Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 402 Below the Cliff
When Jinniang encounters problems, all she does is cry and seek his help.

Lin Zhiqing is not capable of this. She is clever and stubborn, and always manages to handle everything herself.

If it were Lin Zhiqing here today...

Jiang Liuyun felt like he couldn't breathe.

Only now did he clearly realize the importance of Lin Zhiqing in his heart.

Not just a little, but a great deal.

But all of this is already beyond redemption.

He sat there blankly.

How did things get to this point?
After a long time, Jinniang's sobs grew softer and softer, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Jiang Liuyun took a deep breath and left the courtyard.

In the past, when he was feeling down, he would always come to Jinniang and always find comfort in her.

Aside from the fact that he failed to save Jinniang's younger sister, Zhiniang, Jiang Liuyun was almost always obedient to Jinniang.

But instead of receiving comfort and understanding, he is becoming increasingly agitated.

He couldn't stay in this place any longer.

Jiang Liuyun found an empty room in the Cangxiang Tower and just sat there in a daze.

Losing Lin Zhiqing was more painful than he had imagined.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered the dream he had when he and Lin Zhiqing sneaked into Liu Mang's mansion at night, and he was hypnotized by Liu Mang's formation.

According to Lin Zhiqing, Liu Mang's hypnotic dream would create a perfect world according to the dreamer's psychology.

Jiang Liuyun's dream was indeed a perfect world.

In his dream, Lin Zhiqing died, and he was no longer bound by that marriage contract.

The Lin family is gone, but the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion has risen to a higher level.

He not only received a promotion and gained more power, but also married Jinniang.

This was his biggest wish at that time.

That dream did create an extremely perfect world, but Jiang Liuyun was not happy in the dream.

So, that dream turned into a nightmare.

He had been puzzled as to why his subconscious mind rejected that perfect world.

Now he understands.

Because Lin Zhiqing doesn't exist in that perfect world, and without Lin Zhiqing, it can't be considered perfect.

Thinking about all this only made him more confused.

Should he regret it?
But it was inevitable that we would come to this point.

It seems my father was right that the Lin family and the Jiang family cannot coexist.

Only with Lin Zhiqing dead can the Jiang family survive.

He just couldn't accept it.

Only the Lin, Jiang, and Lu families knew about Lin Zhiqing and Lu Huai's fall off the cliff.

The Lin and Lu families immediately reported the matter to the authorities, but failed to obtain any evidence, making it extremely difficult to trace the responsibility back to the Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion.

The following day, rumors began to circulate in Shengjing City, claiming that Lin Zhiqing and Lu Huai had attempted to elope but failed and had committed suicide by jumping off a cliff.

Previously, there were some rumors about Lin Zhiqing and Lu Huai, and now that this has happened, some people have actually believed these rumors.

Lu Huai was an official appointed by the imperial court. After this incident, he attracted the attention of the court, and the Ministry of Revenue also began to send people to search for Lu Huai's whereabouts.

……

Qiwu Mountain, beneath a cliff.

Lin Zhiqing suddenly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Lu Huai, who was holding her tightly, and the blood on his face.

"Lu Huai!"

She sat up and gently shook Lu Huai. When he didn't respond, her unease grew exponentially.

She disregarded the traditional separation of men and women, trying to wake Lu Huai while checking his physical condition.

Lu Huai had many dense wounds on his body.

Lin Zhiqing knew that this was all because she had protected her when she fell. She took out the medicine she had prepared in advance from her waist and silently shed tears while applying the medicine.

She never expected that Lu Huai would rush out at that moment and jump off the cliff with her without hesitation.

"Fool, I was prepared beforehand, I won't get hurt, why did you follow me?" Lin Zhiqing felt extremely distressed.

"Where did the blood on your face come from?"

"It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be injured now."

"It's all my fault, Lu Huai, it's all my fault!"

If he were to get injured, Lin Zhiqing would certainly be able to handle everything calmly.

But now, seeing Lu Huai's wounds, she felt helpless and heartbroken.

She was afraid; she was afraid Lu Huai wouldn't wake up.

After crying for a while, she had to wipe away her tears and observe her surroundings.

She and Lu Huai landed on a platform in the middle of the cliff.

As she recalled what she had seen, she groped her way to a nearby cave and used all her strength to drag Lu Huai inside.

Then, a fire was quickly lit, and Lu Huai's outer robe was removed.

The two had been at the bottom of the cliff all night, and their bodies were already covered in cold.

If Lu Huai were to catch a cold at this time, his life would likely be in danger.

Lin Zhiqing quickly took out all the things she had prepared in advance and checked them.

She brought medicine, food, and tools, but only enough for one person.

She had no idea that Lu Huai would come to Qiwu Mountain, nor did she know that Lu Huai would jump down with her.

Her only consolation now is that she was glad she had scouted the area beforehand and knew the structure of the cliff bottom.

If it were an ordinary person, falling from such a height would likely result in them being smashed to pieces.

However, when Lin Zhiqing and Lu Huai fell from the sky, they used many vines, branches, small platforms and other objects to cushion their fall.

Lin Zhiqing also arranged for people to meet him at the middle of the cliff.

She did everything in her power, hoping to gain a chance of survival after jumping off the cliff.

However, Lu Huai's appearance is a variable.

Lin Zhiqing recalled what happened during their descent.

Not long after they landed, Lu Huai realized that Lin Zhiqing had made preparations.

However, even with the best preparations, there is always the possibility of unexpected events.

Lin Zhiqing failed to grab the vine and landed where people were originally supposed to be, instead continuing to fall a little further down.

Throughout this process, Lu Huai always protected her.

Thinking of this, Lin Zhiqing moved his body and found that apart from a slight pain, he did not have any serious wounds.

On the contrary, Lu Huai was seriously injured.

This was all because Lu Huai did everything he could to protect her.

Thinking of all this, Lin Zhiqing checked Lu Huai's condition again.

No matter how she called out, Lu Huai remained unresponsive.

"What should I do? What should I do?" Lin Zhiqing muttered to herself.

Even though she was usually calm and collected, her mind was in turmoil at that moment.

For the first time since arriving in Dasheng, she experienced extreme fear.

She was terrified that Lu Huai wouldn't wake up.

Overwhelmed by feelings of self-blame, fear, and other emotions, Lin Zhiqing's eyes reddened again.

She tried her best to hold back her tears, but when her gaze fell upon the blood on Lu Huai's face, she could no longer hold back:

"Lu Huai, what should we do?"

"What will I do without you?"

“I was wrong before. I shouldn’t have kept it from you, and I shouldn’t have been angry, pushing you further and further away.”

"I'm afraid, afraid that one day you will leave me, and afraid that one day I will disappear from this world."

"But the day I lose you must never be now!"