Ruge closed her eyes, and the bloody battle of life and death could still emerge in front of her eyes. Although the guards he brought with him were all first-class fighters, they could not withstand the repeated fighting. When he was forced to fall off the cliff, there were still two loyal guards beside him.
They didn't expect that the wild grass and miasma at the bottom of the cliff would drain their last bit of strength. The loyal guards only protected him and placed him, injured and unconscious, in a cave on the cliff. However, they died due to their severe injuries and from inhaling too much miasma.
Ruge moved his legs. His leg was wounded by a sword when he fell off the cliff. Now he was staying at the bottom of the cliff where there was a lot of miasma. The wound had not healed for a long time and even began to fester. In his condition, it was difficult for him to move, let alone walk out.
Ruge sighed softly, cracked lips, he closed his eyes and waited for death to come. In the darkness, the cries became clearer and clearer. It was not a dream, Ji Lingxue really came to find him!
Ruge opened his eyes, a tear streaked across the corner of his eyes, and for the first time he knew what it felt like to cry for joy. The darkness in his heart was instantly dispelled by the faint sunlight, and he opened his mouth to shout in response, his throat felt sore, and he trembled and made a sound.
An Ge, who was carrying Ji Lingxue on his back, said, "Master, please stop shouting. You are wearing a mask and your voice will be unclear. The other party may not be able to hear you."
There is another reason for the lack of response. The person may have met with an accident. But An Ge dare not say such discouraging words. There must always be hope in life.
Ji Lingxue patted An Ge's shoulder and said, "Put me down. I will walk this section of the road myself."
The footprints were already very faint here, and there were stones in front, so no footprints could be left, making the search more difficult.
An Ge put Ji Lingxue down and walked forward behind her. He was usually a man of few words and only talked when he had something to say.
Ji Lingxue walked to the cliff cave. It was very dark inside. She took out a tinder from her bag and lit it. Just as she was about to walk into the cave, her arm was grabbed by An Ge. An Ge said worriedly, "Master, we don't know if there is any danger inside. Why don't you let me go in first? If there is any danger, I will be there for you."
Ji Lingxue twitched the corners of her mouth. Should she be so cautious? She was not made of glass. Would she break if touched
"It's okay, I have poison powder on me, and it's others who are in danger." After saying that, Ji Lingxue walked straight in, leaving An Ge disheveled in the wind. It was the first time she met a master who was in danger without the guards leading the way.
"Da da da..." The crisp sound of stones falling on the ground made Ji Lingxue pause. The light of the tinder could not illuminate the entire cave, and even through the mask, she could still smell the disgusting smell of decay in the cave.
Ji Lingxue looked around the cave vigilantly and vaguely saw someone trying to sit up, his feet rubbing against the stones, making a strange sound of tapping.
"Who's in there? Is it you, Ruge?" Ji Lingxue asked tentatively again.
"Yes... it's me..." A hoarse and trembling voice came from the deepest part of the cave.
Ji Lingxue's heart skipped a beat. Was this Ruge's voice? It was so hoarse and desolate. What had he experienced these days
The thought only flashed through Ji Lingxue's mind. She walked forward quickly with the fire lighter in her hand. Her foot was tripped by something and she staggered. After she steadied herself and turned around, even though she had seen a lot of things in the world, she was still shocked by the strange scene in front of her. The man's face was covered with crawling maggots. Judging from the clothes he was wearing, he was clearly Ruge's guard.
Ji Lingxue's heart sank. His guards were in such a state, what about Ruge? How long had he stayed in this dark cave? Was he injured? Otherwise, how could he be trapped at the bottom of the small cliff
"Ruge..." Ji Lingxue turned around and looked over with the torch in hand, her eyes suddenly narrowed...
In the dark cave, the light from the tinder illuminated the white hair, and Ji Lingxue's heart sank.
An Ge walked to Ruge's side before Ji Lingxue to check his injuries. He shook his head, carried Ruge on his back, and said to Ji Lingxue, "Master, let's go out first."
Ji Lingxue nodded. She wanted to ask about An Ge Ruge's injury, but he changed the subject and she took the lead to walk out.
An Ge, carrying Ru Ge on his back, seemed to have no constraints. His feet were flying and soon he was as fast as Ji Lingxue and walked out of the cliff cave.
Ruge, who hadn't seen the sun for a long time, closed her eyes when she saw the glaring sunlight. Ji Lingxue, who followed them out, felt a sudden pain in her heart when she saw Ruge's white hair flying in the wind.
I still remember when I first met Ruge, he was in a miserable state. But after he cleaned himself up, he looked handsome. His black hair had turned white now, and he looked more aged. Who made him look like this
Ji Lingxue clenched her hands hanging at her sides into fists.
An Ge turned to look at Ji Lingxue and said, "Master, please wait here. I will carry him to the top of the cliff first and then come back to pick you up."
Ji Lingxue shook her head and said, "Let's go together. If anything happens, we can take care of each other." She didn't want Ruge to get into trouble again.
An Ge thought about it and felt that what Ji Lingxue said made sense.
Ruge turned to look at Ji Lingxue, pulled the corners of her cracked lips and smiled.
Facing Ruge's kind smile, Ji Lingxue couldn't smile at all. She had a lot of questions to ask, but she didn't know where to start. She glanced at Ruge and finally asked, "Where are you hurt?"
Ruge said: "Feet..."
Ji Lingxue said to An Ge, "Put him down first and treat his wound before leaving." They didn't know what was waiting for them on the way back, so treating the wound was the first priority.
An Ge found a nearly flat place and put Ru Ge down. The miasma in the cliff cave didn't seem that serious. Besides, Ru Ge had been staying in this place for so long and was fine, so she was probably immune to it.
"Water!" Ruge uttered the word with great effort. Perhaps because he had not spoken or eaten for a long time, his voice sounded extremely hoarse.
An Ge took out the water bag from his waist and put it to Ru Ge's lips. Ru Ge drank dozens of mouthfuls. The clear water slid down his dry throat and into his stomach, and his heart also felt warm.
Ruge said, "That's enough, thank you."
Ji Lingxue squatted down beside Ruge's feet, rolled up his trouser legs and took a look. Her lips trembled as she saw the blackened rotten flesh emitting a disgusting smell.
Ruge said, "Xue'er, please stop looking." She was really worried that her only sister would be scared and would not dare to eat meat anymore.
An Ge said: "Master, let me bandage his wound."
Ji Lingxue said seriously: "These rotten flesh have to be cut off before we can apply medicine. An Ge, you can't do this kind of delicate work, so let me do it." As she spoke, she drew the dagger from her waist, and the bright light of the knife made Ji Lingxue's eyes shine like stars.
An Ge and Ru Ge both looked at Ji Lingxue in silence.
Ruge: Sister, the way you hold the knife looks like a cook cutting vegetables. But this is my leg, so you have to be careful when cutting the meat.
An Ge: Master, you have never done such a thing, so why don’t you let your subordinates do it
Under the questioning gazes of the two men, Ji Lingxue lowered her head and began to carefully cut the rotten meat. With one cut, Ruge gasped and looked at Ji Lingxue with a strange look.
Ji Lingxue asked, "Does it hurt a lot? How about I apply some Ma Fei San before continuing?"
Ruge shook her head and said, "No need."
If you take Ma Fei San, I will feel that you are planning to rely on my leg meat. The image of Ji Lingxue grilling meat appeared in his mind, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
An Ge opened Ji Lingxue's bag, took out a piece of cake and stuffed it into Ruge's mouth, looking at him sympathetically, "Eat a piece of cake to fill your stomach." If it hurts too much later, you will have the strength to scream.
A quarter of an hour later, Ji Lingxu raised her sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. There was a piece of rotten flesh under her feet, and Ruge's legs were wrapped in thick bandages.
Ruge said, "Xue'er, you didn't learn this skill from cooking?"
Ji Lingxue smiled and said, probably.
After packing up, An Ge carried Ru Ge on his back and walked back with Ji Lingxue. Standing at the foot of the cliff and looking up, he saw a shadow of a knife passing by, and a hemp rope several feet high fell down like a giant python.
An Ge narrowed her eyes. There was someone on the top of the cliff! And they were blocked from going up.
Ruge said, "It's Yuchi Gongru." Only he had such patience that he squatted on the top of the cliff to cut off their retreat.
Ji Lingxue twitched her lips, "I met this guy again. Wasn't he imprisoned by the Emperor of Dayan? How come he can still run out and stroll around?"
Ruge smiled bitterly, thinking that confinement could not stop Yuchi Gongru's ambition.
An Ge said: "Master, I will go up and deal with him."
Ji Lingxue said, "No." Yuchi Gongru is such a cunning person that even Ruge can't deal with him. If An Ge goes up and falls into the trap, wouldn't she and Ruge be killed here
As soon as Ji Lingxue finished speaking, An Ge flew towards the top of the cliff. This was the first time he did not obey her orders.
Ruge stood on the cliff and looked up at An Ge's flying back. She said to Ji Lingxue, "This is your secret guard. His Qinggong is pretty good!"
Ji Lingxue's mouth twitched, "You used to be very obedient, but now you're acting on your own."
Ruge smiled and waved to Ji Lingxue. Her pale cheeks were devoid of a trace of blood, her face was as dark as water and she looked extremely calm.
Ji Lingxue walked towards Ruge, watching him leaning against the cliff to steady himself, and asked, "Are you okay?"
Ruge shook her head, indicating that she was fine and not to worry.
The clinking sound of swords clashing came from the top of the cliff. The two of them were deep under the cliff and could hear the fierceness of the collision from the sound. Ji Lingxue raised her head and found that there was a bulge above the cliff where Ruge asked her to stand. Even if the people on the top threw stones or hidden weapons down the cliff, they would have to avoid it.
Ji Lingxue turned her head to look at Ruge's snow-white hair and asked, "What should we do now?"
Ruge said: "Find a way to get up... I'll carry you..."
Ji Lingxue shook her head. Ruge’s leg injury was so serious, how could she bear the weight of two people.
Ruge said firmly: "I have Qinggong skills, I can give it a try."
Ji Lingxue angrily asked: "Don't you want your legs anymore?"
Compared to your life, my legs are nothing. Ruge didn't say this, nor did she want to explain too much. She picked up Ji Lingxue's waist and used her uninjured leg to push the ground and fly to the top of the cliff.
(End of this chapter)