Xie Ming

The pain of parting in life and death was palpable, as the enemy rider's grappling hook swung through the rear deck, and Consort An, Dong Ruining, unfortunately fell off the vehicle and was thrown out.

Then there was another sharp turn, and soon the spot where the person had fallen was no longer visible in Yuzhen's eyes.

Tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face. Yuzhen was heartbroken and cried out in despair, her vision gradually blurring.

"Sister Dong—"

"no, do not want!"

"No"

Unfortunately, one problem after another arose.

As they approached the dead end, the young maidservant at the head of the carriage encountered another unexpected situation.

On a sharp turn, the palace maid, who had only crammed at the last minute, was unfamiliar with horsemanship and the carriage was difficult to keep steady.

In the midst of the urgency, one of the wheels pressed down on a sharp stone.

Without warning, the large truck nearly overturned and fell off the cliff.

In a narrow escape from death, the frame regained its balance, but the maid, due to improper control, lost control and tumbled head over heels.

With a scream, he stumbled and fell completely into the ravine on the mountainside.

After being thrown several times with the momentum, there were only a few more sounds, and then there was no more noise. It is likely that they were all dead.

Her body shattered and fell to the edge of the precipice; Yuzhen feared that the road ahead had already come to an end.

The chariot was unmanned, and the two tall horses at the front were now running completely mad.

Yuzhen turned deathly pale with despair, knowing there was no way to save her. She had already made up her mind to fall and die.

But fate was unkind.

Suddenly, enemy riders drew closer from behind, their grappling hooks slashing at the sides of the carriage.

Suddenly, the carriage shuddered and its speed gradually slowed to a stop.

Faced with this situation, Yu-zhen had no time to feel fortunate; instead, she was filled with even greater fear.

Her whole body trembled uncontrollably, and tears welled up in her almond-shaped eyes, filled with grievance and resentment.

She knew all too well that if she fell off the cliff and died, that would be one thing.

However, if they were to fall into the hands of the Tartars, they would inevitably suffer invasion and humiliation, and die from the unbearable pain.

Yuzhen looked back at the enemy cavalry behind her, her eyes filled with resentment and bloodshot veins. She gritted her teeth, twisted her neck unyieldingly, and drew a dagger from behind her waist with her slender fingers, bringing it close to her throat.

As she faced death, she was afraid and helpless.

No longer caring about anything else
Suddenly, a thought arose, and a heartfelt voice called out.

That name, finally, was hysterically screamed from Yuzhen's heart—

"Xiao Jingchuan!"

"Xiao Jingchuan!"

Xiao Jingchuan

The hoarse, desperate cries echoed through the valleys, continuous and mournful.

But they had no time for that, as the Jurchen barbarian cavalry paid no heed to it.

As the probe drew ever closer, the dragon claws flew from behind, swirling and clawing three or four times, before finally grabbing and pulling at the target.

Several horses pulled with all their might, and they were almost at the front of the car.

At the last moment, Yuzhen made a resolute move, bringing the blade to her neck with unparalleled sharpness. At this moment, the vehicle frame trembled, and the blade had already cut into her skin, leaving a trace of blood.

She was determined that even if she died, she would never fall into the hands of thieves and tarnish her innocence.

Her pearly teeth trembled, and tears fell one by one onto the blade.

"Xiao Jingchuan, I hate you!"

"Xiao Jingchuan—"

Xiao Jingchuan

Unable to control her tears, Yuzhen was pale and bloodshot, overwhelmed by an inescapable fear.

At this moment, she was filled with longing, hoping that the person in her heart would appear.

To be able to stand firmly before her once again, undeterred by landslides or raging floods—is that just wishful thinking or delusional fantasy?
Yuzhen asked herself a question, and smiled bitterly.

Forget it, my bitterness and resentment are endless, my fate is unkind and my wishes are not fulfilled.

Let's just end it here, what else can we do?
But, just as Yu-chen was about to accept her fate and close her eyes to end her life, in the very last moment!

suddenly!

Looking back at the jumbled rock face at the bend in the road, a white horse charged out.

A cold, gleaming sword, swift as the wind, sliced ​​off the head of the lone Tartar rider trailing behind as the four hooves galloped at full speed.

"drive--"

"drive!"

A white horse, silver helmet, and silver chainmail appeared. A red flash streaked across the sky, landing straight down on one side of the cantilever, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.

Xiao Jingchuan mounted his horse and galloped at breakneck speed, rushing towards them amidst the flashes of lightning and thunder!
"Yuzhen—"

"Yuzhen!"

Everything seemed like a dream.
At that moment, Yuzhen's heart clenched, and then everything before her seemed to freeze.

The only sound was the rustling of the wind; all other noises suddenly disappeared.

Through misty, tearful eyes, in a blurry, crystalline vision, one could see Xiao Lang fighting alongside enemy horses.

But gradually, the picture became less clear.

Tick
tick-

A sudden suction force pulled and twisted in her mind, and a flashback instantly dragged Yu-zhen into her memories.
That was a promise made on a snowy night.

A snowy night, yes, a snowy night five years ago.
On a New Year's Day, Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Cheng, led his family and servants to Tanzhe Temple in the western suburbs of Beijing to pray for blessings and fulfill vows.

Yuzhen was sixteen years old at the time. Because her mother had passed away early, the only female relatives who came with her were her and Xiao'e.

But just as noon was approaching for the vegetarian meal, his father was summoned from the palace and had to hurry back to the city.

When Xiao'e was young, she was quite mischievous, which disturbed the abbot.

To prevent her younger sister from causing trouble and disrupting the temple's peaceful practice, Yuzhen quickly came up with an idea.

That afternoon, the sky was clear and the air was fresh. Hearing that Baozhu Peak behind the temple offered a panoramic view, after the meal, Xiao Jingchuan and his two little friends secretly asked him to come over. Taking advantage of the steward Xue Zhong and several servants' inattention, they grabbed the carriage they had come from and sneaked into the mountain path behind the temple.

Xiao Lang drove the carriage, while Yu Zhen and Xiao E gazed at the peaks along the way, full of enthusiasm. They walked and talked and laughed, looking out the curtains at the mountain scenery. They were very happy.

But little did they expect that their good fortune would not last long.

As the three of them chatted and laughed along the way, they were too busy to notice anything amiss when suddenly a dark cloud appeared and a heavy snow began to fall.

The mountain climate is unpredictable, and the three men, who had been confined to the city for a long time, were so engrossed in their play that they forgot themselves and could not understand what was happening for a while.

With no other option, the heavy snow blocked the road and made it difficult to find their way back, so the three of them ended up trapped in a ravine on the mountainside.

Fortunately, in this place, a recessed cave was carved out of the cliff face at the top, which can be used as temporary shelter from wind and snow.

As the snow on the road gradually thickened, Xiao Jingchuan, controlling the horse, had no choice but to stop for the safety of the two sisters.

The original plan was to return as soon as the snow stopped.

However, the weather turned against them, and the snow fell heavily, continuing until nightfall.

The three were trapped in the back mountain. The nights in the mountains were already cold, and at this time of year, it was already the dead of winter. The weather was freezing, and the cold wind was biting, penetrating straight to one's bones.

At night, Yuzhen and Xiao'e, filled with fear, huddled in the carriage's canopy to keep warm.

Wolf howls echoed frequently from the gully behind the mountain, making the two young ladies even more terrified.

Fortunately, Xiao Jingchuan had already grown into a young man, learned martial arts, and held a military post, displaying the heroic spirit of a man.

From beginning to end, he carried his sword and dutifully guarded the outside of the carriage, freezing himself to death for half the night.
The sword was as dark as water, its surface slightly red with lingering blood.

The white horse neighs urgently, and I hurriedly recall the white temple mountain.

Parting sentiments amidst the Tianmu Mountains, whispered love stories abound at Baozhu Peak.

How can I bear this?
Snow-covered peaks are cut off by sharp blades, and ice locks the dreams of beauties in deep valleys.

A beauty like jade, a sword like a rainbow, we are of one mind and have aspirations. I wait for you, I miss you, I resent you, and we will live and die together.

(End of this chapter)