Chapter 6: Falling off a cliff. She is my wife, so how can you still care about her? ...
Although this dagger was forged for coffin opening, it is quite difficult to operate.
Furthermore, the sharp edge of the blade could easily scratch the fingertips of the wielder. Zhu Haocai used the dagger to pull out the steel nails from the corners of the coffin lid. Her hands were already covered in blood, her strength nearly exhausted, and her chest heaving violently with her panting.
Fang Xu, with her exceptional hearing, noticed something was amiss with Zhu Hao and advised, "Why don't you take a break, Miss Zhu? It's still a long time before sunset, isn't it? There's no need to rush."
Zhu Hao seemed not to hear anything. With the sound of fine iron cracking, she pulled the third steel nail out of the coffin.
The coffin lid had four steel nails embedded in each corner, but only one remained. The dagger had broken in two from the prolonged force. The dagger blade was already small and thin, and now that it was broken, it was even more difficult to pull the last nail out of the coffin.
But how could she afford to slack off? The horror of falling off the cliff still lingered in her mind. Zhu Hao hadn't seen who had pushed her into the burial cliff, but that person couldn't bear to see her alive. If he returned here and saw her alive at the bottom of the cliff, he would inevitably want to kill her again.
She couldn't wait.
Fortunately, the hole in the dagger's blade remained intact. Zhu Hao discarded the remaining dagger, which had no hole drilled in it. She then tore a ribbon-like piece of cloth from her skirt and wrapped it around the sharp edge of the dagger. Holding the blade through her clothes, Zhu Hao tried to avoid further scratches on her hands. She aligned the holes in the coffin nails with the dagger's, clenching her hands and applying force simultaneously.
Zhu Hao was exhausted, with cold sweat on her forehead and blood dripping from her hands through her clothes onto the coffin. However, Zhu Hao gritted her teeth and refused to back down. Her face was pale and her lips were colorless. Only then did she see the steel nails slowly being pulled out of the coffin.
"Madam Fang, please push open the coffin lid yourself."
After saying this, Zhu Hao removed the cloth strap from the dagger and wrapped it around his wrist.
Only the sound of wood rubbing against each other could be heard, and Fang Xuyin pushed open a corner of the coffin lid from the inside.
The spring sun shone into the coffin, and Fang Xu felt a burning pain in his eyes, but he saw birds flying in the blue sky chasing the wind, which was so free and unrestrained.
A black shadow approached in front of me, and I could no longer see any flying birds. Only the broken blade was left at my throat.
Fang Xu, lying in her coffin in her wedding attire, had a bloody wound on her forehead, much like Zhu Hao's. Though plain-looking, she had a pair of dimples when she smiled, and her round, adorable eyes made her look like a delicate, pretty girl.
Fang Xuyin: "It's understandable that Miss Zhu is wary of me, but how can I light the flag flower in this state?"
Zhu Hao held the sharp blade in his hand, and she sneered, "Simple, let me try."
Fang Xuyin's expression remained calm, and she showed no sign of panic even in the face of dire circumstances. She reached towards her boots and pulled out a flag flower, handing it to Zhu Hao. "Pull out the fuse at the end of the flag flower to light it."
Zhu Hao took the flag flower and suddenly noticed a flaw. She said bluntly, "Wait a minute, I fell off this cliff because of a conspiracy. What if I light the flag flower and the person who reached the cliff first wasn't Second Master You, but the villain who pushed me off? If I get into danger, I'll have to ask Madam Fang to take my place."
Fang Xu remained silent after hearing this.
Zhu Hao asked, "Second Master You, how long will it take to get here after lighting the flag flower?"
Fang Xu remained silent for a while, although her lips were moving.
The sun gradually set. Fang Xu was no longer afraid of Zhu Hao's broken blade against her neck. She suddenly struggled to break free from the shackles and stood up like a trapped beast in the abyss. Although Zhu Hao had said many harsh words before, he kept pushing the blade back.
There was a loud bang behind him. Zhu Hao wanted to find out what was going on, but Fang Xuyin, who had just come out of the coffin, pulled him to the other side.
Before Zhu Hao could stand firmly, she saw a rock rolling down from the cliff, hitting the coffin and the place where her general was. The loud bang resounded through the sky, and the coffin and several pieces of thick wood fell to the bottom of the cliff.
"Congratulations, girl!"
Zhu Hao understood and pulled out the live wire of the flag flower in his hand.
The fireworks shot straight into the sky, and in the air above them burst out gilded smoke bundles with lotus patterns.
Zhu Hao was secretly sarcastic in her heart. She was still hesitating whether to light the flag flowers just now, but unexpectedly, disaster came first, saving her and Fang Xu from worrying about it.
Due to the force of the rock, broken stones on the cliff kept falling. The two men looked up and saw a figure passing by on the cliff. It was short and plump.
The burial cliff is narrow and not conducive to hiding, not to mention that a thick tree can hardly bear the weight of the rocks. If rocks fall one after another, she and Fang Xuyin will have to be buried together on this cliff.
Given the current precarious situation, the only way to save oneself is to negotiate with the instigator on the cliff. Even if the negotiations fail, delaying the matter for a while is still a good option.
But that person didn't want to give Zhu Hao and Fang Xu a good opportunity.
A roar pierced the clouds and split the rocks in my ears. A rock nearly ten feet high crushed a crooked tree on the cliff. The tree continued to roar as it rushed straight towards the two people at the bottom of the cliff.
…
The sky and water are one color around the pond in the courtyard, and the lotus in the pond is fragrant.
Song Xieqing lay leisurely in the misty small pond, his clothes floating on the rippling water. Bored, he flicked the water with his finger, and saw ripples everywhere. A koi was about to jump into the clear pond. Song Xieqing flicked the water again, and the green light condensed from the water droplets bounced the koi onto the shore. The fish's golden scales shone as it flapped its tail. Song Xieqing raised his sleeve and flicked it lightly, causing waves in the pond, and then he pushed the koi back into the clear pond.
Chi Xing displayed the mirror's reflection before Song Xieqing and sighed, "If you, Lord Xieqing, don't lend a hand, your newlywed wife might die on the precipice."
Song Xieqing yawned and teased, "It's you, Chi Xing-jun, who knows Zhu Hao is my wife, so why do you treat her so favorably? This is not in accordance with etiquette."
Chi Xing clapped his hands and said with a smile, "Is Xie Qingjun jealous? If so, how could he have the heart to let Madam Zhu suffer such a disaster? If her mortal body falls off the cliff, I'm afraid it will be difficult to escape unharmed."
"Before she left, I told her that life and death are determined by fate, but she was so righteous that she had to die for someone she had only known for a day." Song Xieqing had an ambiguous smile on his face. "I have a thousand ways to prevent her from reaching Xigao, but what's the point? After this, there might be Zhang Xuyin, He Xuyin, and Jiang Xuyin. If she doesn't hit the wall and experience this kind of pain, who knows where she'll end up next time?"
Chi Xing sighed, "Xie Qingjun, Madam Zhu has now hit a wall and endured such hardships. Now you see..."
"No," Song Xieqing said calmly, closing his eyes. "Of course. If Chi Xingjun wants to save her, I won't stop her. If she survives this ordeal, she'll know how to conduct herself in the future. If she dies, it's fate, and I won't let her down."
Chi Xing knew very well that Song Xieqing was a man of his word. As he said, Zhu Hao was his wife. If Song Xieqing was determined to stand by and watch, how could it be his turn to save her?
The mirror showed two mortal women at the end of their rope. Fang Xuyin missed her step. If Zhu Hao hadn't entangled the silk ribbon around her wrist and held her hand tightly, Fang Xuyin would have plummeted down the cliff along with the rocks. Zhu Hao was in a similar situation, clinging to the last inlaid log with one hand, her feet pressed against the cliff face for support, barely managing to stay alive.
…
Fang Xu was about to fall from the wind as her feet were hanging in the air. "Miss Zhu... if you let go, you can probably hold on longer."
"Madam Fang, you're so stubborn. Look at your tearful face. You're clearly afraid of death. Why are you spouting these empty, righteous words? If you beg me, or tell me about your plans with Mr. You, I might be able to keep you company for a while."
"I wish you well, so you are not afraid of death?"
Zhu Hao was a man of few words. He sniffed and then said, "I have no elders or children, so what do I have to fear?"
Fang Xuyin's cheeks were indeed covered with tears, but she was not the only one with them. Wasn't Zhu Hao just as bad as her?
Zhu Hao shed tears like rain, not to mention it, but poured them all over her, and in the end, she was the only one who was afraid of death...
She was very clear-headed and stubborn as a bull.
She originally wanted to expose Zhu Hao's shortcomings, but seeing her crying so sadly, Fang Xuyin had to give up.
Zhu Hao sipped softly and said, "The person on the cliff no longer needs to roll the stone. I might as well tell you that I can't bear it anymore..."
Suddenly, the two men saw something like a thick rope falling from the cliff. When they saw it clearly, they were shocked.
Dozens of vipers fell from the top of the cliff, and one of them happened to land on Zhu Hao's neck. Her whole body trembled and her pupils shrank sharply. As her screams resounded throughout the valley, the two of them fell off the cliff together.
…
"Xie Qingjun." Chi Xing smiled, a hint of amusement on her lips. "Did you know there was a pool under the cliff? If so, why did Xie Qingjun pretend to be so heartless?"
Song Xieqing glanced at the magic mirror, his expression calm. "A hundred years ago, I passed by Xigao. There was indeed such a pond at the foot of the cliff, but it has dried up in recent years." He paused, then said with sudden realization, "Perhaps it's because I caused enough rain to fall in Huaicheng a few days ago, and the pond is full of water..."
Chi Xing didn't comment and continued to look at him with a smile.
Song Xieqing didn't hide. He met Chi Xing's pointed gaze and said, "Besides, the two of them simply changed their method of death, from being torn to pieces to drowning. What Chi Xing said... makes it seem as if I would save her."
Chi Xing: "I didn't say that."
Song Xieqing was exhausted, his eyes twitching with fatigue. He waved his sleeves and said, "How long are you going to stay? Do you really want to see them both die with your own eyes? Forgive me for not accompanying you. I haven't had any rest for a long time because of her matter. Now is the perfect time. I'm free. You should also come here less often. I like quiet time."
Seeing that he had ordered them to leave, Chi Xing also felt bored. He turned around to leave when he suddenly heard the sound of rolling waves behind him and water droplets splashed on him.
Chi Xing turned around and saw Song Xieqing falling into the clear pool, looking extremely embarrassed.
He couldn't help but laugh, hiding his smile with his fist, and pretended to be concerned and asked, "Why are you so careless, Xie Qingjun? How can a mere wind-moving technique stump Xie Qingjun?"
Song Xieqing was soaked. He pushed aside his hair and asked abruptly, "Is she dead?"
Chi Xing was confused: "Who is it?"
"Good luck." He bent his knuckles slightly and asked again, "Is she dead?"
Several koi fish were rejoicing in the pond, but Song Xieqing seemed to sense some kind of ridicule. He dissolved the ripples in the pond, leaving the koi fish struggling in the dry pond.
"It's been nearly half an hour. Madam Zhu has already suffered internal and external injuries. I think..."
Song Xieqing turned his magic into a mirror and saw Zhu Hao and Fang Xuyin being rescued to the embankment by a man in a lotus green robe. Only then did Chi Xing see him breathe a sigh of relief.
In the illusion, Zhu Hao's face turned blue, deathly aura lingered around him, and his chest was still. He was at the end of his strength.
There were no signs of life at the foot of the cliff, and the weeds were overgrown with smoke. How could I possibly find a doctor? I was afraid Zhu Hao would have died on the way to the city.
Song Xieqing had no choice but to use his spiritual sense to temporarily protect her heart.
Chi Xing jokingly said, "You're so reluctant to let go in the end?" He raised his hand and filled the pond with water. "The little koi demon you raised in the pond is quite interesting."
"Is it hard to leave?" Song Xieqing's brows were sad. He pulled his clothes to reveal his face. "It would be fine if I could just die...but I can't die, and I can't live."
Chi Xing's pupils trembled with shock as he saw a curse thread like thorny vines appearing around Song Xieqing's neck. He wondered, "Weren't you married to her? If so, the divine prayer should resolve itself. Why would a divine punishment be bestowed upon you?" He couldn't help but ask, "How did you and Madam Zhu...get married? Did you perform all the necessary rituals for a couple?"
Song Xieqing smiled but didn't smile at all, and asked in a deep voice, "What are you referring to?"
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