Yu Qing could not figure it out. He kicked the baggage that Chong’er had picked up, sending it flying. “Do you want your things or your life? Forget all this junk. Run now.” With that, he took off first. He could not run upstream toward the official road against the flow. He could only flee deeper into the mountains, driven by the noise and commotion.
“No need for them anymore.” Xu Fei also shouted, grabbed Chong’er’s arm, and ran together.
But after only a few steps, Chong’er fell. Running on this rugged mountain terrain was not something just anyone could do.
Xu Fei anxiously pulled him up, panicked and frightened, his hands and feet in a mess.
Yu Qing looked back and did not want the two to fall into the hands of the demons. Otherwise, it would easily expose him as the one who had killed two demon cultivators. He flashed back in an instant, sheathed his sword, grabbed Chong’er, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and carried him as he sprinted away.
Being carried on someone’s shoulder, with his legs and bottom held upside down, Chong’er felt a flash of shock and embarrassment on his face. Yet he said nothing. He knew he was a burdensome hindrance, and Young Master Shiheng was saving him.
He worried that carrying someone like this would tire the runner out. But he soon discovered that Young Master Shiheng’s stamina was extraordinary. He was incredibly strong and fit. Even while carrying him and leaping through the mountain forest, he still left his own young master far behind.
Not long after the three ran off, a white phantom darted through the woods and landed. The sudden arrival startled a swarm of rushing rats, which scattered in all directions.
It was the snow leopard, its abdominal wound still dripping with blood.
On the ground lay a black leopard with glossy black fur and a body over ten feet long. Once a very robust and powerful creature, it was now decapitated, its body covered in traces of chaotic sword slashes.
The snow leopard sniffed at the black leopard’s corpse, nudging it with her nose. Naturally, the body gave no response.
“Wuu…” The snow leopard let out a low, mournful whimper.
She remembered the times she had scolded her husband for being useless.
She remembered how she had forced him into this course of action.
Tears streamed down her face. Regret overwhelmed her.
She no longer ran. She crouched low, lay down beside her husband’s body, and curled up against him. She no longer wanted to escape. If people from Sinan Mansion came, they could kill or torture her as they wished.
…
No way forward.
The three of them rushed to the edge of a cliff and screeched to a halt. Below was a roaring, turbulent river. The water’s depth was unknown, but with their strength, jumping to the opposite bank was impossible.
Behind them, far in the mountain forest, flames blazed fiercely. Thick black smoke rolled up into the sky.
Xu Fei suddenly pointed upstream. “Brother Shiheng, look quickly. There seems to be a bridge in the distance. We should be able to cross there.”
No need for the reminder. Yu Qing, who habitually scanned his surroundings, had already seen it. His eyesight was better too. What looked like a bridge from afar was actually a small mountain. The water seemed to burst out from inside the mountain.
If they could really run that far in time to cross the bridge, they would have detoured sideways back to the official road earlier. Why bother running all this way?
The sound of a massive rat swarm surging closer was already near. Yu Qing was certain the rats were controlled by demon cultivators. No time to explain to Xu Fei. He set Chong’er down, flashed to a large tree, drew his sword, and slashed. A flash of cold light felled the entire tree.
He dragged the tree to the riverbank and shouted to the master and servant. “Hold tight to the tree with me. Jump into the river together.”
“Ah?” Xu Fei leaned over to look at the raging torrent below the cliff and panicked. “Jump from this height into something so deep?”
“Up to you. If you want to be eaten by demons, I have no objection.” With that, Yu Qing reached out, pulled Chong’er over, wrapped one arm around his waist, grabbed the tree with the other, and jumped straight off the cliff, dragging both down.
He held Chong’er not out of special favour, but because he knew Chong’er was not a martial practitioner. His grip would not be strong enough. The impact when hitting the rushing water would be huge. He might lose hold and get swept away.
Chong’er shut his eyes tightly in fear, but strangely he did not feel too terrified. The arm wrapped around him gave him an inexplicable sense of security.
He really jumped just like that? Xu Fei was stunned. He had lost all sense of direction now. Seeing the lush tree crown also being dragged off the cliff, afraid of being left behind by Yu Qing, he steeled himself. “Brother Shiheng, wait for me!” He leaped out, lunged toward the crown, and gripped the branches tightly with both hands.
Splash!
Water exploded in the torrent. The large tree, carrying the three of them, smashed into the water. They bobbed up and down, carried away by the current.
When they surfaced, Chong’er choked on water and coughed nonstop.
This was with Yu Qing protecting him. The moment they hit the water, Yu Qing had channelled energy to cushion the impact. Otherwise, the force of striking the surface would have been unbearable for Chong’er.
Xu Fei felt it fully. His body stung painfully from the slap of the water. He clawed and grabbed desperately among the branches and leaves until he surfaced again, gasping for breath.
Yu Qing pushed Chong’er toward the part of the tree with the thick trunk and dense foliage. With one shove, he lifted Chong’er out of the water and onto the trunk like riding a horse. Chong’er sat astride it, hands holding the branches on either side. Even in the rushing current, he was quite stable.
“Brother Shiheng.” Xu Fei called out while climbing over.
In truth, this tree was prepared mainly for the two of them. Yu Qing alone would not have needed it. No matter how high the cliffs on either bank, he could climb out of the water anytime.
But right now, climbing the cliffs was out of the question. They needed to get far away from those demon cultivators before going ashore, then circle back to reunite with the group heading to the capital. That would be safest.
The current was swift. Soon it carried the three, riding on the tree, far away.
After drifting several li, Yu Qing gradually sensed something wrong. The water seemed to flow faster and faster. Before long, he could no longer see the surface ahead.
When the tree carrying the three shot out over empty air, they realised the torrent ended here. It had become a straight-falling waterfall.
The drop was enormous, fully two hundred zhang high.
Strangely, below there was no continuing river, just solid ground. The massive volume of plunging water vanished who knew where.
The sensation of hurtling straight toward the ground was terrifying. Yu Qing’s eyes nearly popped out. He clamped his legs tightly around the trunk. Even with his cultivation, he could not withstand smashing into the ground from such a height. Chong’er, sitting behind, was already clinging to him in terror.
Xu Fei, facing the wind as they fell, huddled trembling in the crown, eyes squeezed shut. He dared not look. In all his mischievous life, he had never dared play like this. He was so scared he nearly wet himself. This felt even more horrifying than the swarm of rats rushing toward them.
A waterfall plunging three thousand chi formed the backdrop to their descent.
Only when they neared the ground did Yu Qing realise they were not smashing into solid earth, but into a pool below. From high up, the pool looked tiny, making him think it was bare ground.
When the entire tree plunged into the pool, the impact was not as terrifying as they had feared.
A tree with its full crown created considerable air resistance during the fall. The descent speed was not as fast as imagined.
The heavier trunk hit the water first. As the whole trunk sank from tip to base, it provided massive cushioning. By the time the crown submerged, the force had greatly lessened.
Boom! They crashed into the water. The three, eyes tightly closed, clung desperately to whatever they could hold.
When they surfaced again, Yu Qing wondered for a moment if he had died. Everything around was pitch black, as if they had suddenly entered another world.
Fortunately, Chong’er and Xu Fei behind him were coughing violently, clearly choked by water.
Yu Qing immediately circulated energy to check his body. Astonishingly, he was unharmed. Surviving a fall from such height left even him incredulous. What incredible luck!
He reached back and felt the spirit rice tied behind him. It was still there. He felt relieved. Good thing Chong’er had clung tightly, or he could not guarantee it would not have been knocked off by the impact.
Looking back, he saw a faint glow in the direction the water came from. It was the only light source in this dark world. The muffled roar of water striking came from that glowing spot.
After a moment’s thought, he roughly understood why, during the fall, he had seen no continuing river, only a pool. The river still existed, but after the waterfall, it did not stay on the surface. It plunged straight underground.
In other words, they were now inside an underground river.
Xu Fei, finally catching his breath, spoke. “Chong’er, is that you?”
He had heard Chong’er’s coughing earlier.
Chong’er gave an affirmative hum. “Young Master, I am here.”
Xu Fei asked nervously, “Brother Shiheng, are you still there?”
Yu Qing replied, “Relax. I did not ditch you and run.”
Hearing that this one was still around gave Xu Fei a sense of having a pillar of support in this environment. He relaxed considerably. “Brother Shiheng, it is so dark around us. Where are we?”
Yu Qing answered, “The underground river below the waterfall.” He patted the arms still wrapped around his waist. “Stop clinging so tight. You brat, you really went hard. When we fell, both your hands gripped the flesh at my waist like your life depended on it. You nearly tore my skin off.”
Chong’er jerked his hands back as if bitten by a snake, embarrassed. “Young Master Shiheng, sorry. At the time, I… I was a bit scared.” A bit scared? He had been terrified out of his mind. His only instinct for survival had been to hold tight to this man for safety.
Xu Fei asked again, “Brother Shiheng, can we still get out?”
Yu Qing said, “Relax. The current is this fast. If there is an entrance, there must be an exit.”
He looked back. The only light source behind was now gone. Everything around was completely invisible, total darkness…
The mountain forest fire sent ashes drifting everywhere. The fog had long vanished without a trace.
After the snow leopard lying beside the black leopard’s corpse gradually calmed her emotions, she slowly raised her head. She felt a bit surprised. She had intended to die here, yet people from Sinan Mansion had not come to search?
No one came to kill her. She had to face this reality. Her gaze unintentionally fell on the bloody hole in her husband’s forehead. Suddenly she stood up. Low, rasping breaths came from her throat. She realised how muddled she had been. Her husband had been killed, yet she had not avenged him and had foolishly sought death?
Who was the killer? Why, after murdering him, had they also hacked the body chaotically?
Enduring the pain of her wound, she stood and circled her husband’s corpse, sniffing and inspecting carefully. Soon she reached a conclusion.
Her husband had two fatal wounds. One was a piercing injury to the forehead, clearly caused by an arrow. The other was a sword cut that severed the neck.
Finding the sword used by the killer held little hope. It had probably been taken away. But the arrow handled by hand should still be at the scene. Not much time had passed. The murder weapon might still carry the killer’s scent.