Chapter 15: Saving Another Life
"Sir, the age of this map is really too ancient; it's difficult to recognize," a man said timidly.
"The mountain has already been bought by someone. You must confirm for me immediately whether it is this mountain or not!" Gu Zhiqing commanded fiercely, "There must be a result today!"
In this desolate and wild place, Zuo Xiangning heard the raging voice of Gu Zhiqing and couldn't help but tremble lightly.
She was deeply afraid of meeting with Gu Zhiqing alone.
The sound of shoes stepping on dry branches grew gradually closer.
She curled up tightly, wishing she could bury her entire being into the bushes beside her.
Just as the footsteps were about to reach her, a sudden "snap" echoed not far away. Gu Zhiqing shouted "Who's there?" and the footsteps immediately ran towards another direction.
Zuo Xiangning quickly turned and scurried downhill, but in her panic, she slipped, fell to the ground, and slid down the slope.
Zuo Xiangning bit her lower lip and desperately grabbed at the wild grass sliding past her, looking down at the six or seven-meter-high cliff below, dumbfounded.
Watching the grass in her hand snapping one by one, she struggled with an internal battle of wills.
If she called for help, Gu Zhiqing might become her savior, but she would rather fall... Yet if she really died from the fall, what would become of her family members she had yet to save?
As she hesitated, the wild grass could no longer bear her weight, and she fell towards the foot of the mountain.
A dark shadow flew over her head, and right when she was about to hit the ground, a strong hand encircled her waist, and her body was held and gently placed on the ground.
"Let go of me!" Zuo Xiangning thought it was Gu Zhiqing, and once on the ground, she forcefully pushed the man beside her away, trembling and backing up several steps, eyes wide with unsettlement as she stared at the man opposite her.
"How... how is it you?" She stared in surprise at the man in front of her, dressed in dark clothing with sword-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes, her apricot-shaped eyes widening.
The man snorted coldly and patted the dust off his dark clothes, "Who did you think it was?"
He had watched the entire scene clearly from the side; he had been waiting for her to cry out for help.
But she clenched her jaws tight, stubbornly not making a sound.
Thinking back to how frightened she looked hiding in the bushes and the trembling of her body when he rescued her, he asked, "Are you afraid of Gu Zhiqing?"
Zuo Xiangning looked at him with surprise, her clear apricot eyes in disbelief, "You..."
She pressed her lips tightly together, stopping herself just in time from uttering the words "how did you know."
"Why are you afraid of him?" Lingxiao narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, "Has he also been in your room?"
"No!" Zuo Xiangning denied immediately.
The man gave her a puzzled glance, pointed towards a nearby mountain, and said, "I will find a spring on that mountain for you and build a three-row courtyard to exchange for this mountain you have yet to find a spring on. How about that?"
"Undeserved profits cannot be taken; I really dare not take such a huge advantage of the Young Master," Zuo Xiangning took a deep breath, her emotions completely settled, and said, "I believe this mountain has the highest view, and the best vantage point."
Lingxiao, with his hands behind his back, approached her slowly, "I have saved you twice, once your reputation and once your life. I wonder if these two lifesaving graces, in addition to that mountain across, would be enough for an exchange?"
Zuo Xiangning's face blushed slightly.
If she said it wasn't enough, wouldn't that just make her an ungrateful wretch?
"The Princely Heir is an upright and noble gentleman, how could you possibly do such a thing as to leverage gratitude for gain, to coerce a sale?" Zuo Xiangning said while slowly backing away, preparing to run along the river bank to the southwest, "The Princely Heir should stop joking around..."
The man lightly moved his feet, blocking Zuo Xiangning's path, looking down at her, and said, "I am not joking with you. Tomorrow morning I will go to Zuo Residence to have the transfer contract signed with you."
Zuo Xiangning had already discovered gold on this mountain; how could she possibly let it go now?
This mountain will one day be the foundation of her eldest sister's confidence in the Chu King's Mansion, as well as the assurance for her and her third brother to live a carefree life.
"I owe Young Master my life today. As the saying goes, 'Great kindness should not be spoken of in thanks.' I wish you, Young Master, everlasting happiness and may everything go your way," Zuo Xiangning said, then bowed deeply to Lingxiao, and turned to run quickly towards the distance.
Lingxiao watched her hold up the wide hem of her dress, her little short legs bustling as she seemed about to take flight, and couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.
Such a little girl, obviously spoiled by her family, couldn't possibly know what lay in the mountains!
Zuo Xiangning ran to the foot of the mountain and waved to Pan Xia on the platform, "Come down!"
"Okay!" Pan Xia replied and ran down the mountain.
"Be careful," Zuo Xiangning thought of Pan Xia's thin-soled cloth shoes and inwardly cursed her own carelessness.
She first glanced to the east, saw that Lingxiao wasn't following her, and felt a slight relief in her heart.
She turned and walked toward the nearby riverbank, squatted down on a stone, and washed the scratched wound on her hand.
Groups of little fish swam by in the river, and she couldn't resist reaching out to try and catch them.
This place had mountains and water; it truly was a wonderful place. If she decided not to marry in the future, it wouldn't be bad to live here all the time.
She heard a noise behind her, smiled, and turned around, saying, "You came down quite quickly..."
Zuo Xiangning thought it was Pan Xia, but what she faced instead was Gu Zhiqing dressed in a white robe.
His deep, ancient-well-like eyes stared tightly at her, like a bottomless quagmire, chilling her heart.
Her feet involuntarily moved backward.
"Miss Zuo, be careful!" Gu Zhiqing saw that she had retreated into the water and quickly extended his hand to hold her.
Zuo Xiangning saw the hand reaching out towards her, prettier than that of a woman's.
Her mind immediately went to a hauntingly familiar scene from her previous life, the same hands stretching towards her over and over, grabbing her, subjecting her to endless humiliation, with no escape.
Fear instantly filled her mind, as if she had returned to her previous life, a hellish nightmare.
"No!" Zuo Xiangning's eyes reddened, she frantically shook her head, stepping back faster, slipped, and plopped down into the water.
"What's the matter with Miss Zuo?" Gu Zhiqing also got startled by her but dared not move any closer.
What was going on with the Fourth Miss of the Zuo Family?
Was he really that frightening?
"No! I won't go back with you! Don't come near me!" Zuo Xiangning's mind was utterly muddled, unable to distinguish what was real and what was illusory.
Gu Zhiqing frowned slightly, wondering if she suffered from some hidden illness like epilepsy.
"What is Official Gu doing?"
Gu Zhiqing turned his head and saw Lingxiao walking towards them with hands behind his back, somewhat surprised he exclaimed, "Princely Heir?"
Lingxiao's gaze passed over him and fell on the woman sitting in the river.
She appeared to have been startled, her face as white as paper, her clear black and white eyes brimming with panic and helplessness.
What had Gu Zhiqing done to her?