Chapter 642: Second Uncle Fell Down
Chapter 642: Chapter 642: Second Uncle Fell Down
Second Master Xie gave a firm nod and, without hesitation, walked toward the edge of the cliff.
As he passed Fang Qingdai, she suddenly grabbed his hand.
Fang Qingdai was a female general who had seen battle; she rarely ever cried.
But now, her eyes were red, as if a thousand words were caught in her throat. In the end, all she said was:
"Bring Yici back, and you come back safely, too."
They hadn’t been this close since the misunderstanding between them all those years ago had been resolved.
Fang Qingdai’s words made Second Master Xie feel, for a moment, as if he had returned to the days of their youth, when they were in love.
Before any battle, big or small, whenever he was about to leave on a long journey, Fang Qingdai would always give him the same worried reminder.
Only this time, he not only had to return safely himself, but he also had to bring back their daughter.
Second Master Xie nodded reassuringly. "I promise you."
Only then did Fang Qingdai let go of his hand.
Second Master Xie turned and slowly began to climb down the steep cliff face.
Shen Ningning felt a surge of anxiety, but she had to hold onto Fang Qingdai to keep her from getting overwhelmed and trying to follow him down.
They stood a short distance from the cliff’s edge, watching as Second Master Xie descended little by little, the vine pulling taut until it was a straight line.
However, they had miscalculated the distance.
The vine was stretched to its limit, but even with his arm fully extended, Second Master Xie couldn’t reach Liang Yici.
"Oh no." Fang Qingdai’s face went pale.
Down below, a thin sheen of sweat broke out on Second Master Xie’s forehead.
Fierce winds gusted up from the base of the cliff, making his body sway uncontrollably. Just keeping his balance became a struggle.
Second Master Xie’s mind raced, searching for a solution.
He could either try to add more vines from above or call out to wake Liang Yici.
"Yici!" Second Master Xie chose the latter, shouting her name.
However, perhaps due to the snake venom, Liang Yici’s lips were deathly pale, and she remained completely unconscious.
Second Master Xie was even more afraid that startling her awake would cause her to lose her footing and fall from the branch.
After all, the branches where she lay looked terribly flimsy.
Shen Ningning made a snap decision. She threw herself down at the edge of the cliff and shouted, "Second Uncle, don’t panic! I’ll figure something out!"
As she spoke, the Black Wolf King beside her threw back its head and howled. Moments later, the wolf pack swept in like gusts of black wind.
The Black Wolf King’s strategy was to tie the vine to the wolves. With such a large pack pulling back with all their might, they could surely support Second Master Xie’s weight.
But Shen Ningning was considering another factor.
’When they come up, it’ll be Second Uncle and Liang Yici together. If we only account for Second Uncle’s weight, it could be dangerous.’
She hesitated for a moment, a nagging worry in her mind. ’The wolves only have paws, after all; they can’t get a firm grip with their hands like a person can.’
’If anything went wrong, not only would Second Uncle and Liang Yici fall, but the wolves tied to the vine would also be dragged down to their deaths.’
Shen Ningning immediately sent the little monkeys and squirrels into the mountains to spread the word.
She needed stronger beasts to help—animals like brown bears and tigers.
But it would take time for the animals to arrive, and Mo Lingwei’s men were probably on their way as well.
But then, something unexpected happened. As they waited, one of the vines came loose with a sharp SNAP. It hadn’t been tied securely enough.
The Black Wolf King reacted first, lunging forward and clamping his jaws around the rapidly descending vine.
Terrified, Fang Qingdai scrambled over and grabbed hold with both hands.
Shen Ningning’s face drained of color. She rushed to the cliff’s edge and looked down. "Second Uncle! Are you okay?"
Luckily, they had caught the vine in time. Second Master Xie had only plunged a short distance.
"I’m fine," he said, likely not wanting to frighten Fang Qingdai and Shen Ningning. "At least I’m closer to Yici now. I can reach her."
Fang Qingdai’s trembling voice carried down to him. "Please be careful! The vine up here came loose. I just saw the monkeys... the monkeys are going to find new ones."
Hearing this, Second Master Xie didn’t hesitate. He carefully placed his foot on the base of a branch, using the mountain for a little extra support.
Then, Shen Ningning watched as he untied the vine from around his waist.
"Second Uncle! What are you doing?" Shen Ningning cried out in alarm.
Second Master Xie was remarkably calm. "Pull Yici up first."
Hearing his answer, Fang Qingdai was on the verge of tears. "Xie Dizhi! Don’t do anything reckless! I don’t just want Yici back, I want you back safely too!"
His hands never stopped moving, and his voice was exceptionally gentle and steady. "Don’t worry. I’ll be fine."
He tied the vine around Liang Yici himself, and after confirming the knot was secure, he gave it a gentle tug.
"Pull her up! Go slowly. I did a quick check. The snake bit her on the wrist. The area around the wound is only bruised, not black. It shouldn’t be a venomous snake."
Shen Ningning’s heart was in her throat.
She didn’t hesitate. Crying was useless now. She immediately had the Black Wolf King and the wolf pack start pulling the vine to get Liang Yici up first.
The wolf pack and two brown bears that had just arrived worked together, pulling until Shen Ningning could finally grab hold of Liang Yici and haul her up onto the cliff top.
Second Master Xie breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Liang Yici being slowly pulled up the cliff.
He lowered his head slightly. A drop of sweat hanging from his brow dripped into his eye, stinging sharply.
He had just raised a hand to wipe it away when the branch beneath his feet let out a loud CRACK.
Fang Qingdai heard the sound but didn’t know what had happened until she saw the color drain from the face of Shen Ningning, who was still lying at the cliff’s edge.
It was followed by Shen Ningning’s choked cry, "Second Uncle!"
Fang Qingdai’s pupils constricted. Forgetting all about checking on Liang Yici’s condition, she stumbled toward the edge of the cliff.
But where Second Master Xie had been standing, there was only a splintered branch.
Below, thin clouds swirled over an unfathomable drop.
A fall from that height... his chances of survival were slim to none.
"Xie Dizhi!" Fang Qingdai’s heart-wrenching sob echoed through the valley.
Shen Ningning collapsed to the ground, burying her face in her hands as she wept in anguish.
Xu Jingxi, who had just gone to search for more vines nearby, heard the cry and came running back.
He saw the normally composed Shen Ningning sobbing uncontrollably. To his right, Fang Qingdai was crumpled on the ground, her cries hoarse with grief.
When he saw the rescued Liang Yici, Xu Jingxi understood everything.
"My father... my father..." He walked forward slowly, his handsome face ashen. "He fell?" he murmured.
The Black Wolf King was silent. Even the brown bears that had just come to help stood off to the side, powerless.
The wolf pack gathered at the cliff’s edge, their eyes filled with sorrow.
Just then, Mo Lingwei arrived on a fast horse, leading a group of his trusted aides.
"Shen Ningning!?" He was terrified when he saw her crying so hard she could barely breathe.
He leaped from his horse before it had even come to a complete stop, rushing to pull Shen Ningning into his arms.
"What’s wrong? What happened!"
"My Second Uncle... he fell," Shen Ningning sobbed.
Mo Lingwei froze. He glanced at Fang Qingdai, his eyes filling with pity.
He held Shen Ningning tightly, stroking her hair. "I was too late," he said in a low voice.
’If only I had gotten here sooner.’