Reborn as a Happy Wife in a Rural Family
Chapter 200: Encounter with the Tornado

Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Encounter with the Tornado

After crossing the gorge, the snowfall lessened on the other side. The temperature also wasn’t as low.

"The environment of Tianshan is truly strange," Yun No. 8 murmured, standing there.

"What’s so strange about that? In the heart of Tianshan, there’s a Paradise, warm as spring..." Yun No. 20, who happened to be standing beside him, chuckled as he described the Snow Maiden Clan’s home to Yun No. 8.

"Such a place exists?" Yun No. 8 was surprised. This journey with the Young Master was certainly eye-opening; he was encountering things he had never seen or heard of, one after another.

Yun No. 20 chuckled and nodded.

Seeing that everyone had crossed safely, Xiao Yunjing lifted his heavy cloak slightly, lowered his head, and whispered to Gu Qingli in his embrace, "Li’er, we’re across. You can bring out the sedan chair now."

"Alright." Gu Qingli, who was nestled against Xiao Yunjing’s waist, peeked out. She exhaled, preparing to summon the sedan chair.

BOOM!

Just then, a powerful tornado abruptly surged from the mountain pass, sweeping up everyone who was preparing to depart. It engulfed them all, catching them in one fell swoop.

It all happened without warning, far too suddenly.

In the chaos, Xiao Yunjing had no time to worry about anyone else; he could only focus on tightly protecting Gu Qingli in his arms.

The moment Gu Qingli was swept away by the tornado, before Xiao Yunjing could even shield himself with his protective qi, she felt an overwhelming surge within her. Her head buzzed, and within a breath, she lost consciousness.

Tossed about by the tornado as if riding the clouds and mist, Xiao Yunjing’s heart pounded. Caught in the swift and ferocious vortex, he desperately tried to fly out.

However, no matter how profound his cultivation, he couldn’t withstand the tornado’s power. He could only hold the person in his arms as tightly as possible.

In mere moments, the tornado tore across the Icefield with them in its grip, gouging deep trenches in its wake.

The already dim sky plunged into a darkness as if day had turned into endless night.

A vortex, over ten feet wide, could be vaguely seen twisting erratically across the Icefield. It veered east, then west, like an unruly beast, growing larger and faster with every turn. In the blink of an eye, it had tumbled out of sight.

Only its thunderous ROARS—BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—echoed in its absence.

After an unknown amount of time, a hand thrust out from a snowdrift, followed by Xiao Yunjing’s head.

He frowned, his entire body aching. I’m injured, he thought.

Suddenly remembering something, Xiao Yunjing frantically felt inside his cloak. His heart lurched—it was empty. She wasn’t there.

Xiao Yunjing froze.

Trembling, he scrambled out of the snowdrift, ignoring his injuries as he frantically scanned his surroundings.

"UGH! PTOOEY!" Not far away, Wuqing’s head emerged from another snowdrift. She spat out a mouthful of snow.

"OOF, that hurts!" She touched her head, finding a gash that was still bleeding.

"URGH!" Wuqing tried to stand but found her right leg useless. A wave of agonizing pain shot through it when she moved.

Only then did Wuqing realize her entire body was battered, with multiple fractures. It felt as if someone had repeatedly slammed her against the ground; pain wracked her entire body.

She reached for the pack on her back, but it was gone. Her gaze swept anxiously over the area, landing on Xiao Yunjing, who was desperately digging through the snow.

Oh no, could the Young Lady be missing? Wuqing’s mind buzzed. She sat there, stunned, completely forgetting her own injuries.

At this moment, Wuyou, Wushuang, Wuxin, Yun No. 20, and Yun No. 18—those with higher cultivation—also began to regain consciousness in the same mountain hollow, all injured to varying degrees.

Among them, Wuyou was fortunate; her pack hadn’t been lost. She had carried it inside her cloak, so it hadn’t been torn away. Her cloak, however, was gone. The others hadn’t been wearing cloaks, only their cotton-padded clothes, and those were now gone.

Seeing the situation, Wuyou quickly bandaged her own wounds, then tossed her medical kit to Wuqing and the others so they could tend to themselves. She then joined the search for Gu Qingli.

The area was a hollow, surrounded by high mountains on three sides. It was likely that the tornado, upon reaching this point, had been blocked by the mountains. As it dissipated, they were all slammed against the mountain walls before falling.

Xiao Yunjing continued his frantic search. He hadn’t found Gu Qingli, but he did come across two members of the Secret Sect, both barely breathing.

"Young Master, try searching along the base of the mountain!" Wuyou shouted from behind Xiao Yunjing.

Hearing her, Xiao Yunjing gathered his remaining strength and searched along the foot of the mountain, focusing on the area where he had awoken.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before he found Gu Qingli, about ten feet from where he had regained consciousness.

She was curled up in her cloak, which was spread beneath her, her hands still protectively clutching her stomach.

"Li’er!" A pang shot through Xiao Yunjing’s heart, and a mouthful of blood welled up. He forced it down, then carefully, oh so carefully, picked Gu Qingli up. He sank to the snowy ground and wrapped her tightly in the cloak.

Gu Qingli’s body was already rigid. Xiao Yunjing didn’t know if she was alive or dead; he didn’t even dare to check her breathing. He simply held her close, slowly channeling his internal energy into her.

Tears streamed down Xiao Yunjing’s face as he continued the transfer.

It is said that a man does not easily shed tears, unless his heart is truly broken. And at this moment, Xiao Yunjing was crying from the depths of such sorrow.

Li’er, please, you have to be alright, Xiao Yunjing prayed desperately. Heaven can’t be this cruel. I finally found her, only to encounter that damned tornado.

The tornado’s power had been too immense. His protective qi had shattered quickly, leaving him to shield her with only his own body. Eventually, he too had lost consciousness, unable to hold on any longer. He had no idea how Li’er had been separated from him.

Wuyou had managed to drag herself over by now. She was severely injured; both her legs were hurt, and it seemed one arm and one leg were broken. She reached out a trembling hand and took Gu Qingli’s wrist to feel for a pulse.

"Young Master, the Young Lady... she’s still breathing!" Wuyou cried out, tears in her eyes.

A sliver of relief pierced Xiao Yunjing’s despair. He continued to pour his internal energy into Li’er without pause. He couldn’t stop; her body was rigid and desperately needed warmth.

Otherwise... He dared not imagine the consequences.

Gu Qingli felt as if she were trapped in an icehouse, a bone-chilling cold seeping into her, so intense she felt like she was dying. She wanted to scream for help, but no sound would come. Her consciousness was fading, the sensation terrifyingly similar to the brink of death.

Death... It was a terrible feeling. Gu Qingli loathed that sensation—so painful, so helpless. I don’t want to die!

She struggled to move, to open her eyes, but it was all in vain.

Am I truly doomed to die? How can I die? If I die, won’t the little one in my belly perish too? What should I do? The Space! I have the Space! Yes, I need to enter the Space! Huh? I can’t enter? Am I too weak? Is Heaven itself determined to kill me, Gu Qingli?

She felt herself growing colder, her consciousness slipping further away. No matter how hard she fought, she couldn’t stave off the encroaching darkness.

She didn’t know how long it had been when, lost in a daze, a faint warmth began to seep into her body.

As her consciousness was about to dissipate completely, Gu Qingli felt a jolt. Bit by bit, her awareness was pulled back from the brink.