Pei Junwu, looking horrified, withdrew his inner force. With a flick of his palm, he snapped a willow tree, as thick as a calf, in half. The tree crashed down the cliff with a loud thud, and after a long while, a chilling snapping sound came from the foot of the mountain.
"Xiao Yuan, beautiful women always have bad luck, and that's exactly what you're like. I'm not going to live either, so it's worth it to take you down with me!" Murong Xiao narrowed his eyes menacingly and loosened his grip.
"No—" Pei Junwu reached out his hand, his heart breaking, wanting nothing more than to grab her as she fell.
Murong Xiao seized the opportunity and thrust out his sword, piercing through his chest.
"No!" She reached out in terror, her hand barely touching his... the sword in his chest...
No! She didn't want to die, and she didn't want him to die either!
Chapter 39 of "The Smiling Flower": Ungrateful and Unappreciative
So this is what death feels like!
She was falling, falling with nothing to hold onto, as if she were going to fall all the way to hell. She reached out to grab the stone wall, but the force of the fall grazed her fingers, causing excruciating pain.
She doesn't want to die! She can't die!
A gust of wind descended faster than she could, whistling past her ears; she didn't even see what it was. A sharp pain shot through her waist, as if it were being strangled... But she stopped!
She stared in horror at the person who had embraced her. The mocking smile that always graced his face was gone, replaced by a chilling cruelty and savagery in his eyes. Yi Chunjun? He's back? He…jumped down too?
Just as she was about to scream in terror, he pushed off the cliff with all his might, leaping back onto the mountain path with her as if in a dream. She clung to him tightly, her mouth agape, but she couldn't utter a sound.
Her feet touched the solid brick ground again. She wasn't dead?! Her eyes stung, and she burst into tears. This brush with death had truly terrified her! To others, Li Yuan'er's death might seem insignificant, but... her life was bought with her parents' sacrifice, she had secrets to pass on, she was precious too! She shouldn't wallow in self-pity and belittle herself anymore!
"Why are you crying?" He tightened his arms around you. "Aren't you perfectly fine?" A smile returned to his face.
“Pei…” She snapped out of her joy at surviving and searched for Pei Junwu’s figure with her eyes.
He was held in Xiao Juyuan's arms, crimson blood gushing from his chest, his eyes losing their luster, but a slight smile appeared when his eyes met hers.
"Save him, save him!" She hugged Yi Chunjun's waist and shook him violently, tears streaming down her face again. It was all because of her; otherwise, how could someone as skilled as him have been ambushed by Murong Xiao?
“No rush.” Yi Chunjun’s smile was still so eerie. “Juyuan, press the major acupoints on his wound.” He said calmly, but his eyes glanced at Murong Xiao, who was retreating.
The incident happened so suddenly that even Murong Xiao didn't expect that he had actually hurt Pei Junwu. At that moment, he only had eyes for the woman who had fallen down and didn't have time to guard against him.
Murong Xiao was stunned, and only now did he think of escaping.
Yi Chunjun watched him turn around and gather his strength with a leisurely air, one hand still around Xiao Yuan's waist, while the other hand deftly rose and swung. He must have used his most lethal move, for Xiao Yuan saw the azure color in his palm again.
Murong Xiao's scream sent chills down the spines of everyone present. The extremely painful roar sounded like the wailing of a vengeful ghost from hell.
Xiao Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly covered her mouth, almost vomiting. Yi Chunjun had actually used his internal force to sever one of his legs, or rather, torn it apart. When that fresh, healthy leg flew out, it even tore out a long, fleshy tendon.
Murong Xiao rolled on the ground, clutching his broken leg, blood splattered everywhere. His cries sent shivers down everyone's spines. Everyone couldn't help but look at Yi Chunjun; how could he still be laughing?!
Not only could he laugh, he laughed heartily. The hand he had severed from Murong Xiao's was now gently patting Xiao Yuan's back. "Disgusting? Then lie in your brother's arms and stop looking." He even had a hint of teasing in his voice.
Xiao Yuan trembled all over; Murong Xiao's screams were almost tearing her nerves apart. Although she hated him, the cruel scene threw her into turmoil. Faced with such fragile life, love and hate no longer mattered.
She felt his hand lift from her back, and a chill gathered in his palm. She looked at his face in horror. Could it be that he wanted to do it again?
She was stunned by his eyes. Those eyes, as beautiful as deep pools, burned with a violent flame, yet they also carried a hint of cold laughter. They were too beautiful, and too frightening!
"Murong Xiao, I heard you still want to touch Xiao Yuan, is that right?" He laughed, as if he were joking with Murong Xiao with ease. "Legs? Consider it an accident. Wherever you touch her, I'll chop that off!" He stopped laughing, and his hand was about to strike silently.
“No!” She grabbed his raised arm.
She felt his stiff muscles slowly relax, and she looked into his eyes. "Don't do this anymore. I... I'm fine. I don't hate him anymore."
"But I hate him." She was a little confused when he said this. Was he joking or serious?
"Yi Chunjun, let it go." It was too cruel; she simply couldn't bear it. If he were to chop off Murong Xiao's limbs bit by bit right in front of her, she would be haunted by nightmares for the rest of her life.
"Give me a kiss and I'll say yes." Here he comes again! She was both angry and embarrassed, so she pinched his arm hard. He just laughed without a care in the world.
"Go save Senior Brother Pei immediately!" She was utterly speechless! Pei Junwu was on the verge of death, yet he acted so nonchalantly. Could it be…? Her face turned cold; was he deliberately stalling, trying to kill him?!
He glanced at her face, his smile fading. "I'll owe him for now. No rush. The sword didn't hit any vital organs; just pull it out carefully and he'll be fine. Letting him bleed a little will do him good; too much blood in a man is never a good thing!"
He let go of her, seemingly a little angry.
She sensed it. Did he read her mind? No way…
"Murong Xiao, I'm letting you go today, but don't let me see you again! If you run into me again, drag your lame leg and stay far away!" he said coldly. "You're the example; from now on, anyone who wants to touch her will have to ask me first!"
Xiao Yuan was taken aback. How could these words, coming from him, make her feel both surprised and suspicious, and even a little sweet?
He ignored her and went over to squat down to examine Pei Junwu's injuries closely. Xiao Juyuan had tears in her eyes, but she didn't cry. "How is he?" she asked calmly.
Yi Chunjun helped him sit up and snapped off the tip of the sword that had pierced Pei Junwu's back with his fingers. Everyone anxiously gathered around.
"Don't come any closer, let him breathe some fresh air. Uncle Pei, have someone bring a lot of gauze and a stretcher. Yuanxun, get plenty of the best wound medicine and a clean pair of scissors. Everyone else, step back." He gave his orders decisively, and everyone obeyed his commands, each fulfilling their responsibilities.
Xiao Yuan stood there helplessly. Pei Junwu's face was deathly pale, and he was already somewhat delirious. Yi Chunjun, with his back to her, carefully and decisively treated his wounds. These two men... had almost lost their lives for her, but she could only stare at them blankly.
"Juyuan, are you sure you can do it?" Yi Chunjun asked before drawing his sword.
“Okay!” Xiao Juyuan nodded decisively.
Xiao Yuan looked at her, and her resolute expression and decisive eyes even made her admire her a little. If it were her, perhaps she wouldn't be able to calmly watch her husband bleed profusely.
When Yi Chunjun swiftly drew his sword and struck his pressure points with lightning speed, Xiao Juyuan did not hesitate to apply wound medicine and press the wound tightly with gauze.