Chapter 58 Breaking Free (4)
In the dead of night in late spring, the mountain wind carried a chill, scraping across everyone's faces like a dull knife.
After killing Shi Boshan's men abroad with his private bodyguards, Shi Ke immediately took a private plane back to China.
The convoy was forced to stop at the end of the winding mountain road. Heavy snow had blocked the road, creating a vast expanse of white. Snowflakes swirled where the headlights shone, and the convoy exchanged bewildered glances, gasps of surprise rising and falling.
Snow in April? God, are you kidding me?!
"This snow...is not like ordinary weather."
"This is an extraordinary natural phenomenon."
Shi Ke's expression was grave. He stared at the vast snow-capped mountains, his fists clenched. If he didn't go immediately, his daughter's chances of survival were slim. If he forced his way forward and an avalanche occurred, he himself would likely perish there.
Before the discussion had even finished, a servant suddenly pointed to the snow and said, "Master, there's a road there!"
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound.
The mountain path, which was originally buried by snow, now has a straight snow ditch, as if it had been plowed by a giant plow. The edge of the ditch is so smooth that it gleams with a cold light, and it leads straight into the dark depths of the forest.
Shi Ke narrowed his eyes, a strange feeling stirring within him.
Wealthy families are very particular about feng shui and metaphysics. That night, strange phenomena appeared: snow fell in April and a giant plow opened a road.
He couldn't help but suspect that this was related to Shi Mingyue.
Just then, a white shadow swept across the end of the snow gully—
It was a fox.
"A nine-tailed fox..." Someone gasped, their voice trembling, "The legendary nine-tailed fox!"
A fox blocked the way for the convoy, and Shi Ke ordered them to stop: "There must be a reason why a living creature blocks the road."
The fox was pure white, and its nine long tails unfurled in the snow mist like nine flowing silver rivers.
It glanced back for a moment, its amber pupils reflecting the car lights, cold yet compassionate, as if piercing through all the noise of the world.
The fox shadow did not linger; its nine tails swayed gently, and snowflakes fluttered down.
It strides forward, and with each step it takes, the snow ditch extends an inch, like a path of life paved by its own hands.
Shi Ke raised his hand, and the convoy immediately fell silent, their engines humming softly as they slowly followed.
"Stay close to it."
The snow fell heavier and heavier, but the fox's shadow grew brighter and brighter. Its nine long tails intertwined in the wind, forming flowing ribbons of light that guided the way and dispelled the darkness.
Everyone held their breath, even their breathing became soft.
Upon reaching the cave halfway up the mountain, the nine-tailed fox suddenly stopped.
It turned its head, its gaze passing through the swirling snowflakes, landing on Shi Ke's face, and nodded gently.
The next instant, the white light dispersed.
The nine tails rose, the snow mist swirled, and the fox shadow transformed into countless silvery-white specks of light, like stardust scattered by the wind, vanishing into thin air before everyone's eyes.
There were no footprints, no breath, as if it had never existed.
The snow gully remains, and the cave entrance stands silently open.
Shi Ke stood where the light had dissipated, catching the last grain of silver light in his palm.
Shi Ke's fingertips trembled slightly.
He had lived for over forty years and had never seen such a sight.
This silver light was Yun Zhan's last warmth, and also the last lamp she left for Shi Mingyue.
The cave was dark, with only a flashlight beam shining on the damp, cold stone walls.
Shi Mingyue lay on the stone slab, her face ashen, with dried rain stains still on the corners of her lips. She clutched a piece of cloth tightly in her hand, the edges of the black cloth soaked with blood and mud.
In the last second before losing consciousness, Shi Mingyue, with tears streaming down her face, desperately tore a corner off Yun Zhan's clothes—the last proof of Yun Zhan's existence.
The doctor knelt down, inserted the needle into his arm, and slowly pushed the pale blue liquid into his vein.
A few seconds later, Shi Mingyue's eyelashes trembled violently, and her pupils contracted sharply, as if she had been dragged back from the icy sea.
"Miss, your muscle strength is recovering, please don't—"
The doctor's voice was interrupted.
The moment Shi Mingyue opened her eyes, her gaze pierced through the crowd—her father, the doctor, the personal physician… but she couldn’t find that familiar figure.
A tear rolled down her cheek, and she cried out hoarsely, "Yun Zhan!"
The only response was the echoing sound from the empty cave.
Exhausted, her legs went weak from the effects of the drug and fear, and she staggered toward the cave entrance, her knees slamming heavily onto the gravel, blood instantly flowing down her skin.
Sharp stones ripped through her knee, almost exposing the bone underneath.
Shi Mingyue seemed oblivious to the pain, struggling to her feet and supporting herself against the wall as she staggered out of the cave.
But the world outside the cave was a vast expanse of white, and there was no sign of Yun Zhan anywhere...
No
No
Still no.
"Yun Zhan—!"
Shi Mingyue shouted again, her voice cracking in the damp, cold air, carrying the smell of blood.
Shi Ke reached out to help her, but she pushed him away.
"Shi Mingyue, that's enough. Go back no matter what. I'll help you find whoever you need." Shi Ke frowned. He glanced at his hand that had been pushed away. Shi Mingyue had never dared to do this before.
Shi Mingyue knelt on the ground, her fingers digging into the cracks in the stone, her nails cracking, and blood seeping into the mud, mixing with the rainwater to form a dark red color.
Her breathing was rapid and broken, as if her lungs had been ripped out, each breath filled with rust and despair.
"I'm sorry, Yun Zhan... It's my fault, I regret it, I shouldn't have gone... I really deserve to die." Shi Mingyue murmured, her voice growing softer and hoarser, like a cry for help being slowly drowned out by the tide.
Tears finally rolled down, landing on the tightly clenched black cloth, spreading out in dark circles.
She bent over, her forehead pressed against the cold stone surface, her shoulders trembling violently, like a broken crane, unable to straighten its back.
“Father, I promised her… I would bring her home… I really can’t live without her.”
"I can't do it... I can't..."
"Why must she bear the consequences of my actions? Why must she die in my place..."
"Shi Shaoxuan hates me... Father..."
Shi Mingyue's voice was hoarse from crying, almost inaudible, yet filled with a heart-wrenching resolve.
Shi Ke remained silent for a long time, then sighed and squatted down, wanting to help Shi Mingyue up, only to find that Shi Mingyue was no longer able to stand.
She knelt there, like a crane nailed to the snow, blood trickling down her knees, but it couldn't compare to the pain of her heart being hollowed out.
“Yun Zhan… Yun Zhan…”
Until my knees were numb with pain, until my tears had dried up, until the blood on my legs was washed away by the rain, and I could no longer stand up.
"Alright, stop crying. Get in the car first, I'll take you to find her. You sit in the car, I'll send someone to look for her. We need to see her alive or dead today, is that okay?" Shi Ke gave in.
Shi Mingyue is currently in a state of emotional breakdown. Shi Ke knows that if he doesn't go along with her, he will definitely not be able to return home smoothly today. He only has this one daughter, and he can't let her freeze to death on the snow mountain.
After repeated assurances, Shi Mingyue finally agreed to get in the car. Seeing that Shi Mingyue had relented, the doctor immediately came over to treat the wound on her knee, administered a clotting agent, and bandaged the wound.
After Shi Mingyue got into the car, she was still not in good condition. Her eyes were dull and her pupils were empty. Her hair was messy and she didn't respond when the medical staff spoke to her.
"Sigh, let's find him as soon as possible." The doctor sighed and poured Shi Mingyue a cup of hot water.
They searched for a total of eight hours, during which time Shi Mingyue barely ate or drank any water.
Cold mist swirls around the cliff edge.
After an eight-hour search, the beam of the searchlight finally caught a glimpse of pale light amidst the jagged rocks.
Yun Zhan leaned against a withered tree, his body soaked by rain and cold. Except for his face, the rest of his body was covered with snowflakes, making him look like a snow sculpture.
The doctor knelt down to examine the patient, his fingers touching the carotid artery, then pulling open the eyelids, his brow furrowed: "The heartbeat is extremely weak... almost stopped, but the pupils are not dilated. The chance of survival is less than five percent."
The crowd quickly lifted her into the ambulance, and an oxygen mask covered her bloodless face.
Shi Mingyue was stopped a few steps away. Rain dripped down her hair, but she dared not blink, afraid of missing the last glimpse.
Shi Mingyue staggered to catch up only after the car door closed. She didn't dare to disturb the doctors' treatment and stood outside the emergency room for two hours until doctors started to come out one after another before she stood in front of them.
Her voice was torn apart by the cold wind, and her eyes pleaded, "Please... save her, thank you..."
"Yes, Miss Shi, we will do our best."
"...Thank you, please."
Shi Mingyue's eyes were red from crying, and her eye sockets were swollen from the cold wind.
She expressed her gratitude to each doctor, promising each of them a reward of millions once Yun Zhan came back to life.
After descending the mountain, the convoy went to the hospital immediately.
The incandescent lights in the hospital corridor were as cold as ice.
The emergency room door opened and closed repeatedly. Shi Mingyue pressed himself against the wall, not daring to get close, only asking in a low voice each time a nurse passed by: "How is she...? No, can my wife survive?"
Her voice grew hoarseer and hoarse until it was just a whisper.
The lights finally went out.
Shi Mingyue knelt on the ground, her forehead pressed against the cold wall, her voice trembling like a withered leaf in the wind: "I can't live without you... Please come back. I know I was wrong, and I will definitely listen to you from now on."
At the end of the corridor, the wheels of the ambulance slowly turned.
Shi Mingyue knelt on the spot, her tears falling onto the floor, splashing up tiny spots of light, but unable to wash away the despair that covered her hands.
The door to the emergency room remained tightly closed.
...
The moment Yun Zhan was arrested, Pei Yanxi immediately mobilized people to investigate.
Her thinking was that Shi Boshan's men would keep a close watch on Yun Zhan, and it would be faster to find Shi Boshan's main camp directly. Pei Yanxi's thinking was indeed correct; she just hadn't anticipated that Yun Zhan would be so ruthless, killing the guards before even reaching the main camp.
Pei Yanxi kicked down the iron gate, and the guards stumbled out. She grabbed the first person by the back of the neck, and the military knife snapped against his Adam's apple, drawing blood instantly.
"Where is Yun Zhan?" Pei Yanxi looked down at the person kneeling on the ground, her eyes filled with murderous intent, her voice colder than the rain.
The private room attendant stammered, "N-no, I don't know. We're the ones who pick people up; we haven't seen anyone."
With a flash of the blade, the throat was severed, and blood spurted into the rain like a torn red silk ribbon.
The body was casually tossed into a corner, making a dull thud.
"have no idea?"
Pei Yanxi coldly swept her gaze over the remaining nine people, her eyes darkening: "Then let's kill half of them first."
She raised her hand, and the bodyguards raised their guns in unison. Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of muffled thuds followed, and the four corpses instantly fell into the muddy water. The blood was washed away by the rain and flowed down the cliff into the darkness.
The remaining five men were forced to kneel on the ground like chickens, trembling, with military knives placed against their necks.
"I'll ask one last time, where is Yun Zhan?"
Pei Yanxi pressed the tip of her knife against the second man's carotid artery, and a drop of blood rolled down the blade.
"I really don't know! It was another group of people who went to find Yun Zhan."
"What about the other group?" Pei Yanxi gripped her military knife tightly, blood streaming down the blade, and the private guard was so frightened he almost fainted.
"I can't get in touch with them... They keep not answering the phone."
The blade flashed, and the seventh head rolled into the muddy water, the stench of blood mingling with the rain, so strong it was nauseating.
The remaining three looked ashen-faced, their teeth chattering, yet they still gave the same answer: "We don't know!"
Pei Yanxi's eyes turned bloodshot. She raised her hand, the tip of her knife pointing at the last three people.
My phone suddenly rang.
The private investigator's voice cut through the rain: "Mr. Pei, Yun Zhan has been found. He was rescued by the Shi family and is currently receiving emergency treatment at the hospital."
Pei Yanxi lowered her eyes, raindrops pelted the blade, splashing up tiny droplets of blood.
She paused for two seconds, her voice icy cold: "Get rid of everyone here, clean it up."
The blade flashed repeatedly, and the last three corpses collapsed into pools of blood.
Pei Yanxi turned around, her military knife flashing in the rain, leaving a bloody arc.
"It's good that you found them... You must stay alive."
Pei Yanxi said softly, her footsteps treading over the pool of blood, the rain instantly washing away her footprints: "Prepare the car to go to the hospital immediately. After we get in the car, call the doctors at home and ask them to come over. Anyone who can help, come."
She was determined to keep Yun Zhan alive.
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