"It's over!" The instant her body plunged weightlessly downward, icy fear seized Jiang Yingqing's heart.
The wind howled in her ears, and below her was an abyss whose bottom she could not see.
Endless regret and despair engulfed her—she should not have acted tough, and she should not have brought Brother Ling Yun to this damned place to risk their lives!
As her consciousness blurred, she seemed to see Ling Yun's grief-stricken face... She despairingly closed her eyes.
At the critical moment!
A hand like an iron clamp, carrying tremendous force, suddenly seized her rapidly falling wrist! Agonizing pain shot from her wrist bone, but it instantly ignited hope for survival!
Jiang Yingqing's eyes flew open, and she looked up.
Ling Yun's body was pressed tightly against the slick rock wall. One hand was clinging desperately to a narrow crack, while the other gripped her firmly!
"Brother Ling Yun! Let go! You can't hold on! We'll both die like this!"
Jiang Yingqing's voice was choked with tears. Tears mixed with rainwater and rolled down her face, born not only of fear but also of overwhelming guilt for dragging Ling Yun into this.
"Yingqing, have you been reading too many novels? You aren't hurt, so why can't you keep climbing?"
Ling Yun's voice was low, carrying more exasperation than anything else.
"Oh, right! I'm not hurt either. I can keep climbing!"
Ling Yun's words struck like a thunderclap, shattering Jiang Yingqing's despair.
Her instinct to survive instantly overwhelmed her fear.
She gathered all her focus and, using the steady support provided by Ling Yun's arm, tremblingly searched for handholds on the slick, rain-soaked rock wall.
At last, her foot found purchase on a relatively stable rock!
"Good! Hold steady! Follow my instructions. Up and to the left—the gray one!" Ling Yun's voice became her only guide.
After who knew how long, Jiang Yingqing finally caught hold of the solid ground at the mountain's edge. When Ling Yun hauled her up, all the strength left her body, and she collapsed onto the cold rock, gasping for air as her heart continued to race.
The tremendous shock of surviving the ordeal finally broke her control. She threw herself into Ling Yun's arms and burst into tears. "Boohoo... Brother Ling Yun... thank you... thank you... Without you... I... I wouldn't have made it back..."
All her fear, lingering terror, and gratitude turned into scalding tears.
Ling Yun gently patted her back, feeling her body tremble. His voice was warm and soothing. "It's all right now, Yingqing. It's over. Heaven destined you to go through this trial, and it was equally destined that I would save you this time."
He thought to himself, Perhaps living another life is precisely so I can rewrite the regrets of my previous one. This truly is a 'destiny' that belongs only to the two of us.
Jiang Yingqing cried for quite some time before gradually calming down. Sniffling, she raised her head. Tear tracks still marked her face, but a little of her spirit had returned.
She looked at Ling Yun's composed face, soaked by rain and sweat. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she whispered, "Brother Ling Yun... you... what you said just now was really... really reassuring."
She hurriedly changed the subject to hide her embarrassment. "Ah! The rain seems to be getting heavier! We need to get down the mountain quickly!"
Ling Yun nodded and helped her to her feet. "Watch your step. It's slippery."
Supporting each other, they safely returned to the Maybach at the foot of the mountain.
"Miss Yingqing! Mr. Ling! You're finally back! This rain looks like it's about to get heavy. I was just about to go down and look for you!"
Uncle Zhang, the driver, hurried over anxiously. After carefully examining their somewhat bedraggled but largely unharmed appearances, he visibly relaxed. "Nothing happened, right? Miss Yingqing doesn't look too well."
Jiang Yingqing forced a smile and wiped the rain and half-dried tear marks from her face. "I'm fine, Uncle Zhang. I'm just a little tired from climbing, and the wind made me look this way. Let's get home quickly."
She did not want her family to worry, and silently made a decision: for herself, for her family, and especially for this life Brother Ling Yun had pulled back from the gates of death—she would never touch rock climbing again!
"All right, all right. As long as you're fine, get in the car!" Uncle Zhang hurriedly opened the door.
The warmth inside the car dispelled the chill.
The huge emotional upheaval and physical exertion left Jiang Yingqing utterly exhausted. Not long after the car started, she could no longer resist her drowsiness. Her head tilted, and she gently rested it on Ling Yun's shoulder before falling into a deep sleep. Her breathing was even, a few damp strands of hair clung to her cheek, and a faint, barely noticeable glimmer hung at the corner of her mouth.
Ling Yun turned his head and looked at the defenseless sleeping face of the girl on his shoulder. Freed from the tension of rock climbing and the weight he had carried on the mountaintop, she now looked especially peaceful and adorable.
His heart stirred. He quietly took out his phone, adjusted the angle, and captured himself together with the sleeping Jiang Yingqing leaning against his shoulder—a "souvenir photo" filled with post-crisis warmth and a hint of mischief.
[Ping!]
[Congratulations, host, on successfully saving the sect's little junior sister, helping her escape her deadly tribulation and gain a new lease on life!]
[System reward: Foundation Establishment Pill x 1]
[Foundation Establishment Pill: Helps late-stage Qi Cultivation Realm cultivators make a perfect breakthrough to the early Foundation Establishment Realm. It is an essential elixir for breaking through this critical bottleneck.]
Foundation Establishment Pill! Ling Yun's heart shook violently as uncontrollable elation surged through him.
Foundation Establishment Realm! This was the threshold of truly stepping onto the great path of cultivation!
He forcibly suppressed the urge to study the pill immediately, took a deep breath, and calmed his surging emotions. Tonight—tonight, I must break through!
"Uncle Zhang, could you stop at the shopping mall up ahead? I'll be back soon."
Ling Yun spoke softly to the driver.
"All right, Mr. Ling." Uncle Zhang asked no questions and stopped at the mall entrance as instructed.
Ling Yun got out briskly and headed straight for the high-end gift section.
He was not choosing something at random. Considering the Jiang Family's status and the etiquette of making his first formal visit, he carefully selected a premium fruit basket, then took two bottles of Feitian Moutai—presentable without seeming excessively flattering.
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 entered an upscale villa complex with a quiet environment and tight security, finally stopping in front of an elegant, imposing standalone villa.
"Yingqing, wake up. We're home." Ling Yun gently nudged Jiang Yingqing's shoulder.
"Hmm...?" Jiang Yingqing opened her eyes hazily, her gaze still somewhat blank. Instinctively, she rubbed the back of her hand against the corner of her mouth. "...Are we there? Did I... drool just now?"
Her just-awakened voice was soft and drowsy.
Ling Yun held back a laugh and held his phone screen before her. "See for yourself. The evidence is conclusive. Though, you looked pretty cute."
"Ah!" Seeing herself sleeping soundly against Ling Yun's shoulder, apparently drooling, Jiang Yingqing instantly woke up. Her cheeks flushed crimson, and she hurriedly wiped at the corner of her mouth before pretending to swing at Ling Yun, both embarrassed and annoyed.
"Brother Ling Yun! You're awful! Delete it! Delete it now! Otherwise... otherwise, I'll wipe my drool all over your face!"
She extended the finger she had just used to wipe her mouth and pretended to smear it across Ling Yun's face.
Ling Yun neither dodged nor evaded. Instead, he looked at her with a teasing smile. "Oh? Is that a reward? Then I'll be waiting."
"Eek—! Pervert!"
Defeated by his shamelessness, Jiang Yingqing withdrew her hand and glared at him reproachfully. "Dream on! I'm not rewarding you!"
Laughing and joking, the two got out of the car. Ling Yun opened the trunk and took out the gifts he had just bought.
"Brother Ling Yun? When did you buy those?"
Jiang Yingqing's eyes widened in surprise when she saw the fruit basket and Moutai.
"While a certain little sleepyhead was sleeping so soundly that her drool was nearly running in rivers," Ling Yun teased with a laugh.
"That's mean! I told you it wasn't that much!" Jiang Yingqing stamped her foot, then turned serious. "You didn't have to spend so much! My family invited you over for dinner!"
"It would look strange to show up empty-handed on my first formal visit. It's just a small token of goodwill. It's only proper."
Ling Yun's tone was gentle but firm.
Looking at his serious profile, Jiang Yingqing felt warmth spread through her heart and muttered softly, "...You look pretty handsome when you're serious."
At that moment, the villa's front door opened, and a middle-aged man with a steady bearing and a hearty smile hurried out. He was Jiang Yingqing's father, Jiang Mingyuan.
"Hahaha, Xiao Yun! We've been waiting for you! Come inside, come inside!"
Jiang Mingyuan's voice was booming as he warmly welcomed him. When his gaze fell on the gifts in Ling Yun's hands, he deliberately put on a stern expression. "Oh, look at you! You're only here for a simple meal, yet you brought such expensive gifts! You're being too formal!"
Despite saying that, he naturally reached out and accepted the Moutai and fruit basket, then affectionately patted Ling Yun's shoulder with considerable force. "The Moutai is good! Your Uncle Jiang can hold his liquor just fine!"
This familiar, imposing, and enthusiastic manner, brimming with an elder's authority, left Jiang Yingqing standing there in a daze. She muttered softly, "Dad... you're being a little too enthusiastic..."
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