Chapter 63: Love in the Water

  No one can describe the feeling of being pressed down by the river water at that moment, like the entire sky falling from the top of the head, crashing into the crown of the head, all consciousness is instantly cut off by darkness and coldness, golden flowers burst forth, chest tightness, all the blood in the chest seems to be squeezed out, and then in the next instant it's about to burst out of the chest, icy water pours down incessantly, cooling down the surging hot blood.

  The water on top of the head is not like river water, but like the entire Milky Way, layer by layer pressing down, rolling and howling, endless. People are in it, but like a tiny mustard seed, so small that they feel hopeless themselves. Every struggle makes them sink deeper, and the shadows of fear and death linger at this moment.

  It was unclear how long it had been, perhaps just an instant, but in the terrifying awareness, this was a lifetime. Taishi Lan drank a few mouthfuls of water and adjusted his posture in time, finally finding his own consciousness, regulating his breathing, and kicking out of the water with one foot.

  She couldn't open her eyes, couldn't make a sound, but she forced herself to open them despite the severe pain in her eyelids. In front of her was a blurry expanse of yellow river water; the embankment, village and people from just now were all gone, and in an instant this place had become a vast ocean.

  Tai Shi Lan struggled to splash water while facing the rushing river and shouted: "Jingtai Blue! Jingtai Blue!"

  The voice was hoarse from shouting, and his throat had been swollen by the river water.

  The river water surged, with no one responding. Tai Shi Lan knew that at this moment when the dam burst and the high water level flooded back, not to mention people, even houses could be washed away. Even if she followed Jing Tai Lan into the water in time, it was likely that a slight difference would lead to a huge mistake.

  But she can't give up, doesn't dare to give up. Jing Tai Lan is something she insists on carrying with her, through thick and thin, for better or for worse.

  "Jingtai blue! Jingtai blue!"

  The river water churns and rushes silently, her hoarse calls seem to await the child's whispered response forever.

  Her whole body ached, and her head began to ache violently. On this day and night, she rushed back and forth, exhausting her mind and body, which were already on the verge of collapse. She jumped into the river water, relying solely on her determination, as she no longer had the strength to hold on.

  Jingtai blue...

  Half an hour has passed...

  Jingtai blue...

  An hour has passed...

  The voice grew weaker and weaker, the cry still unceasing, even with blood on her lips, even if the next moment was death, she had to bring her cry into the underworld, so that the child could hear it.

  "Peaceful and tranquil..."

  She suddenly stopped.

  In the swirling and rushing river water, a large black object suddenly swam towards its direction. Upon closer inspection, it was a door panel, on which a small child lay quietly.

  She was overjoyed and lived a peaceful life until now, thinking that there would be no more earth-shaking opportunities. However, on the eve of darkness and extinction, she saw light.

  The immense shock of surprise made her forget everything, and she mechanically opened her mouth to take a gulp of the river water. The bitter and foul-tasting river water entered her stomach, and only then did she come to her senses.

  The door opened quickly and she looked at the Kaito blue on it first, afraid that it was just a dead doll. Fortunately, she saw the slightly raised little belly.

  Before she could avert her gaze, a hand reached out and grasped her shoulder.

  His hand, though icy cold, was strong and grasped her shoulder as if never to let go again. A voice she knew, which had once been a bit annoying, now felt like heavenly music, whispering in her ear with a smile: "Not seeing you for a month, you're even more lovely and surprising."

  The sound of the container being opened.

  Tai Shi Lan wiped the water from his face, opened his eyes and looked at him. Rong Chu was in a sorry state, soaking in the water, his hair stuck to his face making it almost impossible to see his features. His face had scratches from thin branches and one side of his cheek was slightly swollen, apparently hit by something.

  Always dressed in elegant attire, with a beautiful and charming appearance, this was the first time he had appeared in such a state before others. Taishi Lan took a look at him and felt that although he was ugly, he seemed more pleasing to the eye than usual.

  She despised the ugly appearance of others, but didn't know that she herself was even more unsightly. Her forehead was scraped by a stone, her cheeks and lips were all purple, and with her pale complexion, she looked three parts human and seven parts ghost.

  Rong Chu leaned against the door panel, although he was in the river water, he still smiled, but there was a strange light flashing in his eyes.

  This woman...

  This woman...

  These three words keep turning over in my mind, and the words that follow seem to be many, as if they have reached my throat and are about to burst out. Suddenly, they are blocked, too many thoughts tangled together become a mess, too many words squeezed together become nothing, in the end, it's just these few words, exhausting the complex emotions of so many people.

  At this moment, it's better to gaze at her quietly and see that she is safe.

  No need to rush up the embankment in anger at that moment, seeing her just happy, being hit on the head by the crazy woman she threw out, the woman's dirty and sagging breasts were slapped right on his face.

  No need to be shocked by the moment when the blue fell into the water, she went forward with her back against the flood, and in an instant, the river water surged up to the sky, standing a few meters high in front of her. She was tiny as an ant under such a massive object that spanned the sky, but the figure that broke through the wall of water was an arrow that would not return, like Hou Yi shooting down the sun with one arrow, and then there was no light in the sky.

  His heart also seemed to have shot out in an instant, piercing through the vast ocean, and then sank.

  That instant, the turbulent waves covered all sounds. Zhao Thirteen rushed over to pull his sleeve, and his fingers were swept away by the violent water flow. He forgot what he was doing, and only realized that he had also jumped into the river in the next instant.

  In the instant he jumped in, he didn't see Tai Shi Lan, but saw Jing Tai Lan struggling to splash water. It was hard for that little kid not to faint at that moment, strictly following Tai Shi Lan's teachings, desperately slapping the water. Rong Chu didn't have time to think of anything in that instant, his body originally had ropes and other emergency items, he immediately threw out the rope, tied up Jing Tai Lan, at that time the river water pressed down, almost a wave head also pressed him to the bottom.

  Rong Chu smiled and found out that she was also silly at times.

  "Come on." He took a glance at Tai Shi Lan's purple lips and dragged her towards the door.

  "No." Tai Shi Lan looked at the thin door panel and felt that it was not enough to support a big and small person. Wasn't it because of the heavy ice that Jack froze to death on the Titanic?

  "Mom..." The blue porcelain on the door panel suddenly coughed and woke up, first staring blankly upwards, wondering what was above her head, then looking around, this time she was really scared awake, sat up with a start, and saw Tai Shi Lan and Rong Chu on either side, wet and disheveled. She stared for a while before her eyes focused.

  Tai Shi Lan knew he was shocked, whoever was thrown into the flood like that would find it hard to come back to their senses. Looking at the little guy's mouth twitching as if he wanted to cry but was holding it in, he reached out and patted his little belly, saying: "Go ahead and cry if you want."

  Jingtai Lan gave her a glance, his face twisted in pain, his mouth crooked, and he stammered: "You said boys shouldn't cry..."

  "Men should only not cry when they shouldn't, such as in pain, intentional blows from enemies, and malicious attacks from companions. Because if you cry at those times, you will only suffer even greater setbacks. But when it comes to life and death, deep emotions, and all things that require emotional release, don't suppress yourself." Tai Shi Lan said softly, "Jing Tai Lan, I want you to be strong, but not become a wooden person without seven emotions and six desires."

  "Hmm..." Jing Tai Blue leaned against the door panel, arched his butt and started crying.

  "Damn it..."

  "Waaaah... I'm so scared..."

  "Owwww... Who just stepped on my stomach......"

  "Take them out and kill them all..."

  Tai Shi Lan's lips curled up slightly, and Rong Chu started coughing.

  "That's called saving a life." He tried to reason with an unreasonable child, "You should be killing seems not me."

  "In the 17th year of Changming, the dam was repaired..." The little boy pouted his butt, hugged his head, and actually muttered this sentence, "You presided over..."

  The look of Zhang Chu opening his mouth is quite interesting and rare. If Tai Shi Lan wasn't soaking in water, he should reward the little guy with a candy - well said!

  "How did he know this?" Rong Chu raised an eyebrow and looked at Tai Shi Lan.

  "Recently he finished reading Shan He Zhi." said Tai Shi Lan.

  Rong Chu looked at her with suspicion, Jing Tai Lan was notoriously not fond of reading, the "University" that all noble children started learning from when they were two or three years old, he had never read the first three chapters. Before meeting Ta Shi Lan, this child walked unsteadily and spoke unclearly, how long has it been now? Not to mention his speech becoming more fluent, but "Shan He Zhi" was such a thick book, did he finish reading it?

  "He's interested in geography," said Taishi Lan. "The existing versions of the Mountain and River Records are too dull, so I drew a cute version for him to compare with. I told him, 'This is the mountain and river of Southern Qi, it's very beautiful. Remember these, and even if you can't go there in person, it's like you've been.' If he does well, I promised to take him to the most beautiful place to play."

  "Pfft." Jing Tai Lan muttered, "I liked the Western Sea... but now... I never want to see water again..."

  "This water is what Zhong Chu brought about, and it's also what you brought about." Tai Shi Lan patted him on the head, "Because neither of you did a good job, that's why you almost died in this flood today. If Huo Hu hadn't discovered it early, there would still be more corpses floating on the river surface now. Jing Tai Lan, remember this day. Remember what you should do from now on."

  "Waaah... can I just forget about it..." Jing Tai Lan cried again, "Others' pants are all washed away..."

  Tai Shi Lan took a glance and indeed, it was a small white butt, tender like tofu, with a long blade of grass stuck to it, swaying in the wind like a tail.

  "Am I neglecting my duties?" Chu Yan glanced at her sideways.

  "There is also inadequate supervision, insufficient subsequent regulation, appointment of corrupt officials and disregard for people's livelihoods." Taishi Lan added.

  "Ah... ah..." Jing Tai Lan crawled over and hugged Rong Chu's neck, "If you're guilty, just admit it... mom will say more..."

  Chu Yun, “……”

  "We don't even know where we rushed to." Tai Shi Lan narrowed his eyes and looked ahead, "The riverbank can't be seen, it's hard for you to find me."

  Rong Chu smiled, and he himself thought it was a miracle. When the river water rushed down, he couldn't see Tai Shi Lan, so he could only use all his strength to save Jing Tai Blue. When he saved him, his luck wasn't bad either. A wooden board floated downstream, and he put Jing Tai Blue on it. In his heart, he estimated Tai Shi Lan's position at the time and chose a possible direction to head towards. He couldn't be certain if she would definitely be in that direction, but in his heart, he kept thinking - let's see what fate has in store, if heaven doesn't abandon her, then they will meet again.

  Heaven has feelings, and did not cut off her life, nor did it cut off his longing.

  "This side of the roof is exposed, it must be a building. Let's go up to the rooftop first and wait for rescue later." Rong Chu said, "I received your letter and rushed over on horseback, and also mobilized a group of militiamen from the neighboring county. I ordered the local government soldiers to set out immediately, they should be arriving soon."

  He pushed the door panel with one hand and swam towards the rooftop, Ta Shi Lan thought of exerting force, he didn't say a word and wrapped his arms around her waist, strong and powerful, holding her tightly.

  "You're out of energy, what's with the bravado." Rong Chu's actions were overbearing, but his tone was light, and he suddenly smiled, "Hm, you've lost weight recently."

  Tai Shi Lan didn't even give him a glance - that's what rascals are like, using their limited life to infinitely tease others. The more you take him seriously, the more excited he becomes; when you treat him as nothing, he can only stink by himself.

  That stretch of rooftop seemed close, but it was actually very difficult to swim against the current to get there. Fortunately, Rong Chu had one hand pushing on the door panel and the other holding onto her, still having some strength left over. He looked up at the empty rooftop, then down at the various debris floating by, but there were no corpses in sight, and he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh.

  "Tai Shi Lan," he said, "to turn back the raging tide just as it is about to capsize, to save countless people from disaster, to bring life to innumerable people, what a great virtue. I never thought you would be able to do it."

  "The world is constantly being destroyed because people keep creating disasters. The troubles of the world are caused by humans themselves." Taishi said calmly, "Compared to being a hero, I'd rather not have any more man-made calamities happen again."

  "Human beings have countless troubles, and their troubles lie with human beings..." Rong Chu repeated it once more, smiling as he looked at Jing Tai Lan, "What do you think?"

  Jingtai blue little fist punched on the door panel, with a ferocious face, "Ge Laozi's, wait for it!"

  Rong Chu choked again - this seems to be Zhao Thirteen's Sichuan dialect catchphrase? Did he learn this too?

  Ta Shilei Zan: "Good! A man who doesn't swear is not a man!"

  Chu: "......"

  Does he need to learn how to swear from today?

  "We're here. The roof is sturdy. You go up first and then pull Jing Tai blue. Don't drop the board." Rong Chu instructed Tai Shi Lan.

  Tai Shi Lan was already weak and limp, Yan Chu supported her waist and sent it up, unintentionally touching her thigh.

  Her clothes were stuck to her body, and the hem of her skirt was nowhere to be seen. Her long pants wrapped around her plump and sturdy legs, and just a light touch made him clearly feel the firmness and slight elasticity of her skin under his fingers. The youthful vitality and tenderness that belonged to a girl's skin seemed to jump like sparks on his fingertips, and his heart was also lightly brushed by the suddenly ignited spark.

  The feeling is fleeting, like a bunch of flowers being pressed close to the water's surface by the wind, getting wet and then rising, scattering droplets of water, carrying fresh fragrance.

  Tai Shi Lan had just climbed onto the roof and was about to reach out to pull Jing Tai Blue when suddenly a loud noise!

  A deafening crash like the sky cracking open, thunder-like sounds ringing in their ears, causing ripples on the water's surface, making the three people's ears buzz, and completely drowning out Jing Tai Lan's screams. All they saw was his terrified, wide-open mouth. With a loud "crack", the roof split in two, and Ta Shi Lan suddenly fell down.

  With a quick movement of his hands, he grabbed her ankle and threw her against the door panel.

  With a loud crash, Ta Shi fell onto the door panel, which immediately lost its balance. The blue porcelain vase rolled smoothly into the water, and Ta Shi stretched out his hand to grab the child's ankle.

  Three people, one on top of the other, in the water, Chu grabbed Tai Shi Lan's ankle, Tai Shi Lan grabbed Jing Tai Lan's ankle, and Jing Tai Lan's face was already stuck to the water surface, when he lifted it up again, a dirty cabbage leaf was stuck to his face.

  The little boy pouted, looking like he was about to cry but holding back tears. Having received too many shocks today, he felt that if he cried now, who knows when the next time would be, so it's better to save them for later.

  The three of them turned around to look at the source of the loud noise, but across the vast expanse of water, they couldn't see anything. However, they felt that the current was getting stronger and faster, and the water level was rising higher and higher, already surpassing the highest point of the second floor roof. The three of them all took a deep breath in unison.

  "Another dam has burst..." Rong Chu's tone was not one of speculation, but certainty.

  As soon as the words fell, the water flow seemed to suddenly become ten times more ferocious, with murky waves rolling in and crashing against his chest like iron plates. Tai Shi Lan was unable to stay on the door panel and rolled into the water, the door panel being battered by the current, rising and falling, on the verge of capsizing. Jing Tai Lan clung to the edge of the door, her small face deathly pale. Tai Shi Lan tightly grasped the door panel, shouting loudly in the river water that was slapping against his head and face, "Jing Tai Lan, grab hold of the door edge, don't let go!" While struggling with all his might, he tried to pull out his own belt to tie Jing Tai Lan securely to the door panel.

  "No!" Rong Chu's voice was still clear in the midst of the vast rushing river water. "The door plank is going to split!"

  Tai Shi Lan took a look and indeed, under Jing Tai Lan's body, a finger-thick crack had already extended.

  A wave crashed over, "crack" sounded, and the crack expanded like a palm, about to split in two.

  Tai Shi Lan stretched out his hand, wanting to restore the door panel, but the gap that had been torn open was immediately washed away by the surging water flow, taking many wooden planks with it. It was impossible to restore something that was no longer intact.

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly turned her head, wanting to find something to replace the attachment, and suddenly saw a round object floating in the distance of the rapids, sinking and rising, seemingly a not small basin, but at this time there was still a considerable distance between them. The direction of the water flow would only pull it further away, and she couldn't let go of Jing Tai Lan to find the basin herself, or else the river water would immediately sweep her away, and Jing Tai Lan would lose her.

  Rong Chu also saw that thing, suddenly lowered his head and disappeared.

  Tai Shi Lan turned around, but he was nowhere to be seen, and her heart felt empty.

  She had always been strong and independent, never having the thought of relying on others. However, at this moment, in the vast waters, isolated and helpless, that guy she didn't like and even felt a bit disgusted with suddenly jumped into the water, and then disappeared unexpectedly. She suddenly felt a strange sensation rising up in her heart.

  A moment ago, the endless water made her worried, a moment later, the endless water made her feel lonely.

  This feeling flashed by, and then she felt a looseness around her waist.

  She lowered her head again, and then she was gone, hidden beneath the water's surface, where she undid her waistband.

  Ancient people's clothing was loose and large, and the waistband was a very important thing. With such a big belly, if she wasn't careful, she would soon be like a piece of blue and white porcelain, not wearing underwear to enjoy the cool breeze.

  Tai Shi Lan couldn't help but make a scene, because across the somewhat murky river water, she saw Rong Chu undo his belt as well.

  Then he used his own belt to tie one end to her wrist and the other end to his own wrist, and handed Tai Shi Lan's belt to her, indicating that she should do the same with Jing Tai Lan.

  Three people were tied together, Rong Chu narrowed his eyes and looked in that direction, growling, "Get up!"

  "Whoosh!" The three of them burst out of the water, passing through layer upon layer of waves, and leapt up.

  In an instant, the waves surged thousands of layers, all at her feet. The countless water ripples roared and whistled, splashing open fine water flowers under Rongchu's feet. Meanwhile, the water vapor above was steaming, and the sunlight refracted, flowing with colorful light. With a seven-colored rainbow, Rongchu led two people to tread on the flowers and come, rushing towards the sun and leaving.

  The feeling of passing through the water curtain is very strange, as if it instantly crosses time and space to reach Penglai, with sunlight near the top of the head and mist falling like fine rain.

  In the blink of an eye, Rong Chu carried one big and one small, exceeding three zhang in distance, landing on a stone slab, not far from that basin. He slightly adjusted his breathing, took a few steps with the two, rose into the air again, pierced through the water, and after several rises and falls, finally arrived at the edge of the water basin.

  Upon closer inspection, it was a fairly large rice bucket, and inside were rolls and rolls of crispy fried dough. There's a local custom here where leftover crispy fried dough is toasted until charred, rolled up, and used as emergency rations. I don't know which wealthy household's thrifty daughter-in-law specially stored these crispy fried dough in this bucket, but the bucket was deep, so these crispy fried dough hadn't gotten wet from the water.

  At this time and place, I met such a thing, it's really an unexpected joy. Rong Chu immediately put the Jing Tai blue into it, and Xiao Zi burst into tears as soon as he entered, clinging to the edge of the bucket with tears in his eyes, saying: "......so happy......"

  "Indeed." Tai Shi Lan said calmly, "I thought it was a chamber pot originally."

  "It's okay......" Jing Tai Lan picked up the sweet potato from the bottom of the bucket and ate it, her little mouth stuffed full, and said sweetly, "The Duke sat... holding me..."

  Tai Shi Lan nodded in agreement.

  Rong Chu was about to push the pot out with ease...

  Tai Shi Lan looked at his face, which was slightly pale. It wasn't easy to carry two people flying horizontally in the torrent. She didn't argue with him anymore. The bucket had no handle, only two copper rings for easy lifting. She tied Rong Chu's waistband to the edge of the bucket and said, "You go in and rest for a while, it can barely squeeze."

  "Then you pushed me?" Rong Chu smiled, "And then met the rescuer, and saw me in the bucket, you outside pushing me? Tai Shi Lan, are you deliberately making me lose face for this lifetime?"

  "Chauvinism is incurable." Commented by Tai Shi Lan.

  "Big womanism is self-righteous." Rong Chu didn't understand what "big manism" was, but it didn't stop him from guessing the meaning and immediately inferring the concept of big womanism and strongly refuting it.

  Tai Shi Lan glanced at him and had to admit that this guy was indeed extremely intelligent.

  "Go ahead." Rong Chu picked her up and put her in the bucket, "If you're a woman, don't show off."

  Tai Shi leaned against the barrel wall, half-closing her eyes. She was indeed exhausted, although she still wanted to hold on, but almost as soon as her body left the flowing water and touched the solid barrel wall, all the muscles in her body stopped working without listening to orders, and every bone seemed to be able to hear creaking sounds.

  Under the exhaustion, she didn't want to argue anymore, dazed and confused, facing a little light of the setting sun, her lips slightly curled up.

  The hands that were holding onto her suddenly loosened slightly, and if it weren't for Ta Shi Lan having already tied him to the bucket handle beforehand, he would have been washed away by the water in an instant.

  Under the thin sunset, the pale woman's vague smile was hazy like a veil, with an extra layer of tenderness that wasn't there on ordinary days, and fewer of the sharp edges that were usually packaged, like diamonds polished, looking at snow through the window, clear, warm, and radiant.

  Those who rarely smile, when they do, it's stunning and breathtaking.

  A sudden movement of the heart was shattered by discordant sounds.

  Taking a closer look, the squeaking and crunching sounds were coming from Old Mouse Jing eating crispy rice cakes. This stuff was hard on the teeth, and with his blue-gray face puffed out as he held the rice cake, his mouth was covered in black crumbs.

  "I'm exhausted..." He coquettishly said to Tai Shi Lan.

  "Eat less, otherwise there won't be enough water later."

  A pear tree lay across the water in front, and with quick eyes and swift hands, she picked a dozen or so pears as she passed by.

  "Great." Jing Tai Lan applauded.

  "Often having to deal with many women, naturally becomes quick-handed." said Tai Shi Lan.

  Just as he was about to hand a pear to Rong Chu, he heard this and put the pear into his own mouth instead.

  Tai Shi Lan slowly chewed on the rice cake, and casually stuffed a piece into Rong Chu's mouth. "You eat it, it's leftover from Jing Tai Lan."

  Rong Chu stared at that pot of leftovers - why did he want to eat leftover food?

  But this seems to be the first time this woman has fed him...

  He finally opened his mouth and took the crispy rice, rolling it with the tip of his tongue, sweeping across Tai Shi Lan's fingers. A pair of watery eyes sparkled, smiling at her.

  "Are you clean?" Ta Shi Lan asked, "I just gave Jing Tai Blue a urinalysis and didn't have time to wash my hands."

  ……

  Rong Chu decided that when he grew old, he would write "Hong Yan Lu", and must include "killing the scenery" and "having no interest" as two major evil habits of women that must be condemned.

  The water flow gradually slowed down, and there was no longer a loud noise. However, the momentum of the water did not decrease, and no human figure could be seen anywhere. The vast expanse of water submerged both banks, and it was impossible to find land to dock on. Ta Shi Lan suspected that she might have been washed away by the floodwaters at the moment when the dam burst. He asked Rong Chu, who confirmed his suspicion. Therefore, he also felt that being able to find Qi Jing Tai Lan and her was a miracle within a miracle.

  The sky gradually darkened, and before nightfall, no land could be found, so at least they would have to drift for one more night. Although it was early summer now, the river water was still very cold, and no one could withstand being soaked for long.

  "We take turns getting into the bucket to rest." She wants to climb out.

  "Be careful!" Rong Chu pressed down on her, "You go to sleep first."

  "Nowhere can sleep." Tai Shi Lan gazed at his face, "A man's foolishness is also very stupid."

  "When I was a young man, I followed my father to fight in North Vietnam," Rong Chu said calmly. "I've also been buried in the snow for two days. This bit of water won't drown me."

  "It's said that Old Guo Gong is brave and good at fighting, what a pity he has a tiger father but a dog son."

  "Hmm, your evaluation is quite unique, coincidentally matching my father's."

  Tai Shi Lan patted the curled up Jing Tai Lan in her arms, and in the darkness where no one could see, revealed a faint smile, "As they say, heroes think alike."

  "Why don't I just become his daughter-in-law then?"

  "How can a tiger's wife be matched with a dog's son?"

  Rong Chu seemed to be smiling, her laughter muffled, "Ta Shi Lan, is there a woman as proud as you in the world?"

  "You have seen it now."

  "Yes, I've seen it now." Rong Chu fell silent for a moment before speaking again, his voice devoid of laughter. His icy fingers searched upwards and touched Tai Shi Lan's hand grasping the bucket rim. "Tai Shi Lan, I once thought you were too special, too brave. Now, I hope you can be even more special, braver."

  "Huh?"

  "Brave and special enough, maybe I'll have a chance..." Rong Chu suddenly stopped talking, pinched her fingers, and let go.

  "Go to sleep."

  Tai Shi Lan didn't speak again, she leaned against the bucket wall, the blue and white porcelain on her chest making a soft snoring sound, behind her was Rong Chu, his head resting on the edge of the bucket, leaning against her, his gentle breathing by her ear, strange, still that fragrance of Chinese angelica and osmanthus.

  The moonlight shines slantingly over, three people drift quietly but not lonely.

  The riverbank was never in sight, and it was unclear whether it had been inadvertently swept away by the great river. There is a vast area of Jiang near here, with many branches, and if the dam breaks, people may be swept away. Because nearby, you can no longer see the rooftops of buildings and objects floating out of homes, only endless water, reflecting a faint, boundless glow.

  The night also passed.

  It's not easy to get by either.

  Rong Chu also traveled far and wide, plunged into the water, spent too much energy searching for Jing Tai Lan and Tai Shi Lan, and then brought people to find this bucket. After that, he soaked in the water flow for a long time, with underwater currents surging, he had to constantly adjust his body shape, resist the water flow, and protect the bucket from colliding with hard objects or obstacles at any time. Even an iron-made person couldn't withstand such exhaustion, and Rong Chu fell asleep at dawn when he was most tired.

  At this time, the barrel passed through a low-water area and suddenly snapped, cutting off the strap with an unknown sharp object.

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly opened her eyes and grabbed Rong Chu!

  She also didn't dare sleep soundly and almost woke up once or twice every moment, just now she suddenly had a premonition in her heart and woke up in time.

  If I had hesitated for a moment, perhaps the next time I opened my eyes, I would no longer see Rong Chu.

  Although he caught him, Rong Chu's wrist was also cut by something unknown in the water, almost cutting to the artery. Tai Shi Lan tore off his sleeve to bandage it, but didn't dare to be optimistic. At this moment, there is no antibiotic ointment nearby, the wound is quite deep, and it's soaked in not very clean water, what if it gets infected?

  She demanded and replaced him again, almost strangling his neck to threaten him. Rong Chu didn't care about her at all, and Tai Shi Lan couldn't get out by himself without Rong Chu's help, and he couldn't grasp the balance well.

  The night passed in a state of drowsiness, with the sound of rushing water beside his ears when he was awake, and the sound of the river flowing into his pillow when he fell asleep. The long, drawn-out sounds came and went, accompanying his light and shallow breathing, as if time was being slowly stretched out in the gaps between the river's flow. And she, at the end of her dreams, ran for a long time.

  Sometimes in the daze, I would subconsciously hold his hand, and as soon as our fingertips touched, they would unknowingly interlock tightly. Under the dawn sky, our wet fingers clasped together, holding onto a turbulent love.

  The sky gradually brightened, but the view was still yesterday's vast expanse of water. Jing Tai Lan squirmed uncomfortably in Tai Shi Lan's arms, murmuring drowsily, "Mama... hot..."

  Tai Shi Lan touched his forehead, which felt a bit hot.

  Jingtai Lan's physical condition should be good, but due to chronic poisoning, he has been damaged. Now that the remaining poison is slowly being cleared, and Taishi Lan is training him, his body is still okay, but after all, at a young age, he got frightened and caught a cold, and fell ill again.

  Rong Chu opened his eyes and suddenly said: "We've reached the end!"

  Tai Shi Lan turned around and saw the majestic high mountain behind him. It seemed like they had finally reached land, and this place looked like it was at the lower reaches of a certain river.

  But soon she felt the water flow faster, pushing the bucket down with a swoop, and the scenery around her flashed by like the wind, forming a long line of colorful stripes.

  "Why so fast!" The feeling of the water flow below was not only fast, but also seemed to have a suction force. Taishi Lan's shouting speed couldn't help but increase, had they encountered a whirlpool? But this wasn't the sea, where did the whirlpool come from?

  Rong Chu suddenly stood up, swept along the bucket edge, looked far ahead, and his face changed.

  "It seems we've reached the northern border of Mohe Mountain, this terrain... the water flows downwards! Fault line! Waterfall!"

  Tai Shi suddenly stood up from the barrel and hugged the blue glaze, ready to climb out.

  Even if it falls into the water at this moment, it is better than falling off a cliff and being crushed to pieces in a bucket.

  "There's a mountain stream over there!" Rong Chu suddenly said.

  Tai Shi Lan is easily visible, in a few strands of tangled vines, revealing a narrow point of mountain body seam, with steep cliffs on all sides, and a faint outline of a rock at the bottom, on which stands an outstanding old pine tree.

  But the location is far from here, more importantly, she is not sure if it can be climbed up there, and the faint rocks below cannot even stand a person.

  "It won't work, can't get off!"

  "It's worth trying, what if it's submerged underwater in the second half?"

  The waterfall was getting closer, the thunderous sound of water covered up human voices, conversations had to be shouted at the top of one's lungs. For this whole day and night, Ta Shi Lan's ears were almost filled with this kind of noise, she suspected that after escaping, her ears would be half deaf.

  The water flow was too rapid to describe, rolling with broken stones, branches and all sorts of floating objects, surging past the edge of the bucket. Jing Tai Lan suddenly became a bit more awake, clinging to the edge of the bucket, and saw in front of him not far away a huge void, his dazed eyes instantly widened into circles, like a cat's.

  Then his eyes grew even wider — because he took off into the air.

  Rong Chu broke through the water again, bringing both of them flying up, this time his jump was even more difficult because he was still carrying a bucket.

  I don't dare abandon the barrel, I'm afraid that when I get there, there really won't be any rocks at the bottom, and then I'll have to think of a way to tie the barrel to the cliff.

  After drifting for a day and night, it was even more difficult. However, Rong Chu's figure remained elegant and carefree. In front of the waterfall, the water flowed unevenly, splashing up large pieces of jade and pearls. He crossed over, his feet treading on clouds.

  Several falls, against the current and up, already near the cliff edge, suddenly Tai Shi Lan's heart skipped a beat, feeling the wind sound was different, turned his head, just saw a slanting mountain cliff above, a floating boulder was repeatedly battered by the surging torrent, finally detached from the mountain body, following the water flow all the way down, splashing open large pieces of huge water flowers.

  The terrain here is like a ladder, with each level going down to the last one, and the drop between each level is not small. As a result, when huge rocks fall, they collide layer by layer, and stone chips splash out in all directions. It's unclear which huge rock they collided with, but suddenly there was a loud crash, and several medium-sized stones flew out in all directions.

  One of them crashed into the barrel with a loud bang, and with a crash, the lower half of the barrel and the bottom were crushed to pieces.

  Tai Shi Lan grabbed onto Jing Tai Blue at the moment when the bucket was hit - the bottom of the bucket had shattered, and they were about to fall together!

  Another loud crash, wood chips flying everywhere, a snow-white palm reached in and grabbed her collar.

  Water splashed and stones whistled, shadows flew everywhere, the four sides were chaotic and confusing. In this bewildering scene, Ta Shi saw clearly that Rong Chu was making a big turn in mid-air, flying towards the mountain cliff like a phoenix. His body bent at an arc that seemed almost impossible for a human to achieve, making her worry that his waist would break. But it didn't end there, in the midst of this bending and suspension, he could still slightly shift his body, just a slight movement, Ta Shi clearly heard a "click" sound coming from his waist.

  However, it was this move that almost defied human physiology that allowed Rong Chu to dodge the two pincer attacks of incoming rocks. The two rocks whizzed past his waist, leaving a long white mark on the water's surface as Rong Chu's body sprang back, his hands flashing with lightning speed as he swept and flung, sending Taishi Lan and Jing Tai Blue flying out instantly.

  With a loud crash, the barrel collided with a flying rock, shattering the remaining fragments without harming the two people inside. The force of the impact sent Taishi Lan and Jing Tai Blue flying out, falling towards that mountain rock.

  This was clearly Rong Chu's precise calculation. In the midst of her busyness, Ta Shi Lan turned her head to take a look, and Rong Chu sprang up, her toes touching the tip of Ta Shi Lan's foot, her body already passing over hers, landing first on the mountain rock.

  With this fall, he exerted his full strength and still had a calm expression, but it seemed to have changed. He raised his head, and Taishi Lan and Jingtai Blue had already fallen towards him.

  Rong Chu caught Tai Shi Lan with one hand, patted her on the back, and snatched the blue glaze from her arms. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it upwards at an angle.

  At this throw, Ta Shi Lan once again clearly heard the "click" sound emitted from his waist bone.

  With a thud, Jing Tai landed squarely on the old pine tree. The old pine swayed twice before steadily holding him up. Jing Tai's eyes were wide with excitement as he clutched the pine needles, his small heart beating rapidly for two beats before slowly calming down. After confirming his safety, he let out a long sigh of relief and patted his chest, spotting several pinecones nearby. He carefully plucked one and cradled it in his hands, chuckling to himself.

  The little boy has gone through many life-and-death situations in one day and night. At first, he was frightened and cried, but now he has learned to make the best of a bad situation.

  Tai Shi Lan saw Rong Chu throw out the Jing Tai blue, and was shocked to the point of almost jumping out. He immediately understood what he wanted to do, and looked at the Jing Tai blue again, which was indeed safe. He let out a long sigh - it had to be said that Rong Chu's reaction and adaptability were superb. In such an environment, he had calculated everything perfectly, even taking into account that the old pine tree could provide shelter for the Jing Tai blue, so there was no need to occupy this spot at the foot of the mountain cliff. However, it was not enough for Tai Shi Lan to climb up, and all these calculations were precise.

  The water waves rippled beneath their feet, Rong Chu leaned against the mountain cliff, holding her tightly in his arms. Tai Shi Lan lowered his head and only then did he realize that his prayer had not been answered - there was no large patch of solid ground under this rocky outcropping, at most it could only hold one person standing, no wonder Rong Chu had to hold onto her.

  Raising her head again, she discovered a good thing - not far above, there was a prominent rock that could be used as a stepping stone. With Chu's lightness skills, it would be easy to jump up and then use the vines as ropes to pull them up too. Step by step, they could climb to the top of the mountain and formally escape danger.

  Tai Shi Lan slightly tilted her head, looking at Rong Chu, such an obvious thing, she didn't know why he couldn't think of it.

  She had forgotten that she was leaning tightly against Rong Chu, and with this turn of her head, her cheek and half of her mouth naturally touched Rong Chu's body. Rong Chu was leaning against the cliff wall, panting softly, when suddenly his cheek felt a softness and coolness, and as he opened his eyes, her lips were right below his gaze.

  He immediately and unceremoniously...

  Digression

  I think it's really cost-effective to stop here and take a rest.

  I know you don't want to hit me, so just stroke your chin.

  Let's get down to business. I need votes. Don't rush, it's not just about monthly tickets. Well-informed sisters should know what it is - the annual voting primary has started. It's on the book page, under the cover, that eye-catching yellow thing, clearly marked "Annual Voting", which matches my cover perfectly.

  Preliminary voting is free, but only 2nd-level member sisters can vote. Sisters who meet the requirements, please show your enthusiasm for me. In '11 and '12, all my achievements were given by you, sharing past glories together. A new start in '13, I have new expectations.

  The front hand flips over and turns one hundred eighty degrees, letting out a loud cry "Preliminary voting is free! If you want to vote, vote for Big Tangerine!"

  Thank you!