Life and death
Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng held hands tightly and ran away in panic in the woods.
The explosions were so deafening, the smoke rising nearly obscured the sky and the moon. The smoke gradually filled the woods, shrouding them in a thin mist. The dense foliage obscured most of the moonlight, making it impossible to see anything.
Although Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng left the dark market, they lost their way in the dense forest. Fortunately, the approaching footsteps behind them gradually disappeared. It was not known whether the killers gave up the pursuit or they successfully got rid of them.
Cheng Yayin breathed a sigh of relief, then began to worry whether they had all gone after Xue Zhi. Although they had bought him a lot of time, she wondered if he would be able to escape in time.
At this moment of distraction, Cheng Yayin suddenly felt something tied up her feet. She immediately lost her balance and fell heavily to the ground, almost bringing Pei Songsheng down with her.
The force wrapped around her feet became tighter and tighter, even dragging her backwards. Pei Songsheng held her hand tightly and struggled with the force. Suddenly, the force pulling her backwards disappeared. Cheng Yayin turned her head hastily, only to see a killer in black holding a chain in one hand and a knife in the other, slashing towards her.
The cold and bright knife light was right in front of her eyes, and Cheng Yayin's mind went blank for a moment.
Pei Songsheng rushed over and used his body to push the killer away. The force of the collision threw him against a tree trunk behind him. The back of his head hit the protruding tree tumor hard, and he couldn't help but groan, as if he was in great pain.
The killer in black failed to hit him, so he got up from the ground and tied one end of the chain around the tree trunk beside him. Then he raised the knife with both hands and was about to chop again, but this time his target was Pei Songsheng.
Pei Songsheng stood up from the ground, holding the back of his head. Facing the approaching blade, he did not dodge or evade. His eyes were fixed on the killer's face that was getting closer and closer. Cheng Yayin burst into a hoarse cry from her throat: "Pei Songsheng, run! --"
Pei Song seemed to be deaf to the sound. Cheng Yayin's feet were tied and she could not move easily. She could only watch with bloodshot eyes as the sharp long knife was about to chop his body. Before she closed her eyes in despair, she saw his right hand slap something on the killer's face with lightning speed.
The blade stopped just inches away from Pei Songsheng's forehead. Pei Songsheng's hand pressed on the killer's face through a layer of black cloth, but the killer seemed to have been hit by acupuncture points, and his whole body stood stiff and motionless.
But within a few breaths, black eyes appeared on the killer's face where he was being pressed down, and then he retreated with a cry of pain as if he was scalded. The thing in Pei Songsheng's hand also fell to the ground. Only then did Cheng Yayin see clearly that it was the heartbreak grass.
The killer's entire face was corroded at a speed visible to the naked eye until only bones were visible, and the rotten flesh fell off piece by piece. He opened his empty mouth and screamed in pain, obviously in great pain.
Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng were both stunned by this horrific scene. They knew that Gelsemium elegans was highly poisonous, but they hadn't expected it to be so toxic, capable of instantly rotting flesh and bones.
The two stared in amazement at the killer's tragic death. Before he fell to the ground, the killer pulled something out of his arms and threw it into the air with his last bit of strength. The object flew upwards, trailing flames, and exploded in the air.
It’s Xinyan!
The killer fell to the ground and was dead, but once the signal smoke was released, a large number of his companions would come soon.
Cheng Yayin was terrified and immediately pulled the chains wrapped around her feet. Pei Songsheng also went to the other end of the tree trunk to try to untie the chains wrapped around there.
But the chain was tied extremely tightly at both ends, leaving no room for maneuvering. The buckle on top was ingeniously constructed, and once it was closed, it would hold tightly, and could not be unfastened by buckling, prying, or smashing.
The locks at both ends could not be unlocked, so Pei Songsheng made a quick decision and picked up the long knife dropped by the killer to chop the chains.
The blade was incredibly sharp, and he had gathered enough strength, so each strike landed precisely on the same spot. But the chain, though barely thicker than a finger, was made of fine iron. Even after Pei Songsheng chopped it a dozen times, only shallow scratches remained. It was impossible to sever it before the horde of assassins arrived.
The chain couldn't be cut, so Pei Songsheng went to chop the tree.
The trunk of the tree was so thick that it took two people to hug it. Although Pei Songsheng had a sharp blade in his hand and had extraordinary strength in the desperate situation, the thin blade seemed so small in front of the giant tree, just like an ant trying to shake a tree.
Cheng Yayin sat on the ground, watching Pei Songsheng's back as he swung the knife.
He was covered in falling leaves, yet he focused on chopping the tree, his movements firm and unhesitating. But Cheng Yayin could sense his growing anxiety. With the murderous intent so close before her, she felt equally overwhelmed.
The knife marks on the tree were getting deeper and deeper, but this small gap was far from enough to shake the entire tree. When Pei Songsheng raised his knife in the faint moonlight, Cheng Yayin clearly saw that the blade was bent, and the place where he held the knife was rubbed with blood.
It's too late.
Cheng Yayin only had this one thought in her mind. The despair in her heart grew deeper and deeper. She thought of the mother she had never seen, and the unfinished storybook. She still had many things she wanted to do. She didn't want to die, but...
Cheng Yayin wiped away the tears that overflowed from the corners of her eyes, suppressed her sobs, and said calmly to Pei Songsheng: "You go, they will be here soon."
Pei Song turned a deaf ear to the sound, and just chopped the tree in a chaotic and disorderly manner.
"If we don't leave now, it will be too late." Fear and anxiety weighed heavily on Cheng Yayin's heart. She could hardly suppress the sobs in her throat. She took a breath and pretended to be calm and said, "Have you forgotten that I am also a killer from the Hidden Sect? They won't kill me if they catch me. At most, they will just take me back and lock me up.
"So go ahead and take the Heartbreak Grass back to Jian Zhu. It's not there to harm you, it's there to save you. If Jian Zhu gives you any medicine to take, you must take it. You can't disobey me just because I'm not here. Even if it's bitter and painful, you have to take it..."
With a snap, the knife in Pei Songsheng's hand broke. Cheng Yayin's tears immediately fell, and she choked with sobs, "Look, this is fate. Don't insist on it anymore."
Pei Songsheng threw away the broken knife and tried to break the tree trunk with his bare hands. The knife couldn't do anything, so how could he break it? So he tugged at the chain connecting the trunk. His hands were already bleeding, and now they were even more bloody. He seemed oblivious to it, gritting his teeth and furrowing his brow, exerting himself in vain. His expression was unremarkable, but his heart was already mired in stubbornness, as if he were wrestling with something.
There was a chaotic sound of wind in the dense forest behind him, and the sound of swords and knives was close to his ears. It seemed that someone would rush out at any time.
Cheng Yayin couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into tears, shouting at Pei Songsheng, "Go away!"
Her face was covered in tears, and her voice was like a broken blade, sharp and broken. "I'm telling you, I'm not your beloved wife at all. I never thought of marrying you. You even asked for a divorce a month ago. We're just a couple who got married later in life, and we're about to die without seeing each other. Wouldn't it be unfair if you died for me..."
She cried so hard that she could hardly breathe. Through the blurry tears, she saw Pei Songsheng clenching his jaw, as if he was enduring something, with no sign of retreat on his face.
Killers emerged from the woods, first one, then a group. Seeing the horrifically dead body on the ground, they all showed horror on their faces. Then they all looked at Pei Songsheng and Cheng Yayin, raised their blades at them, and showed murderous intent.
A killing game is about to begin.
Cheng Yayin stopped breathing when she saw Pei Songsheng pick up the broken knife on the ground and walk towards her.
A lot of the shade from the tree that covered the roof had fallen because of Pei Songsheng's action of chopping the tree just now. The moonlight was shining down, and Cheng Yayin's sight was blocked by Pei Songsheng. She could not see the group of killers, but only saw him holding a broken knife with a broken blade, silently and firmly protecting her in front of him.
Besides helplessness and fear, another stronger emotion rushed into her eyes, causing her to burst into tears again.
In a brief moment, just when Cheng Yayin thought that her relationship with Pei Songsheng was about to end, a few subtle noises were heard in the air, as if something small and sharp had cut through the air.
Immediately afterwards, several killers suddenly fell to the ground, and the others who were about to kill Pei Songsheng also stopped, raised their knives and looked around in confusion.
There were successive sounds of breaking air, and more killers fell to the ground. The remaining killers could see clearly that there was a silver needle stuck in their chests. The fallen killers had purple lips and foam at the mouth, and had obviously died of poisoning.
The hidden weapons came from nowhere, so there was no way to guard against them. The killers held their knives across their chests to block them and looked around vigilantly. Suddenly, a thick smoke came out from above their heads, covering their heads and choking them, causing them to cough uncontrollably and leaving them with no power to resist.
Cheng Yayin and Pei Songsheng looked at everything in front of them in amazement. Suddenly, a burly figure jumped out from the bushes beside them. He quickly picked up the black cloth on the ground, wrapped it up, and patted it into Pei Songsheng's arms, "Keep it."
It turned out to be that Hu doctor.
Cheng Yayin looked at him in a daze. He walked over quickly again, took out a thick needle from his arms and fiddled with the chain on her ankle. With a click, the chain opened.
"Follow me." Doctor Hu whispered this and walked quickly to the other end of the woods.
Cheng Yayin's feet had been tied tightly for too long and she had lost her strength. Pei Songsheng pulled her up from the ground and half-carried her to keep up with Doctor Hu's pace.
After walking through the woods for a while, they saw the faint glow of torches behind the dense trees ahead. Doctor Hu stopped and pointed in that direction, saying to the two of them, "Go that way."
Pei Songsheng led Cheng Yayin a few steps toward the light source. Through the gaps between the trees, they could make out Xue Zhi and the Dali Temple men. Cheng Yayin was overjoyed and was about to thank Doctor Hu when she turned around to find they had vanished without a trace.
She and Pei Songsheng looked at each other, both with confusion in their eyes. Xue Zhi had heard the noise over here and walked over here, pushing aside the branches. When he saw it was them, he couldn't help but be overjoyed.
Xue Zhi looked disheveled, his clothes were burnt and he was covered in bruises, but he was greatly relieved to see that Cheng Yayin and her husband were safe and sound.
He said that thanks to the help of the two men with firecrackers, he escaped from the dark market, but he saw smoke rising above the woods. Worried that something had happened to them, he brought people in to search, but got lost. He was very anxious, but fortunately the two men were safe.
Pei Songsheng briefly recounted what had happened to the two of them. Xue Zhi was horrified when he heard it, and seeing that his hands were covered in blood, he immediately asked someone to escort them to the capital to find a doctor.
Listening to the back-and-forth conversation between the two, Cheng Yayin gradually began to feel certain she had escaped, and a wave of fear washed over her. After Xue Zhi's words, she subconsciously glanced at Pei Songsheng's hands, where blood was still gushing out, dripping onto the ground at her feet.
Cheng Yayin suddenly burst into tears again. She pounded Pei Songsheng's chest with one fist and mumbled, "Why didn't you leave when I told you to? Do you think you're a hero? Do you want me to be in your debt forever? If you die like this, I won't be at peace even as a ghost."
She sobbed as she spoke, and punched Pei Songsheng as if to vent her anger, but her fists had no power, and were not as painful as her tears that burned his chest.
She couldn't stop crying, and Pei Song called out, "A Zheng."
He had intended to comfort her, but this sound only added fuel to the fire. Cheng Yayin cried even louder, "Don't call me that! You don't even know who I am, but you want to die for me? Are you stupid? You big fool, big bad guy..."
She spoke incoherently, not to scold him, but because she was still trapped in the aftermath of panic. Pei Songsheng felt distressed and wanted to hold her hand to comfort her, but his hands were covered in blood and he didn't dare to touch her.
Seeing that Cheng Yayin couldn't stop crying and was out of breath, he glanced at Xue Zhi. He and the people from the Dali Temple tactfully walked away and turned their backs to them.
Pei Songsheng then lowered his head and touched his forehead to Cheng Yayin's, whispering, "A Zheng, it's me."
Cheng Yayin's crying stopped abruptly. She leaned back and stared into Pei Songsheng's eyes. His eyes were calm and steady, enveloping her like a tranquil lake. It was indeed Pei Songsheng.
Cheng Yayin couldn't stop sobbing, "When did you... recover?"
"Just now in the woods, when I hit my head on a tree."
Cheng Yayin looked at him blankly.
In other words, the person who risked his life to protect her was Pei Songsheng.
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