Seeing that Jing Cheng was injured, Madam Yu roared. The light over Zidian grew in intensity, becoming almost white in color!
Wen ZhuLiu was blasted into the wall by Zidian’s sudden eruption. JinZhu and YinZhu pulled out two long, sizzling whips from their waists as well, and began to fight Wen ZhuLiu. The two maids had been close to Madam Yu ever since she was young. All of them were taught by the same person. Their combined attacks were by no means to be reckoned with. With the opportunity, Jiang Cheng and Wei WuXian, both still unable to move, were picked up by Madam Yu with each hand as she rushed out of the hall. Many disciples still surrounded the training field. Madam Yu commanded, “Get dressed and armed, now!”
With the two in her hands, she rushed onto the pier. The pier of Lotus Pier always had a few small boats docked in it, to be used by the Jiang Sect’s disciples for roaming within the water. Madam Yu tossed them onto the boat. She jumped into it herself as well. Holding Jiang Cheng’s hand, she helped him regain himself. Jiang Cheng had only coughed up a mouthful of blood. His injuries weren’t too severe. He asked, “Mom, what do we do?”
Madam Yu, “What do you mean what do we do?! Can’t you see yet? They came here prepared. Today’s fight couldn’t have been avoided. Soon afterwards there’ll be herds of those Wen-dogs arriving. Leave first!”
Wei WuXian, “Then what about Shijie? Shijie went to Meishan the day before yesterday. If she comes back…”
Madam Yu glowered, “Shut your mouth! It’s all because of you little…!”
Wei WuXian could only stay quiet. Madam Yu took off the Zidian ring that she wore on her right hand and put it onto Jiang Cheng’s right index finger. Jiang Cheng was shocked, “… Mom, why are you giving me Zidian?”
Madam Yu, “I’ve given it to you, so it’ll be yours from now on! Zidian has already recognized you as its master.”
Jiang Cheng was confused, “Mom, won’t you be leaving with us?”
Madam Yu stared at his face. Suddenly, she embraced him and kissed his hair a few times. With him in her arms, she murmured, “Good boy.”
She hugged him so tight that it seemed as if she wanted turn Jiang Cheng into a baby and stuff him back into her stomach, so that nobody could hurt him, nobody could tear them apart. Jiang Cheng had never been hugged by his mother like this, much less kissed. His head was buried in her chest but his eyes were wide open, not knowing what to do.
One hand holding him, Madam Yu grabbed Wei WuXian’s lapels with her other hand as though to strangle him to death. She spoke through clenched teeth, “… You damn little brat! I hate you! I hate you more than anything else! Look at what our sect has gone through for your sake!”
Wei WuXian’s chest heaved up and down. He said nothing. This time, it wasn’t that he held back his words or that he had unspoken comments, but that he really couldn’t say anything.
Jiang Cheng hurried to ask, “Mom, won’t you be leaving with us???”
Madam Yu let go at once. She pushed him onto Wei WuXian.
She leaped onto the dock. The boat rocked side to side amid the water of the river. Jiang Cheng finally understood. JinZhu, YinZhu, all of the disciples, and all of the treasure that YunmengJiang Sect had passed down from one generation to the next were still inside Lotus Pier, unable to be evacuated within a short period of time. After this, a grim battle would have to happen. As the mistress, Madam Yu couldn’t flee, yet she worried about her child. Perhaps selfish, she could only let these two escape first.
Knowing that there’d be immense danger after they parted, Jiang Cheng was more than scared. He stood up and tried to leave the boat as well, but currents suddenly shot out of Zidian. A rope of lighting tied the two tightly to the boat. They couldn’t move at all. Jiang Cheng shouted, “Mom, what are you doing?!”
Madam Yu, “Don’t make such a fuss. It’ll loosen up when you’re somewhere safe. If anyone attacks you on the journey, it’ll protect you as well. Don’t come back. Go to Meishan straight away and find your sister!”
After she finished, she turned to Wei WuXian and pointed at him, “Wei Ying! Listen to me! Protect Jiang Cheng, protect him even if you die, do you understand?!”
Wei WuXian, “Madam Yu!”
Madam Yu raged, “Did you hear me?! Don’t talk nonsense to me, I’m only asking you—did you hear me?!”
Wei WuXian couldn’t struggle out of Zidian. He could only nod his head. Jiang Cheng shouted, “Mom, Father isn’t back yet. If anything happens can’t we manage through it together first?!”
Hearing him mention Jiang FengMian, for a split second, Madam Yu’s eyes seemed to turn red.
Immediately, she cursed with a loud voice, “So what if he’s not coming back? Can’t I do anything without him?!”
After this, she cut off the rope that leashed the boat with her sword and kicked the side of the boat hard. The water was fast and the wind was heavy. Along with the kick, the boat drifted yards away at once. With a few spins, it sailed quickly yet steadily toward the center of the river. Jiang Cheng wailed, “Mom!”
He shouted for dozens of times. However, Madam Yu and Lotus Pier were farther and farther, smaller and smaller. After the boat was far into the distance, sword in hand, Madam Yu went back within the gates of Lotus Pier with a flash of her purple robes.
The two struggled as hard as they could. Zidian had almost sunk into their flesh, yet it still remained.
A mad roar rang from Jiang Cheng’s throat as he continued to struggle, “Why won’t it break?! Why won’t it break?! Break! Break!”
Wei WuXian had just been whipped over ten times by Zidian. His body was still hurting. He knew that they wouldn’t be able to struggle out of this and that all of their effort would go to waste. Remembering that Jiang Cheng was still injured, he spoke through the pain, “Jiang Cheng, calm down first. Facing the Core-Melting Hand, it’s not for sure that she’d lose. Back then, didn’t she hold Wen ZhuLiu back?”
Jiang Cheng roared, “How do you want me to calm down?! How could I calm down?! Even if Wen ZhuLiu is killed, that despicable woman has already sent out the signals. What if the Wen-dogs saw them and are leading people to lay siege on our sect?!”
Wei WuXian knew as well that there was no way for them to calm down. But, between the two, one of them had to have a clear head. Just as he was about to continue, his eyes suddenly lit up. He shouted, “Uncle Jiang! It’s Uncle Jiang coming back!”
As he had said, a larger boat sailed toward them over the river.
Jiang FengMian was standing at the head of the boat. Around a dozen disciples was also standing on the boat. He was staring in the direction of Lotus Pier, robes flapping in the wind. Jiang Cheng shouted, “Father! Father!”
Jiang FengMian saw them as well. He looked somewhat surprised. One of the disciples rowed the oar, and the boat approached. Jiang FengMian still didn’t know what had happened as he mused, “A-Cheng? A-Ying? What happened to you two?”
The boys at Lotus Pier often played strange games. Even lying in the water with faces covered in blood pretending to be floating corpses wasn’t out of the norm. Thus, Jiang FengMian couldn’t immediately decide if they were playing some new game or not. He didn’t pick up on the severity of the circumstances. Jiang Cheng, however, was so happy that he almost cried. He hurried to explain, “Father, Father let us go!”