Chapter 63 Falling off a cliff, how could she leave him!

Mingying paused for a moment, and under her hopeful gaze, she did not agree, but simply nodded slightly.

The White Horse Temple is located in the suburbs. Horse-drawn carriages can only go halfway up the mountain, and then pilgrims have to climb the mountain on their own.

In late spring and early summer, after a damp rain, mist shrouds the mountains and forests, and birds chirp incessantly.

The ancient temple, which should have been bustling with people, is now quiet and deserted. All the pilgrims have been sent away, and the mountain pass is heavily guarded.

Mingying glanced at the group of armed men without showing any emotion, realizing that they were sent by Pei Xiaoyun ostensibly to protect her, but in reality to monitor her.

This is her third time visiting Baima Temple.

It seems that every time I come back, it's a new situation.

Time flies, and summer is here in the blink of an eye. The banana trees in the temple are in bloom, a lush green cluster, glistening after being washed by the rain.

"Please follow this humble monk, sir." The abbot had received news early in the morning that a distinguished person was coming to the temple to offer sacrifices, and had come to welcome them.

Mingying led Pei Yu'an to the ancient tree where lamps were lit for the deceased.

Standing here again, she felt as if a long time had passed, almost like a lifetime had gone by.

"This humble monk finds your face familiar; perhaps we have a connection from a past life."

Mingying returned the greeting with a pale, faint smile: "Abbot, I have visited several times before."

The abbot nodded, handed her a piece of paper, and asked her to write the deceased's name on it, so that the ever-burning lamp could protect the deceased's health and well-being in the next life.

Mingying took the pen, hesitated for a moment, then put it down, lit a tinderbox, lit the wick, and hung the lamp up.

It is said that lighting lamps for the deceased and writing their names on them may allow them to continue their relationship in the next life.

But the child has no name.

She only hoped that he wouldn't remember her, and that he would be reborn into a good family, whether in a humble dwelling or a wealthy household, and grow up safely.

The abbot asked, "Since you are so willing to pray for the deceased, why not write down their name?"

Mingying shook her head: "Nameless, I also do not wish to have any connection with the dead."

Seeing her slightly furrowed brows and melancholy expression, the abbot asked again, "Does the benefactor feel guilty towards the deceased?"

"I have no regrets." Mingying hung the lamp securely, then turned around decisively. "This ill-fated relationship must be severed. From now on, I only seek a carefree life."

She didn't come here specifically to light the lamp.

Although Pei Yu'an couldn't understand their language, children are extremely perceptive. She followed Mingying closely, her hand never leaving the hem of her clothes.

She longed for it to get dark so she and her mother could go down the mountain, buy a string of candied hawthorns, and then return home.

Surrounded by servants, Mingying went to the main hall to ask Pei Yu'an for a longevity lock, and then strung two round, luminous Buddhist beads on it to accompany it, which she then wore around her neck.

"Mother, what is this?" Pei Yu'an asked curiously, shaking the delicate little lock.

"This is a gift from your mother." Mingying tied it tightly for her, very slowly, taking in her features, and then touched her snow-white face.

Neither she nor Pei Xiaoyun were good parents.

She had nothing to give her daughter, nothing to let her grow up carefree, so she wished her to enjoy wealth and live a peaceful life.

Pei Yu'an liked the small lock very much, holding it tightly in his palm as if he were grasping a precious treasure.

"Miss, it's getting late, we should head back." Xiao Hui, the personal maid, followed them all the way.

Last time, Mingying refused to take her medicine, so she was severely punished. Mingying has been in poor spirits and acting strangely lately, so she has been questioned by Pei Xiaoyun.

She was filled with anxiety, thinking that this trip to Baima Temple would be extremely unsuccessful. Unexpectedly, her master seemed like a completely different person after his visit. He even lit lamps and prayed for a longevity lock for his young master. It seemed that he was almost fully recovered from his illness and had come to terms with things.

Mingying looked up at the gradually darkening mountain scenery and nodded obediently: "Alright, let's go down the mountain."

Before she even stepped down the stone steps, she suddenly frowned deeply, clutched her lower abdomen, and gasped for breath.

"What's wrong, young lady?"

Mingying let her support her, biting her lower lip: "I suddenly have abdominal cramps. Could you ask the temple if there are any available meditation rooms? I want to go change my clothes."

When nature calls, Xiao Hui had no worries and hurried off.

Before long, Xiao Hui came out and, seeing Ming Ying's pale face, said, "I've asked around, and there's still an empty meditation room. Let me help you in, Miss."

Mingying bowed slightly and was helped to the meditation room.

The meditation rooms of Baima Temple are built against the mountain behind the temple, with cascading waterfalls, craggy rocks, and a chilly atmosphere.

After exiting through the back gate, there is a cliff and a deep valley on the right, and a path on the left. At the end of the path is a stream, and following the stream down leads to another path down the mountain.

She also visited Baima Temple for the first time three years ago. She felt unwell in her stomach and came to the meditation room to change her clothes. She inadvertently memorized the structure of the meditation room.

Few people who frequent this place know about it.

The separation between men and women was strictly enforced. Only four or five old women and maids guarded the door closest to the meditation room, while the outermost part consisted of guards with swords.

The moment she entered the meditation room, Mingying straightened up, her expression returning to calm and composed.

Pei Yu'an stayed by her side the whole time, and squeezed in just as the door to the meditation room closed.

"Mother, I'll be waiting for you behind the screen."

She stood behind the screen with her round eyes wide open, quietly watching Mingying.

She seemed to have anticipated something, as if if she looked at her mother a few more times, her mother would not leave.

Mingying was taken aback, genuinely not expecting her to follow her in. She suppressed the stinging sensation in her nose and turned her head away from looking at her.

"Wait for Mother outside, okay? I'll be right there." Her voice reached Pei Yu'an's ears through a plain floral curtain and a screen, instantly sounding somewhat muffled and hoarse.

Pei Yu'an shook his head and refused: "I don't want to, I just want to wait inside."

Mingying had no choice; if she were forced to leave now, it would surely arouse suspicion among those outside.

She gently lifted the plain curtain and saw a small shadow on the ground. Lifting it further up, she saw Pei Yu'an's serene and fair face, and felt a fleeting pang of pain in her heart.

With her knuckles slightly bent, she lowered the curtain, refusing to let her heart soften any further.

She listened to the rushing sound of the waterfall cascading down the mountain behind her, like a white rainbow, like a torrent, flowing endlessly into her ears, and something seemed to surge within her body.

Take a leap forward, and you will be reborn.

Down the mountain, someone was waiting for her, as arranged.

Pushing open the back door, a cool breeze from the empty valley rushed up, causing her clothes to flutter and making her shiver slightly.

The meditation room was built on high ground, and it was not a common road leading to the path. To jump from here onto the path, one had to climb down using that towering old banyan tree as a stepping stone.

She quietly closed the door, took off her fox fur cloak and threw it on the cliff to her right, then pulled off the pearl hairpin from her hair and threw it down.

Then, she tied the hem of her skirt with a ribbon, struggled to climb a winding, thick tree branch, lowered herself, and repeatedly tested the height. When she let go, she stepped on the moss, and her ankle felt like it was being pricked by thousands of needles.

She gritted her teeth and limped along for a while. Sure enough, a deep ravine blocked her way. The water crashed against the rocks, and the roar filled her ears. She jumped in and swam towards the end...

—

The wait had been quite long, and the people outside the meditation room were getting impatient, worried that something might have gone wrong, and were about to go in to find out what was going on.

Pei Yu'an suddenly said, "Mother, the lock you gave me still has a bell on it, it rings when you move it."

The maids and servants were relieved to hear the mother and daughter still talking, but Xiao Hui pressed against the door and urged, "Miss, please hurry up, the road down the mountain will be difficult if we go too late."

After a while, the sky became completely dark, and the servants finally became anxious.

Pei Yu'an lowered his head, touching the longevity lock, his expression composed, as if he were longing for something.

She stood up and cried out as the shadows outside the window swallowed the candlelight.

"ah!!"

The guards outside rushed in immediately, "Miss, what's wrong?"

Pei Yu'an, unaware of what had happened, had already walked behind the screen. Pointing to the door that had been blown open a crack by the wind, large tears fell from her eyes: "Sister Xiao Hui, my mother jumped down, she jumped down!"

Xiao Hui panicked and opened the door. She saw a garment lying on the edge of the cliff not far away. It was Ming Ying's cloak.

The servants panicked, thinking that Mingying had fallen off a cliff.

—

He climbed out of the stream, having swum for an unknown amount of time.

Exhausted, Ming Ying crawled onto the road with only her unwavering belief.

The path was covered in moss and overgrown with weeds.

Summer nights are full of insects and ants. Fearing that her plan would be discovered and someone would chase after her, she limped forward by the faint moonlight. One of her feet stepped on a soft object, and a tearing pain shot through her calf.

She didn't care whether she was bitten by something or not; she frowned deeply, rolled up her skirt, and ran forward.

In the darkness, the sound of the wind filled her mouth, leaving her throat dry, fishy, ​​and with a hint of rust.

After running for an unknown amount of time, we finally turned onto the main road, where a shimmering lake lay ahead.

After descending the mountain via this path, she looked east and west across from the path leading up the mountain. She saw torches burning on the mountaintop, perhaps indicating that she had been discovered, as those people had begun searching for her everywhere.

She felt dizzy, her legs were weak and powerless, and she kept tasting a metallic sweetness in her throat, realizing that she had just been bitten by a poisonous snake.

By the shimmering moonlight, leaning against a tree, I saw two bleeding red spots on my calves, with the surrounding skin swollen and black.

She tore her skirt with a pebble, then tore off a strip of cloth and tightly wrapped it around the wound to prevent the poison from spreading.

Just then, a lone boat drifted into the center of the lake as promised.

She saw the sparks on the fishing boat and was so excited that she coughed violently twice.

She and her brother had long ago been communicating by kite, which he sent out day and night to patrol the area.

It was dark all around. The boat circled the lake once, but still didn't see anyone, so it decided to leave.

Mingying knew in her heart that things were not good. If the ship left like this, she would probably be taken back tonight.

She tried to scream, but the terrifying scream attracted the people behind her who were trying to capture her. She tried to struggle to get up, but perhaps because of the snake venom, her legs were as weak as a puddle of mud.

The only thing they could do was grab the pebbles around them and throw them one after another into the center of the lake.

At first, only a few tiny splashes of water were stirred up in the center of the lake, and no one noticed the unusual noise.

She used even more force and threw a stone a great distance.

A stone struck the edge of the boat, and the people on board were stunned for a moment. Seeing things falling into the water, they looked back.

"It looks like someone's there."

"Let's go down and take a look."

Two beams of fire shone down on the tree in the shadows.

These two men were Shen Mingshu's capable subordinates, and they were ordered by him to guard this area. The area had been calm for the past few days, but tonight they discovered something amiss and dared not be negligent, so they disembarked to investigate.

Mingying threw dozens of stones, finally attracting the attention of the people on the boat.

The two men approached with torches and saw a woman leaning against a tree. The torches illuminated her face.

"Are you alright, young lady? Please get on the boat quickly."

Finally, someone arrived. Mingying's fingernails were covered in mud, and her palms were scratched by the sharp edges of the stones. She noticed something flowing from the corner of her eye and finally let go of the last bit of strength.

After being helped onto the boat, she lay down on the simple boat, feeling her body drift away on the river. The moonlight, like white frost, shone down and enveloped her tightly, and warmth spread through her body.

Her vision was still blurry; she couldn't see the moon in the sky or hear the rushing water.

All I remember is that tonight the moon is full, and the flowing water is like a mountain river pouring down.

—

On the other side, the Pei residence was brightly lit.

Upon hearing the news of Mingying's fall off the cliff, Pei Xiaoyun felt his blood surge and, leaning on his desk, coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Blood splattered on pristine white paper was a horrifying sight.

He quickly rode his horse to the White Horse Temple. Tonight, the entire mountain where the White Horse Temple is located was engulfed in flames, as bright as day.

Below the cliff beside the meditation room lies a deep, cold pool, its depths unfathomable. The water meanders and eventually flows into Taiping Lake on the outskirts of the city. From there, the water flows to the ferry terminal, which is a network of waterways that connect to all corners of the country.

His men had already gone deep into the icy pool to retrieve the person, but one group after another went down without finding anything.

The maids and servants who followed Mingying were terrified that their lives were in danger, and they cried their hearts out.

Pei Xiaoyun staggered into the meditation room, her arm hitting the door frame with a loud thud, yet she felt no pain.

He seemed to be controlled by something, acting crazy and mad all the way, his eyes bloodshot and terrifying.

He ordered his guards to drag the maids and servants away and punish them severely.

"Father, hurry and find Mother, Mother jumped down." Pei Yu'an held the cloak left behind by Ming Ying, sat on the ground and cried, his face covered with tears.

Seeing Pei Xiaoyun arrive, she anxiously reached out to take his hand, "Father, please save Mother!"

The dim candlelight in the meditation room made Pei Xiaoyun dizzy and her forehead throb; it all felt unbelievable, like a dream.

Her condition had been slightly improving, so she came to Baima Temple to offer incense. How could she have fallen off the cliff? How could this have happened?

He doesn't believe it!

The first guards to report to him said that the young lady had seen it with her own eyes.

His gaze fell on Pei Yu'an's face, and then up to a pair of clear eyes brimming with tears. He held her cold little hand, his voice hoarse and trembling, "An'an, did you see clearly? Did she really fall off the cliff? Did she jump off by herself?"

Pei Yu'an hugged him and cried, nodding haphazardly as he recounted the whole story of what had happened at the White Horse Temple that day: "...Mother gave me a lock. We were about to go back when Mother said she had a stomachache and needed to come here to change. I waited for her behind the screen, but Mother told me not to go over. I waited for a long time, and she wouldn't pay attention to me when I tried to talk to her. When I went over, I saw her open the door and jump down... Mother lied to me. She said she would take me to buy candied hawthorns when we got back to the manor. She lied to me..."

Pei Xiaoyun was completely disoriented. The swaying shadows on the ground were like menacing ghosts, tearing a hideous crimson hue into his eyes.

“Bring them in,” he said.

Several maids covered in blood were dragged in, kowtowing and crying, "Master, spare us! Master, spare us! We didn't watch the young lady properly, it's all our fault!"

Pei Xiaoyun didn't have time to pay attention to them. He asked Pei Yu'an to repeat the whole story again, and then asked the maids if that was true.

Xiao Hui, who was leading the group, kowtowed until her head was bleeding. As if she had remembered something, she nodded vigorously: "What Miss said is absolutely true. When I was outside, I only heard Miss's voice and did not hear Miss's voice. After a while, I heard Miss shout. We rushed in and saw Miss standing at the back door, crying and saying that Miss had fallen off the cliff. I went to check immediately and found that Miss's clothes were indeed lying on the edge of the cliff."

If a person falls off a cliff, they certainly won't survive. How could these maids possibly survive?

Pei Xiaoyun waved his hand impatiently, ordering his men to drag them out and continue their punishment. As the door to the meditation room closed, he slumped onto the cushion in a daze.

He felt like he was dreaming, drained of all his strength by this thunderous news.

At this moment, another group of guards who had gone into the water to retrieve the person came to report that they had not seen any trace of the person.

Pei Xiaoyun hung her head, her chest heaving, her mind in turmoil. Suddenly, she pulled Pei Yu'an, who was crying beside her, into her arms.

"An'an, I remember, you liked it most when your mother was with you."

His cold voice whispered in the little girl's ear: "Did you really see your mother jump down? If she didn't fall off the cliff, or if she went somewhere else, I'll go find her immediately and bring her back so she can stay with you forever. Tell me, did you really see her jump down?"

-----------------------

Author's Note: [Let me see]