After a lively morning, everyone went back to their rooms for a nap after lunch.
We stayed up until dawn on New Year's Eve, and then got up early in the morning to visit relatives and friends. By then, everyone was so sleepy that they fell asleep as soon as they hit the bed.
The house quieted down, but Chu Qianjin was the only one who couldn't sleep.
The warmth inside the house made him feel suffocated, so he went outside to the balcony to get some fresh air.
He sat on the swing, staring blankly at the pendant his grandmother had given him.
Previously, he could use his family as an excuse to reject Helian Shi, but now that excuse is gone, he is at a loss.
Helian Shi stood not far behind him, watching him quietly.
He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say.
The two of them stayed there quietly for a long time.
The cool wind did not dispel the restlessness in Chu Qianjin's heart. He got up and walked outside.
Helian Shi did not ask him where he was going, but simply followed him as usual.
But this time, Chu Qianjin stopped and spoke calmly:
"I want to be alone for a while, don't follow me!"
Helian Shi remained silent for a moment, and by the time he came to his senses, Chu Qianjin had already walked far away.
He was naturally worried about Chu Qianjin leaving alone, so he followed her from a distance.
At this distance, Chu Qianjin wouldn't notice him, but he would be able to sense if there was danger.
Chu Qianjin walked alone on the village path, head down, stepping on the snow, listening to the crunching sound of the snow being crushed underfoot, her mind blank.
He walked for an unknown amount of time before entering a forest.
When he came to his senses, the surroundings had become somewhat unfamiliar.
Chu Qianjin looked closely for a while before realizing that this should be an old road that had long been abandoned.
The road was paved along the riverbank, but the cement surface had long been cracked and mostly covered by silt stirred up by the river during high tide. The entrance was also covered by a haystack.
A few years ago, the Chu family donated money to pave a new road on the other side, so this small road was even less traveled and gradually fell into disuse.
The riverbanks are all fields, and there are no houses in sight.
In the summer, a few anglers might fish here, but in the winter, especially during the Spring Festival, there's no one here.
If Chu Qianjin hadn't been walking absentmindedly along the road, she probably wouldn't have gotten to this place.
The quietness here eased some of the restlessness in his heart.
Chu Qianjin found a large rock by the river and sat down. The wind by the river was even colder, and it made his face turn red.
Chu Qianjin rubbed her hands together and then covered her face with them.
As it grew darker, he decided to get up and go home so as not to worry his family.
As soon as he stood up, the stone he was standing on loosened, and he slid down.
Fortunately, the river was frozen over in winter, so he didn't fall into the water for the time being.
Unfortunately, the ice wasn't thick, and he slipped and fell; the ice beneath him was already starting to crack.
Helian Shi, who had been following him, rushed over upon seeing this scene, but after seeing that Chu Qianjin was temporarily unharmed, he suppressed the urge to save him.
Chu Qianjin panicked for a moment, but he quickly calmed down.
As long as he lies flat, preventing his body weight from concentrating, and slowly moves off the ice, he should be fine.
Chu Qianjin took a few deep breaths, slowly lay flat and moved her body, carefully shifting to the side.
Helian Shi watched him from afar, paying close attention to his every move. He would immediately appear if he was in danger.
A few minutes later, Chu Qianjin finally got away from the crack.
He slowly rolled over and crawled towards the shore.
However, just as he was about to grab the rocks on the shore, a huge dark shadow suddenly swam rapidly towards him from under the ice.
Upon seeing the dark figure, Helian Shi's eyes narrowed instantly, and he swiftly appeared on the ice.
"Ah Jin, watch out!"
As soon as Helian Shi arrived on the ice, the dark figure suddenly crashed upwards.
The ice cracked, and Chu Qianjin fell directly into the water, followed by Helian Shi.
The river water was exceptionally cold in winter. Chu Qianjin couldn't swim, and her thick clothes only added to her burden after getting wet.
Helian Shi was about to pull him out of the water when the dark figure rushed over.
He was forced to push Chu Qianjin aside to avoid the attack from the shadowy figure.
Only then did he realize that the dark shadow was actually a giant scorpion.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas records: "Mount Beihao is located on the North Sea. There is a beast there that looks like a wolf, with a red head and rat-like eyes. Its cry is like that of a pig. It is called Heju and it eats people."
Helian Shi had seen this strange beast during his search for A Jin.
The scorpion eats people and sucks the spirits of corpses. It often lives on mountains of corpses and cannot swim.
This sniper is so agile and able to move in the water; there must be something unusual about it.
However, Helian Shi didn't have time to think about it now; Chu Qianjin had already drowned, and he had to get him ashore as soon as possible.
Helian Shi bypassed the enemy from behind, put his arm around Chu Qianjin's waist, and quickly swam upwards.
However, the sniper seemed to have its eyes on Chu Qianjin and wouldn't let them leave.
Underwater, Helian Shi's fighting ability was greatly reduced, and he also had to protect Chu Qianjin, so he couldn't use his full strength at all.
The sniper seemed to have noticed this, and only engaged in close combat without launching a direct attack.
It seems they wanted to wait until they drowned themselves before taking action.
Helian Shi frowned deeply, pondering a solution, when suddenly, a reflection from the riverbed caught his attention.
Besides this river surface, this river seems to have other outlets.
Without hesitation, Helian Shi turned around and swam directly to the bottom of the river with Chu Qianjin.
The sniper followed closely behind.
There was only one opening at the bottom of the river, just big enough for a thin woman to pass through, so Helian Shi punched and enlarged the opening.
Once the opening had expanded large enough, he immediately pushed Chu Qianjin through it.
At that moment, the sniper also rushed over.
Helian Shi quickly passed through the cave entrance, but at the last second, his leg was still injured by the sniper's claws.
Blood spread in the water, and the pain made Helian Shi frown, but it did not affect his actions.
He quickly swam upstream with Chu Qianjin and finally broke the surface of the water.
Once ashore, Helian Shi immediately undressed Chu Qianjin, pressed on his chest, and blocked his lips to give him air.
His face was deathly pale from the icy river water, his lips were purple, and his leg wound was still bleeding, but he didn't care about anything else, he just wanted Chu Qianjin to come back to life as soon as possible.
Finally, Chu Qianjin coughed violently, and river water spilled from her mouth.
He gasped for air, the fear of impending death still lingering in his eyes.
Before he could react, Helian Shi grabbed him by the back of the neck, leaned down and kissed his lips, biting and nibbling like a madman.
Chu Qianjin's eyes widened, and she pushed him away forcefully:
"Helian Shi, have you gone mad?!"
Helian Shi hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, held down his hands, and continued the kiss.
He could control himself before, but just now, seeing Chu Qianjin who was not breathing, he panicked.
He couldn't accept Chu Qianjin leaving him again, nor did he want to search for him all over the country again and again.
"Ah Jin, I've gone mad! From the moment I lost you, I've been a complete madman!"
"Ah Jin, I will never allow you to leave me again!"
As Helian Shi spoke, he bit his own and Chu Qianjin's lips hard, causing their blood to mingle together.
Chu Qianjin felt a strange power spreading from his blood to his limbs and bones. This feeling was very awkward, as if he and Helian Shi were intertwined.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com