Sueño de Jiangshan

Capítulo 50

Before he could answer, she continued:

"Let's think about how to get up there first?"

"How do we get up? Of course, we just wait for them to pull us up!" Xuanyuan replied matter-of-factly.

Leng Jie suddenly looked up at Xuanyuan.

Was this a rope lowered down for us by people above? Did he think he was bungee jumping? He jumped down, and immediately another rope pulled him back up. But did he even know what bungee jumping was? Suddenly, an important question came to mind:

"How did you fall? Were you ambushed? You clearly have the ability to use your lightness skill, why didn't you? Are you looking for death?"

The more Leng Jie asked, the angrier she became, and one question turned into a series of questions. Towards the end, she was practically yelling.

"Seeing you injured and falling off a cliff, of course I couldn't just stand by and watch you die!"

"You mean, you jumped down yourself? To save me?" Leng Jie was first shocked, then a little touched. Then she roared in fury:

"Who asked you to save me! Don't you know my lightness skill is better than yours?"

"I was afraid you'd panic and forget to use your lightness skill again. Besides, when I saw you fall, my heart tightened and I jumped down after you. I didn't have time to think about anything else!" Xuanyuan said gently.

Come to think of it, wasn't she just thinking about saving people without considering anything else? But what to do now? They can't see the cliff top above or the valley floor below. All around are smooth cliff faces. Can this rope support the weight of both of them? Obviously not.

Two days ago, she and Duanmu Xingchen sneaked into the mountain villa to find a place to imprison the Duanmu siblings. They accidentally discovered a cave halfway up the mountain leading to this cliff face. They initially planned to use it as a trap to lure Shangguan in. However, they later discovered a fully equipped artificial prison cell at the top of the cliff. Therefore, they decided to use that as the primary crime scene to implicate the Shangguan family.

Then, a brilliant idea struck her, and she meticulously planned her escape after being knocked off the cliff by the old fox Shangguan. She had foreseen everything except that someone would recklessly follow her. The rope she had prepared was only for descent; at most, she would swing across the cave entrance. Therefore, the rope wasn't very thick, although she had deliberately lengthened it considerably to prevent accidents. But the height of the cliff completely exceeded her expectations. If she had known this would happen, she would have lengthened and thickened the rope even more.

Thinking of this, Leng Jie couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. She couldn't help but sigh:

"Sigh! Let's just wait! Let's wait for the firefighters to come and rescue us with a ladder truck!"

Xuanyuan kept a close eye on Leng Jie's constantly changing expression, noticing that she seemed very worried. He softly comforted her:

"Don't worry, I'm here to make sure nothing happens to you!"

"If you hadn't been so foolish as to follow me, I would have already left the mountains and been enjoying myself outside." Leng Jie couldn't help but roll her eyes at him and said:

"Do you think this rope can support the weight of both of us, so we can keep pulling ourselves up? Or can you fly me up from here?"

Seeing that he remained silent, it was clear he couldn't do it. Even if it were Ying Lai, the best in light-footed martial arts, he couldn't possibly get up there in this situation. There's simply no place to gain leverage; light-footed martial arts can't be like a helicopter, where you can instantly ascend by starting the engine.

Feeling Xuanyuan's body stiffen, Leng Jie suddenly realized she had gone a bit too far. Regardless, she absolutely had to accept his selfless act of jumping off the cliff to save her. She said softly:

"However, I believe Qingfeng and the others will definitely find a way to rescue us. It's just that we can't move, and we don't know how long this rope can withstand the force."

"Xiao Jie!" Xuan Yuan suddenly called out in a very serious tone.

Leng Jie looked up and met his gaze. Although she couldn't see his expression, she could see hesitation in his eyes.

"Just say what's on your mind! We can't do anything else here anyway, so let's talk to pass the time!"

"In your eyes, am I a worthless and useless man?" Xuan Yuan asked through gritted teeth, finally voicing the question that had been on his mind for a long time.

Leng Jie stared blankly into his eyes. The evasive light within them proved he was asking sincerely. But Leng Jie found it hard to believe that an emperor would lack such confidence.

“Why do you ask that? You are the emperor! You are the role model for all men! Look at Jinghe now, under your wise leadership, the country is peaceful and prosperous! This is your achievement! If you were a useless person, then Jinghe would have long been in chaos and rebellion would have broken out. So you are not only not a useless person, but should be one of the most outstanding men in the world.” Leng Jie said to him solemnly.

A joyful light shone in Youdi's eyes. His arms, wrapped around Leng Jie's waist, tightened involuntarily. He asked excitedly:

Are you serious? You think I'm a great man?

"Is there any need to be so happy?" Leng Jie tilted her head to look at him, trying to change her perspective. Was she mistaken? Why would such an expression appear on an emperor? Especially an emperor known for his ruthlessness.

Leng Jie's research has not yet yielded any results. Xuanyuan asked again:

"Then why aren't you afraid of me? Why do you dare to talk back to me and mock me?"

Leng Jie finally figured out the reason. It turned out that she had repeatedly undermined his confidence!

Please, it's precisely because I'm afraid of you that I'm trying to put you down! But if you knew what I was saying, I'd be asking for trouble.

"Who said I'm not afraid of you? If I wasn't afraid of you, why would I bother running away? And why would I disguise myself as a man and a woman at the same time?" Leng Jie replied evasively.

"Are you afraid I'll punish you for deceiving the emperor by disguising yourself as a man?" Xuanyuan interjected.

Of course, that's not all. The human nail knows what I'm really afraid of; it would probably just throw me off here.

Leng Jie quickly squinted. Then she asked in return:

"Why don't you punish me? Why did you risk your life to save me? Did you ever consider that if we both fell down and died here today, I, the heroine who sacrificed myself to expose the true face of the wicked, would become a sinner for all time, indirectly plotting to murder the emperor?"

Xuanyuan paused for a moment, then said sadly:

"Don't worry, I'm very lucky. If I were that easy to die, I would have died countless times already."

Leng Jie sensed the bitterness in his words and wanted to comfort him, but she couldn't find the words.

The two remained suspended in silent embrace on a rope. After an unknown amount of time, Leng Jie felt her grip going numb. "Wait a minute, I'll switch with you."

"No need, let go. I can handle it all by myself," Xuanyuan said, leaving no room for refusal.

Now was his time to display his masculine prowess, and Leng Jie obediently and slowly loosened her grip on the rope. The rope suddenly flickered, startling Leng Jie, who quickly tightened her grip again, saying:

"One hand isn't enough; you need two hands to maintain balance."

Xuanyuan was startled and instinctively hugged the person in his arms even tighter. As a result, Leng Jie's breath landed right on his earlobe. The tingling sensation made him tremble involuntarily. He blurted out, "..."

"Xiao Jie, do you have someone you like?" Xuan Yuan regretted asking as soon as he did; it was too abrupt to ask a girl so directly. But the words were already out and couldn't be taken back.

Leng Jie thought that in this world, he, Qingfeng, Shiyu, Qing'er, the Duanmu family, and the Longmen people were all people she liked! So she smiled and replied:

Yes, there are plenty!

Xuanyuan was completely taken aback by her quick answer and sweet smile. He couldn't help but question her, somewhat annoyed:

"So that's why you're running away from the wedding?"

With a deafening "boom," this bombshell stunned Leng Jie. Her mind went completely blank, and instinctively, she reached out to push Xuan Yuan away. Her movement was uttered unconsciously. With a "crack!" their bodies began to plummet, rapidly free-falling—the rope had snapped! Coming to her senses, she looked up; there was no going back. Was she destined to fall again?

"Don't be afraid! Close your eyes. Let's get off. Save your light-foot technique for when we land."

Suddenly, Xuan Yuan's steady voice rang in her ears. Leng Jie felt inexplicably at ease. She obediently closed her eyes and let him hold her as they fell.

It felt like an eternity had passed when Xuanyuan's urgent voice suddenly rang out.

"Gather your energy and circulate your qi!"

Leng Jie immediately opened her eyes and did as instructed. But it seemed too late, for the ground was already in front of them.

Suddenly, Xuanyuan spun around and flipped Leng Jie onto him.

Leng Jie didn't have time to react. A loud "bang!" followed. Then, an icy chill instantly assaulted her from all directions. She had fallen into an ice cave! Leng Jie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She immediately began searching for her companion. She found him sinking. She quickly swam over and grabbed him, only to find he was unconscious. Using all her strength, she pulled him up. Fortunately, the water provided buoyancy, making it less heavy than being in the air. With tremendous effort, she finally managed to lift Xuan Yuan from the water onto the ice.

Xuanyuan landed on the ice with his back to it, sustaining a serious head injury. Even the frigid water couldn't freeze the blood from his wound. Leng Jie quickly tore off a piece of cloth to bandage it. She then checked his face, nose, and lungs, finding no water inside.

She was about to check his pulse when she saw that his face and body were covered in a layer of ice. His face was completely bloodless, and when she touched his pulse, there was none; his heart, which had been beating just moments before, had stopped. A sudden panic gripped her. Was he really going to die like this? The image of him rolling over to cushion her fall flashed before her eyes. An overwhelming fear surged through her like a tidal wave! Suddenly, as if possessed, she roared at the ice sculpture-like figure:

"No, you can't die! You can't die! Why did you save me! I won't let you die, I won't!"

She didn't know where the strength came from, but she suddenly picked him up and ran towards the shore at top speed. As soon as she reached the bank, Leng Jie immediately felt the warmth of spring. She quickly scanned her surroundings. To her astonishment, apart from the three-foot-thick frozen pool they were in, which was just like the outside world in the dead of winter, the area around the pool was a vibrant spring/summer scene with blooming flowers and lush greenery.

Even so, what caught her eye was still the cave not far away where she could find shelter. She quickly carried Xuanyuan inside and set him down on a flat spot.

She quickly stripped him of all his clothes, which had turned to ice. Then she began administering a series of first aid measures. After she had done everything she could think of, Xuanyuan was still ice-cold. He was practically a perfect ice sculpture.

Ling Jie's heart grew cold. No electric shock, no oxygen, no medicine… She suddenly realized she'd only used modern first aid methods; how could she have forgotten the most useful resource of this era: internal energy? Thinking this, she didn't care whether she knew how to heal others. She might as well try anything, even if it seemed hopeless!

Immediately mimicking how Qingfeng healed him, she helped him sit up cross-legged. She sat behind him, placing her palms on his cold back. She slowly channeled her inner energy. Not knowing if he was receiving it, she dared not channel it too quickly. She continued channeling until Leng Jie herself collapsed from exhaustion…

"It's so cold!" Leng Jie shivered and woke up from her deep sleep to find that it was already dark.

She immediately reached out and touched Xuanyuan, who was lying beside her. Finding his body warm again, she excitedly pressed her ear against his firm chest. "Thump...thump...thump..." A weight was finally lifted from her heart. At least no one else had died because of her! If that were the case, she would rather be the one who died.

Involuntarily, the image of that always aloof and cool boy flashed before her eyes again. His codename was Dark Night. From the moment Leng Jie joined the Special Agents, they were the best partners. Five years ago, during a mission abroad, she accidentally triggered the infrared alarm. He sacrificed himself to save her. He was only twenty-eight years old, and even his ashes couldn't return home after his death. This incident had always been a painful memory for Leng Jie. From then on, she refused any partnerships. She always went alone, no matter what mission it was. She couldn't imagine what would happen if Xuan Yuan really died saving her; she believed she wouldn't be far from a breakdown.

The person beneath her involuntarily shivered, pulling Leng Jie back from her reverie. With nothing else to do, she could only use her internal energy to warm him. But when she tried to activate her power, she discovered she couldn't gather it. It seemed her body had reached its limit. The feeling of cold and hunger followed. She groped for his clothes; the ice had melted, but they were still completely soaked. She now regretted not putting his clothes on herself to dry them when she used her power.

Left with no other choice, she resorted to the most primitive method of warming herself. She took off her own clothes to use as a blanket, then hugged Xuanyuan tightly, using her body to warm him. The moment Leng Jie pressed against his strong body, she shuddered violently, a surge of heat instantly spreading throughout her body. Instantly, she felt as if she were on fire. Leng Jie couldn't help but laugh at herself inwardly, "Heavens, has it been too long since I've been with a man? I can't even feel anything for a man who can't move?" Then, she began to wonder if this body had truly never been intimate. Otherwise, how could it be so sensitive!

Just as Leng Jie was burning with desire, Xuan Yuan seemed to sense it as well. He unconsciously wrapped a long arm around her slender waist. Instantly, a jolt of electricity sent another shiver through Leng Jie! She quickly moved his arm away and whispered a warning:

"You'd better stay put and not move! Otherwise, you might lose your chastity!"

But Xuanyuan's hand seemed to have a fixed spot; every time she moved it away, he would reach back. After this happened twice, Leng Jie suddenly realized what was happening. She sat up, pulled her clothes on, and tried to get up. But before she could stand up, her slender waist was firmly gripped by a pair of iron arms.

Chapter 86 Body and Mind Separation

The night was quiet and cool. Yet Leng Jie grew increasingly hot. When she sensed that Xuan Yuan's body was also burning, she could no longer resist. She sat up and began practicing her internal energy cultivation. She forcefully gathered the scattered internal energy throughout her body into her dantian, then guided it to other parts of her body. After repeating this cycle thirty-six times, she was surprised to find that she could once again control that powerful internal energy.

The first thing she had to do was dry Xuanyuan's clothes and put them on him. Then she would put on her own clothes and go out for some fresh air.

A cool breeze blew in from outside the cave, immediately alleviating the oppressive heat. Leng Jie was truly perplexed; why did contact with the unconscious Xuan Yuan elicit such a strong physical reaction? She wasn't some naive young girl. She was always someone whose intelligence surpassed her emotional intelligence. Experiencing a physical reaction to the opposite sex during a potential crisis was something she had never done before.

Back when she was on her honeymoon with the man who betrayed her, she had an important mission with her. Therefore, their first time didn't happen until after they returned home. Although she later made many amends and even took several years of her saved-up annual leave to be with him, he still consistently told other women that she was a woman who only cared about work and not sex.

Only she knew how furious she was when she heard those words. Because of this, she became convinced that men were all inferior creatures controlled by their lower bodies. From the moment she discovered her rebirth, she had never considered giving her body and soul to any man again. But what was she doing now? Had he become like a man just because she had a different body? She unconsciously shook her head. She thought that if the problem wasn't with her, then it must be with this body itself.

The sky was beginning to lighten, and a beautiful sunrise soon graced the earth. Beside the icy pool, where a chill lingered, lay a scene of lush green trees and wildflowers. The sight before her once again left her breathless!

Leng Jie put aside her idle thoughts and began looking for something that could solve her practical problems.

Wilderness survival is no problem for Leng Jie. She could survive even if she were left alone in the desert. Yesterday, she was simply too terrified by Xuan Yuan's condition to think about anything else; her only thought was how to save him.

She quickly gathered some dry branches and leaves and lit a fire beside Xuanyuan. After checking his pulse and confirming that his heart was still beating, she went out to find food and herbs. She thought that Xuanyuan's continued unconsciousness might be due to his head injury. She first found some wild vegetables to fill her stomach, and then some herbs to clear phlegm and improve blood circulation.

Xuanyuan slowly awoke in the cave, opening his eyes to find a burning flame beside him. Looking around, he realized he was in a cave. He was still alive! He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"I told you, this life is tough. It's impossible for it to die. Xiao Jie wouldn't believe me." Xiao Jie! Wait, where's Xiao Jie? A startled exclamation escaped her lips:

"Xiao Jie?"

No one answered; only his own echo reverberated in the cave.

Is Xiaojie alright?

His heart tightened! He sat up abruptly, a sharp pain shooting through the back of his head. He touched it inadvertently and found a bandage wrapped around his head. He casually ripped it off. It was indeed the fabric from Xiaojie's clothes. She was alright, thank goodness! His heart, which had been pounding, relaxed, only to realize that his entire body ached. He tried to circulate his internal energy to heal his injuries and discovered a unique, yin-like internal force within him. He tried to channel this force into his dantian, hoping to see if it could merge with his own. To his surprise, the two forces combined instantly, like fish in water, becoming one. In the blink of an eye, a new and powerful internal force formed in his dantian.

Xuanyuan was overjoyed. He never expected that his internal energy, which he had been struggling to improve for the past three years, would be successfully cultivated under such circumstances. Was this what they called a blessing in disguise? The subtle yet powerful internal energy he had just experienced clearly originated from a woman. Needless to say, it was Xiaojie who had helped him again.

Thinking of Xiao Jie, a gentle smile unconsciously appeared on Xuan Yuan's lips. He realized that Xiao Jie was simply his lucky star. Since he met her, she had not only saved him from danger time and time again, but also helped him devise solutions to many thorny problems.

If he had always considered her a brother, like Qingfeng, then the following reactions—from the joy that outweighed his anger upon learning she was a girl; from the heartache he felt upon seeing her cry; from the feeling that half his heart was missing when she went missing; from jumping after her without hesitation when she fell off the cliff; from the unbearable rage he felt upon hearing she already had someone she liked; from his willingness to use his own body as a cushion for her; and from the warm feeling that wells up in his heart whenever he thinks of her—are enough to prove that he no longer sees her as just a brother or sister.

Suddenly, an image flashed through his mind of him and Xiaojie embracing, suspended by ropes on the cliff face. His smile deepened. Enough; this was enough to prove Xiaojie's special place in his heart. She was the first woman, besides his mother, who could be intimate with him while he was conscious. Far from feeling nauseous, he felt extremely happy and content.