Chapter 98: Ending with deep gratitude.
She is not dead.
Even she herself didn't expect it.
At the foot of the Hanxue Peak is a vast sea of yellow roses decorated with an ice silk array, brilliant and dazzling, stretching endlessly.
She opened her eyes hazily in the fragrant mountain breeze at dawn.
The yellow rose petals swirled, carried high into the sky by the howling mountain wind, and fluttered around her.
She was too lazy to pay attention to it all.
Suddenly, a crosswind blew out from between the two peaks.
She was like a light kite, caught in the wind, easily turned over, and turned involuntarily.
On the shady side of Hanxue Peak lies a dense forest that blocks out the sun. Huge trees reach high into the sky, their crowns shading each other.
She fell from the treetops layer by layer, banging all the way down, and finally hit something with a "bang".
When I woke up again, it was dark again.
She didn't know how long she had been unconscious.
All I knew was that I was stuck in some dense brush, my back against a broken tree trunk, my legs tucked into some low hydrangeas.
The blue-purple hydrangeas, their petals falling in clusters, were splashed with her blood, a cruel beauty.
She was gasping for breath, her throat dry and aching, her body covered with wounds from the scratches of thorny branches, the wounds gaping in the air, clinging to scattered leaves.
She tilted her head back and was surprised to find that her cervical spine seemed to be uninjured.
A little lucky, but also tired.
Why aren't you dead yet? It's already like this, it's better to die.
In a daze, she opened her eyes a little and saw a golden forsythia swaying gently in her sight under the starry night sky.
The scene seemed familiar.
She didn't know where she had seen it before.
Suddenly, the small forsythia flower that looked like hope overlapped with a picture in her memory.
It was at that time that she thought she was about to leave the mountain with Song Yaojie, and she had a dream while lying in Shuyuzhai.
This was the scene in her dream. She fell from an unknown height, crashing into a dense mass of leaves, snapping and breaking. She leaned against the trunk, unable to control the hot, fishy-sweet substance surging from her throat.
She coughed with difficulty, and sticky and sweet blood spurted out of her mouth, pooling in her collar and slowly soaking the clothes in front of her chest, leaving a large hot area.
That was how it was then.
So much blood, so many wounds, dense forests, night, stars, and winter jasmine.
At that time, in that dream, she vaguely felt someone reaching out from the leaves beneath her to embrace her. Two steady, reliable arms held her tightly in their embrace, and he sighed in her ear:
"Jiaojiao, don't worry, wait for me for a moment."
"I won't leave you here alone."
So this is what the dream was like.
Where is Gu Huaijin now?
Now he must want to leave her here alone.
She didn't even know who to hate.
Her throat felt dry as if it were being cut by a knife. The poison from the seven-wood scent had not yet worn off. The pain was as if a worm had drilled into her ear and was gnawing at her brain.
If you're going to die, do it quickly.
She closed her eyes in resignation.
Suddenly, there was a rustling sound near her ears. She didn't know if it was some kind of wild animal, but she didn't care anymore.
Mist Blade: "Did it fall here?"
She opened her eyes tiredly.
Wu Dao pushed aside the thigh-high grass, stepped over, and squeezed into the hydrangeas in front of her.
The corners of her lips curled slightly: "Han Xuefeng, you didn't come?"
Wu Dao scratched his head and straightened the hairpin in his hair. "It's so high up there, it must be tiring to go up. I was just trying to trick you. I'm actually waiting for you at the foot of Chaoyao Peak."
It's not that she didn't expect it, but she didn't even have the energy to scold him.
"That guy named Gu was supposed to go down to Chaoyao Peak for a meeting today, so I just waited. If it's you who came down, and he hasn't come down by the time the meeting starts, I'll lead you out of the mountain through the secret passage. If he still goes down to Hanxue Peak by the time the meeting starts, I'll reveal your identity to him and tell you to stay on the mountain. Things have changed and people have changed, and you'll be living a life worse than death."
She smiled when she heard that.
"However, I didn't expect anything to go wrong," Wu Dao said. "He has come down from Hanxue Peak, but he's seriously injured and near death. He can only exhale, not breathe in. He probably doesn't have much time left."
"When he came down, I saw that his left chest was stained with blood." Wu Dao hugged his shoulders and smiled, "You really haven't been moved. I underestimated you before, Nan Qiong Shuang."
She laughed at herself.
"After he came down, he urgently summoned all the elders in the mountain to a meeting, without even having time to go to the meeting hall. I followed him and eavesdropped." He grinned, revealing a row of neat, sharp teeth.
"Do you know what the mountain is going to do with you now?"
She dropped her eyes.
"The crocodiles on Lianlei Terrace have been released, and the Shishui Prison has opened its deepest salt cave just for you. The entire mountain is under martial law, even the entrances have been adjusted, and everything has been raised a hundred feet. Damn, it was already high enough to begin with."
"And what's more, the entire mountain is searching for you. Not to mention the mountain gate, Chaoyao Peak, and Muxueyuan, but even the Ice Silk Formation at the foot of Hanxue Peak, a place normally inaccessible to even gods, has been searched inch by inch by several people with exceptional light skills. It's said that after searching the Ice Silk Formation, the next step will be to search every tree and grass on the cliffs of Hanxue Peak. Damn, they're treating you like a mountain goat."
"The old men in the meeting hall were arguing furiously. Some said you should go to the Lianlei Platform for trial first, some said you should go to the Shishui Prison first to avenge Tianshan's vengeance, and some said there was no need to go to the Lianlei Platform, and that they should just have that guy named Gu take the poisonous whip and torture you in public."
Her eyelashes trembled weakly like a dying butterfly.
"So what did he say?"
Wu Dao: "He didn't express his opinion."
She bit her lips hard until they bled, but she smiled.
"Then let's go quickly." She panted, smiled and raised her head. Now it hurt for her to breathe, but she took a few deep breaths. "Gu Huaijin also knows the secret passage we want to take. He will definitely send people to guard it immediately. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave."
Wu Dao smiled meaningfully:
"Don't you want to know what's going on with that guy named Gu?"
Her voice was hoarse as rusty iron:
"He wants to torture me, why am I still thinking about him?"
"He has a special physique. This time, it's not your fault." Wu Dao embraced her with such force that she felt so much pain that her vision went black. "His heart is on the right side."
Nan Qiong Shuang was speechless: "Right?!"
"I heard it in the meeting hall. Furthermore, their Tianshan School's method of controlling pearls is unique. When you struck him with your sword, the energy within him collided with each other, and he probably fell into a state of suspended animation for a short period of time."
She was extremely tired after listening to it, so she leaned in Wu Dao's arms and closed her eyes.
Wu Dao had already led her into the secret passage that Gu Huaijin had taken her through during the Qiqiao Festival the night before.
He snorted, "It's damn dark. Didn't you walk past him once? How did you get there?"
She hissed impatiently, "How would I know? Wasn't it you who contacted the informant?"
"Think of a way." Wu Dao said, "You can't get out. Think carefully about how he left."
She was too lazy to argue with Wu Dao, and touched the cold stone wall beside her in frustration.
When I touched it, I felt a shallow, thin, straight indentation.
The position was not high, and she was held in Wu Dao's arms, just enough to touch it.
That was when Gu Huaijin, who was twelve or thirteen years old, was naughty and mischievous. He sneaked down the mountain without telling his father, the head of the sect, and carved it out bit by bit.
Why do I still have to rely on him at this time?
She smiled bitterly for a moment and said, "Just follow this dent and you'll get out."
Then, he tilted his head back on Wu Dao's shoulder and fainted.
*
In the days that followed, she continued to recuperate in the Gate of Rebirth.
The mission on Tianshan Mountain was her fourth since entering the Gate of Rebirth. Logically, as long as she completed this mission, she only needed to complete one more mission to redeem herself.
However, although she got the Mountain Guarding Jade Plate, she failed to take the life she was supposed to.
Wu Dao argued with Wangshengmen for a long time over this matter, saying that it was the Intelligence Department's incompetence and it could not be blamed on her.
They taught her that the monthly salary she could receive was closely related to her success or failure, and in this matter, the two were in the same boat.
After pleading so much, the monthly salary of both of them was raised by one level, but the Review and Records Department only counted her as having completed half of the task.
As long as she had more monthly wages, Wu Dao didn't care whether her mission was completed or not. He gratefully agreed to it on her behalf.
She didn't dare to cause trouble at the Judicial Office alone, so she had no choice but to accept it.
Recuperating in her dormitories, her days were ordinary and routine. Once you get used to a place, no matter how comfortable you are elsewhere, after just two days you'll feel like you've been back a long time ago, and all the things that happened before will be forgotten.
She thought the Tianshan Mountains covered with fallen petals and Gu Huaijin drinking and playing chess under the blossoming trees were all just a dream.
After waking up from the dream, all the past is forgotten.
She is also Nan Qiongshuang, the invincible one in the Wangsheng Sect.
Later, it was vaguely heard that Gu Huaijin was extremely ashamed after this incident and could no longer bear the burden of the Young Master. He wanted to step down and choose someone more virtuous. However, perhaps because there was no more virtuous person on the mountain, everyone tried to persuade him to return to his original position.
Then, I heard that he hated her so much, so deeply that he cried blood, cursed, and his eyes were bloodshot. In order to kill her, he hollowed out the entire Tianshan Mountain, turned it upside down, and even used his connections in the underworld to issue a nationwide wanted notice.
Over three hundred martial arts schools received his portrait, causing a stir in the martial arts world. Word of mouth quickly spread, and her pseudonym, a reduplicated character, became a popular anecdote among the wise and the eccentric.
Even when Wu Dao went out to buy a few trays of buns, he heard the bun shop owner solemnly say to his daughter, "Hey! As a woman, you must be respectful and kind. Don't dare to imitate that evil woman surnamed Chu!"
After hearing this, Wu Dao laughed so hard that he couldn't stop, and came back to learn from her with a beaming face.
She listened to it, found it interesting, and just laughed it off.
Perhaps, she really loved him in the past, but time passed so long that she forgot about it.
She is good at losing, she can let go of everything and forget everything.
Later, it was heard that he had suffered a heart attack and was dying, so he finally gave up the position of Young Master and went down the mountain to look for her. He vowed that he would not give up until he found her, and would go to the ends of the earth and crush her to dust.
She listened with even less emotion—she wasn't afraid of being hated, only of being loved. While Gu Zhi was grumbling and sniping in the rumors, she lived her days peacefully within the Gate of Rebirth, playing cards and chess with colleagues who had some free time after returning from missions.
Sometimes she lost, sometimes she won. When she lost, there were always a few nosy friends who liked to ask her about her private matters.
Once, she happened to meet Mo Jiao from Qi Sha Tang returning home. She had been unlucky that day and had lost a lot of money. She could not afford to pay it back, so she agreed to let Mo Jiao ask her a question.
Mo Jiao: "After so many years and so many missions, is there a man who left a deep impression on you?"
She was fanning herself with a white folding fan at the time. Upon hearing this, she touched the edge of the fan with her fingers, and rubbed the fan surface.
"No."
"What if you have to tell me one?"
The fan reminded her of a man, so she answered, "Li Xuanbai."
"What do you like about him?"
Wu Dao wasn't good at playing cards; he was too dumb to remember the cards, but he loved to join in the fun at the card table. When he heard the name, he threw his head back and burst into laughter, "Was he the one you loved back then?"
People will be attracted by the mention of Paradise Hall. Men will be envious and women will be curious.
Everyone waited with bated breath.
Nan Qiongshuang looked at the fan back and forth - her fan was much simpler than Li Xuanbai's. His was made of mother-of-pearl and was radiant and colorful.
After thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with an answer, and finally responded vaguely:
"...I think it's because he has a carefree personality. He forgets what he should forget and lets go of what he should let go of." She fanned herself with a fan, "Just like me."
This answer did not convince Mo Jiao.
Mo Jiao still wanted her to pay compensation.
That month, she squandered all the money she had and was really broke.
Forced to do so, she looked around her room and finally noticed a small package she had thrown in the corner.
She put the small bag in her sleeve before coming down from Tianshan Mountain, for future use.
If I remember correctly, it was when she said she wanted to go down the mountain that Gu Zhi packed everything for her.
It's been so long.
Ever since she heard that he hated her, she had hardly thought of him again.
She calmly opened the inconspicuous bundle that was covered with dust in the corner.
Take out the things inside one by one.
A wooden bracelet with a secret compartment. The left-hand side held a poison needle, the right-hand side held a thin iron blade. It came with a piece of paper detailing how to use it. It was a precaution for her, fearing she didn't know martial arts and wouldn't be able to defend herself.
It was enough money for her to use for three years. At that time, he thought she was going down the mountain to say goodbye, so he asked her how many years it would take for them to get married. She casually answered two years.
She still remembered that time when he hugged her from behind and sighed:
"So soon. ... If you're not satisfied, feel free to come find me at Tianshan anytime."
She was too lazy to think about it and continued searching.
The rest was a pile of letters. I told her in detail which letter to take to whom if she was sick; which letter to take to whom to ask for help if she was bullied; which letter to take to whom to take to whom to ask for help if she felt she had no one to rely on; and which letter to take to whom to ask for help if she was in danger.
She dug it all out in one gulp.
The rest were hairpins, earrings, necklaces, pearl flowers, and other items he had chosen for her at some point in her life. Without exception, they were all made of jade.
Why are they all made of jade?
She vaguely remembered that he had specially picked a jade comb for the Qiqiao Festival.
At that time, she didn't understand, and he smiled and said, "My selfishness."
By the way, his courtesy name is Huaijin.
She scoffed.
Without love, tokens of love are just junk. Now this pile of jewelry means nothing to her or him.
Further down, at the deepest part of the bundle, was a smaller envelope.
Although it was an envelope, it seemed empty when I held it. Two round objects were moving around inside. The envelope was held at an angle and piled up in the corner.
She tore open the envelope.
Inside was a pair of small earrings. The beads used were solid inside and hollow outside, exquisitely cut and translucent, shimmering and reflecting a dazzling array of light.
She thought for a while before she remembered what these two strange little beads were.
His natal pearl.
Her hands began to tremble slightly.
He closed the small envelope, took it in his hand and looked at it. It was signed:
Friend, Gu Huaijin.
Only then did she realize that all the letters and all the signatures were from - friend, Gu Huaijin.
She burst into tears in panic.
At this moment, she finally remembered that at that time, he thought she wanted to leave the mountain and did not dare to express his love to her.
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