Her Immortal Love - Chapter 9

A pale, paper-white hand reached out from her shoulder…

The mere thought of it sent a shiver of pain through Qin Changsheng.

The mountain path twisted and turned like a serpent winding through the dense forest. Xu Jing, having eaten and drunk her fill, was now full of energy and had no intention of resting. Qin Changsheng, on the other hand, felt drowsy the entire way, half-closing his eyes as he searched for the next inn where they could take a break.

Jiang Zhongxue still carried that black umbrella, appearing indifferent to everything around him. Qin Changsheng, exhausted and sleepy, glanced back at Jiang Zhongxue, unable to comprehend how this person could remain so lively and energetic despite not having eaten a single grain all day.

Birdsong still echoed through the dense forest, and the rugged mountain path was paved with bluestone slabs, as it was a scenic area. Beneath the shade of the trees, ancient wells had been built. After another ten minutes of walking, the dense forest ahead suddenly opened up, and the narrow path came to an abrupt end.

Qin Changsheng, who had been on the verge of dozing off, froze the moment he took a step forward, and a chill ran down his spine.

Just a few steps ahead, blocked by a waist-high boulder, lay a bottomless abyss.

At the sight of this masterpiece of nature’s craftsmanship, Qin Changsheng was both awestruck and filled with lingering fear, instantly jolting him awake.

The path ahead was cut off by the mountain rocks. A few more steps, and beneath his feet would be a sheer cliff thousands of feet deep. On the opposite side, separated by the dense green shadows of the valley, a towering cliff rose abruptly, as if cleaved by a blade. The grayish-white rock face was nearly vertical, almost perpendicular to the ground.

Layer upon layer of cliffs stretched before them, with ancient plank roads densely crisscrossing their surfaces. These paths spiraled upward along the cliffside, clinging to the edge of the precipice, barely a foot wide, gradually disappearing into the green shadows below. The cliff beneath was almost a sheer drop, and the location of the ancient plank roads was perilous, rivaling even the famed Changkong Plank Road of Mount Hua.

Facing the ancient plank road, Xu Jing let out a soft sigh. Jiang Zhongxue’s expression shifted slightly, a trace of reminiscence flickering across his face as he murmured with a hint of sorrow, “The sorrow of the Shu roads at Mount Guan.”

Xu Jing didn’t notice Jiang Zhongxue’s lament, but Qin Changsheng turned to him and asked, “What do you think?”

Jiang Zhongxue shifted his gaze to her. Qin Changsheng consoled herself, thinking that since Jiang Zhongxue had spoken first, she hadn’t technically initiated the conversation, so she wouldn’t need to slap herself as punishment for breaking her own rule.

Jiang Zhongxue’s eyes fell on Xu Jing, who remained oblivious, and he raised an eyebrow in silent inquiry. Qin Changsheng also glanced at Xu Jing, wondering how to coax her into going back down the mountain.

She needed to find a reasonable and non-abrupt excuse.

Xu Jing was an old friend she had brought along specifically for the matter at Mount Ji. If possible, she didn’t want to drag Xu Jing any deeper into this affair.

Troubling Xu Jing in the first place had already left Qin Changsheng feeling deeply guilty.

Just as Qin Changsheng’s mind raced, trying to come up with a flawless reason to send Xu Jing down the mountain alone, Xu Jing’s phone suddenly rang.

The surroundings were quiet and deserted, and the ringing startled Xu Jing. Flustered, she fumbled in her pocket for her phone, glanced at Qin Changsheng and Jiang Zhongxue, then walked a short distance away to answer the call.

Unaware of who was on the other end of the call, Xu Jing’s voice came in fragments, punctuated by occasional murmurs of “Mm, I understand.” Qin Changsheng walked over to Jiang Zhongxue, his eyes fixed on Xu Jing’s movements while he lowered his voice to speak to Jiang Zhongxue. “The shopkeeper just gave me some information.”

Jiang Zhongxue responded with a soft “Mm.” Though her voice was quiet, Qin Changsheng felt a wave of relief, at least she had acknowledged him.

After this brief exchange, Jiang Zhongxue waited for Qin Changsheng to continue sharing the information he had just obtained. But when he fell silent, she shifted her gaze from the ancient plank road across the chasm to Qin Changsheng’s face and murmured, “Mm?”

Her tone implied a question: Why aren’t you continuing?

Before them stretched a bottomless abyss, and across it lay the ancient Shu plank road. The mountain wind swept by, carrying a slight chill.

Qin Changsheng looked at Jiang Zhongxue, his expression grave, and asked, “Why didn’t you eat lunch?”

Jiang Zhongxue: “………..”

Her face immediately darkened, reverting to its previous cold indifference. “Get to the point.”

Qin Changsheng’s expression remained serious, his voice still low, but now tinged with resentment. “This is the point. You skipped breakfast, and now you’ve skipped lunch. If you collapse later when something happens, who’s going to save you? We’re in this together. You took my brother’s payment, so you should cooperate and do your job properly! Stop acting tough! Do you think you’re, ”

“Do you think I’m what?”

Qin Changsheng’s words cut off abruptly.

Jiang Zhongxue stood before him, her face so dark it seemed to drip with gloom. The mountain wind howled, and from the depths of the abyss came the roaring gales and the wails of tormented spirits, as if they were standing at the gates of hell itself.

Qin Changsheng suddenly felt cold.

Jiang Zhongxue stood before him, blocking the light. The shadow she cast was like the dark side of a mountain, what lurked within it?

Restless ghosts or snarling, weeping monsters?

A layer of icy,幽 blue light seemed to ignite in Jiang Zhongxue’s eyes, burning with intensity. She stared at Qin Changsheng as if filled with utter loathing, her lips curling into a mocking sneer as she enunciated each word clearly: “Qin Changsheng, you are both naive and pitiful.”

Qin Changsheng’s retort caught in his throat.

After a long pause, blood rushed to his head, and anger blazed like wildfire in his chest. Under Jiang Zhongxue’s sharp, almost cutting gaze, Qin Changsheng straightened his spine, lifted his chin, and declared furiously, “Naive and pitiful? What a joke! Do you think I care about you? Jiang Zhongxue! Let me tell you, if it weren’t for the task my brother entrusted to me, why would I ever work with a lunatic like you? Oh, I’ve put up with you refusing to communicate, refusing to plan together, but Jiang Zhongxue! What’s the meaning of neglecting your own health? If you collapse or your strength fails and it ruins my plans, who will take responsibility for your recklessness and willfulness?”

Jiang Zhongxue narrowed her eyes, a flash of murderous intent erupting in her clear, pool-like gaze. Her stunning features seemed frozen in ice. “Qin Changsheng, I really want to kill you.”

Qin Changsheng froze.

A chill rose from the depths of his heart. Jiang Zhongxue stared at him, her eyes filled with unmistakable hatred, along with an indescribable despair and pain. Qin Changsheng took a step back. Jiang Zhongxue watched him but made no move, simply standing there, her gaze fixed on him.

The two stared at each other for a long moment, Qin Changsheng’s heart pounding like a drum. She knew Jiang Zhongxue wasn’t joking, she was the kind of person who meant what she said.

Though they had only met a day ago, for some reason, this realization was crystal clear in Qin Changsheng’s mind, almost overwhelmingly so.

As Qin Changsheng stepped back, Jiang Zhongxue’s imposing aura began to ease. Just then, Xu Jing emerged from making a phone call, inadvertently putting an end to the extremely awkward scene.

Unaware of what had just transpired, Xu Jing wore an anxious expression as she turned to Qin Changsheng. “Changsheng, something’s come up at school, I have to head down the mountain. Of all times, just when I slipped away, the dean started taking attendance again, and now I have to go back and answer questions! What terrible luck!”

For Qin Changsheng, this news couldn’t have come at a better time. She nodded at Xu Jing, instinctively glancing at Jiang Zhongxue beside her, and said, “Let me walk you down the mountain then.”

Xu Jing quickly shook her head, her gaze also drifting toward Jiang Zhongxue. In that brief moment, Jiang Zhongxue’s expression had already returned to its usual indifference, as if the earlier exchange had been nothing but Qin Changsheng’s imagination.

After seeing Xu Jing off, Qin Changsheng found herself alone again with Jiang Zhongxue. The dense forest surrounded them, with the occasional clear chirping of birds echoing through the branches. Qin Changsheng stole glances at Jiang Zhongxue, whose face remained calm and unreadable, while her own mind raced with wild thoughts. What exactly was Jiang Zhongxue’s relationship with her brother? Would she really make a move against her?

This time, Jiang Zhongxue took the lead.

Night was beginning to fall.

Instead of heading up or down the mountain, Jiang Zhongxue, holding her black umbrella, led Qin Changsheng through the forest toward the other side.

The path was a narrow trail worn by travelers. Under the darkening sky, heavy clouds loomed as the sun dipped below the horizon. Observing Jiang Zhongxue’s movements along the way, Qin Changsheng’s mind swirled with suspicions.

She had secretly sent a text to Qin Shifeng earlier, and he had replied, repeatedly emphasizing that Jiang Zhongxue was absolutely trustworthy.

She would never do anything to harm Qin Changsheng, it was like a binding agreement, though the specifics were unknown even to Qin Shifeng. The person who had signed that pact was their grandfather.

Grandfather would never harm Qin Changsheng.

From as far back as she could remember, Qin Changsheng had been afraid of her grandfather. He was always stern and unsmiling, never showing her any warmth or affection. His demands were strict: she had to rank first in exams, wasn’t allowed to be picky with food, and had to be polite. If she didn’t earn a top mark on a test, he would strike her palms with a bamboo ruler, over and over, never flinching or reducing the count no matter how hard she cried.

Qin Changsheng had long believed her grandfather didn’t care for her much, until her brother later told her that, in fact, she was her grandfather’s favorite. Her grandfather had dedicated his life to breaking the curse placed upon her. He had used his own blood to suppress the power in Qin Changsheng’s eyes, and in the end, he died in a foreign land while searching for a way to lift the curse from her.

The reason he had been so harsh with Qin Changsheng was his fear that she wouldn’t be strong or resilient enough to bear the weight of her destiny, that without the ability or willpower, she would succumb to the curse and resign herself to fate too soon.

Those years of palm strikes from Grandpa were merely to forge the strength within her to withstand the blows of fate.

To this day, no one knew where Grandpa had ultimately died. There was no one to send him off on his final journey. Even if his grandchildren wished to mourn him, they had no idea where to scatter a handful of paper ashes.

When Qin Shifeng brought up the matter, Qin Changsheng found it utterly unbelievable and asked, “Grandpa was already so old. If he really was the one who made the agreement with Jiang Zhongxue, then Jiang Zhongxue should be around the same age as him by now, right?”

Qin Shifeng’s explanation was that perhaps it was one of Jiang Zhongxue’s clan elders or ancestors who had signed the agreement, and when it came time to fulfill it, the responsibility fell to Jiang Zhongxue, who happened to be around the same age as Qin Changsheng.

At the thought of Grandpa, Qin Changsheng’s eyes stung slightly. She followed behind Jiang Zhongxue, keeping her head down and matching her pace.

Suddenly, Jiang Zhongxue came to an abrupt halt. Qin Changsheng, caught off guard, bumped right into her back.

Qin Changsheng froze for a moment before quickly snapping back to reality. She swiftly scanned their surroundings, lowered her voice, and asked in a hushed, rapid tone, “Is someone following us?”

If you suspect someone, don’t use them; if you use someone, don’t suspect them. Since Qin Shifeng had assured her that Jiang Zhongxue was absolutely trustworthy, Qin Changsheng would place her full confidence in Jiang Zhongxue, if only out of trust for her own brother.

She had also come to terms with the events of the day. Jiang Zhongxue was an odd person; all Qin Changsheng needed to do was make good use of her and not concern herself with anything else.

At least when it came to the matter of Ji Shan Yuyin, their goals aligned. As for everything else, she could just treat Jiang Zhongxue as an eccentric or a weirdo, there was no need to dwell on it.

No sooner had she spoken than Jiang Zhongxue swiftly grabbed Qin Changsheng’s shoulder and whispered sharply into her ear, “Wait here for me!”

Then, like a leopard that had been coiled and ready to spring, she launched herself from between the dense trees, stepping off a fallen log and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Qin Changsheng stared wide-eyed.

She had trained in some martial arts herself, but it was limited to close combat, relying on technique and skill. But the kind of speed Jiang Zhongxue had just displayed, pushing the limits of velocity, was something she had never even heard of, let alone witnessed.

Moreover, Jiang Zhongxue was wearing a simple white T-shirt and denim shorts. In this dense forest, overgrown with bushes, it was impossible for her exposed skin not to brush against the undergrowth. And if she were to get caught on a bush at such high speed, the friction would surely tear long, bloody gashes into her skin instantly.

The more Qin Changsheng thought about it, the paler her face grew.

But since Jiang Zhongxue had told her to wait here, it was probably best to follow her instructions. If Qin Changsheng had ever doubted Jiang Zhongxue’s abilities before, the sheer speed with which she had propelled herself off that log just moments ago had completely erased any skepticism.

She really was a reliable ally, just as Qin Shifeng had said…

After Jiang Zhongxue dashed off, the surroundings fell into silence. The sun had sunk below the mountains, and night enveloped everything. A cold wind swept through the forest, rustling the leaves and branches with a desolate whisper, as if countless spirits were murmuring among themselves.

Qin Changsheng stood in the darkness when, from behind her, a pale, paper-white hand suddenly reached out and rested quietly on her shoulder.