Chapter 13 Collapse "Now... their fate is unknown."...
The night was already pitch black, but the rain showed no signs of letting up.
Jiang Liuyun has not returned since he left.
Xiao Jiang returned to his room and sat in the dark for a long time before getting up, finding a candlestick, and lighting it.
The tiny candle flame was insufficient to dispel the darkness filling the room, and the noisy rain made the already empty house seem even more deathly silent.
Suddenly, the sound of water came from the bathtub in the quiet room.
Xiao Jiang held up the lamp and approached the bathtub. "What's wrong?" she asked, only to find her voice was already a little hoarse.
The merman raised his icy blue eyes and gazed at her.
In the candlelight, the handprint on one side of her cheek was clearly visible, with tear stains that had not yet dried. Her light and thick eyelashes were stuck together with tears, and her usually bright light golden eyes appeared dim because they were lowered.
Why be sad? The merman was puzzled. Humans were such sentimental and fragile creatures, and he didn't like seeing her like this.
Xiao Jiang thought his wound was hurting again. Most of the time it was quiet; if it weren't for the wound, it would rarely make a sound.
However, the pain-relieving herbs came from Jiang Liuyun, and she couldn't bring herself to ask him for them right now.
A hand suddenly touched her cheek.
To be precise, it was a cold, soft, webbed hand.
The burning pain on my cheek subsided immediately.
Xiao Jiang stood blankly outside the bathtub, forgetting what she wanted to say, just staring wide-eyed at the merman.
The moment their eyes met, the candlelight illuminated their faces, and they could see the flickering flames in each other's eyes, their gazes intense.
The merman's expression remained calm, even indifferent, but Xiao Jiang saw herself reflected in his eyes—firelight ignited on the clear blue lake, reflecting the figure of the white-haired girl.
The girl's eyes were filled with confusion; she seemed surprised by his actions.
But soon, she grasped the hand resting beside her face, the human's warm, dry hand covering its cold, damp one, her cheek gently rubbing against its palm. The merman's heart trembled, as if a feather had brushed against it, sending a tingling sensation through his entire body.
For some reason, I found myself somewhat reluctant to leave this warmth.
...
It was as if the sky had leaked, the rain pouring down relentlessly. A whole night passed, and Jiang Liuyun still hadn't returned. In the past, when he was going to spend the night at the temple divining, he would always tell her beforehand so she could go to sleep early. But this time was different; before leaving, he didn't leave a single word.
As soon as it got a little light, Xiao Jiang put on his raincoat and rushed out the door.
The road outside had been soaked by rain all night and was already muddy. Xiao Jiang was uneasy and silently recited the Swiftness Spell, but the effect of the Swiftness Spell in the rain was also reduced. Dragging his muddy shoes, it was difficult for him to walk fast.
Footsteps hurried past her, splashing mud and water all over her as they stepped into potholes. The group seemed even more rushed than she was, focused only on running forward, oblivious to whether they had splashed the children on the roadside.
Xiao Jiang was only focused on finding Jiang Liuyun, so she didn't have time to be angry or settle scores with them.
She arrived at the temple first, only to find the shaman on duty. Xiao Jiang asked the shaman, but was told that the priest had not returned after leaving yesterday, nor had he stayed overnight at the temple.
But where else can we go if Father isn't here?
Suddenly, the image of the hurried people she had met on the road flashed through her mind. Xiao Jiang recalled the fragmented conversation she had overheard the previous night, and a bad feeling began to surface. She asked the shaman, "Did anything happen in the village last night?"
The shaman looked up and thought for a while before slowly saying, "There is one thing. Last night, the mine that the group of outsiders were working on collapsed. They said it was because of the heavy rain."
He continued to ponder, "In that case, it's very likely that the priest has gone to the mines."
When he turned around, the little girl was nowhere to be seen in front of the door.
When Xiao Jiang arrived at the mine, a group of people had already gathered on the flat ground outside the entrance.
The throng was teeming with people—outsiders and villagers alike, men and women, young and old, tall and short, fat and thin… Xiao Jiang searched again and again, but couldn't find Jiang Liuyun. She squeezed into the crowd, afraid that Jiang Liuyun was being blocked by someone else. Some people were arguing and shouting, others were wailing and crying. Xiao Jiang felt it was all unreal; she just wanted to find Jiang Liuyun and go home with him.
Finally, someone in the crowd spotted Xiao Jiang, the priest's youngest daughter, who was squeezed in the middle of them.
The clamor gradually subsided, and people parted to make way for her. Xiao Jiang saw that the collapsed mine shaft was filled with rubble and mud, and people were shoveling soil and rocks out one after another. The clan chief and the middle-aged man with the strange expression stood in front of the shaft.
Xiao Jiang asked, "Where's my dad?"
The clan chief's face was also very grim. He hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Liu Yun, he went in last night to save someone..."
"Now... their fate is unknown."
How is that possible?
Xiao Jiang felt like her brain was a rusty gear, barely able to turn. She couldn't understand why the world had suddenly changed. Her only remaining relative was gone; he had been cooking at home just yesterday, and her life had been happy until last night. But her home had collapsed along with the mine.
Why did she have to argue with him last night? If they hadn't argued, would he not have gone?
Her vision blurred, and Xiao Jiang blinked, only then realizing that large tears were rolling down her cheeks. She sniffed, wiped her face haphazardly, and headed straight for the mine shaft.
Seeing this, the clan chief quickly pulled her out and sternly reprimanded her, "What are you doing! Don't be impulsive, what are you doing going in there as a child!"
Seeing that she wasn't making a fuss, the clan leader's heart softened. From last night until now, even if the people in the mine were lucky enough not to have been hit by falling rocks, such a long period of confinement would have made their chances of survival slim. He understood that Jiang Liuyun most likely couldn't have survived.
The priest only had this one daughter, and it would be pitiful for her to be all alone in the future. He kindly advised, "The mine is at risk of collapsing again at any time. Liu Yun is already in such a state. If something happens to you, how can I explain it to Liu Yun?"
"open."
There was no struggle; the little girl in her arms spoke in a calm voice that didn't sound like a child who had just learned of her father's tragic death.
The clan chief did not let go; he could not allow her to act recklessly.
He was a burly middle-aged man. Although his position as clan chief meant he didn't have to work as hard as the others in the village, he still did some manual labor when he wasn't busy with official duties, so his muscles remained strong and powerful. But the little girl in his arms pried open his arms, which were tightly wrapped around her, with just one hand, as if they weren't strong arms, but two pieces of wood.
Ignoring the clan chief standing there in astonishment, Xiao Jiang walked into the mine, picked up an unwanted shovel, and began clearing away the rubble buried inside, shovel by shovel. When she encountered large rocks that were difficult to shovel with the shovel, she even moved them by hand.
Her strength amazed everyone, but as they saw more and more rocks being cleared away, the people who were working in the mine and those who were crowding outside the mine suddenly realized what was happening and began to help.
Now that things have come to this, further sorrow and arguments are pointless; the only important thing is to clear the mine as soon as possible. "She's not even as good as a little girl," someone thought to themselves.
Xiao Jiang wasn't thinking about anything else; she was only focused on the huge pile of rubble in front of her, clearing it little by little until she could see the situation inside the cave.
Several mangled bodies were cleared from the rubble. Some of the people waiting outside the cave recognized them as their relatives and rushed over to wail. Other bodies that no one came to claim were temporarily placed outside the cave.
From day to night, they dug until all the rocks blocking the mine shaft were cleared.
There were no survivors in the mine, nor was Jiang Liuyun there.
After the last large rock was moved, the person underneath was a miner from the Qin family.
After seeing the face of the last victim clearly, Xiao Jiang's tense mental state suddenly relaxed, and the fatigue and hunger that had been forcibly suppressed finally came over her.
The villagers who were working together breathed a sigh of relief—thank goodness, there was no priest.
This is probably the only good news in this tragedy.
Someone was about to congratulate the silent girl when they turned around and saw her collapse as if all her strength had left her.
Everyone rushed to check on her condition. Her breathing was normal; thankfully, she had only fainted.
After a whole day of cleaning, the little girl seemed tireless, digging from one end to the other, leaving the hardworking villagers in awe. Previously, most people in the village kept their distance from her because of her unusual appearance, but now they had to admit she was admirable.
Some quick-footed people picked her up and went to find the temple's witch doctor, while others carefully helped her put away the white piece of clothing she was clutching tightly in her hand.
When I woke up again, I was in a temple.
Xiao Jiang struggled to open his eyes and saw only the intricate cloud and wing patterns overhead. The air was filled with the comforting scent of mugwort, a smell that Xiao Jiang was very familiar with, as it often emanated from Jiang Liuyun.
Thinking of his father, many images flooded Xiao Jiang's mind, from the argument on the rainy night to the corpse in the mine, flashing back like lightning.
My arms felt sore and weak when I got up, which showed that those scenes were not dreams, but reality.
Someone pushed the door open and brought in blinding sunlight, which Xiao Jiang shielded his eyes with his hand.
Has the sky cleared up yet?
The person who came was Qingdai. She had changed out of her heavy shrine maiden attire, and her simple dress made her look light and lively. "You woke up so soon. I thought you wouldn't wake up until tomorrow."
Perhaps because he had been lying down for too long, Xiao Jiang had a terrible headache and asked, "How long have I been asleep?"
"You've been unconscious for two days."
Two days... Xiao Jiang could hardly believe that two days had already passed. What had happened in these two days?
"My father... has he come back?" Xiao Jiang asked expectantly.
"...Are you hungry? Wait a moment, I'll go to the kitchen and get you some food." Qingdai pretended not to hear and turned to leave.
Xiao Jiang felt a pang of sadness; she understood. In truth, she didn't need to ask. If Jiang Liuyun returned, the first person she would see upon waking would definitely not be Qingdai.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
