Chapter 1: Surviving After Falling Off a Cliff (1/2)

Translator: Flying Lines

In the mountain behind the Hanshan Temple on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, Xie Mengxuan was fleeing in a great flurry under the chase of several people in black. Her clean clothes got ragged and dirty in her desperate escape. After a long time of struggle, she was finally driven close to the cliff edge.

Staring at the bottomless cliff, Xie Mengxuan stopped and turned around in a sudden with the bravery to face a possible death. With a slight frown and deep anger in her eyes, she didn’t show a bit of fear to the murderous look of those in black.

Perhaps shocked at her determined eyes, those people in black ceased to press on towards her. The head, with a steel knife in his hand, said in a low voice: “Lady Xie, there’s no way to escape. You’d better go back with us.”

Xie Mengxuan slightly turned her head to look at the cliff behind her. Then she responded with a sneer, “No way! It depends on your ability whether you can bring me back or not.”

She was just at the age of fifteen while under the hopeless situation, she burst with the momentum of a young lady from a noble family, which overwhelmed those people on the opposite side.

The head was an experienced one who had ever been to all corners of the country. He only felt amused about her words. “Is Lady Xie scared out of her wits?” taunted he.

“Tut! Each one in the Xie Family would rather go to death than being imprisoned,” said Xie Mengxuan while quickly retreating a few steps.

With a jump, she fell down at a startling speed. Hit by scattered stones on the head, she swooned with pain.

“Ouch…”

When Xie Mengxuan was awake, there was only the chirping of cicadas mingled with the bark of a dog outside. She managed to open her eyes only to see the darkness. After a while, when she started to get used to the dizziness caused by the strikes, she sat up and clearly felt the pain on her head.

Xie Mengxuan looked at her hand and pinched her cheek in surprise. Her warm hand, and the pain she felt, all these showed the fact that she didn’t die.

She won! She bet her life, and finally won!

When Xie Mengxuan realized that she was still alive, she immediately thought of the news she had received at the Hanshan Temple. In any case, she was bound to go home as soon as possible to hand over the things to her father. The success or failure of what they had planned for many years hinged on this one action. But where was she? And who saved her?

Xie Mengxuan, sitting on the bed, looked around, but found no one, only to be aware of how dilapidated the house was. There were holes in the doors and windows, and the house was quite empty. Only the quilt was clean and scented.

As she was about to call someone, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps outside the door and then a loud voice full of reproach, “Geng Zhishan, hand over the girl you saved! Otherwise, don’t blame us for being rude.”

Hearing those merciless words, Xie Mengxuan felt a sting in her heart. Looking at the window above the bed, she carefully moved over and watched out through the hole in the window.

In the courtyard, a strong man took a hoe and ran to the front of the house. Although she failed to see clearly his face, she knew that the man was keeping strict guard over the house.

On the opposite side were a lot of his countrymen with anger. Some people even held a hoe or stick, which made them look fierce.