Chapter 496: Chapter 478 Falling off the Cliff
When Fengyu got off the carriage, she held a pill in her hand and casually tossed it next to the bonfire. During dinner, the Jinyi Guards gathered around the fire, gnawing on dry rations and drinking water. Chen Mo and three other guards escorted Fengyu to the edge of the forest when, suddenly, one of them asked, "What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant."
It was a strange scent, sickly sweet and dizzying, like an overly bloomed flower oozing venom. Chen Mo squinted, and in an instant, saw the three guards beside Fengyu collapse to the ground, foaming at the mouth. Chen Mo turned abruptly and saw the other guards by the bonfire had fallen as well. He immediately drew his blade and pointed it at Fengyu. "Fengyu, what did you do?"
"Why are you unaffected?"
Realizing he had been tricked by Fengyu, Chen Mo, though unsure of what poison she had used, unsheathed his sword and lunged at her. Fengyu dodged and sprinted into the depths of the forest.
"Fengyu, hand over the antidote!" Chen Mo roared and gave chase, surprised to find that Fengyu hadn’t been affected by the Soft Muscle Powder. Her steps were strong and vigorous as she ran desperately deeper into the forest, not daring to look back. Chen Mo ignored the guards lying unconscious on the ground—he couldn’t let Fengyu escape.
The sunlight had long faded behind layers of mountainous peaks, plunging the forest into pitch darkness. Fengyu could hear the rapid sound of the river echoing through the canyon. The thorns in the forest snagged her dress, scratched her arms, and tore into her calves. Amid the darkness, Fengyu could only hear her frantic heartbeat and feel the sweat pouring down her body, while behind her, Chen Mo’s chaotic footsteps closed in.
The two ran madly through the forest, one chasing, the other fleeing, disturbing the birds resting at night, causing them to let out sharp, urgent cries.
Run!
Keep running! She couldn’t let Chen Mo catch her!
But her stamina was no match for Chen Mo.
"Fengyu, stop! Don’t run! You can’t escape!"
Gritting her teeth, Fengyu burst through the forest and arrived at the edge of a cliff. Below was a raging river, its waters violently churning. The cliff was steep and high—it was a dead end.
Chen Mo emerged from the trees, his curved blade pointed at her. "Third Miss, where else can you go?"
He steadily advanced, forcing Fengyu to retreat step by step. She found herself standing on the very edge of the cliff. A loose stone underfoot tumbled down the precipice. Fengyu, disheveled and bloodied, gripped the sachet at her waist and held it in midair. "Stop! If you take one more step, I’ll drop the antidote. The poison I used is colorless and tasteless. Without this antidote, your brothers will not survive! Commander Chen, how about a trade? I’ll give you the antidote, and you let me go!"
"Third Miss, I inspected your sachet when I abducted you from West State. You claimed you were physically frail and carried blood-replenishing and vitality-boosting pills. I saw you take them with my own eyes. If you truly have the antidote, why are you unaffected?" Chen Mo, ever cautious, had long examined Fengyu’s sachet. Inside were only pills for replenishing blood and enhancing vitality. He had even watched her consume them.
Fengyu said the pills were prescribed by Doctor Zhou and that she carried them for regular use because of her chronic frailty. Chen Mo hadn’t troubled her further about it. Fengyu sneered coldly, "My sachet has two layers. There are tonics, and there are poisons. And I took the antidote long ago. If you come any closer, I’ll throw it down. Trading my life for their lives? It’s a deal I can’t lose."
"Oh, is that so?" Chen Mo remained unfazed. "Do you think I care about the lives of a few Jinyi Guards? Exchanging their worthless lives for yours isn’t a deal at all, Third Miss. I advise you not to act recklessly. If you return to the Capital City, you might still have a sliver of hope."
"You don’t care? Then I’ll throw it!" Fengyu acted as if to release the sachet. Chen Mo, as indifferent as he seemed, proved to be truly cold-hearted. Fengyu tightened her grip and hurled the sachet behind Chen Mo.
Chen Mo wasn’t as indifferent as he appeared. He quickly turned to grab the sachet, and at that very moment—
"Tell Yuwen Jing he can forget about using me to threaten my sister or Xie Xun. He is unworthy!" Fengyu leaped from the cliff without hesitation.
"Fengyu!" Chen Mo clutched the sachet and rushed to the edge of the cliff, only to see Fengyu plummet straight down and disappear into the river below.
Chen Mo slammed his fist into the ground, roaring in frustration. "Damn it, Fengyu! Did you really think you could escape?!"
He emptied the sachet and found pills identical to those he had inspected previously. The sachet indeed had two layers—the little devil had incredible patience, enduring until today to poison everyone. There was no way Chen Mo would let Fengyu go.
He turned to check the guards’ poisoning conditions.
The poison Fengyu used wasn’t fatal. Doctor Xiao Zhou hadn’t dared to provide her with anything deadly. The poison was a temporary hallucinogen that caused unconsciousness. Before Fengyu left, she had consumed an antidote that would last two days. The poison pills Fengyu carried were encased in a thin membrane that masked their scent. Once the membrane was crushed, the fragrance would spread, causing hallucinations, unconsciousness, and vomiting unless treated with the antidote.
After three hours, the effects would naturally wear off.
Fengyu’s fall from the cliff inflicted intense impact, nearly robbing her of consciousness. She sank to the riverbed and narrowly avoided hitting a rock. Dizzy and overwhelmed, Fengyu was swept by the current, the sheer water pressure crushing her body with terrifying force. She pushed off the riverbed with all her strength, surfacing only to be dragged forward by the raging water. She couldn’t stabilize her body and struck her head against a reef, splitting her scalp and letting blood gush out. Reacting swiftly, Fengyu grabbed onto the rock with both hands, the water swirling violently around her body. Her hands clung to the sharp edges of the rock, slicing her palms open, her fingernails snapping under the strain of her desperate grip.
Blood streamed down her forehead and stung her eyes.
Her head spun, her stomach churned, and nausea overwhelmed her. She wanted to vomit, but the water kept forcing its way into her mouth and nose. She had no idea how many gulps she’d swallowed.
Desperately searching for something to anchor herself, Fengyu finally let go during her fifth near-exhaustion and was swept downriver to a cluster of reefs.
Her body was dragged across the jagged rocks, shredding her arms, abdomen, thighs, and calves with countless wounds. Blood stained the rushing water red as Fengyu collapsed on a reef. Her hand clung to a sharp rock, preventing the turbulent flow from dragging her back into the river.
For a moment, she lay there, motionless, feeling as though she had died.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Fengyu’s fingers twitched slightly as she pushed herself up using the rock for support—the lone refuge amidst the surging current. The shore was roughly six meters away.
Her entire body was wracked with pain, drenched in blood. Her shoulder and abdomen hurt the most, with deep gashes she couldn’t afford to tend to now. Chen Mo would soon come searching for her. She had to flee!
Unable to treat her wounds, Fengyu plunged into the calmer waters on the opposite side and swam to shore with sheer determination. Climbing onto dry land, she staggered into the darkness of the night.