Chapter 8: Your Wife Plans to Save Herself

“I originally intended to spare your life, but I never expected you, little wretch, to be so ungrateful.”

In the next moment, He Zong summoned his Lifebound Sword and fiercely thrust it toward A Shang’s hind leg.

A searing pain shot through her leg, and A Shang fell heavily to the ground. As the sword was pulled out, a large amount of blood splattered everywhere.

Clutching her leg, A Shang glared fiercely at the two figures approaching her.

“Run, why don’t you run now!” He Zong’s face was dark and menacing. “Watch me kill you today, you wretch!”

As he spoke, He Zong stepped forward to grab her. The young girl suddenly rolled away, causing his attempt to seize her sleeve to miss. To his shock, she threw herself directly into the abyss behind her.

Unnoticed by them, their chase had led them to the edge of a cliff. A chilling wind swirled around, and thick fog rose, obscuring the bottomless depths of the precipice before them.

Seeing the girl’s figure disappear, Lu Si finally felt a surge of terror in his heart. “She… she jumped down. She’s dead!”

Not only was she dead, but Zhong Hua had also had his throat slit by her.

“What… what do we do?” Lu Si asked He Zong in a panic. “If the sect finds out what happened today, we’re finished too.”

Meanwhile, on the other side.

At Yu Jie Peak.

Zuo Zihe, who was sitting across from the man and about to sneak another sip of wine, hadn’t even touched the wine jug when Xie Hengyu, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. This startled Zuo Zihe so much that he quickly retracted his hand.

“I wasn’t trying to steal your wine,” Zuo Zihe said hastily. But before he could finish, Xie Hengyu suddenly stood up, his gaze deep and focused on the distance.

“What’s wrong?” Zuo Zihe asked.

Xie Hengyu didn’t respond. Instead, he turned and flew out of Yu Jie Peak.

At the front peak of the sect, several disciples had just helped the severely injured He Zong and Lu Si into the sect when they suddenly noticed Xie Hengyu appearing at the entrance.

The disciples greeted him respectfully, “Senior Brother Xie.”

Hearing the disciples address him as “Senior Brother Xie,” He Zong and Lu Si beside them involuntarily trembled, a trace of fear rising in their hearts.

Xie Hengyu’s gaze fell on He Zong and Lu Si, and his brow furrowed slightly. He could smell it—the scent of A Shang’s blood on them.

Feeling the piercing gaze fixed on them, He Zong couldn’t control the trembling of his body. However, to avoid arousing suspicion, he suppressed the fear in his heart and spoke up:

“We originally went to gather herbs with Junior Sister A Shang, but who knew she suddenly demonized? Not only did she injure me and Lu Si, but she also killed Zhong…”

“Where?” Xie Hengyu interrupted them.

He Zong was startled by the man’s voice. When he met Xie Hengyu’s icy gaze, he stammered, “At… at Ten Thousand Spirit Valley.”

In the next moment, Xie Hengyu flew away.

Watching the man’s disappearing figure, the fear that had been pressed upon He Zong by the man’s overwhelming aura had not yet dissipated when he heard Lu Si beside him ask in terror, “W-will we be found out?”

He Zong snapped, “Shut your mouth! If you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, who will know?”

What kind of place was Ten Thousand Spirit Valley? While it nurtured many spirit herbs, it was also a place that devoured people without spitting out their bones. It was said that deep within its abyss, an ancient man-eating demon was imprisoned. Falling into such a bottomless abyss, A Shang was undoubtedly dead.

*

The surroundings were dark and damp.

The sound of water droplets falling from above echoed in her ears, each drop striking her eardrums.

A Shang, lying on the ground, had no idea how long she had been unconscious until a voice woke her:

“Sister… sister, wake up…”

She felt someone pat her face, their hand cold.

“Sister… wake up.”

A Shang slowly opened her eyes in response to his repeated calls. What greeted her was the sight of a young boy with delicate features, about eleven or twelve years old.

Seeing A Shang wake up, the boy’s eyes immediately lit up with joy, and he said happily, “Sister, you’re finally awake~”

Looking at the unfamiliar face of the boy and realizing she was being held in his arms, A Shang instinctively tried to move and break free. However, as soon as she shifted, excruciating pain shot through her entire body.

Seeing this, the boy quickly held her down. “Sister, don’t move. You’re badly injured, and your leg is bleeding heavily. I just finished bandaging it.”

A Shang followed the boy’s gaze and saw that her right leg was wrapped in white cloth.

“Judging by your clothes, sister, you must be a cultivator, right? How did you get so badly injured? And why are you here?”

Hearing the concern in the boy’s voice, A Shang looked at him. Noticing that he didn’t carry any demonic aura, she asked, “What about you? Why are you here?”

“Me?” The boy scratched his head, pretending to be troubled. “I’m a villager from nearby. I was originally gathering herbs with my parents in the mountains, but I got lost and somehow ended up here. That’s when I found you, sister.

Oh, by the way, my name is A Wu. What’s your name, sister?” The boy looked at her with an innocent expression.

“A Shang,” she replied, enduring the pain as she sat up and surveyed her surroundings.

The area was dark and damp, with slippery stone walls covered in moss. Having fallen from the cliff, A Shang guessed she must now be at the bottom of the abyss.

“I wonder where the exit is?” the boy muttered to himself as he stood up. “I’ve been walking around here for a long time, but I just can’t seem to find a way out. But it’s a good thing you’re here, sister. You’re a cultivator, so you must be able to find the exit, right?”

A Shang didn’t answer, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings. If she wasn’t mistaken, this place had likely been sealed with a formation.

However, she was severely injured, with a wounded leg. It would be difficult for her to climb out alone, let alone bring someone else with her.

“Sister, are you in a lot of pain? I have some herbs here. See if there’s anything you need.”

The boy named A Wu was quite generous, dumping all the herbs from his basket in front of A Shang.

A Shang sifted through the herbs and shook her head.

“Ah? None of them are useful to you, sister?” A Wu’s face fell with disappointment.

A Shang studied his face carefully. Encountering someone in a place like this, it was impossible for her not to remain wary.

He carried no demonic aura—either he was truly an ordinary person, or he was a demon far more powerful than she was.

A Shang hoped he was the former.

Originally, A Shang had been stabbed in the leg, and now, having fallen from the cliff, her condition was far from good.

She couldn’t count on anyone to rescue her; she had to save herself.

After sitting for a while longer, A Shang finally stood up, intending to search for a way out.

Seeing her rise, the boy quickly followed her.

Along the way, perhaps fearing she might abandon him, the boy was extremely attentive, initiating conversation and offering his support.

After walking for about an hour, they somehow ended up back where they started.

A Wu’s face showed a hint of fear: “Sister, it seems like… we’ve come back to the same place.”