Chapter 2: Escaping Death
“What kind of scoundrel dares to steal this old man’s fortune, you court death!”
Hua Changxi woke up amidst a cacophony of fighting. The moment she opened her eyes, the beam of light in front of her was so bright she had to squint.
When she focused again, she realized it was a circular beam of light, about one meter in diameter, rising from the center of the stone platform.
Within the beam of light, a golden pillar as thick as an arm held up a round stone radiating a brilliant red glow.
Hua Changxi had no mood to admire this red stone, which shone brighter than a diamond. Her gaze shifted to the two people fighting in the distance.
One of the two was a red-robed old man, and the other was the young woman who had helped untie her.
Seeing the young woman fighting the red-robed old man to a standstill, Hua Changxi was very surprised. When she saw that both of them seemed to be rushing towards her, her gaze fell back to the red stone in the beam of light.
The red-robed old man and the young woman were fighting over this red stone!
Hua Changxi shook her dizzy head. While the two combatants were not paying attention to her, she pulled out her hairpin, cut a slit in her clothes, and with great effort, tore off a piece of cloth to bind her bleeding wrist.
Originally, Hua Changxi had planned to continue feigning unconsciousness, waiting for the red-robed old man and the young woman to finish their fight and leave before she found an opportunity to escape.
However, unexpectedly, the red-robed old man and the young woman fought more and more fiercely, and the residual waves of their attacks affected the others on the stone platform.
Those affected were sent flying, some losing limbs, others being cut in half.
Seeing this scene, Hua Changxi was both shocked and terrified.
The red-robed old man and the young woman would definitely come towards her. By then, she wouldn’t die from blood loss, but would be torn apart by the residual waves of their attacks.
Hua Changxi looked at the young woman and the red-robed old man fighting, then at the red stone in the beam of light, her mind racing, contemplating the possibility of securing her chance to survive.
Both the red-robed old man and the young woman were determined to obtain the red stone. If she got the red stone, she would have leverage for negotiation.
Even if negotiations failed, it would buy her father more time to find her.
With this thought, Hua Changxi moved.
“Bastards!”
“Put down the red stone!”
The red-robed old man and the young woman were locked in a fierce battle, both believing the red stone was theirs for the taking. As soon as they dealt with the other, the red stone would be theirs.
Neither of them expected that in a moment of distraction, someone would snatch the red stone from under their noses.
The red-robed old man and the young woman simultaneously stopped fighting and, in unison, charged towards Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi had already sprinted to the edge of the stone platform, holding the red stone aloft with both hands. “Stop! If you dare to come one step closer, I will throw this red stone into the lava.”
The expressions of the red-robed old man and the young woman changed simultaneously.
Young Woman: “Don’t be rash.”
The red-robed old man was furious, but at this moment, he dared not confront Hua Changxi head-on. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Hold that red stone steady, old man. If it falls, I will skin you alive.”
Hua Changxi’s voice was even louder than the red-robed old man’s. “You’d better not try to scare me. If my hand shakes, the stone will fall.”
The red-robed man’s face darkened, and he glared fiercely at Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi noticed the red-robed man seemed to be gathering strength secretly, and quickly said, “Don’t think about ambushing me. If you dare to attack me, I’ll jump into the lava with the red stone. Even if you are a martial arts master, you won’t be faster than me.”
Saying this, she moved the red stone further towards the edge of the stone platform.
The young woman became anxious and quickly tried to persuade her, “Jiu Niang, don’t be rash.”
Hearing this, Hua Changxi’s expression changed, and she looked at the young woman. “You know me?”
The young woman realized she had spoken out of turn in her haste and looked somewhat annoyed. However, she quickly recovered and did not answer Hua Changxi, only saying, “We can discuss anything properly. You must hold that red stone steady.”
Hua Changxi knew this was not the time to question why the young woman knew her, and didn’t dwell on her evasiveness. She simply followed her words, saying, “I just want to live.”
Red Robed Old Man: “Alright. As long as you give the red stone to this old man, I will let you go.”
Hua Changxi snorted. “Do you think I’m an idiot? If I give you the red stone, you’ll kill me immediately.”
The red-robed old man gritted his teeth. “Then what do you want?”
Hua Changxi’s gaze flickered back and forth between the red-robed old man and the young woman.
The red-robed old man had bound her and others to offer as a sacrifice, so he definitely didn’t want her to live.
That young woman was probably not a good person either, but she knew her and had helped her before. Negotiating with her using the red stone would increase her chances of survival.
With this thought, Hua Changxi looked at the young woman. “Young Woman, you want this red stone very much too, don’t you? Kill the red-robed old man, and I’ll give you the stone.”
Upon hearing this, the red-robed old man snorted coldly, while the young woman looked helpless. “I can’t beat him.”
Hua Changxi didn’t believe the young woman and said directly, “You were pretending to be tied up and brought here, weren’t you? Didn’t you come here for this red stone? If this red stone falls into the hands of the red-robed old man, he definitely won’t let you have any part of it. What will you do then?”
The young woman looked at the red stone in Hua Changxi’s hands and remained silent.
Hua Changxi continued, “In any case, only one of you two can get this red stone. Young Woman, I just want to live. As long as you deal with the red-robed old man, I’ll give you the stone immediately.”
Before the young woman could respond, the red-robed old man attacked first, striking at the young woman.
Watching the two instantly engage in combat, Hua Changxi did not let down her guard. Holding the red stone, she stood at the edge of the stone platform, ready to throw it at any moment.
The red-robed old man and the young woman had only exchanged a few blows when a sound came from the stone door, and then the stone door opened.
Hua Changxi’s face lit up with joy, thinking her father had arrived. To her surprise, it was a middle-aged man in wide-sleeved robes.
Upon seeing the newcomer, the red-robed man’s expression changed drastically. He ferociously struck the young woman several times, forcing her to retreat and evade.
After pushing the young woman back, the red-robed man, without a word, charged towards Hua Changxi.
Hua Changxi could not evade the red-robed man’s attack at all. Seeing him coming, she hardened her heart, threw the red stone with both hands, and dropped it off the stone platform.
“I’d rather die than let you have your way!” As she shouted this, Hua Changxi also jumped off the stone platform.
“No!”
“No!”
The red-robed old man and the young woman screamed out simultaneously.
Watching the red stone fall, the red-robed old man, disregarding everything, desperately flew off the stone platform.
The young woman reached the edge of the stone platform a step behind and looked down. Nothing could be seen but the rolling lava.
At this moment, the middle-aged man also reached the edge of the stone platform.
“Qi Niang, are you alright?”
Gu Jin Fan shook his head and looked at the rolling lava, saying regretfully, “It seems I am destined to have no connection with the opportunities here.”
The middle-aged man said guiltily, “If I hadn’t encountered people from Jingzhao Prefecture, I wouldn’t have been late.”
Gu Jin Fan’s expression changed. “You encountered people from Jingzhao Prefecture?”
The middle-aged man nodded. “Not only did I encounter people from Jingzhao Prefecture, but I also encountered people from Six Doors. Judging by their demeanor, they were all heading towards this ruined temple.”
Gu Jin Fan clearly did not want to encounter government officials. He glanced again at the rolling lava below, then said, “Let’s go.”
Not long after the two left, a hand, burned to a bloody pulp, appeared at the edge of the stone platform. Then, Hua Changxi’s pained and contorted face emerged.
Hua Changxi’s hands were tightly gripping the indentations on the stone platform, her feet struggling to find purchase on the protruding parts of the stone sculptures on the outer edge, gritting her teeth and holding on desperately.
The stone sculptures were carved too far down, and she had no strength left. She couldn’t climb onto the stone platform by herself.
However, when she had been hanging on the stone sculpture, she had overheard the conversation between the young woman and the middle-aged man, and knew that government officials would be arriving soon.
As long as she held on until the government officials arrived, she would be saved.
One hour?
Two hours?
After an unknown amount of time, just as Hua Changxi was about to lose her grip, the stone door opened. Seeing the soldiers rushing in, Hua Changxi cried tears of joy.
“Help~”
