Chapter 214

Chapter 1 The Gloomy Shadows Beneath the Cliff

In her dream, snowflakes fluttered down, and the steep cliff walls were all draped in silver.

The snowflakes that drifted down from the gaps above and landed here seemed like white butterflies falling in the twilight, covering the withered grass and vines entangled on countless cliffs with a layer of white.

At the edge of one of the larger steep walls, there was a young girl in a wheelchair, exposed to the snowy scene, quietly staring at the steep cliff walls, the falling snow, and the darkness below, which seemed like an abyss. She remained motionless for a long time, as if she were dead.

Snowflakes fell onto her fluffy head.

“Pel… o…”

In a daze, someone called out, the voice echoing from behind the girl, growing clearer as it approached her ears.

“Peyilo.”

The girl slowly turned her head.

She saw a middle-aged woman in a black robe, stepping lightly on the thin layer of snow, walking behind her wheelchair and standing still, with a smile on her face.

“What are you thinking about? You were so engrossed. I called you many times, but you didn’t hear…”

The woman smiled warmly.

She brushed away the snow on the girl’s head and shoulders, asking softly, “How are you feeling? Are you okay?”

The girl ignored her.

Unlike her mother’s teachings, she did not return a smile according to noble etiquette. She didn’t even want to look at the woman, her gaze only lingering briefly behind her before turning back to stare absentmindedly at the fine snowflakes floating in front of her.

She watched them fall through the faint light from the gaps in the stone above, swaying as they plunged into the deep abyss before her, finally vanishing into the darkness.

After a long while, the girl spoke, “Nothing.”

Her weak voice remained as pleasant and soothing as always, but now it sounded weak and cold, like a dead night.

But the middle-aged woman seemed indifferent to her coldness, still smiling as she asked again, “If you feel any discomfort or pain, you should tell me in time. You can’t bear it alone.”

“Mm.”

A heavy, completely perfunctory response.

Then they fell into a long silence.

After a moment, the girl slowly extended her right hand from under the blanket covering her, exposing her delicate and slender arm to the cold wind and snow. Her palm faced upward, open, and the crystal-clear snowflakes landed on it, melting from her body heat.

Seeing this, the middle-aged woman took off the wide-brimmed black hat on her head, shook her gray hair, and then put it on the girl’s head.

The hat was too big, and the girl’s head was small, so it sat crookedly. The middle-aged woman tried a few times to adjust it, but no matter what, she couldn’t get it straight, so she left it as it was.

“How is it? Have you seen enough snow? I’ll push you back now.”

As she said this, she grabbed the handles behind the wheelchair, but just as she pulled back a step, the girl tightly grasped the rims on both sides of the wheelchair, clearly showing resistance, and shook her head slightly.

“The moon hasn’t come out tonight. I want to see it.”

The middle-aged woman looked troubled, her smile turning into a bitter one.

“But your body is very weak… You can’t stay outside for too long. What will happen if you get sick in such cold weather?”

The girl replied immediately, “It doesn’t matter. I don’t mind.”

“But I do,” the middle-aged woman said seriously. “Don’t always punish yourself. This is wrong. You’re not dead, and you have a good chance of surviving, and living well. There’s still hope for your legs…”

“Doctor Romanie,” the girl interrupted softly, “Please stop lying to me, okay?”

“…I’m not.”

“We will die here, many people say so.”

“Who said that? That’s not true…”

The girl raised her head and looked at the middle-aged woman’s face, her expression indifferent, “Can you look me in the eyes?”

“…”

The middle-aged woman stared intently at the girl’s pale face with clear eyes, gazing at her beautiful eyes hidden under the brim of the hat, like glowing stones.

What a beautiful girl she is.

She had lost count of how many times she had admired her in her heart. But the more she admired her, the less she could speak now.

Without the woman speaking, the girl continued, “Euphemia is dead.”

“And little Barney, he died two days ago. I saw those people—” The girl raised her jade-like hand, gently pointing downward toward the cliff below, “They carried Barney’s corpse

She would be next.

“… Peyalo.”

The middle-aged woman seemed somewhat angry. She emphasized her words: “They are them, and you are you! You… How can I make you understand! You cannot give up on yourself; you must recognize your uniqueness! As long as there’s nothing wrong with you, you can get through those things. Why don’t you trust me? You are different from them!”

She paused for a moment, her tone slightly softer.

“You and Yilushu. The two of you are special existences here.”

“So what.”

The girl remained indifferent.

“… So what? That’s because—”

The middle-aged woman was at a loss for words.

Her fingers trembled as she pointed at the girl in the wheelchair, then sighed deeply.

“She won’t listen to anyone… Forget it, let’s go back. I’ve already broken the rules by letting you out, I can’t indulge your whims any longer.”

She no longer asked for the girl’s consent, firmly gripping the wheelchair handles and turning it around, pushing it deeper towards the cliff.

Through the dim light, they could see the wooden door with window holes on the stone wall.

The girl looked up.

On the cliff, the yellow glow of the sky had not yet faded away, and it would be a long time before the moon appeared.

And the girl knew that she wouldn’t wait for the moon. The high cliffs and boulders above blocked out the last bit of light.

“In a little while, both of you will be transferred.”

The girl’s body suddenly tensed, her pupils trembling.

She struggled to suppress her inner unease and fear, trying not to show these negative emotions in her voice as she asked, “Where?”

“Xierjiaya.” The woman said casually.

At that moment, the resistance from the wheelchair made her body jerk.

The woman frowned and looked down, discovering that the girl was stubbornly gripping the wheel, her left arm half-embedded in it. She looked up at the woman with red eyes.

A hint of pain flickered in the woman’s eyes.

But she had her responsibilities.

“Let go,” the woman said.

The girl slowly shook her head. “I don’t want to go.”

“Peyalo, you know…”

“Doctor, why did you save me back then.”

“…”

Facing the girl’s trembling question, the woman couldn’t answer.

She was glad she saved the girl in front of her. But she also knew that the girl wouldn’t think so.

To her, it was just the beginning of another nightmare.

“I’m very grateful that you saved me. Doctor Romanie, you… you’re a good person, I believe in you… Can I ask you one more favor?”

Looking at the girl’s pitiful gaze, the middle-aged woman turned her head away slowly.

“No.”

But the girl didn’t seem to hear her and continued to beg with a trembling voice.

“Please… let me go… okay…”

“Let me go…”

“No.”

“Please…”

“It’s impossible.”

“…”

The girl suddenly stopped talking.

The middle-aged woman immediately realized something was wrong. She swiftly grabbed the girl’s cheeks, pinched hard to force her mouth open, making it impossible to close again.

“Gag—cough!”

Blood flowed from the girl’s mouth, soaking her clothes.

“Peyalo!”

This biting action infuriated the middle-aged woman. She quickly took out a syringe from her pocket and injected the clear liquid into the girl’s pale neck.

The girl’s pupils dilated instantly.

Her hands flailed wildly in the air before falling limp. Her tense body relaxed, and saliva mixed with blood dribbled from her slightly open mouth.

The middle-aged woman put away the syringe and quietly watched the girl for a moment, only feeling relieved when she saw the girl couldn’t move anymore.

“From now on, I won’t let you act like this anymore.”

“Rao Le… I… I… forgive… me…”

The girl mumbled incoherently, seeming to surprise the middle-aged woman.

“She can still speak!”

“It seems the dose of mandrake needs to be increased…”

Creaking…

The wheelchair rolled over the snow, being pushed into the depths of darkness.