Chapter 43

She hurriedly pulled out a life-extending pill from her bosom, carefully pried open Xi Yu's teeth, and fed it to him. Her voice was broken and intermittent due to the immense emotions she was suppressing: "Senior brother... your internal organs are severely damaged. Ordinary medicine might... I'm afraid..." She bit her lip sharply, drew her dagger, and without hesitation, cut a deep gash in her arm. Warm blood gushed out instantly. She seemed not to feel the pain, and brought her arm to Xi Yu's lips, letting the blood drip into his mouth.

Yunwu watched silently from the side, tears mingling with the dust and blood on her face, rolling down like broken beads.

After barely managing to feed her the blood, Xi Xiao hastily bandaged her wound, her face pale from blood loss. Suddenly remembering something, she looked around, a strong sense of unease rising in her heart, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where's Qingfeng?"

Upon hearing this, Yunwu's pent-up grief finally broke down. She covered her face and sobbed uncontrollably, "Brother... Brother... he's gone..."

Xi Xiaoru was struck hard, her body swayed violently, and she stood there blankly, her eyes quickly becoming bloodshot and red. It felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word. A huge sense of grief and helplessness almost overwhelmed her.

After a long silence, she took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her almost collapsing emotions. She shoved the rope-tethered grappling hook she had tied into Ling Zhouling's hand, raised her face, and her tear-filled eyes shone brightly. "Ling Zhouling, can you take my senior brother and Yunwu out first?"

Fearing he would refuse, she quickly added, "Along the way, I prepared many highly effective medicines and wrote many simple treatments for emergency injuries. Those things... might... might be able to help you."

Ling Zhouling did not immediately reach for the rope. He simply stared at her, his gaze complex and unreadable, a torrent of emotions churning within him. After a long while, he finally spoke in a low voice, hoarse and tinged with an indescribable sense of bitterness and understanding.

"good."

Yunwu's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but Xi Xiao's extremely stern gaze silenced her, and even her sobs were forced back into her throat.

Ling Zhouling quickly locked onto a section of the mountain wall to his side that appeared to be the most solid and had not yet completely collapsed. He exerted force in his wrist, preparing to throw out the rope attached to the grappling hook with all his might.

"Boom!"

A deafening roar, as if the sky itself had shattered, suddenly erupted. The mountain in front of them shattered from the inside, and countless huge chunks of earth and rocks rained down like a torrential downpour, crashing heavily into the abyss below with immense force, stirring up a cloud of murky dust that instantly obscured all vision.

Their last chance for survival was completely severed and vanished before their very eyes.

Heavy footsteps came hurriedly from behind, treading over gravel and mud.

The group turned around abruptly and saw Pei Yun approaching step by step. The hem of his black robe was torn by gravel, his face was almost transparently pale, and there was a trace of blood left on the corner of his lips. He looked extremely disheveled.

However, what was most unsettling were his eyes, which churned with an intense, unyielding malice, as terrifying as the deepest night before a storm.

Xi Xiao couldn't help but tremble all over. Now, every time she saw this face, even if it was exactly the same as her former senior brother's face, it would trigger her strong physical disgust and fear. It was like being stared at by a snake or scorpion, and the suffocating feeling of being haunted by a demon was making her almost collapse.

She suppressed her discomfort, but before she could speak, Pei Yun's gaze had already fallen on Xi Yu, who was barely breathing in her arms. A cold and cruel smile curled at the corner of his lips, and his tone was full of undisguised mockery and gloating: "His internal organs are all shattered, he won't live for many more days."

Upon hearing this, Xi Xiao's anger surged instantly, but before she could retaliate, Pei Yun's gaze abruptly turned back, locking onto her firmly. Deep within his eyes, something extremely intense seemed to be surging wildly, almost bursting out of his pupils.

His voice was low and deep: "Your witch blood can at most keep him alive for a while. Once his internal organs are completely exhausted, he will surely die."

His certainty sent a chill down Xi Xiao's spine. She grabbed Xi Yu's wrist again, pressing her fingertips urgently against it. However, the more she probed, the faster the color drained from her face. Despair washed over her like ice water; the life force within him was rapidly ebbing away…

Large tears rolled down her cheeks again without warning. She suddenly hugged Xi Yu's cold face tightly, pressing her forehead against his lifeless forehead. Helpless sobs could no longer be suppressed and broke out from the depths of her throat.

Seeing her in unbearable pain, Pei Yun clenched his hands behind his back, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood dripping from between his fingers, but he was completely oblivious. The burning jealousy in his heart was almost destroying the last shred of his reason.

He forcibly suppressed his almost out-of-control emotions and spoke in a deliberately calm tone: "The Lingzhou royal family has a secret sacred medicine called 'Millennial Flesh Buddha'. Extracting its essence and juice, just one Gu can forcibly extend the life of a severely damaged person... for two years without any ill effects."

Two years? ...Only two years left?

Xi Xiao suddenly raised her tear-blurred face, her movements pausing for a moment. She hugged Xi Yu tighter, then slowly, almost as if her soul had been ripped from her body, she mechanically turned her head, her voice devoid of any emotion, and coldly asked, "What... are your conditions?"

Upon hearing this question, Pei Yun's taut jawline seemed to relax almost imperceptibly. He tried his best to make his tone sound calm and indifferent, attempting to make the transaction seem businesslike: "If we get married, he can live."

"No!" Almost the instant Pei Yun finished speaking, Ling Zhouling blurted out instinctively!

Pei Yun's gaze suddenly swept towards him, the killing intent contained within it undisguised, as if if Ling Zhouling dared to utter another word, blood would immediately splatter on the spot.

Ling Zhouling was stunned, not understanding why he had subconsciously tried to stop him. By the time he pursed his lips in annoyance and wanted to say something, it was too late.

Xi Xiao's icy voice rang out without any hesitation, as if she had already weighed the options: "Let Yunwu leave safely, and never harm her in any way."

“Okay.” Pei Yun’s reply was so quick that there was almost no pause.

"Let Ling Zhou return safely to Beijiang, and do not set up ambushes or assassinations along the way."

"Okay." She agreed without the slightest hesitation.

“He Song must not be punished… I don’t want to see any more unrelated people die…” Xi Xiao’s voice was filled with deep exhaustion. She pressed her forehead against Xi Yu’s cold forehead again, and then fell silent, as if she had exhausted all her strength.

"I will grant your request." Pei Yun's voice softened slightly, even carrying a hint of... reassurance? He stepped forward and, without a word, reached out to pull Xi Xiao up from the ground. At the same time, the Xuan Yu Guards, who appeared silently behind him like ghosts, immediately stepped forward and skillfully restrained Xi Yu, Yun Wu, and Ling Zhouling respectively.

"Let me go, girl, you can't agree to him!" Yunwu struggled, crying and cursing.

"Ling Zhouchong, you took advantage of my vulnerability!" Ling Zhouling's angry shout was drowned out.

The next moment, the Xuan Yu Guards grabbed them without hesitation and leaped off the bottomless cliff.

The screams were ripped apart by the sound of the falling wind, but the expected annihilation did not occur. At intervals along the cliff face, a Xuan Yu Guard lay in wait, like wedges driven into the rock, expressionless yet precisely catching the falling individuals. Using ropes and ziplines that had been pre-arranged, they smoothly and quickly transported the person to the next rendezvous point in a few leaps. The entire process was as fluid and swift as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times, without a trace of danger.

*

Inside Zhaoyang Palace, the fragrance of incense wafted, yet it couldn't dispel the invisible oppression. Xi Xiao, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, the layers of silk gauze weighing heavily on her body, sat before a mirror, her reflection showing an unusually serene face.

Occasionally, palace maids would hurry past outside the hall carrying groceries, their excited conversations interspersed throughout, each note hinting at an impending happy event, a stark contrast to the deathly silence inside the hall.

Xiangmo stood silently to the side, her eyes occasionally glancing at Xi Xiao, trying to discern a trace of emotion from her overly calm face. Seeing that she remained silent, Xiangmo glanced towards the palace gate before lowering her voice considerably: "Miss, Young Master Xi is out of danger and has woken up at the Marquis's residence. Miss Yunwu has also safely returned to the valley. News has come from Beijiang that the Young Master has arrived safely..."

She chattered on and on, casually sharing good news as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Xi Xiao suddenly spoke, her voice calm and detached: "Xiang Mo, there is no need to worry. I will not try to kill myself like before. If there is nothing else, you may leave and rest."

Xiangmo's face showed obvious difficulty. Her lips moved, but she swallowed back the words of comfort and replied softly, "Yes."

Just then, a palace servant cautiously reported from outside the door: "Miss, Young Master Qin is outside requesting an audience."

Xiangmo's eyes suddenly darkened, and she instinctively wanted to step forward and refuse.

Xi Xiao interrupted her calmly, saying, "It's alright. Young Master Qin is an old acquaintance, and His Majesty knows him. Please invite him in." Her tone was unreadable, as if she were simply stating a trivial matter unrelated to herself.

Xiangmo paused, then moved to the beaded curtain and called out, "Please invite Young Master Qin into the hall." A palace servant lifted the curtain, and a tall, slender figure shrouded in gloom stepped in. His face was no longer as nonchalant as before, but instead filled with a terrifying gloom, and the veins on his forehead throbbed slightly with suppressed anger.

Xiangmo's alarm bells rang loudly. She was about to signal the palace servants to quickly inform His Majesty when Xi Xiao's cold voice rang out again: "Xiangmo, go to the outer room and keep watch. I have some old matters to discuss with Young Master Qin in private. No one is allowed to approach."

The order was not to be questioned. Xiangmo froze on the spot, lowered her head and eyes, and replied with difficulty, "...Yes."

Yin Huaisi stood in the hall, his chest heaving violently, and he almost spoke through gritted teeth: "Xi Xiao, was it your doing that the Xie clan members were involved? Do you know that my grandfather was almost killed by them today? Now they have settled in the capital, clearly intending to fight the Qin family to the death. Are you satisfied now?"

Xi Xiao did not reply immediately. Instead, she stretched out her slender fingers and gently pressed her meticulously combed sideburns. Then, she picked up the warm ram's horn comb on the dressing table and slowly and methodically combed a strand of ink-black hair at her chest. Her movements were elegant but exuded a cold indifference.