Once again, Shangguan Yun's thunderbolts and fireballs bombarded one after another. The originally calm ice on the lake actually cracked open a long fissure!
Wei Dongling's face turned deathly pale. Trembling all over, she asked Cheng Hao, "What should we do?" If the Xiliang soldiers didn't stop and disperse quickly, once the crack on the ice continued to spread, the consequences would be unimaginable!
It would be fine if these Xiliang cavalrymen fell into the cold lake and drowned, but what about Young Master Yun and the others?
Cheng Hao's face darkened. He flashed forward, observed carefully, and then turned back to Wei Dongling. "The ice layer is thick enough. For now, there are no signs of it expanding further."
Only then did Wei Dongling feel a little relieved.
Suddenly, a heart - wrenching scream came from afar, followed by the shouts of the Xiliang soldiers in a hubbub. "Hurry! Protect General Zhao!"
Wei Dongling and Cheng Hao looked at each other in surprise. Had Jingzhe and the others succeeded in the assassination? Before they could feel overjoyed, they heard the shouts of battle resounding again.
They looked up anxiously. On the misty ice, a large group of Xiliang soldiers were all chasing in one direction. The black mass of troops and horses trampled on the ice, making it creak.
Wei Dongling vaguely heard the sound of the ice cracking. An alarm bell went off in her heart. Ignoring the faint stabbing pain in her heart, she threw off Cheng Hao and slid forward at full speed.
Cheng Hao immediately broke out in a cold sweat. Chasing after her, he shouted, "Miss Wei! Come back!"
Wei Dongling felt a strong sense of unease. Ignoring Cheng Hao's protests, she quickly slid on the ice, rushing towards the direction where the Xiliang soldiers were chasing.
The crack on the ice was getting bigger and bigger. With a loud splash, the floating ice under the Xiliang soldiers' feet instantly shattered. Everyone let out a scream in unison and stumbled into the cold water of the Tianhu Lake.
The gap in the ice continued to expand. More and more broken ice fell into the lake, stirring up layer upon layer of waves. Hundreds of Xiliang soldiers on the ice didn't have time to escape. They staggered and fell into the lake one by one.
The water was bitterly cold. The people in the lake struggled continuously, and their cries and screams went on and on.
Wei Dongling slid along the edge of the broken ice, looking around. But she didn't see a single familiar figure! These Xiliang soldiers had clearly chased their own people here!
Who was the one who had assassinated Zhao Chuanyi just now? Had they fallen into the lake? In such bad weather, if they fell in, they would either drown or freeze to death!
Wei Dongling was extremely anxious. She shouted loudly in all directions, "Jingzhe! Young Master Yun! Huanhuan! Pinhao! Where are you?"
Wei Dongling's throat was a bit hoarse. The deafening cries of the Xiliang soldiers drowned out her already soft voice.
What should she do?
Wei Dongling paced back and forth around the lake, craning her neck to look. Suddenly, she saw a familiar figure struggling in the water. The man with a blue - tinged face from the cold was actually Pinhao!
Wei Dongling's heart jumped into her throat. She shouted urgently, "Pinhao! Pinhao!"
Hearing Wei Dongling's call, Pinhao glanced in her direction but didn't respond. He just buried his head and thrashed about in the water. The cold weather quickly formed a layer of frost on his eyebrows and beard.
Wei Dongling shouted anxiously, "Pinhao! Come up quickly! Come to me!"
Pinhao didn't even raise his head. Gritting his teeth, he said, "The young master has fallen into the water! He can't swim!"
Wei Dongling's heart skipped a beat. Had Shangguan Yun fallen into the water?
She immediately panicked and looked around.
But all she saw in the cold water were the light - gray robes of the Xiliang soldiers. Despite her desperate search, she couldn't find Shangguan Yun in his black clothes.
The scene of her kicking Shangguan Yun into the lake in the Lan Shan Temple during the summer was still vivid in her mind.
Young Master Yun was such a handsome and calm man. His back was always straight no matter where he was. Only in the water would he be in a mess and at a loss, gulping down mouthfuls of water.
It was the same in the lake of the Lan Shan Temple! And later in the Yueyue Lake when he saved her!
Now the young master was wearing thin clothes. His black robe probably couldn't even float on the water!
Pinhao couldn't find his master anywhere. He was so anxious that he was almost in tears. With red - rimmed eyes, he was just about to ask Wei Dongling to find the secret guards to help search when he looked up and saw Wei Dongling fumbling to take off her thick clothes.
Pinhao roared in shock from the water, "What are you doing?" What was this woman trying to do, taking off her clothes in broad daylight and in front of so many people? It was so immoral!
Was she going to jump into the water to look for the young master?
Pinhao roared, "Don't overestimate your abilities! Go back quickly!" She was still sick with a cold. Did she want to die?
Without saying a word, Wei Dongling plunged into the cold water with a splash.
Pinhao's face turned ashen with anger. He really wanted to knock this troublesome woman unconscious with a stick and throw her out!
Wei Dongling dived in. The bone - chilling water rushed towards her. She shivered so hard that her teeth chattered. Her whole body trembled slightly. Suddenly, her calf cramped, and her heart started to ache.
Wei Dongling knew something was wrong. She bit her tongue hard to force herself to stay awake and calm. If what Pinhao said was true, Young Master Yun needed her badly at this moment!
After her body gradually adapted to the water temperature, Wei Dongling quickly kicked her feet and dived towards the bottom of the lake. She had searched everywhere on the surface of the lake, but there was no sign of Young Master Yun. She was afraid that he had sunk to the cold bottom of the lake and she wouldn't be able to find him at all!
It was very quiet in the lake. With the faint light from the surface, the visibility in the water was okay. Wei Dongling could clearly see the feet of the people struggling desperately on the surface.
The bottom of the dark - blue lake was unfathomably deep. The deeper she went, the darker it became. Wei Dongling had to open her eyes wide and search around.
Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a black shadow in the distance. Her heart skipped a beat, and she swam over quickly. The closer she got, the more clearly she could see that it was indeed the outline of a man!
Was it Young Master Yun? Wei Dongling trembled all over, and her heart started to ache faintly. She thought it was bad. Her heart palpitations were about to act up again!
No! She had to rescue Young Master Yun before she lost consciousness.
Wei Dongling's tongue was almost bitten through. She swam towards the black shadow quickly.
The man was obviously drowning. He hung his head and didn't move in the water. If he wasn't rescued to the shore soon, he would surely die here.
Just as Wei Dongling was about to go up and pull him, she was shocked to see a faint centipede - shaped dark - brown scar behind the man's ear!
The drowning man was actually Jingzhe!
Ruan Niang's scar - removing ointment had made the scar behind his ear fade a lot, but Wei Dongling could still recognize him at a glance!
Wei Dongling was extremely anxious. She quickly grabbed Jingzhe and swam desperately towards the surface of the lake.