C11 Looking for Someone

A dozen or so people, clad in raincoats and wide-brimmed hats, rode tall warhorses, urgently heading toward the nearby cliff. In the fierce wind, the horses staggered, struggling against the tight control of their riders, who urged them forward with all their might.

The sound of hooves on the ground was drowned out by the thunder, and through the curtain of rain, only a group of dark silhouettes could be seen darting swiftly.

Leading the charge was Nangong Han. Meanwhile, Xuanniang, having fallen from the cliff's edge, was helplessly tossed against several large trees. By the time she hit the ground, the bones in her back and chest were already broken, and the force of the impact knocked her unconscious.

Like a ragdoll, Xuanniang lay limp on the ground, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of her mouth.

When she awoke, it was the cold wetness on her face and the patter of rain in her ears that roused her. Her body was already numb from the cold.

The pain was excruciating, a piercing agony. Xuanniang tried to open her mouth to cry out, but as soon as she did, her mouth filled with blood from her chest, and it spilled out in torrents from her lips.

Am I about to die? Xuanniang wondered. Even when I first arrived, it never hurt this much. It felt like every bone in her body was broken, her heart on the verge of bursting. She couldn't move a muscle, and the rain hitting her face and eyes had lost its chill because she was numb to it all.

She strained to turn her head, scanning her surroundings with her eyes, and finally spotted her small basket for gathering herbs above her, to the left. Xuanniang remembered standing at the cliff's edge, checking the herbs, when a strong gust of wind swept her off.

It seemed like something snagged her during the fall, but it hadn't stopped her from plummeting to the bottom of the cliff.

For some reason, the image of that man in dark clothes with his cold, sharp gaze appeared before her. It was all because of him. She had been picking that rare fungus for him; otherwise, she wouldn't be in this predicament. He owed her a huge favor, and if she survived this ordeal, she would make sure he repaid her properly.

Xuanniang tried to smile, but only felt a warm liquid trickling down her jaw to her neck.

Perhaps her emotions were too stirred, as she felt a rush of blood filling her chest and throat. The blood was overwhelming, and she couldn't help but cough twice, spitting out two large pools of it.

After coughing up blood, Xuanniang felt a bit better. She tried moving her fingers; it hurt, but at least she could feel them. She realized she wasn't destined to die just yet.

Xuanniang struggled to turn over. The nausea from her shifting organs and the pain from her broken bones made her tremble uncontrollably, her vision fading in and out. Once she managed to roll onto her back, she calmed down and slowly reached for the small basket beside her, inching it forward bit by bit.

"Whoa..." At the command, Nangong Han pulled his horse to a stop. He quickly dismounted and rushed to the cliff's edge. The mist was so thick that he couldn't see even a foot ahead. Despite this, his sharp eyes scanned the area. He picked up the frayed end of a rope nearby and immediately moved a few steps to the right, leaning over the rocks to peer down. Sure enough, below and to the right, a broken rope and a torn piece of fabric hung from a branch.

Judging by the scene, if Xuanniang had her back to the cliff and the wind blew from the left front, she would have fallen to the lower right. He needed to search from the right to see if there was a path leading down.

The group stood at the edge of the cliff, awaiting orders. Nangong Han turned and instructed, "I'm certain she's fallen into the ravine. Split into two groups and search the base of the mountain thoroughly. Remember, find her alive or dead. Don't come back until you do."

The guards acknowledged, "Yes, sir." Then, clad in raincoats, they mounted their horses and headed down the cliff.

Chiyan remained by Nangong Han's side as he took out a rope he had prepared earlier. He swung it around a sturdy tree, gave it a firm tug, and without a backward glance, leaped over the edge.

Before Chiyan could call out, Nangong Han had already disappeared from view. All that was visible was the taut rope swaying at the cliff's edge.

Chiyan sighed deeply, resigned, and used his skills to glide to the other side of the ravine.

The mountain wasn't particularly tall, but its steep face made the cliff seem very deep. Nangong Han clung to the rope, using his skills to slow his descent. However, before reaching the bottom, he realized the rope was too short.

Surrounded by thick mist and faced with a slick, damp rock wall with no footholds nearby, Nangong Han had no choice but to reach for some vines a few yards away.

As he pushed off with his toes, he leaped toward the nearby vine, grabbing it tightly as his body descended.