“Zhi’er?!”
Bai Zhi’er stepped forward and took her hand. Once, this hand had always been so warm; now, it was like ice. Suppressing the ache in her heart, she whispered, “Ruo’er, come. Let’s go down the mountain. I’m taking you away.”
“Okay.”
That single-word response was so unexpected that Bai Zhi’er froze. Even though she knew they shouldn't linger, she couldn't help but ask, “You...”
Under the moonlight, Chu Ruo’er wore a pale, bloodless smile. “Aren’t you here to rescue me? Let’s go.”
“Ruo’er, what’s wrong?” Bai Zhi’er was indeed here to save her, but knowing this woman, she knew how many times she had refused to leave in the past. How could she so easily abandon the person who had caused her so much suffering? “You...”
“If we don’t leave now, it’ll be too late.”
The relaxed smile and gentle reminder gave Bai Zhi’er an illusory sense of relief. Was the person before her truly willing to leave so easily? She asked uncertainly, “Have you... truly made up your mind?”
At some point, Ice Fiend had been returned to her waist. Chu Ruo reached out to touch the hilt, a cold glint surfacing in her eyes. She uttered only one word: “Go.”
“Wow, you convinced her that fast?” Fenghuang, unaware of the underlying tension, teased them as she saw the two emerge.
Seeing that neither of them answered, she sensed the atmosphere was off and stopped joking. “Since you’re out, let’s get moving.”
Lin Jianghong, however, hesitated. “If we just leave like this, what about Nan Muxue...?”
“I came to save Ruo’er,” Bai Zhi’er stated firmly.
Normally, Chu Ruo would have spoken up the moment she heard that name. Now, she remained deathly silent. Lin Jianghong’s voice took on a hint of resentment. “Chu Ruo, you... say something! Didn't you want to save her before...”
“Let’s head down the mountain.”
The others could hardly believe their ears. Bai Zhi’er, in particular, despite wanting her to leave, couldn't understand the reason for this sudden change.
“How long do you plan to stand here? Until Nan Menghua arrives?” Chu Ruo asked.
“You! So you’re just a coward who fears death after all!” Lin Jianghong’s voice was filled with disdain. Though they were acquaintances, she didn't know Chu Ruo well enough to understand this abrupt shift. She remembered how Chu Ruo had begged her to help storm the Palace for Nan Muxue last time. She assumed Chu Ruo had simply broken under Nan Menghua’s torture and decided to save her own skin. After all, people usually looked out for themselves. “What a waste of everyone’s effort...”
“Yes,” Chu Ruo cut her off, her voice laced with bitterness. “You are absolutely right.”
“You even admit it—”
“Alright, alright, what’s there to squabble about?” Fenghuang was the one to notice Chu Ruo’s unstable emotional state. She had seen how these two were willing to throw their lives away for each other; it was a pity it had come to this. “Let’s go. We can talk once we’re off the mountain.”
Lin Jianghong’s noble-lady temper flared up. Grabbing Mo Fei, she demanded, “You bunch of spineless cowards. We’re already up here, why not save one more? You, take me to Nan Muxue!”
Mo Fei offered a kind warning, “That place is heavily guarded. If you go, you likely won't return.”
“Shut up! One more word and I’ll kill you! I see how it is, you all—”
Before she could finish, Bai Zhi’er and Fenghuang gasped in shock. “Ruo’er, you...”
“She’s too stubborn. It’s easier to carry her if she’s unconscious,” Chu Ruo said calmly, having just struck Lin Jianghong.
“No, I mean... your martial arts!”
Chu Ruo smiled. “There’s no need to be so surprised. Even if the seal hadn't been broken, wouldn't you have unsealed it for me? It’s just happened a little earlier than planned. Let’s go, don’t delay.”
The journey was relatively peaceful. When they reached the path leading down the mountain, Chu Ruo turned to Mo Fei. “You should go back. Be careful, or... you could come with us.”
Mo Fei was stunned. “You... aren't going to kill me?”
“Do I look that cruel? I know you’re just trying to survive, but Nan Menghua is not a good master. In her eyes, everyone is expendable. If you stay with her, you must be extremely cautious.”
“I...”
Chu Ruo interrupted her. “No need to say more. As things stand, if you go back like this, she won't show you mercy. Have you decided?”
“I am but an ant. What difference does it make where I go? Besides, with the Palace Master’s temperament, betrayal leads to a fate worse than death. If I go back now, even if I die, perhaps I can at least leave a whole corpse behind.”
Fenghuang clicked her tongue. “Tsk. Who knew you had such a unique way of thinking?”
“Since you’re helping, help us to the end,” Chu Ruo said. “Since we’re here, you might as well see us down. We’re carrying an unconscious Lin Jianghong, and I can’t see.”
“The path here is rugged and steep,” Mo Fei noted. “Navigating it alone is one thing, but carrying her while avoiding the guards will be difficult.”
Chu Ruo replied, “I know a way. Muxue told me about several secret paths up the mountain. They’re hidden and poorly guarded. Follow me.”
***
In the dungeon, Nan Muxue’s eyes were full of tenderness as she spoke of her Ruo’er being the best. She imagined that the girl must be far away by now. This time, they truly might never see each other again.
“Is that so? Am I really that good?”
The familiar voice was clearly not one either of the two women named Nan wanted to hear. Chu Ruo stepped out from the shadows, a smile playing on her deathly pale face. “I don’t think so. Otherwise, why would you always try to either abandon me or send me away?”
Even Nan Yunshang looked utterly shocked. “You...”
“No wonder your kisses always tasted so bitter,” Chu Ruo said, walking toward her beloved with unerring accuracy, her voice tinged with realization. “It was just to make me fall ill. And the reason I didn't get better despite taking medicine for so long was so that I’d be too weak to accompany Nan Menghua in her twisted cultivation, sparing me from that torture. You even sent the First Protector to see me, didn't you? That so-called ‘antidote’ for the Gu was actually the antidote for the Bone-Softening Powder in my system. Those heart-wrenching words she said were meant to drive me away, but you forgot one thing...”
She paused and gave a playful wink. “When have I ever been obedient? You shouldn't have given me back my martial arts so soon. But regardless, the result would have been the same. I would always come back for you.”
Nan Yunshang gripped the hilt of her longsword. “Go down the mountain.”
Chu Ruo only drew closer to the woman she loved. “Tell me, am I really that good?”
At this point, there was no frustration or anger on Nan Muxue’s face. Instead, she reached out to gently caress Chu Ruo’s cheek, her lips curving into a faint smile. “You are always so disobedient.”
“Well, they say ‘like master, like disciple.’ I learned it all from my wonderful teacher here.”
“Do you know the consequences of staying?”
Their fingers intertwined, locking together. “Death. To hell with everyone else and the rest of the world. Even if we die, we die together.”
