Chapter 32: Both Plummeting into the Abyss

Everyone was drenched to the bone. Liang Shanbo’s clothes were filthy, clearly the result of a recent fall. "Have you found Yingtai?" he asked anxiously.

Ma Wencai grabbed Liang by the collar with a menacing look. "Liang Shanbo, you’re worried now? Tell me, what did you do to Yingtai?"

"I... Brother Wencai, I really..."

I tugged at Ma Wencai’s arm, trying to pull him away. "Ma Wencai, it was your Zhu Yingtai who was acting unreasonably and losing her mind. Why are you blaming Shanbo? Let go, let go!"

Just as we were arguing, Yinxin’s heart-wrenching cries rang out from behind us: "Young Master Ma, Young Master Liang, my young master, she... she slid off the slope..."

Yinxin ran up to Ma Wencai, sobbing uncontrollably. "Young Master Ma, please save my young master, please save her."

"Yinxin, where? Take me there now!" Ma Wencai and I followed Yinxin as she ran off. Shanbo stood in the rain, expressionless and motionless, as if his soul had been ripped away.

"It’s right here. My young master fell from here." Yinxin led us to a steep hillside. We had passed this spot on our way back to the academy; it was very precipitous, but there was a pond at the bottom. If one wasn't struck by rocks or scratched, a person who knew how to swim shouldn't be in danger, but women of this era could not swim.

"Yinxin, go find a rope," Ma Wencai ordered after gauging the height of the slope.

Liang Shanbo and Xun Jubo rushed up from behind. "Where is Yingtai? How is she?"

"Yingtai, Yingtai, Yingtai! Your precious Yingtai has fallen into the valley, and her fate is unknown. Are you happy now? Satisfied?" Ma Wencai roared.

"I..." Liang Shanbo knelt powerlessly at the edge of the cliff, his face a mixture of tears and rain. "Yingtai, it’s all my fault. I’m the one who harmed you."

"Liang Shanbo, you had better pray that Yingtai is safe, or your worthless life won't be enough to pay for it." Ma Wencai kicked Liang in the shoulder and hauled him up to beat him savagely.

"What are you doing? Saving her is what matters now! What good does beating him do?" I grabbed Ma Wencai around the waist and pulled him backward with all my might. This man was incredibly strong; even with every ounce of my effort, I could only drag him a few steps.

"Watch out!" Ma Wencai shoved Liang Shanbo hard, and Xun Jubo suddenly shouted.

"Ah!" As I held onto Ma Wencai, I suddenly lost the tension I was pulling against. My foot slipped, and I felt my center of gravity vanish, followed by a sharp, stinging pain—my arm had been scraped raw.

"Yiqin, don't let go!" It was Ma Wencai holding my hand, while his other hand gripped a rock. We were both left dangling in mid-air. I instinctively looked down. "Ah! Ma Wencai, don't let go, I'm so scared!"

"Yiqin, Wencai, hold on, I’ll pull you up!" Liang Shanbo and Xun Jubo lay on the edge of the cliff, clutching Ma Wencai’s hand tightly.

I was terrified. I was truly afraid that I wouldn't live past five years and would die here. I didn't want to. I still had my parents, my classmates, and my sisters waiting for me to go back. I couldn't die here; I couldn't. It was so cold. Why did my tears turn cold the moment they fell? I gripped Ma Wencai’s hand tightly, terrified he would let go. "Don't let go, I don't want to die, I don't want to die."

My body seemed to start shaking uncontrollably; I was trembling, struggling.

"Yiqin, don't move around. Stay calm and hold on to me." Ma Wencai was held by Liang Shanbo with one hand, while he pulled me upward with the other. I felt my body swaying up and down. My head was spinning—I had a fear of heights!

"Young Master Ma, the rope is here!" I heard Yinxin’s voice as if through a fog. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I heard Ma Wencai calling me: "Yiqin, Yiqin, what’s wrong? Say something..."

"Yiqin..."

"Yiqin, Wencai..."

"Young Master Ma, Young Master Liu..."

"..."

I only felt my body plunging rapidly. It hurt so much, it was so cold, and there was something in my hand...

I woke up the next morning—or rather, I was frozen awake. When I opened my eyes, the sunlight was blinding. I was soaked in the water by the bank, my clothes torn and tattered. I struggled to stand up; my arms were covered in scratches. My stomach felt terrible, as if it were bloated with something.

Ma Wencai, where was Ma Wencai? I remembered him falling with me. "Ma Wencai, Ma Wencai, Wencai..."

I searched the area, but couldn't see him. Could I have remembered wrong? Did only I fall? Yes, I must have been mistaken.

I stumbled along a small path, vomiting up a lot of water along the way. I had no idea where this road led, but after walking for about an hour, I finally reached the end. It looked familiar—much like the old man’s home, a two-story bamboo house standing by the water. However, there were no peach blossoms here; it was filled with green bamboo, and the ground was covered in a carpet of unknown blue flowers. Could it be another recluse of the Eastern Jin Dynasty living here?

"Is anyone there? Is anyone home?" I clutched my waist and walked into the bamboo house.

A young woman emerged from the house. "You are...?"

"I am a student from the Nishan Academy. I accidentally fell into the water from the mountain."

"Do you... know Wencai?" Another woman stepped out from the bamboo house. She was delicate and slender, her face like fine porcelain, her lips like cherry blossoms, her brows like ink paintings, and her eyes like autumn waters. She possessed an indescribable, gentle grace. Dressed in a white gown, she looked exceptionally striking against the sea of green—like a lotus leaf brushed by rain or a mountain peak veiled in mist. She was ethereal and refined. Was she a fairy?

She was looking me over.

I admit I was stunned by her beauty, but she had just asked if I knew Wencai. I asked, "Do you mean Ma Wencai?"

The woman nodded gently.

"Ma Wencai is my classmate. Is he here with you?" I only had one thought in my mind: Ma Wencai had indeed fallen with me, and he had been saved by this woman.

"That is correct. Early this morning, I found him by the lake. He is still unconscious." The woman turned to the other. "Xin'er, take this young master to dry his clothes."

"No, miss, please, let me see Brother Wencai first." I said anxiously. Since Ma Wencai was unconscious, it seemed his condition was worse than mine.

The woman nodded, and I immediately ran up to the bamboo house. Ma Wencai was lying in the room, his brows furrowed, a wound on his forehead. I sat by the bed. "Brother Wencai, Brother Wencai, wake up! It’s me, Liu Yiqin. Get up, let’s go back to the academy."

"Young Master, please let Wencai rest. He has many abrasions on his body, and I have already applied medicine," the woman said.

What? He was injured too? I immediately pulled back his quilt. Heavens, he wasn't wearing any clothes! The next second, I was horrified. "This..." I looked at the woman in disbelief.