Chapter 70
Don't leave me
A thin mist rose from the mountains, and pale golden beams of light pierced through it, as the sky began to lighten.
Lu Ping stared smugly at Hao Jingshi, observing every subtle change in his expression.
The man who once disregarded her can no longer ignore her. She is going to unleash all her pent-up resentment and make him taste the same unpleasantness.
She wanted to make him grovel and lose all face, to see this arrogant and unruly man obediently kneel at her feet. Just seeing him in such a sorry state would give her a sense of satisfaction.
Seeing that Lu Ping intended to humiliate Hao Jing, Lu Qin stepped forward and stood between the two of them, saying, "Don't even think about it!"
Lu Ping impatiently pushed her away: "I made him kneel to save face for him, otherwise why would I bother arguing with you!" As she spoke, she pointed directly at Hao Jingshi, "I know your temperament. Making you kneel is harder than killing you. However, if you don't kneel today, I will immediately order an arrow to be fired, so that Lu Qin will be pierced through the heart by a thousand arrows. You can decide for yourself!"
After Lu Ping finished speaking, she puffed out her chest, raised her hand high, and gave the signal to be ready.
The assassins all drew their bows to the limit and aimed at Lu Qin. Even from a great distance, the sound of bowstrings being pulled could be clearly heard.
With the arrow ready to be released, Hao Jingshi grabbed Lu Qin and blurted out, "I'll kneel down, please, make them stop!"
Hearing this, Lu Ping was very satisfied. She waved her hand leisurely, and the assassins relaxed, their taut bowstrings straightening again.
"Husband!" Lu Qin suddenly grabbed Hao Jingshi's sleeve. Seeing him bend his knees, she quickly squatted down and put her hands under his knees.
Hao Jingshi was startled, and his legs, which he couldn't stop, landed on the back of her hand.
Seeing her wince in pain, he quickly stood up and took her hand: "Are you... are you stupid?"
"Oh?" Lu Ping was surprised by Lu Qin's actions. She crossed her arms, eager for novelty, and said, "Lu Qin, I gave you a chance to live, why don't you cherish it?"
"Pooh!"
Lu Qin trembled as she patted the mud off her hands, turned around and lunged back, slapping Lu Ping across the face. "You shameless bastard! You think you're so arrogant! You think you're so smug! I'll teach you a lesson for your father, you heartless wretch!"
This slap was delivered with all one's might, and Lu Ping was stunned for a moment, with five finger marks appearing on her snow-white face.
She covered her face in astonishment: "You, you dare to hit me!"
"I'll beat you to death! I'll beat you! Just because you're Consort Fang doesn't mean you're so great! Oh right, I almost forgot, you were kicked out of the Lu family a long time ago. So what if you're the Emperor's favorite concubine? I still look down on you!"
While cursing, Lu Qin slapped her a second time on the other side of her face.
The loud slap echoed through the valley. Hao Jingshi stood frozen in place, still holding hands, leaving even the assassins beside him dumbfounded.
They looked at each other, unsure whether to attack Lu Qin, because Lu Ping had instructed that no one was allowed to approach or shoot arrows without her permission.
Lu Ping was so stunned by the beating that she didn't remember to call for help. Her eyes were wide open, and before she could react, Lu Qin slapped her again.
"I'll teach you to twist the truth! I'll teach you to confuse right and wrong! Your mother mistreated me, didn't give me food, and even poisoned me. When she saw I was still alive, she wanted to marry me off, making my life miserable all the way! What's wrong with killing her? That's exactly what I wanted to kill! I haven't even torn her to pieces yet!"
"And you! There are so many men with two legs, yet you had the audacity to seduce my husband and become a concubine in the Hao family to disgust me! You even had the nerve to play the victim! You even used me to blackmail him! I'll beat you to death!"
"I've had enough! You're not going to let me go anyway, so I'll just have my fill of beating you up first! I can't beat you up in the palace, but you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, so why not give you a good beating!"
"Kill me! Even if you kill me, someone will take care of Father in his old age and see him off in his final days! When Father finds out the truth, he will avenge me!"
Lu Qin slapped Lu Ping's face repeatedly, first on the left, then on the right, quickly swelling it up. Lu Ping was furious, her face turning pale, her whole body trembling, and she screamed, "You're crazy! You're crazy! Die! Die!"
She waved her arm menacingly, signaling the assassin to fire an arrow.
In an instant, dozens of arrows streaked through the air and flew toward Lu Qin. Hao Jingshi's pupils trembled, and he suddenly threw off his bundle and stood in front of Lu Qin, catching the arrows.
Seeing that they were unharmed, Lu Ping turned her head and shouted ferociously, "Fire arrows! Don't stop! Fire arrows! Kill them both, and I will reward you handsomely!"
Hearing her roar, the assassins sprang into action, even splitting into two groups, one targeting Lu Qin and the other Hao Jingshi.
The incoming arrows became increasingly dense, and Hao Jingshi was overwhelmed and gradually became exhausted.
Finally, he dropped the bundle that was riddled with holes, rushed over and hugged Lu Qin tightly, holding her close in his arms.
Lu Qin was tackled to the ground by him, and gradually felt him forcefully pulling her towards the edge of the cliff, and gradually felt her chest being soaked by some liquid.
A bright red color appeared in my field of vision, and I couldn't see anything else.
Lu Qin suddenly felt a chill.
"Jingshi!" She cupped Hao Jingshi's face in her hands, calling his name in alarm. "Husband, don't scare me, husband!"
"Jump..." Hao Jingshi's breathing became rapid as he murmured in her ear, "Hold me...while I still have the strength...I'll cushion your fall...you might...still survive..."
"You, you..." Lu Qin trembled all over, trying to cover Hao Jingshi's wound, but he had been hit by arrow after arrow, and she couldn't cover it at all.
She looked at him, her eyes wide with fury, large tears rolling down her cheeks, choking back sobs.
"Please, please don't leave me..."
"Don't cry..." Hao Jingshi moved his lips with difficulty, mumbling, "The fortune teller said you... have a short life... shouldn't have lived until now... Now I... die in your place... you... live on..."
He spoke incoherently, smiling at her as he spoke.
As she watched him mouth the words "live on," Lu Qin felt a sudden, overwhelming shock, as if struck by lightning.
She thought of countless scenes from the past... He lied to her, that what he was anxious about wasn't the nightmares, but his stubborn desire to break the curse on her, and even now, he was still struggling with it.
She stared blankly at Hao Jingshi's lips, and for a moment, she seemed to hear the voice of a fortune teller.
"The two of you are bound by a deep connection, spanning three lifetimes, and you are deeply attached to each other."
"Three lifetimes? Does that mean we can be husband and wife for two more lifetimes?"
"No, this is the second life. Young lady, take this to the Peach Blossom Temple and tie it to the first tree you see. You can then pray for a reunion in the next life and continue your predestined relationship."
"Alright. Sir, I have another question. What's the meaning of 'deeply attached'?"
"Obsession...what is it...?"
Lu Qin murmured, recalling the old man's words that implied something: obsession, probably a deep affection from a past life, but with regrets lingering between them, so they were unwilling to forget each other; the rest was not convenient to tell.
Second life... regret... ill-fated...
May we meet again in the next life and continue our predestined relationship...
Through her tear-filled eyes, Lu Qin saw Hao Jingshi clearly, and all his words automatically connected in her mind, and she suddenly understood their meaning.
She came into their second life, a life destined to be short and filled with regret.
She kowtowed until her head bled but still couldn't return to her original world, because only by reaching the end of the second life can one enter the next.
...
Lu Qin smiled with relief.
She watched as silvery flakes fell like a torrential rain, arrows flying toward them.
Hao Jingshi's weak breaths blew into her ear, and she tilted her head up to kiss his blood-stained lips.
"My husband, wait for me..."
Lu Qin reached out and touched the edge of the cliff.
She gripped the edge tightly and moved slowly, slowly rolling down.
"I'll stay with you and the children..."
Everything before them suddenly collapsed, and Lu Ping's狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face completely disappeared.
Lu Qin felt herself falling rapidly. She saw patches of blood briefly bloom on Hao Jingshi's body, then drop by drop fell onto her forehead...
He closed his eyes quietly, his body gradually growing cold. Lu Qin held him tightly, watching his long hair fly wildly, intertwining with hers.
It felt as if an invisible hand was lifting up my internal organs...
Lu Qin gradually lost her strength and watched as Hao Jingshi slipped out of her embrace. He and she were like two leaves torn from a branch by a strong wind, falling helplessly to the ground.
Everything flashed before my eyes, turning into afterimages, and the bottomless valley opened its gaping maw.
The wind howled fiercely, filling her ears with a deafening roar, and she seemed to hear...
"I heard that you married a scoundrel and suffered a terrible fate. I feel very sorry for you. Please continue to cry, madam. I have nothing to do tonight, so I will keep you company."
...
"There's no one else here, so let's stop acting. I've had someone brew some medicine, remember to drink it on time, or you'll get poisoned."
...
"Are you feeling sorry for me? No need. Even if it were a dog being punished today, I would still help. Go back and copy your Women's Rules. Don't come crying to me when you can't finish copying them, then I won't be able to do anything about it."
...
"From now on, you'll sleep in the bed, so I don't have to carry you around; you're too heavy."
...
"Lu Qin, you keep saying you have me in your heart, is that true?"
...
"Let me tell you, Lu Qin, I don't care if you're sincere or not! Even if you don't like it, I've already married you. You're mine in life and in death, and I'll bury you with me!"
...
"Actually, this bed isn't small; it can fit two quilts. If we put one in, my wife can lean against me and still cover herself. That's settled then."
...
"Seeing you talking to the children today, I thought that if you become a mother one day, you will definitely be a gentle and loving mother."
...
"I just went to Guantao Temple to ask for a peace charm for my wife, but she didn't appreciate my good intentions."
...
"I love you, Lu Qin, did you hear me?"
...
Her body slammed heavily against the ground with two muffled thuds. The moment she landed, Lu Qin felt limp and weak, as if she had plunged into the clouds, without feeling any pain.
The flying dust stung our eyes, and a clear bird song echoed through the valley.
At the last moment, Lu Qin stretched out her arm with all her might and touched Hao Jingshi's stiff hand resting on the ground.
Suddenly, she seemed to float up, drifting into the sky.
The daylight was so bright it was blinding. The sun had set, right next to her face, and everything in front of her was a stark white.
In a daze, Lu Qin saw Hao Jingshi walking towards her in a panic and heard chaotic shouts.
"how's it going?"
"Don't you have eyes?!"
"Lu Qin, don't die!"
"She moved! She moved! Stop making noise! Come quick!"
"..."
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