CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 330 OVERLAP

The images in her mind gradually became clear.

Xie Liangchen saw a slightly pale face, now filled with a loving expression. She tried hard to smile at her, attempting to smooth the tension and panic in her heart.

Mother.

How many times had she tried to remember the past, only to find an empty void; she never saw her father or mother again before dying in the previous life.

She thought that even if she hadn’t lost her childhood memories, her mother’s face would have long blurred. She never thought she could see it so vividly again.

Xie Liangchen tried hard to speak.

"Mother." She finally produced a sound, but it sounded so young.

Her mother reached out to touch her face: "Ah Chen is the most obedient. Mother has to go help your father. I promise I’ll come to find you, okay?"

Her mother kept looking back while speaking, a few people were struggling in the waves, and it was unclear where her father was.

"Okay." Xie Liangchen heard herself say.

Her mother pointed toward the shore: "Ah Chen is good at swimming, you can surely swim over, can’t you?"

Xie Liangchen nodded.

"Don’t look back, remember?" her mother reminded again.

Xie Liangchen responded, waving her arms and swimming forward.

The icy seawater seemed to freeze her stiff. She gritted her teeth and kept moving forward, hearing only the sound of the surging sea, she suddenly felt tired.

Xie Liangchen couldn’t help but turn her head, wanting to find the figures of her father and mother. As long as she could see them, she would have the courage to swim to shore in one go.

Turning her head, Xie Liangchen saw a vast ocean with a few figures. Closer to her was her mother, who was not saving her father but blocking those who were pursuing them.

She witnessed someone raise a weapon and stab her mother.

In terror, Xie Liangchen couldn’t make a sound, continuously waving her arms and swimming desperately toward her mother, determined to save her.

A wave hit, and seawater flooded her mouth and nose.

The more panic and urgency she felt, the less her limbs would obey her commands. She struggled in place for a long time before raising her head again; there was no trace of her father or mother on the sea.

She lifted her head to look around, waves endlessly crashing against her body, her ears filled with only the sound of waves and her own rapid breathing.

Gone, everything was gone.

Fear, panic, and loneliness enveloped her tightly.

Not knowing how long she remained like this, suddenly a sharp pain shot through her legs, as if they were struck numb, unable to move. She tried to wave her arms to no avail, and her entire body sank into the sea.

Now even the sound of waves disappeared, leaving only the sound of water continuously gushing into her body.

That suffocating pain attacked her.

She was going to die.

Images of her mother being stabbed with a dagger replayed in her mind over and over, as if her heart was also being split open by a sharp weapon.

Would she see her mother after death? Find her father?

Finally, she ran out of strength and stopped struggling, dizzily waiting for death to come.

"Liangchen."

A shout reached Xie Liangchen’s ears, then a sharp pain in her wrist, as if someone was pulling her forcefully.

In a daze, Xie Liangchen opened her eyes and saw muddy river water and an anxious face, his deep eyes fixedly looking at her.

"Liangchen, Liangchen..."

Song Xian called a few more times, but even though Xie Liangchen opened her eyes, her gaze remained unfocused.

The current was swift, and in the urgency, Song Xian only had time to pull Xie Liangchen out of the water; they couldn’t reach the shore yet.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Xie Liangchen finally erupted into a fit of coughing, expulsing some of the water lodged in her throat, finally able to breathe.

Song Xian’s face showed relief.

"Don’t worry, don’t worry," Song Xian said, "we’ll find a way up."

Xie Liangchen held onto Song Xian’s shoulder, feeling him swimming toward the shore. She clung tightly to him, seeing blood flowing down Song Xian’s neck.

It was clear he got injured protecting her when they fell together.

Xie Liangchen wanted to check Song Xian’s wound, but the two of them were being swept downstream too quickly, with no time to care for anything.

Song Xian felt Xie Liangchen’s body trembling incessantly. Given such weather, and having swallowed water, did she sustain other injuries? They were already far from where they fell in. Chang An and Chang Yue would take some time to catch up, and Liangchen’s condition was poor, he couldn’t wait for help, needed to find a way to get her to the shore quickly.

However, they fell right into the most turbulent part of the current. If it hadn’t rained today, even encountering an undercurrent, Song Xian could handle it. But now, stones and silt from the mountains were constantly being washed into the river, and in this short time, Song Xian had been hit by the river’s stones several times.

Song Xian felt a stabbing pain between his abdomen, the wound from a previous battle must have reopened, and he tasted blood in his mouth.

Song Xian forced himself to stay alert, searching for a footing point. Not far away, the river channel suddenly widened, and the current would be slower there. He must seize this opportunity.

"Liangchen," Song Xian said, "soon I’m going to swim over there. Do you see that rock? Once we’re close, I’ll push you over, and you’ll have to find a way to climb up."

"Liangchen, did you hear me?"

Listening to Song Xian’s voice, Xie Liangchen nodded.

"Good," Song Xian comforted, "don’t worry, it’ll be okay. I’ve got this."

Xie Liangchen responded, worriedly looking at Song Xian. He probably didn’t realize how bad his face looked at this moment. She could almost be sure that he was seriously injured.

Song Xian said, "Now, here we go."

Song Xian hugged Xie Liangchen and began swimming toward the shore.

Xie Liangchen looked down. Despite the rapidly rushing water, she still saw blood flowing from Song Xian’s abdomen.

What kind of wound caused that much bleeding? Was he injured during the battle? And now wounded again, how did he have the strength to hold onto her and struggle in the river?

"Liangchen," Song Xian said, "I’m going to push you over now, use some strength to grab that rock."

Xie Liangchen nodded.

Song Xian forcefully supported Xie Liangchen’s waist and pushed her forward. Watching as she grabbed onto the rock.

Song Xian relaxed slightly, but a rush of darkness overwhelmed him, losing balance and almost being swept away by the current, yet at that moment a hand grabbed him firmly.

"Song Xian, Song Xian."

Song Xian opened his eyes to see Xie Liangchen, who had come back.

For some reason, she didn’t seem afraid of the water anymore, swimming with him toward the shore.

She held his wrist tightly, seemingly unwilling to let go for anything.

Song Xian recalled the small silhouette in the sea, swimming towards him without hesitation, the once blurry face gradually became clear, turning into the present Xie Liangchen.

They completely overlapped.

Regaining a bit of clarity, Song Xian exerted his strength, swimming with Xie Liangchen, and the two of them climbed ashore using the rock.

Lying on the shore, Song Xian struggled to catch his breath, vaguely hearing faint noises beside him. He raised his head to see tears falling down Xie Liangchen’s cheeks.

"Don’t cry." Song Xian raised his hand, wanting to wipe away her tears, but before he could touch her face, his arm fell down heavily.