If it hadn’t been that poison, nothing else could have possibly given you such trouble!?
What did those words… what did those words mean?
Situ Haonan whipped his head around to look at Ziqing, and Ziqing herself stared, stunned. She had always found this old hag strange, dangerous—but she had never imagined that this old hag was truly, specifically here for her, had been targeting her all along!
The old hag knew she was immune to all poisons!
Which meant she knew that only a specialized toxin could have any effect on her at all!
The thing Jun Beiyue had always worried about most was precisely this—hidden dangers lurking in the shadows, unknown threats they had no awareness of.
Those unseen forces, always searching, always hunting for someone immune to all poisons!
This old hag before her belonged to exactly that category of person they’d never understood.
Why was this old hag here—had she been waiting for Ziqing to come?
Mingsha Mountain!
The ruins of Solitary Island!
The day of the Sand Sacrifice!
Raising a human gu!
Yanzi!
The underground chamber!
In an instant, countless thoughts flooded into Ziqing’s mind. She suddenly felt terribly dizzy—all of this seemed somehow connected, yet she couldn’t grasp exactly how.
Looking at the old hag before her, smiling that sinister smile, as if she knew something was about to happen!
Suddenly, Ziqing saw a blood-red venomous lizard slowly crawl out from the old hag’s collar, staring straight at her, flicking its crimson tongue in her direction, as if it meant to devour her!
An inexplicable dread instantly seized her heart—a fear she had never experienced before, not in this life, not even in her past one.
Inexplicable, yet so viscerally real—she knew something momentous was about to happen, was about to happen to her.
What was going on?
For a moment, everyone forgot the earth-shaking tremors, the raging gale outside. Ziqing unconsciously gripped Situ Haonan’s arm, tight, so tight, murmuring to herself, “Why hasn’t Beiyue come yet… why hasn’t Beiyue come yet…”
She was afraid!
Even though she didn’t want to admit it, she truly, genuinely felt afraid.
The old hag’s smile before her grew more and more sinister, sending an involuntary chill down her spine—as if it wasn’t her soul that feared this, but this very body itself held an inherent terror of this old hag, of this blood-red venomous lizard!
Having crossed into this body, Ziqing felt for the first time a sense of disconnect between soul and flesh—she found she couldn’t quite control this body herself!
Seeing Ziqing so frightened, Situ Haonan’s own heart pounded wildly.
He’d heard Jun Beiyue mention it several times before—that Ziqing was in danger, the greatest danger, because there was no telling what hidden enemies lurked in the shadows, people who knew the secrets of Solitary Island, who knew the secrets of raising human gu, who watched her constantly, ready to strike at any moment!
And now, they were facing exactly the danger Jun Beiyue had always feared!
What should he do?
“Ziqing, don’t be afraid…”
Situ Haonan found himself unable to control his own breathing, gasping in great heaving breaths, his heart palpitating with pain again. He gripped the dagger tightly, waiting for the old hag to draw closer.
After several deep breaths, he finally managed to speak. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t let her get near you, I promise.”
But Nanny Gu made no further advance—she simply sat on the ground, one hand gently stroking the venomous lizard, the other clenched tight around something unseen.
The two sides faced off, Situ Haonan staring at Nanny Gu, Nanny Gu staring at Ziqing, while Ziqing, more afraid than she had ever been in her life, still thought of Jun Beiyue even with Situ Haonan shielding her.
If only he were here!
If only he would come!
She couldn’t help but speak. “Haonan, let’s go, let’s go find Beiyue.”
She wanted Beiyue. She wanted only Beiyue.
Yet how could she have known that the very man she longed for was less than four or five steps from the cave entrance, each step an agonizing struggle, forcing himself onward with sheer internal energy, his very organs feeling as though they were being torn apart, yet still pressing forward against the wind.
But she didn’t know!
At this moment, she felt like a lost child searching for home, and Jun Beiyue was her home.
But could they leave?
They had no idea Jun Beiyue was right outside—all they knew was that outside lay a world made entirely of sand, the air thick and dense with it. Stepping out would surely mean being swept away by the wind.
“Don’t be afraid. The moment she takes one step closer, I’ll kill her.”
“Ziqing, do you know? When I tricked you into coming here, I swore to myself—as long as you survived, no matter who it was, if anyone dared touch a single hair on your head, I, Situ Haonan, would kill them even if it cost me my own life!”
Situ Haonan spoke word by word, his voice low but resolute. He’d thrown caution to the wind—the hand he’d been pressing against his chest wound now pressed hard against the ground instead, while the other hand held the dagger behind his back, ready to strike first.
But just then, the earth shook violently, a tremor so fierce it knocked them both off balance where they sat!
What was happening?
Situ Haonan’s heart lurched with alarm, keeping close watch on Nanny Gu amid the upheaval, while Ziqing cried out in shock, “The tornado’s arrived, and we’re…”
Before she could finish, the entire top of Mingsha Mountain was suddenly torn away, violent wind surging in.
In a flash, in that split-second, life-or-death instant, Situ Haonan seized Ziqing’s hand—but Ziqing froze, looking down at her own chest, where a streak of blood had appeared.
Just now, in that very instant, something seemed to have flown from Nanny Gu’s direction, striking straight into her chest—no pain at all, just a faint itch!
But she had no time to dwell on it—the entire cave was being torn apart, stones flying upward everywhere. Only now did Situ Haonan realize the sand outside had already piled up more than waist-high—Mingsha Mountain had collapsed…
Nanny Gu had long since vanished without a trace. Situ Haonan desperately clung to a stone pillar, holding Ziqing tight, shouting, “Hold onto me, quick! Quick!”
But before Ziqing could even recover her senses, that very pillar was torn away. In that split-second, life-or-death instant, Situ Haonan hastily let go, narrowly escaping disaster.
“Get down!”
He shouted sharply, forcing himself to endure the pain in his chest, reaching to pull Ziqing down—but just then, a pair of large hands suddenly yanked Ziqing away.
Only then did Ziqing come back to her senses, immediately falling into the embrace she knew better than any other. She turned to look, and there stood Jun Beiyue, standing firm in the sand amid the raging tornado like some eternal, unchanging deity, his face pale, blood continuously spilling from his lips, having spent every last ounce of his internal energy just to hold her steady.
He held her waist tightly with one arm, reaching for Situ Haonan with the other, and flashed her a beautiful smile.
“Beiyue…”
Ziqing cried out, tears nearly spilling over, burying her head against his chest at once, wrapping her arms tightly around him, refusing to let go—refusing to let go for the rest of her life!
“No crying allowed. Save it for after I’m dead.” He warned with utmost seriousness, then somehow still managed to smile. “One month was our promise—I’ve come to take you home.”
Ziqing looked up at him, their faces both distorted somewhat by the ferocious gale battering them—the wind was simply too strong—yet in this moment, she wanted so badly, so desperately, to kiss him, to kiss him for as long as forever lasted.
“Get down!” Situ Haonan suddenly bellowed. Was Jun Beiyue trying to get himself killed? He was practically fighting the wind itself head-on—at this rate, he’d exhaust himself to death!
“Get down, now!” Ziqing, too, snapped back to her senses at last—but just then, suddenly a hand shot out from the sand, seizing hold of Jun Beiyue’s leg!
…
A word to readers: “I’ve come to take you home”—Baili Weisheng, where in the world have you gone!!!