lcionline Chapter 316 Escape in the Night, Bound by Life and Death
Chapter 316 Escape in the Night, Bound by Life and Death
He forced himself to stay upright, gripped the hilt of the sword embedded in his left shoulder with his right hand, and, enduring excruciating pain, mustered his strength and pulled the sword out.
Blood gushed out like a fountain, and Afu could no longer hold on, his body falling backward.
"Zichao! Huang Zichao!" Princess Qiulan rushed over, tumbling and crawling.
He caught him just as he was about to fall.
Princess Qiulan looked at Afu's current state and asked in a trembling voice, "Zichao, how are you? Don't scare this princess!"
Upon hearing her voice, Afu coughed up another mouthful of blood, his vision gradually blurring.
He felt as if his body was experiencing both ice and fire.
It was scalding hot one moment and icy cold the next.
He looked at Princess Qiulan's tear-streaked face and gave a weak smile.
"I...I finally...fulfilled...my promise..."
"Very well, this princess knows that you, Huang Zichao, are the most trustworthy!"
Princess Qiulan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with her sleeve, tears streaming down her face.
"I demand that you promise me you won't die, do you hear me?"
“Qiu…Qiu Lan…Princess…” Afu struggled to raise his finger and pointed ahead, “Don’t worry about me, hurry…hurry and escape…go to the Spirit Kingdom to find…Da Ya and the others…”
"Don't speak yet!" Princess Qiulan helped him up.
Then she hoisted him onto her back and said, "I'll take you away right now, you'll be alright!"
She carried the unconscious Afu on her back, walking forward with heavy steps, each one feeling incredibly arduous.
About an incense stick later, a horse's neighing suddenly came from not far ahead.
The horse's neigh was soft, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the still of the night.
Princess Qiulan's heart skipped a beat, filled with both surprise and delight.
But then I wondered if it was another pursuer's horse.
She carried Afu on her back and quietly walked towards the source of the sound.
By the light of the moon, one could see a warhorse grazing on the grass.
This horse is the same one that chased them. Perhaps it ran here in fright after its owner died in the battle!
Princess Qiulan was afraid there might be a trap.
So after waiting a moment and confirming that no one was around, he carried Afu to the front of the horse.
She picked up Afu horizontally and used her light-footed skill to leap onto the horse's back.
She let Afu lean against her chest, holding him tightly with her left hand and pulling the reins with her right.
"drive!"
The warhorse neighed and carried the two of them as it galloped away into the distance.
The moonlight shone on them, casting long, long shadows.
The road ahead is long, but there is always a glimmer of light guiding the way in the darkness.
Princess Qiulan, with Afu clinging to her, urged her horse to gallop.
Afu rested his head on her shoulder, and the burning sensation on her neck made her heart tighten.
She looked down at Afu's pale face, which was flushed with an unnatural redness, and her brows furrowed involuntarily.
"A normal person injured this badly should be feeling cold, so why is he burning up so badly?"
The horses' hooves pounded rapidly on the road, and the surrounding area was so open that even birds were rarely seen.
Princess Qiulan tightened her grip on Afu's waist, her gaze sweeping across the empty horizon behind her.
Unaware of any pursuers behind her, she could only spur her horse forward at breakneck speed.
Just then, a surge of heat unexpectedly welled up inside her, warming her body.
Princess Qiulan paused for a moment, then looked down at Afu, who was leaning on her shoulder.
They assumed it was because the two were too close and their body temperatures were affecting each other, so they didn't think much of it.
She simply held Ah Fu tighter and sped up.
The horse bounced and swayed on its back, and Afu's breathing gradually became heavier, but the burning sensation on his body did not diminish at all.
Princess Qiulan felt a growing sense of worry.
She unconsciously tightened her grip on the reins.
I thought that I had to find a place to stay first, no matter what.
Judging from his injuries, if he continues to be jostled like this, he might really lose his life.
Princess Qiulan ran for several more miles.
Suddenly, the heat surged up inside me again, this time even more intensely than before.
She immediately reined in the reins and looked at Afu, who was leaning on her shoulder.
She sensed that Afu's breathing was very faint: "It's not his fault..."
Princess Qiulan frowned slightly. This warm current carried a familiar, gentle sensation, clearly originating from within her own body.
The heat flow started quickly and went away quickly.
Without thinking further, she urged her horse to turn onto the other side of the mountain path.
This time, after driving for a short while, a wide open field suddenly appeared in front of us.
The field was completely bare, without a single person in sight.
Yes, although she didn't know what time it was.
But it's late at night now, so who would be working in the fields?
Besides, the fields are completely bare, so there's no way anyone could be there anymore.
Looking at the fields before her, she murmured, "There must be people living here?"
She patted Afu on the back, "Zichao, Zichao, Huang Zichao, wake up, wake up..."
She called out several times, but Afu still didn't wake up and respond.
Princess Qiulan cupped his face in her hands, her fingertips clearly feeling the scorching heat.
She couldn't help but raise her voice, calling out again and again, "Zichao! Huang Zichao! Wake up, Zichao..."
The burning heat on Afu's body proved that he was still alive.
But this lack of response made her heart clench.
Her final shout revealed an undisguised anxiety.
"Don't sleep, can you talk to me?"
After shouting countless times, just when Princess Qiulan was about to despair, Afu finally managed to squeeze out a low "hmm" from his throat.
The voice was as soft as a feather, yet it instantly brought tears to Princess Qiulan's eyes.
Afu tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt as heavy as if they were made of lead, and he couldn't open them no matter how many times he tried.
With only a fading consciousness, she managed to say in an almost inaudible voice, "Princess Qiu... Princess Qiulan, are you... are you alright..."
"I'm fine, I'm fine!"
Princess Qiulan quickly agreed, her fingertips gently brushing against his sweaty forehead.
A faint smile finally appeared on his lips, filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.
"Zichao, hang in there a little longer. I'll take you somewhere to recover right away. You'll be fine soon."
Afu didn't respond to her anymore; he was simply too tired.
The instant his consciousness returned, two forces surged through his body, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
A burning sensation, like a raging fire, coursed through my meridians; yet another chill, like icicles, seeped into my wounds and pierced my very bones.
The forces of hot and cold clashed and fought wildly within his body.
Each collision brought excruciating pain.
Princess Qiulan noticed his unusual behavior and quickly hugged him even tighter.
She gently comforted him, "Are you feeling very uncomfortable? Just bear with it a little longer, we'll be in a place with people soon."
Without further hesitation, she spurred her horse forward.