Xiao Nanhui woke up feeling smothered.
She wasn't sure if she had mindlessly tugged at the blanket in her sleep, but it was wrapped tightly over her face, leaving her chest tight and her breath short.
She flung the blanket aside and sat up, casting a suspicious glance at the man beside her. However, his posture was exactly as it had been before she fell asleep. His breathing was steady; he appeared to be deep in slumber himself.
Seeing no movement from him, she took the opportunity to observe him brazenly.
It had to be said that his sleeping posture was impeccable. Even in the throes of a feverish lethargy, he maintained his cross-legged sitting position without so much as a tilt of the head.
This reminded her of the herb gatherers she had seen in the Zhongshan Mountains. To harvest rare medicinal plants, those people often spent days and nights scaling high peaks, sleeping in the crevices of sheer cliffs. Before sleep, they had to lash themselves securely to the rock, for the slightest turn in their sleep could send them plunging into the bottomless abyss.
The man before her possessed a lofty bearing, clearly marking him as someone of extraordinary birth. Yet, for some reason, he occasionally exuded the air of someone who had endured great hardship and suffering.
Who exactly was he? Was he truly just a mere retainer in the Prime Minister’s manor?
Xiao Nanhui’s gaze drifted downward, eventually settling on his waist.
She wondered if he carried any unique waist tokens or jade pendants—perhaps she could find some clues there.
Taking a deep breath, she crept toward him with light, silent steps.
She had barely moved an inch when the carriage door was flung open without warning.
Simultaneously, Zhongli Jing’s eyes snapped open.
As if struck by a mid-air blow, Xiao Nanhui recoiled to her original position, her back slamming straight against the side panel of the carriage.
Outside the door, Ding Weixiang arched an eyebrow. His eyes swept over the interior of the carriage, and finding nothing amiss, he spoke. "Master, we have arrived."
Arrived? Where?
Feeling somewhat bewildered, she climbed out of the carriage. The sound of howling wind rushed into her ears. She had barely taken two steps onto the ground when Bolao grabbed her from behind.
She looked down. A mere step away was a sheer precipice. A hundred fathoms below, the river surged and roared—the source of the cacophony that had been ringing in her ears.
The surroundings were pitch black, without a single flicker of light. Her eyes adjusted for a moment, and by the pale moonlight, she looked into the distance. She discovered a bridge made of iron chains and wooden planks spanning the chasm. It looked quite old.
Ding Weixiang was helping Zhongli Jing down from the carriage. She hurried forward and asked, "This is the mountain path you spoke of? That bridge doesn't look fit for a person to walk on. Perhaps we should..."
Ding Weixiang shot her a glance. For some reason, Xiao Nanhui once again felt dissatisfaction and hostility in his eyes.
"This is the shortcut through Guantian Gorge. Entering the borders of Chizhou from here is three days faster than going by way of Dafeng Ferry."
And so?
Xiao Nanhui blinked. "But what if we fall..."
Though Zhongli Jing’s face remained pale, he showed no other signs of distress. "There are hundreds, if not thousands, of men lying in ambush on the main road to Chizhou. If you wish to meet them one by one and exchange mementos, I won't object. Just don't bring me along."
Xiao Nanhui was silenced. She hadn't expected the news of the Secret Seal falling into their hands to spread so quickly.
Zhongli Jing looked at her with a half-smile, as if reading her thoughts. He continued leisurely, "Of course, they aren't all here for that object. Some are here for me."
Only then did she realize that the Secret Seal had only come into their possession a few hours ago; even the fastest news wouldn't have drawn so many people. It turned out she was being dragged into his troubles.
Wait, he was the one who had invited her to travel together, even offering her a seat in his carriage...
"You two black-hearted devils! You were planning to drag us onto your sinking ship all along!" Bolao had also realized the truth and angrily kicked a stone. The pebble skittered away and vanished into the abyss, instantly swallowed by the churning river—a testament to the lethality of the place.
Ignoring the fuming Bolao, Zhongli Jing turned and took the box containing the Secret Seal from the carriage. "From the moment we took possession of this item, we were already in the same boat."
Hearing this, Xiao Nanhui was reminded of the perilous ferry crossing on the Hun River back in Muerhe. At that time, Ding Weixiang had used some nonsense about "sharing the same boat" to fool her. Could it be that this man had been calculating her involvement since then?
She shuddered, telling herself she was overthinking, but a subtle, eerie feeling took root in her heart, leaving her uneasy.
Xiao Nanhui struck a flint to light the area. She found a flattened stone standing by the bridgehead, upon which two crude sketches had been chiseled. One depicted three small figures crossing the bridge, and the other showed one person and one horse. It was meant to indicate the bridge's maximum weight capacity.
No wonder she had never heard of this shortcut. Such a remote location usually required traveling in groups, yet this bridge couldn't support many people at once. This wasn't a shortcut; it was a road to the underworld.
Nearby, Ding Weixiang had already begun dismantling the carriage. He unhitched the two horses and moved the luggage and the large chest from the carriage, securing them onto the horses' backs. It seemed they were abandoning the carriage to cross the bridge.
Xiao Nanhui muttered under her breath, "What a waste, what a waste."
Ding Weixiang lifted his eyelids to look at her. "A carriage may be expensive, but a life is worth more."
*It’s your master’s life that’s worth more,* she thought.
She didn't bother exposing him and stepped forward to help transfer the remaining luggage onto the horses.
Jixiang had never been used as a pack animal before, and the horse radiated dissatisfaction.
The dried mushrooms she had brought from Quecheng were all gone, and nothing she did could soothe the beast. She had no choice but to pick a heavy piece of luggage from its back and carry it herself. The mottled creature immediately felt more balanced; its hindquarters stopped twitching, and its hooves settled down.
They had only four people and three horses. For safety, they decided to let the lighter Bolao lead Jixiang across first.
Bolao was initially unwilling. She was terrified of heights and refused to be the one to lead the way. Xiao Nanhui used a mix of coaxing and deception, telling her that the sooner she went, the sooner she’d be safe, and that going later was actually more dangerous. Only then was Bolao persuaded.
Watching Jixiang’s rear disappear onto the rope bridge, Xiao Nanhui looked at the men beside her.
"Who's next?"
Silence followed.
Before long, a whistle sounded from the opposite bank. It was Bolao’s signal, meaning she had crossed and the next person could proceed.
Xiao Nanhui looked again at the immovable Ding Weixiang. "Brother Ding, don't you plan to cross?"
Ding Weixiang stared straight ahead, his head not turning an inch. "You go first."
Xiao Nanhui was puzzled. "Why me first? Aren't these your horses? Do you want me to lead them across?"
"I must trouble Master Yao. For safety's sake, I cannot leave my master's side."
Xiao Nanhui turned to Zhongli Jing, who gave her an innocent expression. "I do not possess Master Yao’s agility. I must rely on Weixiang at all times. I apologize for the poor showing."
Her head throbbed. She felt she was being driven to a breakdown by this master and servant pair. Just as she was about to waver and compromise, a thought struck her: *Wait.* If she crossed to the other side alone, what if these two ran off with the jade seal?
"I can go first, but you must hand the item over to me."
Ding Weixiang said without changing his expression, "No."
Xiao Nanhui laughed out of sheer frustration. "This won't do, that won't do. Then the three of us might as well just waste away here."
The air fell into a dead silence once more.
After an unknown amount of time, Bolao likely grew impatient waiting on the other side and made her way back. "What on earth are you all lingering for?"
Xiao Nanhui pointed to the two remaining horses. "You've come at the right time. Lead these two horses across as well."
Bolao’s eyes widened. "Why? This bridge can only handle the weight of one horse. Doesn't that mean I have to make two more trips?"
Xiao Nanhui was too exhausted to explain the lethal complications of their standoff. She shamelessly offered a bit of flattery. "Your qinggong is the best; you walk the most steadily."
This tactic indeed pleased Bolao. Feeling emboldened, she tilted her head up. "Beg me."
Xiao Nanhui’s smile vanished, and she smacked the round head. "I am your master, and you want me to beg you?! Be careful, or I’ll report you to Dujuan when we get back."
Clutching the back of her head, Bolao glared resentfully at Xiao Nanhui, but in the end, she yielded to the threat.
The moon reached its zenith; it was past midnight.
Bolao made two more trips to lead the horses across, her face now looking quite grim. She gripped one end of the rope bridge and shook it, signaling for them to cross quickly.
Only the three of them and the wooden box remained by the cliff. In the night, the dark rope bridge looked ominous no matter how one viewed it.
Xiao Nanhui stared intently at the box in Zhongli Jing’s hands. "What are you waiting for? Let's go!"
Ding Weixiang stared intently at Xiao Nanhui’s face. "We go together."
Only the man caught in the middle maintained that infuriating expression of nonchalance, as if the sky falling would merely be a blanket.
The three of them stepped onto the agonizingly narrow rope bridge almost simultaneously. None were willing to be in front, and none were willing to lag behind. They could only huddle in a row, moving forward with difficulty.
The long rope bridge was about a hundred meters long. The closer they got to the center, the more violently it swayed.
The roar of the river below grew louder. They felt suspended over the maw of a giant beast, ready to be swallowed in an instant if they fell.
The mist created by the water crashing against the canyon walls drifted up, blurring their vision. Xiao Nanhui paused, raising a hand to wipe the droplets from her eyelashes.
At that moment, the wooden plank beneath her feet let out a dull, snapping sound due to the brief halt.
Ding Weixiang whipped his head around. Xiao Nanhui froze, slowly looking down. She saw that the crack in the plank seemed to have stopped growing.
She breathed a sigh of relief and carefully stepped off that board. Yet, the moment her foot left it, a series of sharp, continuous snapping sounds erupted behind her.
This time, it wasn't the sound of wood breaking.
The interlocking iron chains were covered in rust. In the darkness, one link had snapped first, followed by several others in quick succession, unable to bear the strain.
The entire rope bridge let out a low, hoarse groan. The sound echoed terrifyingly through the gorge, making Xiao Nanhui instinctively swallow hard.
They weren't over the weight limit. Was the bridge truly so dilapidated that it was finally giving way?
Or... was it because of that piece of luggage she had taken off Jixiang’s back?
It couldn't be that she had gained too much weight these past few days, could it?!
"Do you all feel... the bridge is shaking a bit too much?"
Xiao Nanhui’s eyes met Ding Weixiang’s.
No.
There was another possibility.
And that was that there were more than just the three of them on this rope bridge right now.
***
