Gu Jianli lowered her head and pressed Ji Xinglou’s small head, pushing him into Ji Wujing’s arms as he sat on the wooden cart. She said sternly, “Stay in your father’s arms. No matter what happens, do not lift your head or open your eyes.”
Gu Jianli pulled a sickle from the wooden cart.
“What is this young lady doing? Hahaha, are you planning to cut us with that sickle? You had the sense to flee at night, but now you suddenly act foolish.”
The other men laughed as well.
“Young lady, from your accent, it seems you’re from the capital. We’re fellow countrymen. Put away your sickle and serve us well, and we’ll treat you kindly. We don’t want to take any lives here.”
“Exactly. You’re as beautiful as a fairy, making us drool. Tsk, tsk, aren’t you afraid of scaring your child with all this violence? Your son is only a few years old; you wouldn’t want to see him die before your eyes, would you? To be honest, during times of famine, we roasted little children over the fire. Their meat is both filling and delicious…”
Their words transitioned from logic to deception and now to blatant threats.
Ji Xinglou buried his face tightly in Ji Wujing’s chest, clenching his small fists in anger and hatred, his chest heaving, but his eyes were wet with tears.
Gu Jianli understood the disparity in power, especially since they were outnumbered. But she needed to stall for time. She wasn’t waiting for Ji Wujing to wake up; she was waiting for Changfeng to catch up.
So, Gu Jianli feigned a hesitant expression, looking at them with doubt and grievance, appearing as if she had been persuaded.
“You… you really won’t take our lives? You won’t kill my husband and child?” Gu Jianli asked in a trembling voice.
The men, seeing her hesitant expression and hearing her question, laughed.
They didn’t just seek temporary pleasure; they intended to take Gu Jianli and Yuanshun back to their village to bear children for the men there. Persuading them without force was ideal.
“Of course. We are men of our word. If you obey, not only will we spare your lives, but we’ll also help find medicine for your husband.”
“Really?” Gu Jianli asked in a trembling voice. She looked pitiful and sorrowful, so fragile that she evoked sympathy. The men, seeing her pitiful appearance, felt a stirring in their hearts, some even swallowed hungrily. The women they had around were rough and could not compare to Gu Jianli.
Unconsciously, the men moved forward.
Gu Jianli remained calm inside but appeared to be pleading, “Please, sirs, it’s really cold in the snowy mountains at night, and my child is here. Can we go to your village?”
“Young lady, we’ll spare your husband and child’s lives. You should also be considerate of our urgent feelings. Don’t worry, we’ll give you a coat, don’t be afraid of the cold…”
Their faces, full of ill intentions, looked like malevolent demons.
Gu Jianli’s heart sank, realizing these men not only planned to take them but were also determined to commit evil here.
Yuanshun, recovering from her initial fear, guessed that Gu Jianli was stalling for time. As Gu Jianli verbally sparred with the men, Yuanshun silently prayed for Changfeng to arrive quickly.
Seeing these wicked men approaching, Yuanshun’s legs trembled so much she could barely stand. She stepped back, leaning against the wooden cart for support.
What should she do? What should she do?
Yuanshun turned her face to look at Gu Jianli, suddenly making a decision. She steeled herself and took two steps forward, looking at the approaching villains with a smile and speaking loudly, “My lady is delicate and frail; this place is too rough for her. How about I keep you company and entertain you first?”
“Yuanshun!” Gu Jianli looked at her in shock.
Yuanshun pushed away Gu Jianli’s hand on her forearm and took two more steps forward.
“Heh, a loyal dog indeed. But there are so many of us here. Even if two or three go at once, there’ll still be some left waiting their turn. So no need to rush, everyone will get their share. Hehehe…”
Yuanshun had mustered all her courage, but hearing this, knowing she couldn’t even protect her lady in the end, she broke down, crying uncontrollably.
Gu Jianli dropped all pretense of fear and grievance from her face, looking coldly and sternly at the approaching villains.
“Stop crying.” Gu Jianli pressed the sickle into Yuanshun’s hand.
Facing the approaching villains, she reached behind to the wooden cart, feeling for another sickle. Just as her hand gripped the handle, she felt a sudden cool touch on the back of her hand.
Thinking it was Ji Xinglou, she instinctively scolded, “Xinglou, be good!”
However, the approaching villains stopped in their tracks simultaneously, their expressions turning strange.
Gu Jianli paused.
In the next moment, she realized something. Her cold heart suddenly began to beat rapidly, as if trying to break through the ice. She stiffly turned her head, full of disbelief.
Ji Wujing’s cold hand gripped Gu Jianli’s wrist as he slowly sat up. Initially drooping his head, he slowly lifted it after sitting up, revealing a terrifying face.
His pale face was covered in dense black blood lines, crisscrossing his entire face. His pitch-black eyes were deep like an abyss, with blood-red sclera. Blood streaks spread, forming black blood that dripped from the corners of his eyes, sliding past the tear mole under his left eye.
He looked at the stunned seven or eight villagers and suddenly pulled up one corner of his mouth, smiling strangely.
He looked like a vengeful ghost that had crawled out from the abyss.
“Wujing…” Gu Jianli’s lips moved slightly, softly calling.
Among the seven or eight villagers, the man with the capital accent suddenly changed his expression in an instant.
“He’s Ji Zhao! Ji Zhao of Xuanjing Sect!” He screamed in terror and turned to run.
The rest of the men stood there, still in shock.
Ji Wujing gripped Gu Jianli’s wrist, slowly turning his wrist. Immediately, the sickle in Gu Jianli’s hand suddenly shattered, the fragments rising into the air, turning into deadly blades that pierced into the bodies of the seven or eight villagers. Their foreheads, throats, hearts, and the back of the head of the man who had turned to run.
Ji Wujing coldly watched them, his lips moving silently, mouthing the word: “Break.”
In the next moment, the blades exploded within them. The seven men’s bodies collapsed instantly, kneeling on the ground. After the crisp sound of the explosion, their heads shattered.
A mist of blood spread, staining the pure white snow.
Yuanshun collapsed to the ground, her eyes vacant, looking as if she had lost her senses. It was unclear whether she was terrified by the bloody scene before her or simply weak-kneed from surviving the ordeal.
Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing and suddenly tears fell from her eyes.
The air was cold, and the icy tears slowly trailed down her cheeks.
“Wujing…” she called softly once more.
Ji Wujing lowered his eyes, black blood oozing from the corner of his mouth and dripping down.
“Wujing! Wujing!” Gu Jianli suddenly shouted, “Look at me!”
Ji Wujing, who had been staring ahead, turned his face towards Gu Jianli.
She rushed forward and held him tightly, crying, “Don’t, don’t be hurt. Don’t scare me anymore, I beg you. We’ve come so far, you can’t get hurt now…”
Ji Wujing slowly lifted his hand and gently patted Gu Jianli’s hand, his movements stiff.
“It’s okay,” he said, his voice hoarse and lifeless.
Gu Jianli held him tightly, her tears falling onto his shoulder. She couldn’t bear to think of the consequences of Ji Wujing waking up prematurely…
She had faced countless life-and-death situations with fearless resolve, but now she was suddenly afraid.
Ji Wujing’s stiff movements lowered his head, resting his chin on her shoulder. He closed his eyes, using his last bit of strength to whisper in her ear, “Gu Jianli, Uncle never lies to you.”
Gu Jianli was stunned, staring blankly at the endless snowy mountains ahead.
She hesitantly called out, “Uncle?”
Her uncle leaned against her shoulder, giving no response.
Gu Jianli stayed motionless for a moment, then suddenly realized what had happened. She hurriedly laid Ji Wujing down, carefully covering him with a cloak, ensuring even his head and face were covered to keep him warm.
“Mother…” Ji Xinglou, his face streaked with tears, looked up at Gu Jianli.
Gu Jianli pushed him into the cloak, into Ji Wujing’s arms, saying, “It’s okay, sleep in your father’s arms for a while.”
Yuanshun stood up, at a loss.
“My lady…”
“We’re leaving.” Gu Jianli wiped her tears, bent down, and grasped the handle of the wooden cart.
“We’re leaving, keep moving forward. We can’t stop.” She repeated.
Yuanshun, still in shock, stumbled along, helping Gu Jianli push the cart as they continued westward.
The long night was cold and the wind was biting.
Gu Jianli and Yuanshun pushed the cart in silence for a long, long time.
Suddenly, Gu Jianli spoke, “Yuanshun, do you hear the sound of pursuers?”
The extreme cold made people sluggish. Yuanshun took a moment to respond, then cried and shook her head, “I can’t hear anything. I only hear the wind and my increasingly fast heartbeat!”
A stone underfoot caused Yuanshun to stumble and fall. She tried to get up but failed several times, crying in despair, “My lady, I can’t walk any further.”
Gu Jianli looked around, the snowy mountains embracing her.
“No more walking,” she said.
She couldn’t walk anymore either. She had been unable to for a long time.
They pushed the cart a few more steps, leaning against a large boulder. They moved stones to secure the cart.
They stopped and rested.
Yuanshun laid down a thick cotton cloak on the ground, curled up next to the cart. Gu Jianli climbed onto the flat cart, snuggling into the cloak, lying beside Ji Wujing and Ji Xinglou. She was so tired, she wanted to sleep.
Ji Xinglou, who was not actually asleep, pretended to be.
The cold wind blew, lifting the snow on the ground. Later, snow began to fall, gradually covering them.
In the night, Ji Wujing slowly opened his eyes.
In his lifetime, he had walked alone, yet such a person as he was actually protected with someone else’s life.
He moved closer and placed a gentle kiss on Gu Jianli’s brow.
The world was cold, the chill reaching his very bones. The touch of his lips on her forehead was the only warmth.