how she called out to him, he did not respond.

"Boom—"

A sudden clap of thunder echoed across the sky, and the once clear sky was now shrouded in dark clouds.

It's about to rain.

Shen You reached out to check his breath.

fortunately...

fortunately...

Her hands were trembling, whether from being frightened by the thunder or from fear that he might not wake up.

Chu Xiao's judgment was correct; there was a cave next to this rock, but it was pitch black inside and nothing could be seen.

But there's no other way right now; Chu Xiao is injured and can't get wet in the rain.

Shen You got up and, with great effort, dragged Chu Xiao toward the cave entrance.

They dragged them inside for a short while, then quickly ran out again to pick up the branches that had fallen onto the rocks along with them.

Unable to discern the situation inside the cave, she dared not venture too deep. After finding a spot that offered shelter from the wind and rain while still allowing her to see the outside world, she set up the branches she had gathered and started a fire.

"boom--"

A sudden clap of thunder followed, and lightning ripped across the sky.

Large raindrops pelted down, weaving a curtain of rain at the cave entrance and blocking out the view from the outside.

With the fire and warmth, Shen You felt a little more at ease.

She raised her hand to wipe away the tears that had fallen without her noticing, and got up to go to Chu Xiao's side.

"Chu Xiao..."

The sound of rain almost drowned out Shen You's soft calls. She leaned against the rock wall and noticed that he was getting colder and colder. She struggled to pull him into her arms.

The sky outside had completely darkened, and the flickering firelight inside the cave illuminated the two men's faces.

In a sorry state.

Shen You wiped the bloodstains from his face with his sleeve, untied his waist belt, and wanted to see where else he was injured.

But as soon as I made a move, my hand was grabbed.

"You're awake?"

Shen You's voice was filled with surprise, "Did you hurt your back?"

When he fell, he shielded her with his back; he must have been seriously injured.

Chu Xiao opened his eyes and looked at her. He immediately noticed the bloodstains on her fair skin from the tree branch. He raised his hand to wipe them away, his dark eyes filled with deep regret.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you."

With his awakening, Shen You's fear lessened somewhat. She grasped his outstretched hand, sniffed, and asked, "Where do you feel unwell?"

Falling from such a height, she was genuinely afraid he would just close his eyes and never wake up.

"The injuries on my back are all superficial, nothing serious," Chu Xiao said, trying to move and enduring the pain as he breathed heavily. "My left leg."

Shen You immediately understood and quickly bent down to look at his leg.

In the rush and with the light obstructed just now, it was only by the firelight that I could see that there was a large amount of blood seeping out from his left calf and knee.

With one touch, his trousers and outer robe were completely soaked.

It was stained with blood.

Shen You's eyes trembled as she forced herself not to look at the blood on her hands. "Tell me, what do I do?"

She had no wilderness survival skills and didn't know how to handle the situation.

Chu Xiao had already assessed his injury. He glanced around the cave and, while he was still lucid, told her, "Use tree branches to immobilize the wound."

He pulled a small knife from his right boot and handed it to her. When he looked at her again, a warm yellow light shone in his dark eyes. "Do you know how to use it?"

Shen You nodded, picked through the branches he had just brought in, selected a few that were relatively straight, used a knife to remove the messy leaves from the branches, then forcefully tore open his sleeve, touched the wound on his leg, and used a strip of cloth to fix the branches in place.

Even after doing all that, she was still worried, "Your injury..."

Because of blood loss, Chu Xiao's face turned pale quickly, and his vision became increasingly dizzy, but he didn't want her to worry, so he took her hand and, unusually, had the leisure to joke, "Afraid I'll become lame?"

Shen You was taken aback, and looked at him with her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears, the worry in her eyes was obvious.

He saw it and suddenly realized that the leg injury was worth it, to earn her pity.

But I didn't expect her to be so worried. "Don't worry."

"I'll take him back to Doctor Lin for a check-up; it's nothing serious."

Shen You obediently let him pull her back to her original seat, the two of them sitting close together.

Having encountered this unexpected turn of events, and now alone in the cave, she clearly no longer resists his approach.

Chu Xiao's mind raced, and he leaned towards her, gradually becoming weak and listless. "I feel dizzy."

The man's tall frame leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her neck.

Shen You hadn't been this close to anyone in a long time, so she was a little stiff, but she couldn't bear to push him away.

After all... he was injured while saving her.

The rain outside continued to fall, the sound of rain mixed with the sound of wind, making the trees in the forest rustle.

There were also occasional rumbles of thunder in the distance and flashes of lightning streaking across the sky.

Knowing that Chu Xiao's injury was not serious did not ease Shen You's tightly furrowed brows.

When the carriage was shattered just now, the wisteria and the green ivy were thrown out. I wonder what their current situation is.

——

at the same time.

After waking up from her afternoon nap, Qi Zhaoyan went to the Shen family's courtyard but couldn't find Shen You. She then went to Ye Mingyu's courtyard with her head down.

The rain continued to fall outside, but the little girl's skirt remained completely dry.

"Mother, do you know where the fairy sister has gone?"

Ye Mingyu asked, "Isn't she in her room?"

Qi Zhaoyan shook her head. "He's not here."

Ye Mingyu looked up at the rain outside, which was still pouring down, and felt a little puzzled.

With such heavy rain, logically speaking... even if you want to enjoy the scenery, you shouldn't go out now.

Qi Jincheng, who had just come in from outside, overheard the mother and daughter's conversation and said, "Chu Xiao has also been missing all afternoon."

Upon hearing this, the couple looked up and exchanged a glance.

Just as he was about to speak, a eunuch rushed in and reported, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, something terrible has happened."

"What's the rush?"

The eunuch knelt down with a thud. "Miss Shen's maid said that Miss Shen was going to the Osmanthus Grove to enjoy the scenery by carriage this afternoon, but for some reason the carriage suddenly went out of control, and the maid fell out and lost consciousness. When she woke up, she found... Miss Shen was gone..."

"What!"

Ye Mingyu suddenly stood up. "Where is Youyou's maid? Let her in."

"yes."

Wisteria and Green Ivy, covered in scrapes and bruises, limped in, immediately knelt on the ground, and cried, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please send someone to save my young lady..."

Qi Jincheng's eyes turned stern. "What's going on?"

Wisteria lowered her head and before she could speak, she heard someone else come to report from outside in the rain.

It was Mu Geng, who was by Chu Xiao's side.

"Your Majesty, my lord has not returned all afternoon."

With a loud "boom."

Thunder roared.

As dusk approached, dark clouds gathered, and lanterns were lit throughout the palace.

In the corridor, the night wind carried rain through the hall, and the footsteps of palace servants and guards echoed in a flurry of activity.

Ye Mingyu comforted Qi Zhaoyan and they rested in the room. Qi Jincheng personally led people to the edge of the cliff.

Today's events are too strange.

The carriage that Shen You was riding in was the same one he had ridden in when he came to the palace that day. The carriage was in good condition and had just been checked by the coachman before he set off. Everything was normal.

They've only been at the palace for a few days, how could things have gone wrong so suddenly?

But the most important thing right now is to find the person first.

After carefully questioning Mu Geng and Zi Teng Lu Luo, Qi Jincheng deduced that Chu Xiao must have gone to find Shen You.

Two maids led them to the place where the carriage had crashed.

The rain that had been falling all afternoon gradually subsided, but the muddy ground was still wet and slippery, and even the tracks of the horse-drawn carriages were obscured.

The wind howled fiercely on the mountain, and it was dark all around.

The Jinwu Guard general led his men to search the edge of the cliff and returned to Qi Jincheng to report, "Your Majesty, we found some planks and hemp ropes in the woods, which should have fallen from the carriage."

There was no one around.

"The vines and branches along the cliff edge show signs of being torn or crushed; it's very likely that the Duke and Miss Shen... fell down..."