Chapter 66 As dawn broke, a head rolled into Xue Chan's arms.
Jiang Ce was dragged along by Xue Chan, but she was already seriously ill and then suddenly suffered a misfortune, so she was barely holding on by sheer willpower.
Xue Chan tripped and fell to her knees.
"Can you keep going like this...?"
Xue Chan smiled and stood up, clinging to his arm: "I'm fine."
Jiang Ce saw that she was extremely weak and had great difficulty speaking even a single sentence.
He simply grabbed Xue Chan's hand, hoisted her onto his back, and ran away.
Xue Chan glanced at the already setting moon, quickly calculated, and estimated that it would be dawn in a little while.
"It's almost dawn..."
The leaves rustled in the trees, indistinguishable from the sound of their pursuers or the rustling of birds. The next instant, a huge black shadow darted out of the forest.
Before Xue Chan could react, Jiang Ce spoke in a low voice.
"hold me!"
He mounted his horse, embraced Xue Chan tightly, and leaned down to the horse, saying, "Lvmei, our survival depends on you."
She struggled to turn back; it was a mountain stream, with extremely steep slopes on both sides. If they failed to cross, they and their horses would fall to their deaths.
Having said that, Jiang Ce gave a low shout, spurred his horse out of a ravine, and entered a mountain path.
Xue Chan's fever returned, and her body and mind felt as heavy as if they were submerged in water. She could see very little, but she heard a horse neigh and leap across a rushing stream.
They flew over.
We should be almost down the mountain by now, as the bumpy ride has lessened considerably.
Jiang Ce comforted her, "Don't be afraid, we'll escape soon. Get a good night's sleep, and when you wake up, we'll go back—uh!"
Xue Chan felt Jiang Ce's body stiffen for a moment, then let out a muffled groan.
"What’s wrong with you!"
Jiang Ce still didn't let go, carrying Xue Chan as he rode at full speed, hurriedly replying to her, "I'm fine, I just got scratched by a tree branch."
Xue Chan didn't quite believe it.
She half-embraced his shoulders, and gradually, warm, sticky blood stained her hands, confirming that Jiang Ce was injured again.
Xue Chan didn't say anything to distract Jiang Ce, but suppressed her tears, forced herself to stay focused, and tried to increase her burden. She could only hold him tightly, as if only in this way could she slightly comfort herself that she wasn't alone.
She fell into his arms.
Jiang Ce raised his hand and touched Xue Chan; her body was burning hot, and she had started having a fever again.
There was the sound of a blade cutting through the wind.
Another group of people took a detour and caught up with them, surrounding them.
Jiang Ce pulled Xue Chan into his arms, then used his flute to block the attack. The blade shattered the flute and struck Jiang Ce's shoulder.
He smoothly slid the back of the blade and twisted it onto the other man's wrist. With a single twist, the longsword fell into Jiang Ce's hand. Then, holding Xue Chan, he spun around on his horse, kicked away another man's blade, and caught the sword while the man was in pain.
Blood mixed with sweat caused their hands to slip, and Xue Chan was thrown out.
"Xue Chan!"
Immediately, someone rushed towards her. Just as the blade was about to fall, Jiang Ce dismounted, caught her, and blocked it with his sword.
The blades clashed, sending sparks flying.
Jiang Ce was attacked from behind. He heard two muffled thuds, and the person behind him fell to the ground, unable to get up. It was someone who had spun their blade and killed the opponent for him.
While he was at the Taoist temple, there was always someone who relentlessly pursued him, pressing him step by step, but always holding back and refusing to kill him.
Jiang Ce brandished his sword and pointed it out: "Who exactly are you?!"
The other party didn't answer, but instead brandished his knife at Xue Chan. Jiang Ce, disregarding everything else, hurriedly protected her. But the man was merely feigning an attack, using the opportunity to retreat and escape.
The people on the other side also came down.
Jiang Ce kicked up another knife, now he had two knives in his hands.
Taking advantage of the brightening sky, and seeing that the two people on the ground had been easily and seriously injured, he did not rush forward, but gradually surrounded him and Xue Chan.
Jiang Ce cautiously held his knife and slowly protected Xue Chan as they retreated, and the two sides were briefly locked in a stalemate.
Xue Chan felt blood splattering everywhere, flesh flying everywhere. She clenched her hands, trying to stay awake, at least not to faint and completely burden him.
Jiang Ce's hand flashed with silver light as he spun his blade in an attack.
He killed one of the men, then used his limbs as weapons to injure several others.
Jiang Ce pressed his advantage, killing two more men. He severed arms and shattered bones, his eyes bloodshot as he broke the encirclement.
However, he was already injured and had been running around anxiously all night, so he was already showing signs of exhaustion.
Every moment of delay means less energy.
In a moment of carelessness, he swayed.
Xue Chan was highly perceptive; though she couldn't see clearly, she sensed killing intent emanating from Jiang Ce's embrace. She slightly raised her face and saw the long sword behind him, which was about to be raised high.
Get out of the way!
After being pushed away by Xue Chan, Jiang Ce avoided a fatal blow from behind.
Xue Chan fell to the ground as a result and was struck head-on.
Although she avoided it, she was still scratched.
"Xue Chan!" Jiang Ce, who had seriously injured one of his men, stepped forward and kicked away the long sword that was about to fall to the ground.
He blew a whistle and called out loudly, "Green Eyebrows!"
The sound of horses neighing arose as dawn broke.
A white horse suddenly charged in, its hooves kicking high, even injuring two people.
"Take her away!" Jiang Ce forcefully threw Xue Chan onto the horse's back, and the white horse carried Xue Chan through a gap, rushing straight out of the encirclement.
Jiang Ce held two swords in his hands, slightly out of breath. He was already covered in blood, his light blue robe soaked through, the stains spreading outwards. Only the blood running down the back of his hands and along the blades was bright red.
He exhaled and smiled slightly as he wiped the knife on the sleeve of his arm.
"Do your superiors overestimate you scum, or underestimate me?"
The remaining two or three were also so frightened that they dared not step forward, but simply gripped their knives tightly.
Jiang Ce sneered and charged forward with his sword drawn.
A silver thread flashed, and his neck was half severed. Blood spurted out, splattering all over his face. The other man tried to flee, but Jiang Ce flashed in front of him, severely wounding him to the ground. The tip of the knife pierced his heart, sinking nearly halfway in.
He half-kneeled, gripped the hilt of the knife, and twisted it twice. The man beneath his blade was now a ghost. The blood soaked into the soil, but eventually it could no longer seep further, and instead flowed out in streams.
Jiang Ce stood up, turned his back, and gently drew his sword, causing another splash of blood.
He suddenly turned around, as if remembering something.
He was only distracted for a moment and failed to notice in time, and the person he had beaten seriously rushed up again.
Jiang Ce was unable to completely dodge. Although he avoided the long sword piercing his heart, it still struck his shoulder and back heavily. The blade cut deep into his flesh, as if it had sunk into his spine, forcing him to kneel down.
Jiang Ce gritted his teeth, spun around, snatched the knife, and swung it backward. He raised the long sword high and brought it down heavily.
The man's head was severed and rolled down the grass.
The pain in his shoulders and back made it almost impossible for him to stand. He knelt down for a moment, only managing to stay upright by sticking his long knife into the ground.
He gasped for breath in pain, almost numb from the agony, and looked up at the sky.
Xue Chan was carried down the slope by Lü Mei. She tried her best to hold on to the reins and use her horsemanship skills, which she had only learned in half a day, to control herself and avoid falling off the horse. But someone else caught up with her.
She was knocked off her horse, fell heavily to the ground, and rolled away.
The blade was pointing straight down.
Xue Chan's heart had stopped. With the whistling sound of wind breaking through the air, the man's movements also stopped.
An arrow pierced the throat, killing instantly.
As the arrow pierced the man in black's throat, Xue Chan's vision turned crimson, and sticky blood splattered all over her face.
She instinctively closed her eyes, feeling the slippery, warm blood dripping down her brow bone, nose, and jaw.
Xue Chan trembled as she opened her long eyelashes, which were covered in blood, to look.
What saved her life was an arrow.
One side of the arrowhead was stained with blood, while the other side had a beautiful flower pierced through the fletching, blooming brilliantly. The person on the ground had their neck pierced, their eyes wide open, staring intently at her.
The sky was just beginning to brighten.
On the hillside, Yu Lang, seated high on his horse, exhaled and lowered his longbow.
"Xue Chan!"
She heard a call and turned around tremblingly.
Jiang Ce stood on the hillside, holding a long sword. His light blue robe was stained with a dark crimson, and his whole body was soaked in blood.
Xue Chan's eyes were blurred with blood, making it difficult for her to see clearly.
Something rolled down the hillside, crushing the dew-kissed flowers and blurring their red spots.
The thing rolled into Xue Chan's arms. She caught it instinctively, looked down, and met a pair of unseeing eyes.
Ah... it wasn't a hydrangea after all.
It's a human head.
Jiang Ce charged down with all his might.
Xue Chan's hands and clothes were covered in blood, her face was deathly pale, and she retreated in great fear.
Jiang Ce was not a bloodthirsty or ruthless person, but he had long been accustomed to such things.
He hid the knife behind his back, but it was impossible to hide it properly. The corpses and limbs scattered all over the ground, the still-lingering blood mist, and the heavy stench of blood were all right in front of him.
Xue Chan seemed to only come to her senses at this moment. She tremblingly raised her hand, looked at her hand which was already covered in scarlet blood, and frowned slightly.
It seems she... also had hands covered in blood.
When was that?
She doesn't remember.
In a daze, I heard someone crying out, "Don't leave me! Don't abandon me!"
Fragmented images flashed before my eyes, also covering my body and hands.
The morning breeze rustled their clothes, and the evening light shimmered on the ground, gentle and beautiful.
Jiang Ce took two steps forward: "Xue Chan..."
Xue Chan slowly raised her head. She was somewhat confused. Looking around, she saw only corpses and limbs scattered all over the ground, along with blood, flesh, and organs.
Her whole body trembled uncontrollably as she tried to avoid Jiang Ce. She shook off the head in her arms and fled from him. She had only run two steps when she tripped and fell to the ground, her hand revealing half an arm beneath her.
She then covered her face and let out a shrill scream.
The only sound on the entire hillside was Xue Chan's heart-wrenching cry, which startled the birds into flight.
Jiang Ce abandoned his sword and slid down the slope to his knees, catching Xue Chan as she fell. He pulled her into his arms and covered her trembling body with his large robe.
But the person in his arms struggled unconsciously, as if she had lost her soul. The pebbles on the ground tore at her skirt and arms, but Xue Chan kept struggling. He could only hold her hands tightly in his arms to prevent her from hurting herself unconsciously.
This struggle reopened Jiang Ce's wounds.
Xue Chan felt scalding blood flowing down her palms and up her arms, as if it were filling her entire body.
She started frantically rubbing her clothes, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get them clean. Instead, she looked as if she had just emerged from a sea of blood, becoming even more grotesque and terrifying.
"Don't look, don't look."
Jiang Ce comforted the distraught Xue Chan. The assassin, who had been seriously injured by him, quietly got up, picked up his knife, and headed towards the two of them.
Xue Chan was only thinking: she wanted to escape, she wanted to escape.
Yes.
Run away immediately!
Run away immediately!
Run away immediately!
She struggled to her feet, shook off Jiang Ce's hand that was trying to grab her, and ran desperately away.
But she was lost and confused, and only ran instinctively, tripping over the severed limbs. She fell face-first into the scattered limbs and crimson blood.
"ah!"
Xue Chan grew increasingly terrified and stumbled towards the stream.
Upon reaching the stream, she threw herself onto the water's edge and saw her face covered in blood. Just like the ghost in her dream, devoid of skin and bone, only flesh and blood.
She wanted to cry, but her tears were terribly dry.
She wanted to scream, but she remained silent, trembling. The unbearable horror unfolded layer upon layer, like a mountain, like a rock, crushing her.
So she lowered her head, let go of her hands, bent over, bent her back, softened her knees, knelt on the ground, and fell into the stream.
He let his body be submerged by the rushing water.
Finally, close your eyes.
Jiang Ce used the knife for leverage to stand up and ran towards the stream.
He pulled her out of the stream and held her in his arms, but the person in his arms was lifeless, as if the spirit that had possessed the porcelain statue had been taken away, leaving only the broken porcelain body.
Clean, cold, and soulless.
Jiang Ce could only touch her blood-covered, pale face with trembling hands.
Xue Chan
Xue Chan
Xue Chan
He called her name again and again, but no one answered.
The wound on his back had reopened, and blood was flowing down his spine.
Jiang Ce felt as if his blood was about to drain away, his vision was constantly blurring, and his clothes were soaked in blood, which flowed into the stream and dyed the stream crimson.
But at that moment, there was such a beautiful glow that it became impossible to tell the difference.
The sound of horses' hooves approached, and someone called their names.
He picked her up, helped himself to his feet, and walked forward.
They fled step by step, one step at a time.
Behind us, the sky was ablaze with rosy light, and the stream flowed gurglingly, like a child singing a lullaby.
The banks of the stream were covered with lush grass and tiny wildflowers.
The scattered limbs and fragments, the sprayed blood, lay splattered on the grass and the blooming flowers. It was as if a playful cat had simply trampled over the colors, spilling them onto this vibrant and vivid painting.
And so the crimson glow of the sunset continued to flow merrily in the winding stream, the fragrant grasses still swayed in the wind, and nimble pink butterflies danced in the glow.
A scene teeming with life, joyful and vibrant.
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