I was reborn after cheating on the aloof and powerful man.

Chapter 156: Untouchables

At 3:45 AM, on the Yu River, a nine-masted ship cuts through the waves.

The river originates from the snow-capped mountains and rushes into the majestic peaks. The swift current flows relentlessly through the sheer valley. Both banks are sheer cliffs, as if cleaved by a sharp sword, making the terrain extremely treacherous.

Fei Xi stood at the bow of the ship, with a bronze gate twelve feet high blocking his way.

The bronze gate acts as a barrier between heaven and earth, completely isolating the world behind it from the outside.

The faint morning light seeped through the cracks in the door, twinkling like stars on the river.

"Grandpa Miao, is this the Land Kingdom? How far are we from Xianheng City?"

"Hey, girl, don't worry. I'll go with you to the Chunyu family to demand the person later. They won't dare refuse."

Fei Xi pursed her lips and nodded slightly. She was worried about Qin Lan's safety, and even though the scenery before her was breathtaking, she had no time to pay attention to it at the moment.

Before the boat even reached the bronze lock, a white figure appeared, treading on the water. The figure moved with effortless grace on the smooth hull, taking several steps like a gecko clinging to a wall, and in the blink of an eye, steadily leaped onto the bow.

"So it's Elder Li and Elder Miao. Is the host on the boat? Chen Jinwang, a member of the Jin generation of the Chen family, has come to pay his respects."

"Oh, so it's your turn to be the gatekeeper this year? How is your grandfather Chen Mancang doing lately? I'm here on my master's orders to take care of some important business. No need for formalities, just go and open the door."

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Miao. My grandfather is in good health."

As the man named Chen Jinwang answered, he took out a palm-sized, cone-shaped object from his pocket, threw it into the air, and instantly a cloud of colorful smoke filled the air.

As the colored smoke gradually dissipated, the sound of chains creaking could be heard in the distance, and the bronze gate slowly rose to the accompaniment of this sound.

Behind the door, a blinding light stung Fei Xi's eyes, giving her a feeling of being in another world. However, the creaking of the chains tightening and the captain's shouts of "Lower the sails! Lower the masts!" pulled her back to reality.

Once her eyes adjusted to the bright light, when she opened them again, even though she was somewhat prepared, Fei Xi was still so surprised by the sight before her that she slightly opened her mouth.

The whole world seemed to be on fire, everything in sight was a fiery red.

Fiery red earth, fiery red trees, fiery red houses, fiery red fruit...

"Young lady, you must be from the Central Plains. Is this your first time visiting our land? That's our land's specialty, the 'Hai Fruit.' Every year, our lowly people only need to sow the seeds of the Hai Fruit in the soil, and they can fill their stomachs without any labor. Even so, they are still full of complaints. It's a real pity that a miracle has been wasted on these good-for-nothings."

The young man in white had a slight smile on his face, as friendly and warm as a neighbor. The hem of his sleeves was embroidered with subtle gold patterns, and he managed to make the white robe look luxurious.

His tone was ingratiating, but his words were extremely harsh. His gaze, as he scrutinized Fei Xi, was like that of a merchant examining goods, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness.

Fei Xi glanced coldly at Chen Jinwang, who had moved closer beside her, her words utterly merciless.

“These lowly people in your eyes may one day become the masters of Tianshan, while you will be a slave for the rest of your life.”

The person being scolded paused for a moment, but instead of getting angry, an excited smile appeared on their face.

"That's only if they can do it. Serving our master is the greatest honor for us. Since you have won our master's favor, I naturally regard you as my most honored guest. You may have misunderstood my words, but I will not hold it against you. If you could stay a few more days, you will naturally understand that I am not an arrogant person, and that what I said was from the bottom of my heart."

He was called a slave, and he became arrogant.

Chen Jinwang's smug smile, as if he'd been thoroughly humiliated, made Fei Xi's lips twitch.

Before Fei Xi could say anything, the man enthusiastically began to introduce her to the delicious food and scenery along the way, as if he truly regarded her as a precious guest and tried his best to make her feel at home.

Seeing that Elder Miao did not drive Chen Jinwang away, and even occasionally chimed in with a few words of agreement, Fei Xi simply responded with a few perfunctory "hmms." While the people around her talked on and on, Fei Xi frequently drifted off into thought, letting her mind wander back to three days prior.

……

"Grandpa Luo, why didn't you ask me to come with you yesterday?"

She had clearly promised the little ones that she would accompany them to the trials.

"This is the master's wish, and the two young masters also think it is appropriate." Old Master Luo sighed, took out two letters from his bosom, and handed them to Fei Xi.

"These are left to you by the two young masters. No child who makes it to the final trial is dull-witted. The Heavenly Mountain Trial is inherently a path of certain death; they all went up the mountain with the resolve to die. If not for this accident, they would have been..."

When Old Luo reached this point, he saw the maid in front of him take the letter, looking dazed and completely lost, so he couldn't bear to say anything more.

In the past, the master never had much contact with these children undergoing trials. After all, everyone has flesh and blood, and if feelings were to develop, no one could bear to watch the children die.

After spending half a month together, the maid cared for the young masters as if they were her younger brothers, and the young masters respected her as if she were their older sister.

Yesterday, the two young masters were excited when they heard they were going to undergo a trial and wanted to call their maids. However, after hearing their master's words, they both stopped in their tracks, hesitated for a moment, and then resolutely let their master make the decision.

Just before leaving, Young Master Qin turned around and said he wanted to leave a letter for the maid. Upon seeing this, Young Master Xie also wanted to write one.

Clutching the letter that felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in her hand, Fei Xi felt utterly lost, like a traveler adrift in the wilderness, unsure of which way to go.

Now that things have come to this, no matter what efforts are made, nothing can be undone.

Fei Xi bid farewell to Elder Luo and returned to her room, where she sat blankly on the bed for a long time, unable to come to her senses.

After breakfast yesterday, I told them to continue practicing boxing as usual, which turned out to be the last time I saw them in this life.

In one's life, being able to properly say goodbye to loved ones is an incredibly fortunate thing.

Fei Xi's luck never seemed to be very good. Even though she knew that the two children had very little chance of surviving the trial, she could not and had no right to ask them to give up that damn trial.

However, all she hoped for was a glimmer of hope; what she longed for was whether she could make a difference if she were there.

But what exactly is she doing?

She was completely unaware, indulging herself in uncontrollable romantic entanglements.

Knowing that even if she followed him, she couldn't change the outcome, the regret in her heart still pierced Fei Xi like a sharp blade, leaving her filled with remorse.

She couldn't save her own mother, she couldn't save her master, and she couldn't even save the two children she had only spent a short time with.

With a desperate and empty gaze, Fei Xi stared blankly in the direction of the door, slowly raising her foot and trying to curl up into a ball.

Hands moved with feet, and two letters fell from their grasp to the ground. The slight noise was like a thunderclap, instantly snapping the person out of their reverie.

A moment later, a suppressed sob suddenly rang out in the room.

She didn't let herself cry for too long. After venting her emotions, Fei Xi wiped away her tears and carefully put the opened letter into her bosom.

Taking a deep breath, she changed her clothes without disturbing Elder Luo and walked up the mountain alone.

"Grandpa Miao, where is Qin Lan? Why haven't you brought her back?"

"She is not from Tianshan, so after the trial, we will naturally send her home."

"Take her home? She has no family left, which home would we take her to?"

"The trials have always been the sole responsibility of the eight great families, and even the master cannot interfere at will."

The two men faced each other, their eyes locked in silence. In the end, it was the soft-hearted Elder Miao who gave in first.

“Girl, in this world, one should prioritize self-preservation. Children who participate in the trials will be sent back by the eight great families after they are eliminated. If it weren’t for that little girl’s brother having some good fortune, she would have returned to where she came from long ago. Now it’s just a matter of returning to one’s original place, so why are you so stubborn?”

"Grandpa Miao, if worldly connections were based solely on self-interest, Fei Xi would not be standing before you today. I was fortunate enough to meet those three children, and it is already a regret that I could not see them off. Now, I cannot rest easy until I see Qin Lan safe and sound. I hope you can help me, Grandpa!"

In his clear and bright eyes, there was an unwavering determination. Looking into his eyes, the old man felt that he was indeed getting old. Old Miao stroked his white beard, remained silent for a long time, and then reached out and took Fei Xi's hand, leading her outside.

"You... sigh... come with me."

The two arrived at a cliff. Fei Xi was full of doubts, but she trusted Elder Miao. She believed that he had brought her here and would not have any intention of harming her.

In an instant, Elder Miao shoved Fei Xi down.

? ? ? !

Before Fei Xi could even scream in shock from the weightlessness, a hand grabbed her.

Fei Xi felt her body, which was suspended in mid-air, being pulled into the cliff by a powerful suction force along with the hand.

"Grandpa Miao!" Fei Xi touched her still pounding heart, her pale face gradually flushed with a blush of shame and anger.

"Hahaha!" Old Miao laughed heartily, like a triumphant child. Seeing that the little girl's ears were red with anger, he quickly tried to comfort her.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. Grandpa was just afraid you wouldn't believe me and wouldn't dare to jump down. When I first came here, I thought the owner was playing a trick on me, and I hesitated for a long time before I dared not jump down."

Fei Xi snorted and turned her face away, which was considered as accepting Elder Miao's explanation.

As her heartbeat gradually returned to normal, Fei Xi followed Elder Miao forward, looking around as she went.

What I saw was similar to what I had seen underwater: smooth, silver walls. Looking back, there were no other exits except for the same walls.

The two walked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, until they reached a familiar-looking gate. Old Master Miao stopped and respectfully bowed.

"Master, Miao Shouyi has something important to ask you."

After a long while, a deep, hoarse voice came from behind the door.

Why did you bring her here?