Chapter 145

“Don’t come any closer! If you do, I’ll jump off with him!” The judge glared at the few people steadily advancing toward him, then glanced down at the cliff’s edge below, suddenly feeling dizzy. Hastily, he turned back and spoke urgently.

Yin Ruyun, Liao Qiniang, and Han Xiong, fearing the judge might act rashly, all halted, their eyes fixed intently on him.

“Judge! Let him go! I’ll be your hostage!” Liao Qiniang dropped her sword and stepped forward a few paces toward the judge.

“Stop!” the judge barked, then, as if ready to leap off the cliff with Yang Yaozong, made a threatening gesture.

Liao Qiniang immediately froze.

“Liao Qiniang! Do you think I’m stupid? With your skills, how could I let you be a hostage? Besides, looking at the situation now, there’s no way out for me! Today’s defeat is all thanks to that Yang kid! If I’m going to die, I’m taking him down with me!” The judge sneered darkly, then laughed harshly. “Besides, that kid jumped off here once and didn’t die. If I jump with him again, maybe we can both escape death by a miracle!” He laughed again.

Yang Yaozong was speechless, cursing inwardly, “Do you think I’m some kind of lucky charm?”

Yin Ruyun stepped forward two paces. “As long as you release him, I guarantee you can descend the mountain safely.”

The judge regarded the woman clad in black as if she were a demon. Fearfully, he concealed his whole body behind Yang Yaozong, revealing only a pair of eyes that glared venomously at Yin Ruyun. He snorted, “If you want me to release him, fine! But only if you end yourself right now! Then I’ll let him go immediately!”

Without hesitation, Yin Ruyun looked at Yang Yaozong, who was shaking his head with effort. She removed the bamboo hat from her head, revealing a stunning face adorned with a golden mask, and smiled faintly. “If you keep your word, you may take my life without hesitation!”

“Old Six, your grudge, it’s mine!”

“Damn you!”

“Yang Guo!” “Yang Yaozong!” “Master Yang!”

Seeing Yin Ruyun raise her sword as if to commit suicide, just when the judge thought he had won, Yang Yaozong pushed off the ground with all his might. Both he and the judge tumbled toward the cliff edge.

To Yang Yaozong’s surprise, as he fell, Liao Qiniang also leapt down, followed closely by Yin Ruyun.

Had Yin Ruyun not instructed Han Xiong to find Qin Haizhou before jumping, Han Xiong likely would have followed them off the cliff as well.

Seeing Liao Qiniang and Yin Ruyun jump, Yang Yaozong felt both moved and heart-wrenched, as if his heart was being torn apart.

From a hundred-foot cliff, the group was instantly plummeting toward the deep pool below. Yin Ruyun, diving swiftly, grabbed hold of Liao Qiniang with one hand and Yang Yaozong with the other. Just as they reached the water’s surface, she summoned all her strength to push them upward, allowing Yang Yaozong and Liao Qiniang to enter the water gently, while she herself plunged straight down with a heavy splash.

“Ruyun!”

Yang Yaozong cried out and dove underwater. To swim faster, he stripped off his cumbersome robes as he descended. He saw Yin Ruyun sinking, already unconscious. His heart burned with anxiety, tears flowing into the icy water. No matter how fast he swam, he could not catch up to her relentless descent.

Liao Qiniang, though a proficient swimmer, could not dive. To avoid burdening Yang Yaozong, she knelt anxiously at the pool’s edge, her gaze fixed on the now calm water, each second an agony.

The roaring waterfall nearby thundered ceaselessly, shaking her soul. The autumn wind chilled her drenched clothes, making her shiver not only in body but in spirit. The eerie stillness of the pool seemed to freeze time and air itself, suffocating her with sorrow. Unable to bear the torment, tears streamed down her face as she cried hoarsely again and again, “Yang Guo! Yang Yaozong!”

Just as Liao Qiniang’s despair reached its peak, Yang Yaozong burst through the surface, carrying Yin Ruyun. Liao Qiniang hurriedly plunged in to help drag her ashore.

At the bank, Yang Yaozong paid no mind to Liao Qiniang’s soaked state. He immediately began performing CPR on Yin Ruyun, urgently barking, “Quick, find a way to start a fire!”

Liao Qiniang nodded and scrambled to gather dry twigs and leaves nearby.

Yang Yaozong called Yin Ruyun’s name continuously while administering resuscitation, but she showed no sign of waking.

His heart twisted like a knife, tears uncontrollable as he shouted, “Ruyun! Wake up! Wake up!” while pounding his fists against her chest.

A faint moan escaped Yin Ruyun’s lips, soft yet like celestial music soothing Yang Yaozong’s ears and soul. He immediately stopped his pounding, leaning over her with anxious eyes. “Ruyun! Are you awake? Are you awake?”

She gave a weak hum, and relief flooded him. Gently, he helped her sit up and held her tightly.

Soon, Liao Qiniang kindled a fire not far off, and Yang Yaozong carried Yin Ruyun to the warmth beside it.

Watching Liao Qiniang curl up hugging her knees, Yang Yaozong spoke softly, “Take off your outer clothes and dry them by the fire. Wearing wet clothes will only make you colder. Han Xiong and the others won’t arrive for at least an hour.”

After speaking, Yang Yaozong placed the dry twigs Liao Qiniang had gathered by the fire, then helped remove Yin Ruyun’s damp garments, hanging them on a nearby branch.

By the flickering flames dancing in the wind, a bare-armed woman was held closely by a shirtless man. The red firelight cast a glow that made the already evocative scene even more alluring.

Liao Qiniang removed only her outer skirt and hung it on a branch. Facing away from Yang Yaozong, she softly asked, “How is she?”

Yang Yaozong looked worriedly at Yin Ruyun’s still unconscious but steady breathing and replied gently, “Still unconscious. I don’t know.”

After a moment’s silence, Liao Qiniang said, “The judge must be dead. I didn’t see him come up for air.”

“Mm.” In fact, Yang Yaozong had seen the judge unconscious and sinking while underwater. He wished nothing more than to see the man shredded to pieces, so there was no question of saving him.

“Why did you jump down too?” Yang Yaozong asked, puzzled.

“I…” Liao Qiniang’s mood was complex, wordless. She didn’t even know why she jumped—she simply hadn’t thought about it.

Yang Yaozong sighed deeply, reproaching, “Is this a swimming contest? Why rush to jump down first?”

To be continued...