Chapter 63: Surviving the Calamity

Wu Shi, who had been confined to the courtyard, threw another massive tantrum; wanting to smash things yet unable to bear breaking anything, she seethed with nowhere to vent her anger. When Qingyu entered with tea, she found Wu Shi pacing furiously in the room. Terrified, Qingyu tried to retreat, but before she could even turn around, Wu Shi called out to her:

"Stop!" Wu Shi roared in fury.

"I have merely lost my power, yet you low-born hussies dare to treat me with contempt. You dawdle bringing tea; do not forget, I am still your mistress."

Before Wu Shi finished speaking, she yanked a hairpin from her head and stabbed it toward Qingyu's arm.

With Qingyu's scream of agony and a sharp "Crack!", Qingyu dropped the tea tray and tea together onto the floor. Seeing the teacups shattered everywhere, Wu Shi grew even angrier, as she herself could not bear to break them. The hairpin still pierced Qingyu's flesh, and Wu Shi slapped her again. Qingyu dared not even cry, biting her lip tightly. Ignoring the wound on her arm, she crouched to pick up the shards. Just as Wu Shi was about to kick Qingyu again, Xiang Xiang Junzheng arrived.

Seeing Xiang Xiang Junzheng enter, Wu Shi forcibly retracted the foot she was about to kick with, adjusted her emotions, and said ingratiatingly:

"Master, this low-born hussy is clumsy and broke the teacup. Did she not disturb you, Master?"

Xiang Xiang Junzheng saw the blood covering Qingyu's arm as she crouched to pick up the shards and knew she had been beaten by this poisonous woman again. However, having just received a large sum of silver from the Wu family, he ultimately said nothing, merely ordering Qingyu to clean up and leave.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng said:

"Today the Wu family has returned the silver. In view of Jun Jun Yiyi, I will temporarily restore your position as mistress. If you cause trouble again, do not blame me for being ruthless."

Hearing this, Wu Shi appeared submissive on the surface, but in her heart, she hated Jun Jun Zijin to death. If not for that low-born girl, how could she have endured such humiliation? Since that low-born girl returned to the manor, she had not had a single good day. Then everyone should stop expecting peace; that low-born girl must not be allowed to live any longer.

A poisonous plan crossed Wu Shi's mind. A sinister glint flashed in her eyes for an instant, then her face immediately filled with smiles. Yet with her face wrapped in bandages, she looked hideous no matter how she tried, unable to feign her usual gentleness. Wu Shi said:

"Master, rest assured, I will certainly not cause trouble again. But recently the manor has been unsettled. I heard the Bodhisattva at Putuo Temple is very efficacious. I was thinking, perhaps tomorrow we could go together to Putuo Temple to burn incense and pray? Perhaps it will bless our manor with favorable weather and peace from now on!"

Xiang Xiang Junzheng pondered silently. Although Putuo Temple was some distance from Jingcheng, upon estimation, it was not too far. If the journey proceeded smoothly without delays, a round trip of about two days would suffice. After a brief moment of contemplation, Xiang Xiang Junzheng agreed, saying:

"Very well. Recently, indeed, everything has gone against us. Tomorrow morning, every courtyard in the manor will go to Putuo Temple to burn incense."

Having spoken, Xiang Xiang Junzheng glanced at Wu Shi's repulsive face, then turned and left.

When Qingyu delivered the message to Jun Jun Zijin, Jun Jun Zijin had just gone to sleep. Although Qingyu did not know what plans the First Lady had for this trip, Jun Jun Zijin could foresee that the First Lady certainly did not intend merely to burn incense and pray. She rose, gave instructions to Hanxiao and Miaozhu, and prepared a tranquilizer gun, tranquilizer needles, tranquilizer, and several bottles of pills. After thinking for a moment, she also found a rope to take with her before lying down again.

For this trip to Putuo Temple to burn incense, the Jun family included everyone except the elderly matriarch, whose legs were inconvenient; Xiang Junyuan, who was resting in the Yihong Courtyard; and Xiang Jincheng, who was rarely seen once a month or half a month. This included Xiang Xiang Junzheng on his day off and all the female members of the manor.

When Jun Jun Zijin arrived at the Jun manor gate with Hanxiao, the First Lady, wearing a veil, and Jun Jun Yiyi were about to board the carriage. The First Lady turned back and gave Jun Jun Zijin an ambiguous look.

Jun Jun Zijin returned the gaze, raised an eyebrow, glanced again at Qingyu, who was following behind the First Lady's carriage with her head bowed, gave a barely perceptible nod, then ignored them and boarded her own carriage with Hanxiao.

Putuo Temple sits on Putuo Mountain outside Jingcheng, forty li from Jingcheng. If there are no delays along the way, the carriage should arrive in about three hours.

The carriage moved slowly along the winding mountain road. On both sides of the narrow path stood lush, verdant trees with dense foliage that blocked out the sky. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the treetops, casting mottled shadows. The mountain path was extremely quiet, and the scenery was beautiful. Every contact between the wheels and the road produced a faint sound, which sounded particularly clear on this tranquil mountain path.

Inside the carriage, Jun Jun Zijin leaned against soft cushions. Having risen very early, she felt somewhat drowsy from the carriage's swaying and closed her eyes for a light nap. Not long after, Hanxiao also closed her eyes to rest.

No one knew how long this tranquility lasted. When the carriage reached a fork in the mountain path, suddenly, a sharp whistling sound pierced the silence. Immediately following, a gleaming arrow shot toward the carriage with lightning speed. Jun Jun Zijin was startled awake from her dream. She snapped her eyes open, her gaze instantly becoming sharp and alert. Relying on her keen intuition and extraordinary reflexes, she swiftly pulled Hanxiao to one side, narrowly dodging the fatal arrow. The arrow grazed the hem of her clothes and embedded itself in the wooden floor of the carriage with a dull "Thud."

The driver outside the carriage was so terrified by this sudden turn of events that his soul nearly fled his body. Losing his balance, he fell off the carriage.

Jun Jun Zijin shouted "Careful!" to Hanxiao. She quickly sat up. At the same time, the frightened horse suddenly went mad, breaking free from the reins and dragging the carriage galloping wildly toward another fork in the road.

The carriage bounced violently over the rugged mountain road, throwing the two people inside back and forth. The rope they had brought with them was lost somewhere.

Jun Jun Zijin understood that she must regain control of the situation as soon as possible; otherwise, they would both plummet into the valley and be crushed to pieces. She gritted her teeth, reached out to tightly grasp the handrail on the carriage wall, stabilized herself, and then tried to lean out to reach the reins connecting to the horses.

At this moment, Hanxiao's face had already turned deathly pale, her mouth open but unable to make a sound. But seeing Jun Jun Zijin's actions, she forced herself to calm down and helped hold the hem of Jun Jun Zijin's clothes to prevent her from falling.

However, the frightened horse had completely lost its reason, caring only for running forward desperately. This malnourished, short frame simply could not reach the reins.

As the carriage sped on, the mountain road became steeper and steeper. Ahead lay a cliff, but the horse did not stop; instead, it ran even more crazily. Jun Jun Zijin knew deeply that if this continued, the carriage would soon plunge off the cliff, and both she and the horse would be crushed to pieces.

She grabbed the handrail inside the carriage with all her might to steady herself. The edge of the cliff was already before her eyes. At this moment of life and death, she finally felt the long rope that had fallen from her body due to the jolting. Jun Jun Zijin gritted her teeth, quickly wrapped the rope several times around her arm, pulled Hanxiao over, and with all her strength, swung the rope forward toward the nearest large tree. The long whip traced an arc in the air and accurately wrapped around the tree trunk. At the same time, the horse let out a piercing neigh, dragging the carriage down into the abyss.

Jun Jun Zijin leaped with Hanxiao, pulling Hanxiao's hand and throwing her upward with force, narrowly tossing Hanxiao onto the road above the cliff. Exhausted, Jun Jun Zijin herself fell straight down the cliff.

At this moment, a figure in black ink-colored clothing leaped out, rushing straight toward the cliff. In the blink of an eye, that ink-colored figure suddenly extended both arms and grabbed Jun Jun Zijin's waist. Then, skillfully executing a magnificent spin, he carried her high up into the air. The two landed steadily on top of the cliff.

Held in his arms, Jun Jun Zijin's pretty face flushed slightly from the thrilling scene just witnessed, and a trace of relief at surviving the disaster remained in her eyes.