Huan Yuan slipped and fell as it struck him that he was in a grave situation when he took a phantom step. He had nothing to rely on as his body flew into the air.
However, his mind was clear at that very moment.
'Rong Zhi, Rong Zhi, your plan's thorough indeed,' he thought while forcing a smirk as he fell.
He expected everything to happen. He expected the assassins because it was he who asked for them. He even expected them not to recognize him.
Or maybe it was all part of Rong Zhi's plan. Such a thorough plan could not be described merely as terrifying.
A chill that he had never felt before rose in Huan Yuan's heart.
However, nothing mattered to him right now. The view was considered beautiful, so it was not exactly depressing to be buried there.
He was exhausted. He admitted that he lacked the skills even though his freedom would be granted if he defeated Rong Zhi's plot. If Rong Zhi wanted to kill him with this plan, he would fulfill the latter's wish.
Perhaps dying here would grant him the peace that he never had before.
However, Huan Yuan's wrist tightened all of a sudden before the wind began to whistle in his ears. His body stopped and was suspended from the cliff as someone gripped him tightly.
Who just saved him?
Huan Yuan opened his eyes in shock. He saw a scene that he would never forget for the rest of his life. It was the person he loathed deeply, grabbing his wrist while looking strained as she lay sprawled on the cliff.
Compared to Huan Yuan's shock, Chu Yu felt helpless. If she knew what was the consequences of extending her hand by instinct, she would have resisted it no matter what. She did not manage to think the second she saw Huan Yuan falling off the cliff, so she grabbed him by instinct.
Due to her lack of strength, not only did she not manage to pull Huan Yuan up, but she was also dragged down by his body weight. She slipped from the cliff while she grabbed the rock at the side with her other hand. Her body stuck close to the ground, causing her not to fall off the cliff.
Even so, she did not have the extra strength to pull a hefty man who weighed over 100 catties like Huan Yuan up from the cliff.
A part of her body was going over the cliff and she seemed to be slipping slowly. Chu Yu clenched her teeth as she felt as though her wrist was breaking. However, she grabbed Huan Yuan's wrist even tighter now.
Huan Yuan's mind went blank as he looked at her in bewilderment.
It was her?
Chu Yu could not see what was happening behind her. All she could hear was the collision of attacks that were sometimes far and sometimes near. Someone even stepped on her foot. Judging by the person's weight, it should be Liu Sang since he was the lightest one among all.
She began to worry as she could not see the situation. People were still fighting on the mountaintop whereby the fight was becoming stagnant. Huan Yuan was hanging over the cliff while Chu Yu was lying on the cliff, holding him. Meanwhile, Yue Jiefei was fighting four assassins, so he could not go and save them. Although Liu Sang was getting ahold of his sword skills, he could not kill the person immediately and return to save the duo.
Chu Yu forced a smile as she was in a pickle. Neither could she pull Huan Yuan up, nor could she stop his body weight from dragging her down gradually. Although it was slow, it was descending by a millimeter per second. Chu Yu knew the more she was being dragged down, the more her life was on the line.
Under such circumstances, the most reasonable solution to save herself would be to let go. She would save herself if she let go of Huan Yuan who was being a massive burden.
Although she knew that, she could not bring herself to do that.
The feeling of being dragged into the abyss bit by bit was torturous. It was like a blunt knife being polished occasionally. There was no way of her letting go.
If she knew this would have happened beforehand, she might have lost the opportunity to save Huan Yuan when she hesitated. Or if she did not manage to grab his hand, all she would feel was guilt for a while.
However, now that she had already grabbed him, she was his only hope to live. There was no way she could convince herself to let go. If she were to let go now, it was not much different from committing murder.
Although the mountain was not exactly high, it was a mountain after all. One would have a 99% chance of dying if he were to fall.
Life was precious. Chu Yu, who came from over 1,000 years in the future, knew that very well and respected the fact since she had already died once.
Liu Sang, who was fighting, finally noticed Chu Yu whose body had shifted a few inches out of the edge of the cliff. He shouted out in fear since he could not go to her, "Princess! Let go of Brother Huan. It's too dangerous for you to do this!"
His scream finally made the assassins realize that they were targeting the wrong person. They became frantic from rage, causing Yue Jiefei to dodge their attacks.
Huan Yuan's chest became numb when he heard Liu Sang's voice. Apart from Jiang Yan who had the same interest as him, Liu Sang, the cute little kid, was the person closest to him in the Princess's Imperial Residence. However, time had passed and he forgot that the person who ranked the first in Liu Sang's heart was the princess.
For the princess, Liu Sang would ditch anyone else in the world.
Huan Yuan knew he should not care about this, but an inevitable sorrow that was close to despair rose in his heart. He would never defeat Rong Zhi or be granted freedom. People who were close to him would always leave him.
If this was his life, what was his reason for even living?
As his mind was about to go blank, a voice came to him, jolting him instantly. "Don't let go."
Chu Yu was flushing due to her strenuous effort to speak. "Don't let go."
An assassin finally got his opportunity and he hurled his longsword at Chu Yu. Yue Jiefei blocked the attack halfway but he missed by a little. The sword remained flying at her, but it swiped the top of her head. Her bun was removed and her hair fell softly, covering her face.
Chu Yu was sweating as her palm that was grabbing Huan Yuan's wrist was damp with perspiration and she was losing her grip more and more.
Chu Yu clenched her teeth as she said, "Huan Yuan, hold tight. Don't let go."
Huan Yuan opened his eyes wide. He could not believe she said that.
What… did he hear earlier? Was that an illusion caused by his depression?
The person's face was buried in the shadows of her messy hair. However, those eyes were bright and clear, and there was a mesmerizing light in them.
"Don't let go."
He could not believe she said that. He had once thought that nobody in this world would ever hold on to him.
In these times of trouble, fate was like floating duckweed. Who would have the kind thought to care about the life and death of others?
Still, why would this person extend her hand without hesitation in the midst of a crisis? Why would this person ditch everything and grab him tightly by the deadly cliff?
It was her.
How could it be her?
Rong Zhi, I guess you never expected this to happen no matter how thorough your plan was.
Chu Yu did not know the struggle Huan Yuan was going through. All she did was to continue to speak strenuously, "Don't give up just yet. Keep holding on. The opportunity will come." Perhaps Liu Sang and Yue Jiefei would power up and defeat the assassins in the next second.
Although the chances were extremely slim, she would not give up until the real bout of despair came.
Before Chu Yu was done speaking, she heard Liu Sang's cheer that came behind her. She was elated and roughly knew that things had turned around. She turned her head strenuously to peek. She saw a red cloud and dazzling sword shadows from the side of her eye.