“Ah!!!”
As soon as Tang Shuyao jumped, she let out a scream. The strong wind rushed straight into her mouth and filled her stomach, causing her to start coughing violently.
Qin Mengdie and Wang Ziyan were a bit calmer in comparison, but I could still feel Wang Ziyan on my back tense up.
Qin Mengdie didn’t say anything, but her hands gripped my flesh tightly. Luckily, my body had gone through several rounds of tempering—otherwise, the pain would’ve killed me!
“Up!”
I shouted, circulating True Qi rapidly through my body, hoping to lift all four of us into the air. But we were still falling.
“You narcissist! I shouldn’t have trusted you!”
Tang Shuyao, no longer coughing, leaned against my shoulder. Seeing that I didn’t respond, she kept ranting.
“I haven’t even had a boyfriend yet—I don’t wanna die!”
The shock from the fall made my face twist in discomfort. I coated my body with True Qi and snapped, “Shut up!”
Normally, I’d let them talk and just hold it in, but now wasn’t the time for bickering.
This couldn’t go on. Even using my flight technique, I couldn’t carry all of them. There were too many people. I had just reached the Stellar Vortex stage, which only barely allowed for flight. I wasn’t even that proficient at it yet. Trying to fly while carrying them? Nearly impossible!
“Ah!”
I shouted again and forced my True Qi to surge. Even if I couldn’t fly, I had to at least slow our fall.
Even though there was an ocean below us, falling from this height would still end in shattered bones and death.
Goddammit! Tang Shuyao said she hadn’t even been in love yet—well, I’m still a v!rgin too! Dying like this is just plain humiliating!
“Xia Tian!”
Sister Lin’s voice suddenly rang out. Though the wind made it hard to hear, I definitely caught it.
I looked up—and sure enough, the helicopter they were in was right above us.
“Do you trust me?” I asked again.
Tang Shuyao was the first to reply, “No! You already tricked us earlier!”
“I wasn’t asking you!” I snapped at her, then turned to Qin Mengdie. “Qin Mengdie, do you trust me?”
“Me?”
She was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting the question.
“Shit! There’s no time! Believe me or don’t—your choice!”
Gritting my teeth, I pulled back my True Qi to my dantian and then suddenly released it in a burst of force, flinging Qin Mengdie off me.
“Ahhh!”
The sudden launch finally made Qin Mengdie scream, breaking her calm facade.
Because I had thrown her off, my own position dropped several meters. I focused my True Qi and shouted toward Sister Lin, “Catch her!”
“I… got… her…”
Sister Lin’s broken-up voice came through the wind.
I let out a sigh of relief. So my method did work after all.
“Tang Shuyao, if you ever call me a narcissist again, your big bro’s gonna spank your butt!” I yelled as I hurled her the same way.
Tang Shuyao looked completely stunned but was also caught by the prepared Sister Lin.
“Wang Ziyan, relax and get ready! It’s your turn now!” I shifted her from my back to my front and took a deep breath, preparing for another launch.
You might wonder—since only Wang Ziyan was left, why not just fly her up?
If I could, of course I would. But after throwing Qin Mengdie and Tang Shuyao, I barely had any True Qi left to support flight.
In fact, I wasn’t even sure I had enough left to throw Wang Ziyan properly.
“What about you once I go up?” Wang Ziyan asked, looking at me.
“Shut up. Don’t speak. I’ve got my own way out.”
I told her, pulling my remaining True Qi back into my dantian.
“Take care of Mei’er for me!”
I shouted, releasing my last burst of True Qi and hurling Wang Ziyan upward.
After three consecutive bursts, I was nearly drained. The final push almost made me pass out—my vision went dark for a moment.
Falling from this height would definitely kill me. I just hoped my corpse would at least be in one piece.
Even though my body had undergone several rounds of tempering, my organs were still as fragile as anyone else’s. The impact with the ocean would most likely shatter them, leaving blood streaming from all seven orifices…
I had only a few threads of True Qi left—hopefully enough to protect my organs and make my death less gruesome.
Damn it, heaven’s such a troll. I didn’t even get to hook up with a girl, didn’t even lose my virginity, and now I’m dying a glorious death?
All for a lousy million? Screw that! Even if Qin Shousheng offered me ten million, I wouldn’t do it again!
“D*mn it! This is bullsh!t!”
I cursed out loud, unable to hold it in as I looked at the situation before me.
Because I was almost out of True Qi, Wang Ziyan didn’t reach the helicopter and fell again.
And—damn it all—why the hell was she smiling like that when we were about to die?
I forced the last of my True Qi to circulate, halting my descent just long enough to catch Wang Ziyan in my arms mid-air.
“Well, we’re definitely dying now! What the hell are you smiling for?!” I glared at her, annoyed.
Wang Ziyan still wore that soft smile, “To die with you… I’m already satisfied.”
D*mn it! Is Wang Ziyan insane?!
In less than a hundred meters, both Wang Ziyan and I would sink into the sea.
I took a deep breath and said to her, “Close your eyes…”
Wang Ziyan shook her head. “I want to remember your face before I die, to carve it into my heart.”
“You’re crazy!” I cursed inwardly, then said angrily, “Close them, or I’ll push you away right now!”
Panic flashed in Wang Ziyan’s eyes. Seeing how serious I was, she quickly shut them.
I took another deep breath, pressed my lips against hers, and channeled the last trace of True Qi left in my body into hers. Cradling her head protectively, I braced for impact.
The moment I finished, a sharp, icy pain shot through my legs.
With a splash, we plunged into the water, and all sound vanished.
The ocean surrounded us—fish scattered as we fell, darting away in fear.
So this is the sea… I had finally seen it, though in the most absurd way possible. My strength was fading fast. Shaking my head in the water to stay focused, I mustered every last ounce of strength and pushed Wang Ziyan toward the surface.
Feeling the force, she suddenly opened her eyes, struggling to grab me. But I pulled my hand back and smiled at her.
Bubbles escaped her lips—she was trying to speak, but how could I hear her underwater?
Slowly, Wang Ziyan’s figure blurred before my eyes, and then everything turned to darkness. All sensation vanished.
*****
“Xia Tian, come… come to Mommy…”
A voice I hadn’t heard in years echoed around me. In the darkness, my mother’s figure appeared, just as beautiful as I remembered, wearing the dress I had picked for her.
Then another voice spoke: “Didn’t you hear your mother? Hurry up.”
“Dad… Dad…” As his silhouette appeared beside her, tears streamed down my face.
Step by step, I walked toward them in the dark and threw my arms around them.
“Xia Tian, you’ve grown so much… You can’t cry like a child anymore,” Mom said softly, stroking my hair.
Dad’s stern voice cut in: “Didn’t you promise us you wouldn’t cry anymore?”
“B-But I miss you so much! Dad, Mom… please don’t leave me again!” I sobbed.
“You still have unfinished business! The Xia family needs you—have you forgotten your oath?” Dad barked.
Mom smiled gently beside him. “Xia Tian, be strong. Your father and I are watching over you from above.”
They exchanged a glance, then said together: “Xia Tian… the Xia family needs you…”
Their voices faded, their figures drifting further and further away.
“Dad! Mom! Wait for me! Don’t leave me behind!” I ran with all my might, but they disappeared into the darkness.
“DAD! MOM!” I jolted upright, screaming.
“Hey, do I look that old to you?” Sister Lin’s voice snapped me back to reality.
I turned my head—Sister Lin, Mei’er, Xu Xin, Qin Mengdie, and Tang Shuyao were all staring at me with worried expressions.
Stunned, I stammered, “I… I’m not dead?”
“With me here, how could you die?” A familiar voice rang out.
I froze, then turned slowly—and my breath caught.
“M-Mei Xue?!”