La luna brilla intensamente sobre las montañas desiertas y las flores llenan el cielo

Capítulo 18

Feng Ning secretly inquired about Xia'er's whereabouts after leaving the Long Mansion, but upon hearing that she was from another county, she assumed she had left the capital directly. She then dragged Xiao Qing along to wander the city with her, trying to retrieve even the slightest trace of her memories, but unfortunately, every place was unfamiliar to her.

But Feng Ning didn't expect that two days later, a golden opportunity would arrive. Feng Ning received a letter that read, "To know the truth, meet me by the Liang River at dusk. I will risk telling you this, but do not spread it." The letter was signed Xia'er.

Feng Ning quickly calculated in her mind that it would still be light at dusk, so if she went early and returned early, she could still make it back before the city gates closed. Xia'er didn't know martial arts, so she figured she couldn't do anything to her. And if anything went wrong, she could always run away, right?

So Feng Ning made an excuse, saying she wasn't feeling well and went to bed early, but actually, she used the same old trick to sneak out of the Long residence. She hurried all the way and happened to see the gatekeeper from that day at the city gate. She greeted him and then went over.

Feng Ning was quite adept at finding her way around. Although she had only traveled this route once, she remembered it clearly. Before dusk, she was already standing on the high embankment of the Liang River. The sound of the river water lapping against the bank made her dizzy, and she dared not look into the river. She simply stood at a distance, looking around for someone.

After searching for a while, she only saw a few fishermen carrying nets, bamboo baskets, and firewood heading towards the town; she didn't see a single woman. Feng Ning thought for a moment and walked downstream along the riverbank. Perhaps Xia'er wasn't waiting for her here? She walked for a while, still seeing no one, and was wondering whether to turn back when she suddenly heard a scream, indistinguishable as male or female. Immediately afterward, someone on the high embankment upstream shouted, "Help! A girl has fallen into the water! Help!"

Feng Ning's first thought was Xia'er. Without thinking, she instinctively ran towards the sound. In the river, a young woman was struggling desperately, but the more she struggled, the deeper she sank to the bottom. It was Xia'er. Seeing this, Feng Ning felt dizzy, as if the river was surging up to drag her down. She froze, her body stiff, unable to look away or make any movement, when a force shoved her violently into the river from behind.

Before Feng Ning could even scream, she was submerged by the icy river water. Water rushed into her nose, mouth, and ears, making it hard for her to breathe. Her chest felt like it was going to explode, and her limbs flailed and struggled uncontrollably. In the midst of her struggle, she saw a man's figure distorted and blurred by the water's ripples, which quickly disappeared off the bank.

Feng Ning didn't want to die, but the icy water dragged her down, and that deep-seated fear enveloped her. Her limbs felt heavy, her head was spinning, and she felt as if she were being cut into pieces by the river. The pain intensified, and her consciousness was about to fade away. She felt as if her body was about to split apart, and darkness was engulfing her.

Suddenly, a pair of arms reached out and lifted her to the surface. Air rushed into her lungs, and Feng Ning instinctively opened her mouth wide to breathe, struggling violently with her limbs. She didn't want to die like this, without knowing why. A voice shouted in her ear, "Feng Ning, it's me, it's me! Don't be afraid, don't panic..."

Feng Ning's mind was not clear. She couldn't recognize who it was. All she knew was that she was a dying person who had grabbed onto a piece of driftwood. She clung tightly to the other person and struggled to tilt her head back. She didn't want to go back into the water; she was terrified.

The author has something to say: Riverside is dangerous, so please be extra careful. It would be good to learn to swim and become a good swimmer.

13

13. The Third Madam Long, who escaped death...

Driven by her survival instinct, Feng Ning possessed immense strength. The person who came to rescue her was unable to move freely due to her restraints, and the two of them became entangled together, swept downstream by the river. They bobbed up and down in the water, both swallowing mouthfuls of water.

Feng Ning froze in terror, screaming and yelling. The person she was dragging was also sinking into the water. Helpless, she pushed her away forcefully, twisted her arm behind her back, lifted her head above the water, and shouted loudly in her ear, "Calm down, don't be afraid, it's me, don't be afraid, I'm coming..."

Feng Ning trembled as she strained to see, finally recognizing Long San as the one who had come to her rescue. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she cried out, "Long San, Long San, don't leave me, don't leave me..."

Long San supported her head, stared into her eyes and said, "Don't be afraid. Listen to me, we'll get to the shore right away, okay?"

Feng Ning couldn't tell if the water on her face was water or tears, she just kept calling out, "I'll listen to you, I'll listen to you, don't leave me, don't leave me, I'm afraid of water, I'm afraid..."

Long San shouted, "I'm letting you go now. Don't struggle, don't kick me, relax. I won't let you sink, understand?" Feng Ning nodded frantically.

Seeing that she seemed to have listened, Long San released her arm and pulled her into his arms: "Hold onto my shoulder, I'll swim you to shore." Feng Ning trembled uncontrollably, clinging tightly to his shoulder and neck like a child, not daring to loosen her grip even slightly.

Long San struggled to keep the two of them steady in the rapids. He swallowed a lot of water as well. He supported Feng Ning with one arm, paddled with the other, and kicked with both legs. Using his hands and feet, he finally managed to drag Feng Ning, who was as stiff as a big rock, ashore.

The two collapsed on the riverbank, looking disheveled. Long San coughed a few times, finally catching his breath. Feng Ning's fear of water was acting up badly; she clung to him tightly, refusing to let go. Seeing her trembling so badly, Long San could only half-drag, half-carry her to a place away from the water, rubbing her back and arms: "It's alright, we're ashore now, it's alright..."

Feng Ning seemed not to hear anything, burying her head in his shoulder and trembling uncontrollably, clinging to him tightly with her hands and feet. Long San had no choice but to gently pat her and coax her, patiently waiting for her to calm down.

After a while, Feng Ning still refused to let go. Two guards ran over and said to Long San, "Third Master, we couldn't catch up." Feng Ning was startled and looked up. Long San said to her, "It was the person who pushed you into the river. We couldn't catch up." He turned to the other man and asked, "Where is that maid?"

"It sank, there's no way to save it." This answer startled Feng Ning so much that she tightened her arms around Long San and hugged him tightly.

Having exhausted all other options, Long San instructed one of his guards, "Go back to the manor, bring a carriage, and get two sets of clean clothes." The man obeyed and left. Long San then instructed another guard to light a fire.

Feng Ning kept her head down and whispered to Long San, "I remember now, it's that person."

"Who goes there?" Long San asked, trying to pull her away so they could all stand up. But as soon as he moved, Feng Ning clung to him tightly, saying, "Don't leave me behind."

Long San sat helplessly on the muddy ground, holding Feng Ning, who was covered in water and mud and had messy hair. He didn't want to imagine what kind of state he was in now.

Feng Ning had nearly drowned twice, which terrified her, so Long San had to distract her and asked again, "What kind of person did you say?"

"The person who shouted that someone had fallen into the water and led me here was the one who asked me where my things were when I hit my head. I remember his voice."

"Have you seen what he looks like?"

Feng Ning shook her head, and panicked again when she recalled the time she was submerged in the water.

Long San looked up at the sky, which had already darkened completely. The guards had already started a fire. Long San patted Feng Ning and said, "Let go of her for now. Let's sit over there and warm ourselves by the fire. Don't catch a cold."

Upon hearing this, Feng Ning quickly tightened her grip on his arm and shook her head repeatedly: "I won't let go, don't go, just bring the fire over."

Long San gritted his teeth inwardly; she could run away from the fire, after all. He forcefully pulled her away, startling Feng Ning into screaming, "You're going to abandon me! You're going to leave me behind..." Long San hardened his heart, forcefully breaking free from her grasp, pushing aside her struggles, and carrying her horizontally to the fire. He mocked her all the while, "You're usually as fierce as a female tiger, but you're useless when you're in the water."

"You've never experienced hitting your head in the water and almost dying," Feng Ning muttered softly, hugging Long San's arm as they sat by the warm fire, finally feeling at ease.

"You have a bunch of strange quirks. You can't remember things, you're afraid of water, and you have a huge appetite. Maybe we should take you to Baiqiao City to get you checked out once things have calmed down."

What place is that?

"It's a renowned medical city with many excellent doctors. City Lord Nie Chengyan is a close friend of mine, and he will definitely be able to arrange a cure for you."

Feng Ning pouted: "You have so many friends, you must have a few female confidantes there too, right?"

"There really is."

"Hmph." Feng Ning, now refreshed, started to banter: "Why didn't your best friend Nie Chengyan cure your womanizing ways?"

"I really shouldn't have pulled you out of the water." Long San patted her forehead. "I really brought this on myself."

"Why did he want to kill me?" Feng Ning was still afraid when she thought about rescuing her. "Shouldn't he be my accomplice? I remember his voice. He was the one who asked me where the thing was that day. If he couldn't find it, wouldn't killing me make it even harder to find it?"

"This only shows that the threat posed by leaving you behind is more serious than the consequences of not finding anything."