The Prime Minister’s Darling

Gu Changqing carried Gu Jiao on his back, struggling to climb the rugged cliff amid jagged rocks. The strong winds roaring up from the bottom seemed powerful enough to blow them away, and under such extreme conditions, his internal energy was useless; he could only rely on brute strength to inch them slowly upwards.

Soon, his right hand became mangled and bloody.

Bloody handprints marked the cliff, striking in the dark night.

They had fallen into a deep place, and it was uncertain how long it would take to climb back up. The winds were fierce there, with heavy moisture and low temperatures. Concerned that she might freeze, Gu Changqing said to her, "Jiaojiao, don't fall asleep yet."

"Hmm."

Gu Jiao muttered in a daze.

Gu Changqing asked, "Are you tired?"

Gu Jiao blinked her sleepy eyes: "Huh? Hmm, a little."

Her sudden drowsiness was unlike her usual stamina, prompting Gu Changqing to ask, worried, "Are you severely injured?"

"I'm not." Gu Jiao shook her head. She had been feeling drowsy lately, probably related to her pregnancy.

Gu Changqing grasped a protruding rock: "Then sleep. I'll wake you when we get up there."

He slowly channeled internal energy into her, to maintain her body temperature.

Human potential truly knows no bounds; initially, he couldn't even manifest internal energy, yet now he did just that—only a tiny bit, but climbing still relied on brute strength.

Gu Jiao felt a hint of comforting warmth in her body; her head drooped, leaning against his shoulder.

She mumbled in a daze, "Gu Changqing, I've got some good news for you."

Listening to her voice, almost like a dream mutter, Gu Changqing's lips curved slightly. He asked, "What good news?"

Gu Jiao, eyes closed, murmured half-asleep, "There's a baby in my belly now."

Gu Changqing was so astonished, his body shook fiercely, nearly losing his grip, and even kicked away two stones beneath his feet!

Once steadied, his eyes widened like saucers.

What did she just say?

A baby?

He... he... he's going to be an uncle?

...

Halfway up the mountain, several guardians arrived.

Duke An helplessly lay near the cliff's edge, gazing at the fathomless abyss.

The seventh guardian stood slightly inward, behind him, occasionally glancing downward.

The third guardian approached, glancing at the corpse on the ground, asking the second guardian, "Second Guardian, what exactly happened here? Who injured our Sword Pavilion disciple? And this man, wasn't he supposed to be sent to the pier? Why is he still here? Oh, by the way, where's the seventh one?"

The second guardian's expression was heavy as he said, "I just came from ahead; the seventh is dead."

"What?" The third guardian was shocked.

The others were also taken aback.

There was no other outsider here, and everyone's gaze fell on the grief-stricken Duke An.

But as Duke An was crippled, they quickly dismissed this thought.

The chief guardian asked, "Second, what's going on exactly?"

The second guardian withdrew two steps inward, hands behind his back, sighed, and said, "It's Duke An's adopted daughter."

The third guardian, excited, took great strides, grabbing the second's arm: "She came? Did she kill these people? Where is she?"

The second guardian glanced at the cliff beside him, sighing again: "She fell."

Everyone: "..."

The second guardian explained, "At the time, I didn't know who she was, thought she was Duke An's secret guard, and... struck her a blow."

That blow was delivered at an extremely tricky angle, normally capable of killing Gu Jiao instantly; Duke An protected her with his life, yet who would've thought it wouldn't hit to kill, wouldn't crash her onto rocks—she fell off the cliff—

The chief guardian frowned: "If she's dead, we'll never get that box—"

The silent eighth guardian suddenly stepped forward, pressing an ear toward the cliff: "Listen! There's movement below!"

The second guardian recalled: "Someone jumped down earlier, not sure if it was..."

The third guardian, impatient, interrupted: "What if? Rescuing is urgent! Quick! Get a rope!"

On the ground was a rope that had bound Duke An, but it wasn't long enough, so the eighth guardian went ahead to fetch the longest rope, tied a dead knot, and threw it down.

"Is it here?" asked the third guardian.

"It's uncertain." The chief guardian frowned, "The wind below is too strong, voices are scattered, difficult to pinpoint location."

The third guardian shouted into the unfathomable abyss, "Hey—are you alive down there? Give us a sign!"