A Wager

Ran Qingmo had arrived. The thin veil concealing her face was torn in half, fluttering in the summit's gentle breeze to faintly reveal the flawless, breathtaking beauty beneath. A single glance felt like ten thousand years. Coming to his senses, Xu Yuan slowly rose, his brow furrowing bit by bit. Aside from the faint aloofness in her eyes that remained unchanged since their first encounter, her physical state was visibly battered. Her right arm holding the sword hung limply at her side. Her black robes were torn to shreds, the fabric over her left shoulder practically destroyed, exposing delicate, translucent skin. Thin streams of blood seeped from the wound on her arm, creeping down like crimson vipers all the way to her fingertips, steadily dripping onto the ground. He cast a glance at the colossal serpent head beneath Ran Qingmo's feet, easily three or four stories tall. Atop the massive snake's crown grew seven lotuses; six of them were already in full bloom, vividly lifelike. After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan's pupils shrank sharply. He recognized the giant python before him. A Seven-Life Python. A Seven-Life Python could shed its skin and cultivate anew seven times. Upon the seventh time, it could genuinely transform into a human form, with its cultivation speed becoming entirely indistinguishable from that of the human race. A natural sovereign among snake demons. If it was her, then it was not hard to explain why that Flame Spirit Python had sought to kill him at all costs. But... Why was she dead? How could she die here? Xu Yuan stared at the colossal reptilian eyes of the Seven-Life Python, already pervaded by the stench of death, as a sense of absurdity and disbelief crept into his heart bit by bit. In the future, this giant python was supposed to be one of the heroines! After shedding its skin a seventh time and taking human form, it would travel to the Great Yan Dynasty, transform into a busty, petite girl, and take the alias "Ji Qingyue" to meet the story's protagonist in Jingjiang City. Yet at this point in the timeline, she had been slaughtered by Ran Qingmo just like that? The gears of the plot he had once known so well had already begun to shift quietly because of his arrival. While Xu Yuan was dazed, The hand of the woman in black atop the serpent head moved quietly, casually slashing down with her sword. A flash of bloody light silently swept across. Xu Yuan snapped back to his senses and looked over. A deep gash instantly appeared across the serpent crown bearing the seven lotuses, and then a small, bloody lotus was drawn out of the wound into midair by an unseen force. The moment this object emerged, an overwhelming stench of blood swept across the entire peak. Snake Heart Lotus. To be precise, a Six-Turn Snake Heart Lotus. Priceless and one of the finest alchemy ingredients in Cangyuan, it could be used to refine a Golden Kirin Pill or a Blood Spirit Reversal Pill. The Golden Kirin Pill could be used for breaking through realms. Meanwhile, the Blood Spirit Reversal Pill served to calm the soul and integrate the body—the very thing Xu Yuan needed most right now, completely fusing his physical body with his soul without leaving a single flaw. At this moment, however, Xu Yuan had no mind to ponder such things. While playing Cangyuan, Xu Yuan had been fond of the quirky, spirited Ji Qingyue, but that had merely been the affection one felt for a two-dimensional waifu. Compared to the death of a 2D waifu, he was far more concerned with whether the chain reaction triggered by her demise would alter the entire timeline's course. The Wanxing Mountain Range, stretching tens of thousands of li, formed the southwestern border of the Great Yan Dynasty. Further west lay a forbidden land named Guyuan, where dozens of different demon tribes, large and small, had banded together into a loose demon realm. Ji Qingyue hailed from that very place. Now that this noble snake princess had been decapitated by Ran Qingmo's sword, would the Demon Emperor of the demon realm, pressured by the snake clan, make moves contrary to the original plot? Xu Yuan had no idea at all. Soon enough, though, Xu Yuan realized he had no need to think so far ahead. Because he might not even live that long. After gouging out Ji Qingyue's Snake Heart Lotus, the woman in black on the python's head went limp, rolling down the curved surface of the colossal head toward the ground. Snapping out of his thoughts, Xu Yuan rushed forward and caught the woman's falling body, furrowing his brows as he called out softly: "Mr. Ran? Mr. Ran?" His hands shook her shoulders slightly as he tried to wake her, but her clear, lovely eyes remained tightly shut. After a fierce battle with Ji Qingyue, this aloof woman clad in ink-black robes had reached the end of her rope, her lamp exhausted of oil. Gradually, Xu Yuan noticed that the faint breath of the woman in his arms was growing rapid. The pale skin visible beneath her tattered veil flushed crimson, her chest beneath the black robe heaved quickly, and her body temperature surged at a rate palpable to the touch. Seeing these changes in Ran Qingmo, countless thoughts flashed through Xu Yuan's mind, but in the end he let out a long breath. He recalled that Seven-Life Pythons didn't seem to possess any crowd-pleasing aphrodisiac poisons. Therefore, Ran Qingmo's current condition had to be due to something else. Perhaps she was circulating qi to heal her wounds, or perhaps it was a symptom of some other venom taking effect. Whichever it was, Xu Yuan could only watch helplessly right now. The rudimentary first-aid knowledge he had learned in his previous life obviously could not treat the superhuman beings of this world. Silently waiting for others to determine his fate was not a pleasant feeling. If Ran Qingmo died, or if Ji Qingyue's subordinates or his original body's father's men arrived while she was healing, he wouldn't be able to escape death. Yet all he could do now was wait. Xu Yuan carried her over to a large tree on the peak, propping her against the trunk, while he sat quietly by her side to guard her. Time ticked by, minute by minute. At some point, the newly risen sun had climbed high into the sky, yet the flush on Ran Qingmo's face still showed no signs of receding. After who knew how long, A bleak, chilly wind swept past, and Ran Qingmo's calm voice drifted over from beside him: "The cave estate you mentioned... where is it?" She was awake, though her voice could not hide its weakness. Hearing her, Xu Yuan glanced at her condition and replied, "Below Xuantian Cliff." Pausing, he asked, "How are you holding up?" "..." Hearing his answer, Ran Qingmo did not respond and slowly closed her eyes once more. After a long silence, Her eyes still shut, she murmured, "Xu Changtian's father's men are almost here." "..." Xu Yuan's pupils constricted abruptly. Her voice was faint, but it went off like a bomb in Xu Yuan's mind. "What did you say?" Still keeping her eyes closed, Ran Qingmo repeated in an emotionless tone: "Xu Changtian's father's men are almost here." His heartbeat quickened step by step. Xu Yuan slowly stood up. "How long do we have?" Ran Qingmo answered softly, "Less than half a quarter of an hour." Half a quarter of an hour? Xu Yuan's heart jolted. Taking a deep breath, he asked again: "How is your body right now?" Leaning against the tree roots, Ran Qingmo opened her eyes, glanced at Xu Yuan, and countered with a question of her own: "You seem very uneasy. Why? I will not reveal your secret." Scanning the clouds and mist swirling around the mountain summit, Xu Yuan forced his shaken mind to steady itself, saying in a low voice: "Don't you know that possession can be detected?" "..." Ran Qingmo stared at Xu Yuan, utter incomprehension on her face. It seemed she only knew that possession caused Rejection Syndrome, unaware that methods existed to detect it even after the syndrome had subsided. Xu Yuan did not bother explaining the mechanics of this world to her. Increasing his pace of speech, he asked again: "Can you fly right now?" Ran Qingmo fell silent, then shook her head. "I am heavily wounded." Xu Yuan raised a hand to rub firmly between his brows, asking in confusion: "Then how did you sense someone was coming?" Ran Qingmo stated as if it were obvious: "Injuries to the physical body do not affect the soul much." Xu Yuan said nothing more, his mind racing to devise a countermeasure. What should he do? Stay here, wait for his original body's father's men to arrive, and put on an act? At this point, his original body's father's subordinates didn't know Ran Qingmo was the one who had kidnapped him. He could pin the blame squarely on Ji Qingyue. He could claim Ji Qingyue had kidnapped him and Ran Qingmo had saved him. Dead men tell no tales, after all. The problem was that Cangyuan only mentioned in passing that Xu Changtian was an incorrigible playboy proficient in wining, dining, whoring, and gambling, never detailing his behavioral quirks or habits. If they noticed anything amiss, he would have nothing left to do but wait for death. What should he do? What to do! Countless frantic thoughts flashed through his mind. A moment later, Xu Yuan suddenly exhaled a long breath, as if resigning himself to fate. He was just going to give up and let the chips fall where they may. Xu Yuan glanced sideways at the black-robed woman sitting against the tree. "Can you walk?" "..." Ran Qingmo did not understand his sudden question. "Can you walk?" Xu Yuan repeated, his tone flat. Ran Qingmo was silent for a moment, then shook her head. Xu Yuan silently bent down, picked up the Snake Heart Lotus from the ground, stuffed it into his robes, and then slipped his arms beneath Ran Qingmo's knees and back, scooping her up in a bridal carry under her slightly startled gaze. Ran Qingmo's body was as light as if she were boneless; even this dissipated young master, drained by debauchery, could lift her with ease. "..." The air fell silent for a moment. Ran Qingmo did not struggle. Forcibly held in his arms, she merely stared at him calmly. Ran Qingmo stared at Xu Yuan, but Xu Yuan did not look back at her. Holding Ran Qingmo, Xu Yuan walked toward the edge of Xuantian Cliff, asking softly: "Mr. Ran, do you want to die?" "..." Ran Qingmo did not understand his question, but she did not wish to die, so she shook her head. Catching her response from the corner of his eye, Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "It's good that you don't want to die. If we stay here and get caught by Xu Changtian's father's men, the only difference will be whether we die sooner or later." While speaking, Xu Yuan had already arrived at the edge of Xuantian Cliff, still cradling Ran Qingmo. The chilly wind whipped his robes. He stood a single step away from the bottomless abyss. Ran Qingmo pondered briefly, seeming to realize what Xu Yuan intended to do, and asked in slight confusion: "You want to jump down with me?" "Afraid?" Xu Yuan chuckled. Ran Qingmo glanced sideways at the abyss churning with misty clouds, looking at him as if he were an idiot. "But... this is Xuantian Cliff." Xu Yuan locked eyes with her for a moment and gave a dry laugh. "Falling to our deaths is still better than being tortured to death by the Chancellor's Manor, isn't it?" Ran Qingmo thought seriously for a moment and said, "Oh. Go ahead and jump." Xu Yuan was in no hurry. Looking at Ran Qingmo, he said with a smile, "Mr. Ran, how about we make a wager?" Ran Qingmo could not fathom why this man before her was being so dramatic. With an impassive look, she nodded: "Go on." Xu Yuan said, "If we survive, you owe me a favor and must do one thing for me." Ran Qingmo looked down at the abyss again. "Except we won't survive." "I said if we happen to survive," Xu Yuan chuckled softly. Ran Qingmo fell silent for a moment before slowly asking, "Why would I owe you a favor if we happen to survive?" "..." Xu Yuan was speechless. Xu Yuan was struck dumb, but facing a life-and-death crisis had stripped him of many inhibitions: "If we survive, it will certainly be because my cave estate saved us. Surely your life is worth a single favor?" Ran Qingmo thought about it for a moment, decided his logic was sound, and nodded: "Fine. If we survive, I will owe you a favor." "Remember what you promised." With those words spoken, Xu Yuan took a step forward without the slightest hesitation. The mountain peak's biting wind carried away the woman's sheer veil, letting it drift off into the air. Everything in the world seemed to fall dead silent in this instant. Shuttling through the clouds and mist, his five senses seemed to fade away bit by bit. Xu Yuan's entire world was reduced to the whistling wind rushing past his ears and the warm, soft body of the woman in his arms... After an indeterminate time plummeting through the mist, He looked down at her, already closing her eyes and waiting for death. He suddenly recalled: Ran Qingmo's Luck stat seemed to be ninety-three.