Saving "Little Junior Sister"

"It's over!" The moment her body lost its balance and began to fall, icy fear seized Jiang Yingqing's heart.

The sound of the wind whistling past her ears, and below, an abyss of unknown depth.

Endless regret and despair washed over her—she shouldn't have been so reckless, shouldn't have brought Brother Ling Yun to this godforsaken place to risk their lives!

As her consciousness blurred, she thought she saw Ling Yun's pained face... She closed her eyes in despair.

At the critical moment!

A hand like a vise, with immense strength, suddenly grabbed her rapidly falling wrist! Intense pain shot from her wrist bone, but it instantly ignited a spark of hope for survival!

Jiang Yingqing's eyes snapped open, and she looked up.

She saw Ling Yun pressed tightly against the slippery rock face, one hand firmly gripping a narrow crevice, and the other holding her securely!

"Brother Ling Yun! Let go! You can't hold on! We'll both die like this!"

Jiang Yingqing's voice was choked with tears, which mingled with the rain as they fell. It was a mix of fear and immense guilt for dragging Ling Yun down with her.

"Yingqing! Have you been reading too many novels? You're not even injured, why can't you keep climbing?"

Ling Yun's voice was low, filled more with exasperation than anything else.

"Ah, that's right! I'm not injured either, I can keep climbing!"

Ling Yun's words struck Jiang Yingqing like a thunderclap, dispelling her despair.

Her survival instinct instantly overwhelmed her fear.

She focused all her energy, using the stable point provided by Ling Yun's arm, and tremblingly searched the wet rock face for handholds.

Her foot finally found purchase on a relatively stable rock!

"Good! Hold steady! Listen to me, go up and to the left, towards that gray one!" Ling Yun's voice became her sole guide.

After an unknown amount of time, when Jiang Yingqing's hands finally grasped the solid ground at the edge of the mountain peak and Ling Yun pulled her up with all his might, she collapsed onto the cold rock, utterly spent, gasping for breath, her heart still pounding wildly.

The overwhelming shock of surviving the ordeal made her unable to control herself any longer. She lunged into Ling Yun's arms and sobbed uncontrollably, "Waaah... Brother Ling Yun... Thank you... Thank you... Without you... I... I wouldn't have made it back..."

All her fear, lingering terror, and gratitude transformed into hot tears.

Ling Yun gently patted her back, feeling her body tremble, his voice soft and soothing, "It's okay now, Yingqing, it's all over. It was destined for you to go through this tribulation, and it was equally destined for me to save you this time."

He murmured inwardly: Perhaps, reliving this life was precisely to rewrite the regrets of his past. This was indeed their unique "destiny."

Jiang Yingqing cried for a long while before gradually calming down. She looked up with a sob, tear tracks still on her face, but a flicker of life had returned.

She looked at Ling Yun's face, still steady despite being soaked with rain and sweat. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she whispered, "Brother Ling Yun... You... What you said just now was really... really reassuring."

She quickly changed the subject to hide her shyness, "Ah! The rain seems to be getting heavier! We need to get down the mountain quickly!"

Ling Yun nodded and helped her stand up, "Be careful of your footing, the path is slippery."

Supporting each other, they safely returned to their Maybach at the foot of the mountain.

"Miss Yingqing! Mr. Ling! You're finally back! The rain is about to pour down, and I was just about to come look for you!"

Uncle Zhang, the driver, rushed over with a look of anxiety. He carefully examined their slightly disheveled but intact appearances and visibly relaxed. "Is everything alright? Miss Yingqing doesn't look too well."

Jiang Yingqing forced a smile, wiping the rain and lingering tears from her face, "It's nothing, Uncle Zhang. I just got a bit tired from climbing, and the wind was strong. Let's go back quickly."

She didn't want her family to worry, and more importantly, she made a silent decision: for herself, for her family, and for this life that Brother Ling Yun had pulled back from the brink of death—she would never attempt rock climbing with her bare hands again!

"Okay, okay, as long as you're alright, get in the car quickly!" Uncle Zhang quickly opened the car door.

The car's heating system dispelled the chill.

The extreme emotional rollercoaster and physical exertion left Jiang Yingqing utterly exhausted. Not long after the car started, she couldn't fight off sleep any longer. Her head tilted, and she gently leaned against Ling Yun's shoulder, falling into a deep slumber. Her breathing was even, a few strands of wet hair clung to her cheek, and a barely perceptible shimmer lingered at the corner of her lips.

Ling Yun turned his head to look at the girl sleeping unguardedly on his shoulder. The tension from the climb and the heaviness from the mountaintop faded, and she looked exceptionally serene and lovely.

A thought sparked in his mind. He quietly took out his phone, adjusted the angle, and captured a "commemorative photo" of himself and Jiang Yingqing, who was sleeping soundly on his shoulder—a snapshot filled with the warmth of survival and a hint of mischievousness.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations to the host for successfully saving the sect's junior sister, helping her escape a fatal calamity and regain a new life!]

[System Reward: Foundation Establishment Pill x 1]

[Foundation Establishment Pill: Can assist late-stage Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators in perfectly breaking through to the early stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. It is an essential spiritual pill for breaking through this critical bottleneck.]

A Foundation Establishment Pill! Ling Yun's heart trembled violently, and an irrepressible surge of ecstasy washed over him.

The Foundation Establishment Realm! This was the true threshold to the path of cultivation!

He suppressed the urge to immediately study the pill, took a deep breath, and calmed his turbulent emotions: Tonight, it must be tonight, he had to break through!

"Uncle Zhang, please stop at that mall ahead, I'll be back soon," Ling Yun said softly to the driver.

"Alright, Mr. Ling." Uncle Zhang asked no further questions and stopped at the mall entrance as instructed.

Ling Yun got out of the car with practiced efficiency and headed straight for the high-end gift section.

He didn't choose randomly. Considering the Jiang family's status and the etiquette of a first visit, he carefully selected a high-quality fruit basket and two bottles of Feitian Moutai—presenting himself as respectable without appearing overly fawning.

After placing the gifts in the trunk, he quickly returned to the back seat. Jiang Yingqing was still sleeping soundly, completely unaware of everything.

The car drove into a quiet, heavily guarded high-end villa area, finally stopping in front of a grand and elegant detached villa.

"Yingqing, wake up, we're home." Ling Yun gently nudged Jiang Yingqing's shoulder.

"Mm...?" Jiang Yingqing groggily opened her eyes, her gaze still a bit unfocused. She subconsciously rubbed the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, "...We're here? I just... wasn't drooling, was I?"

Her voice, just woken up, was a little soft and sweet.

Ling Yun suppressed a smile and held his phone screen out to her, "See for yourself, the evidence is conclusive. But, it was pretty cute."

"Ah!" Seeing the photo of herself asleep on Ling Yun's shoulder, possibly drooling, Jiang Yingqing instantly woke up. Her face flushed crimson, and she frantically wiped the corner of her mouth, playfully hitting Ling Yun in embarrassment and annoyance.

"Brother Ling Yun! You're so mean! Delete it! Delete it quickly! Otherwise... otherwise, I'll wipe my drool on your face!"

She extended the finger she had just used to wipe her mouth, threatening to smear it on Ling Yun's face.

Ling Yun didn't dodge. Instead, he looked at her with a teasing smile, "Oh? Is that a reward? Then I'll be waiting."

"Ew--! Pervert!"

Jiang Yingqing was defeated by his thick skin. She disdainfully withdrew her hand, glaring at him reproachfully, "Dream on! I won't reward you!"

The two got out of the car amidst laughter and playful banter. Ling Yun opened the trunk and took out the gifts he had just bought.

"Brother Ling Yun? When did you buy these?"

Jiang Yingqing's eyes widened in surprise as she saw the fruit basket and the Moutai.

"Just when a certain little lazy cat was sleeping so hard she was almost drooling a river," Ling Yun teased with a smile.

"Hate you! I already said I wasn't drooling that much!" Jiang Yingqing stomped her foot, then said seriously, "You don't have to spend so much! My family invited you for dinner!"

"It's my first time formally visiting, how could I come empty-handed? It's just a small token of my appreciation, it's only right."

Ling Yun's tone was gentle yet firm.

Looking at his serious profile, Jiang Yingqing felt a warmth spread through her heart, and she mumbled softly, "...He looks quite handsome when he's serious."

Just then, the villa gate opened, and a middle-aged man with a steady demeanor and a bright, hearty smile strode out. It was Jiang Mingyuan, Jiang Yingqing's father.

"Hahaha, Xiao Yun! We've been waiting for you! Come in, come in!"

Jiang Mingyuan's voice boomed as he warmly welcomed them. His gaze swept over the gifts in Ling Yun's hands, and he deliberately put on a stern face, "Oh, look at you! Coming for a simple meal and bringing such expensive things! You're too formal!"

Despite his words, he naturally reached out and took the Moutai and fruit basket, patting Ling Yun's shoulder intimately. "Moutai is great! Uncle's drinking capacity is no joke!"

This overly familiar yet authoritative warmth stunned Jiang Yingqing, who mumbled softly, "...Dad... you're a bit too enthusiastic..."