The wet scree offered no grip. Every footfall was a desperate, sliding prayer. Dong Shun didn't need to look back to know the gap was closing; he could hear the ragged, synchronized breathing of the ten men behind them, a sound like a single, monstrous beast laboring downhill as his legs began giving up on him.
The poison needles inflicted by Cao Fengge now began to slowly take effect, and as he ran and his blood pumped at such speed, the poison too also began to spread rapidly throughout his body.
He slipped and fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Dong Qiji stopped and looked down at her husband. "Laogong," she cried. Because she was holding two children in her arms, she was unable to bend down and help him up. Instead, she squatted down and offered Dong Shun her back.
Dong Shun grabbed Dong Qiji's left shoulder and slowly pulled himself to stand, but then he realized that his left leg was completely numb.
The husband and wife were able to walk for fifty yards when a group of Beixing Sect disciples suddenly lined up and blocked their way on the road.
The husband and wife knew that their only chance of escaping was to fight, since behind them were ten Beixing Sect disciples chasing them. On their right was the high, sheer mountainside, and on their left was the high cliff.
The husband and wife looked at each other, and as their eyes met, they didn't need to speak to understand what they were about to do.
Dong Shun took Rao Qingsheng's two-months-old son from Dong Qiji's left arm and secured the baby tightly as Dong Qiji clenched her daughter, Dong Lanying, close to her chest.
The husband and wife began their desperate fight against the Beixing disciples. Just as Dong Shun was about to attack one of the disciples, a sharp, searing pain erupted from his knees. He looked down and saw two large holes spurting blood—the crippling blow from Cao Fengge's poison needles had finally taken full effect. Dong Shun collapsed to his knees.
Cao Fengge flew out from behind his men and struck Dong Shun's left shoulder blade with fierce internal force, sending him plummeting down the cliff, still clutching Rao Qingsheng's two-months-old son.
Dong Qiji screamed in horror, "Laogong…!"
Before she could process the loss, a disciple stabbed Dong Qiji directly in the stomach.
Another disciple rushed to Cao Fengge, breathless with urgency. "Master, there are two martial artists coming this way!"
Cao Fengge, having achieved his immediate goal, issued a final, cold order, "Quickly leave."
It had rained heavily earlier that night, so Xue Longwei and Xue Luxia stopped in an abandoned temple for shelter. When the rain stopped in the early morning, they decided to head to town to meet Rao Qingsheng, and then find an inn to rest. The steep road was still a bit foggy, and the couple walked slowly along the hillside toward Rao Manor.
Xue Longwei complained gently, "I told you not to follow me."
Xue Luxia smiled. "You promised to take me wherever you go."
Xue Longwei gave her a worried look. "Only if you weren't six months pregnant."
"Me being pregnant has nothing to do with that promise," she countered.
"Be careful, the road ahead is steep," he cautioned, switching tactics.
Xue Luxia sighed, changing the topic. "Laogong, since you and he are classmates of the same master, why bother to fight him?"
"You don't understand. It's just because..." Xue Longwei began, clearly conflicted.
"Shhh...," Xue Luxia interrupted, closing her eyes. "Did you hear it?"
Xue Longwei asked, alarmed, "What's the matter?"
Xue Luxia whispered, "I seem to hear the cry of a baby."
Xue Longwei dismissed her concern. "You may have heard it wrong." He walked ahead and saw a toddler sitting next to a woman lying on the ground, crying incessantly. The mist was thick, and he couldn't immediately tell whether the woman was asleep or dead. He rushed toward the child quickly. He looked at the woman and realized she had just died; her body was still warm to the touch.
Xue Luxia approached cautiously. "Is she dead?"
Xue Longwei nodded grimly. "Yes."
Xue Luxia suggested, "Take the toddler with us. Someone in town might know this little girl."
Xue Longwei, focused on his original goal, said, "Go and see Rao Qingsheng first." Xue Longwei picked up the crying child with his right arm.
When Xue Longwei and Xue Luxia were close enough, they saw dark smoke rising from the burning Rao Manor. The two quickly descended the mountain and ran toward the fire. As they approached, they noticed that because it had rained heavily last night, the fire didn't spread throughout the manor.
Xue Longwei pushed the heavy main door to enter, but the door was locked from the inside. He transferred his internal strength to the palm of his right hand and slammed it against the door. The door to the Rao Manor swung open. The husband and wife were not prepared for the horrific scene inside the Rao Manor.
Entering the Rao Manor, they immediately found Rao Qingsheng's body on the floor by the door. The smell of blood was overwhelming, and the pregnant Xue Luxia vomited several times.
"Who?... Who? Who would do such a thing?" she cried, quickly following her husband into the manor.
Xue Longwei was taken aback as he saw Rao Qingsheng's body lying a few feet away from him. He quickly rushed over. "Da-shixiong..." his voice was thick with worry, but as he turned Rao Qingsheng around and saw the needle holes riddling his neck, he knew, Rao Qingsheng was dead.
Xue Luxia quickly closed the door behind her, fearing that the killer might still be nearby. "Long ge... let's quickly search for a survivor and leave before we are spotted."
Xue Longwei and Xue Luxia searched the entire manor, and it seemed that all the people inside had been killed. Xue Longwei suddenly realized that the longer they stayed, the more they exposed themselves to danger. He walked quickly into the guest hall and walked towards his wife. He felt a light touch on his left ankle. He looked down and saw a little bloody hand holding his left ankle. He saw a child being pressed against by a dead Madame Rao, whose neck was shot through by an arrow. The pierced arrow also pierced the child's left shoulder.
Rao Zhengsheng raised his head to look at Xue Longwei and said softly, "Shushu, please help me wake up my mother. She has been asleep for a long time."
Xue Longwei gently lifted Madame Rao's body, but the child screamed in pain. He quickly dropped Madame Rao's body down. He looked closely, realizing that the arrow poking through Madame Rao's neck had also pierced Rao Zhengsheng's left shoulder. He called, "Furen, come here."
Xue Luxia bent down and carefully put the toddler girl on the floor.
Xue Longwei instructed, "Grasp the arrow; I want to pull her body up." He pulled Madame Rao's body high enough, drew out a butterfly sword, and cut off the arrow that bound the mother and child together. He gently laid Madame Rao's body on the ground and quickly looked at Rao Zhengsheng. "How is he?"
Xue Luxia reassured him, "He will be fine."
Xue Longwei was anxious to leave. "Let's leave here first. I don't know if the enemy is still there." He carried Rao Zhengsheng on his back, and they began to cross the yard full of scattered corpses.
Rao Zhengsheng looked at the dead people, and when he was about to leave the front door, he saw his father lying on his side. His small fist clenched tightly on Xue Longwei's shoulder.
Rao Zhengsheng suddenly spoke. "My father's swords."
Xue Longwei grabbed the scabbard, and Xue Luxia grabbed the butterfly swords. She sheathed the blades into the scabbard on Xue Longwei's hand. Xue Longwei tucked the swords into his belt, and they left the Rao Manor.
Rao Zhengsheng softly said, "His name is Cao Fengge."
Xue Longwei did not hear clearly and asked, "What did you say?"
Rao Zhengsheng repeated, his voice firm with a childhood vow. "The Shushu who killed father is named Cao Fengge."
Xue Longwei knew from rumors that Cao Fengge was a resentful person. He knew very well why the Rao family was killed—Rao Qingsheng must have offended Cao Fengge, and that was why Cao Fengge came seeking revenge. As the sun began to rise and the vendors started setting up, they walked quickly toward one of the inns.
Rao Zhengsheng looked at the toddler girl in Xue Luxia's arms. "That is Lanying, Dong Shushu's daughter."
Xue Luxia asked gently, "Xiao gege, what's your name?"
Rao Zhengsheng said, tears welling up, "Rao Zhengsheng."
Xue Longwei spoke with authority. "To avoid the enemy's pursuit, you have to lay low. Is there any place you want us to take you there?"
Rao Zhengsheng said sadly, "I have no home to go back." He began to cry.
Xue Luxia smiled gently. "Xiao gege, do you want to go to Butterfly Island with us? Anyway, your dad and the person who is carrying you now are fellow classmates."
Xue Longwei reassured the child with a proverb. "You must endure it for now. As long as there are still trees, don't be afraid you won't have firewood."