Chapter 33

Unable to understand this book boy, Yu Qing kicked the bow that Chong'er was picking up, "Do you want the things or your life? I don't want these rags anymore, run quickly."

After saying that, he ran first, not daring to run against the current towards the main road, but only towards the deep mountains, driven by the commotion.

"Don't want them anymore," Xu Fei also shouted, pulling Chong'er's arm to run together.

However, after a few steps, Chong'er fell, as running in the rugged terrain of the mountain forest was not something just anyone could do.

Xu Fei anxiously pulled him up, panicking and flustered.

Yu Qing turned back and, not wanting the two to fall into the hands of the demons, which could easily expose him as the one who killed two demon cultivators, immediately leaped back, sheathed his sword, grabbed Chong'er, and hoisted him onto his shoulder, carrying him and running.

Being carried on someone's shoulder and held upside down by the thighs and buttocks, Chong'er's face flashed with surprise and embarrassment, but he couldn't say anything, knowing he was a burden, and that Master Shiheng was saving him.

He was worried that carrying someone while running would be tiring, but found that Master Shiheng's stamina was extraordinary, strong and robust, and even carrying him while leaping through the mountain forest, he was still ahead of the others...

Not long after the three ran away, a white shadow darted through the forest, causing a group of rats to scatter in fear upon landing.

It was the snow leopard, with fresh blood streaming from a wound on its abdomen.

On the ground lay a black leopard, over a meter long, with glossy black fur, once a very robust and powerful creature, now decapitated, its body covered in the marks of being hacked to death.

The snow leopard sniffed the black leopard's body, its nostrils flaring, but the body gave no response.

"Ugh..." The snow leopard let out a mournful cry.

She remembered the times she had scolded her husband for being useless.

She remembered the times she had forced her husband to act.

Tears streamed down her face, filled with regret.

She stopped running, crouched down, and lay beside her husband's body, no longer wanting to escape. If the people from Sinan Mansion came to kill her, she would let them kill or dismember her.

...

There was no way out.

Yu Qing and the other two came to a halt at the edge of a cliff, where a roaring torrent raged below, its depth unknown, but certainly too deep for the three to jump across.

In the distance, the forest was ablaze, black smoke billowing into the sky.

Xu Fei suddenly pointed upstream, "Brother Shiheng, look, there seems to be a bridge in the distance, we should be able to cross."

Without needing to be reminded, Yu Qing, who was accustomed to looking around, had already seen it, with better eyesight. The bridge in the distance was actually a small mountain, and the water seemed to be gushing out from its belly.

If they could run that far to cross the bridge, they would have already circled back to the main road. There was no need to run so far.

The sound of a large rat swarm was already approaching. Yu Qing, recognizing that the rats were controlled by the demon cultivators, had no time to explain to Xu Fei. He put down Chong'er, flashed to a large tree, and with a swift sword stroke, felled the entire tree.

He dragged the tree to the riverbank and shouted to the two, "Hug the tree tightly and jump into the river with me."

"Ah?" Xu Fei peeked at the rapids below the cliff, panicking, "Jump down from such a height?"

"Up to you, I don't mind if you want to be eaten by the demons." Yu Qing finished speaking, then reached out to pull Chong'er, grabbed his waist with one hand, and the tree with the other, and jumped down the cliff.

He hugged Chong'er not out of special care, but because he knew Chong'er was not a martial artist and lacked the strength to hold on to the tree. The impact of the rapids was significant, and he might easily let go and be swept away.

Chong'er closed his eyes tightly, but didn't feel too scared, as the arm around him gave him a sense of security.

Jumping so suddenly, Xu Fei was shocked. He had no idea what to do, seeing the lush tree crown being dragged down the cliff, and feared being left behind by Yu Qing. He took a leap, "Brother Shiheng, wait for me!" and grabbed the tree branches, holding on tightly.

Bang!

The rapids splashed, and the tree, carrying the three, crashed into the water, floating and sinking as it was carried by the current.

When they surfaced, Chong'er coughed uncontrollably, having swallowed water.

This was thanks to Yu Qing's protection; at the moment of impact, he used his strength to cushion the blow. Otherwise, the force of hitting the water would have been much worse for Chong'er.

Xu Fei, on the other hand, felt the full impact, his body stinging from the force. He clung to the tree branches, struggling to stay afloat.

Yu Qing also brought Chong'er to a part of the tree with more branches and leaves, pushed him out of the water, and helped him sit on the tree trunk, holding onto the branches for stability, despite the strong current.

"Brother Shiheng," Xu Fei called out, also trying to climb over.

In fact, the tree was prepared for the two of them. Yu Qing, with his abilities, could easily climb the cliff walls on either side.

At this moment, he wouldn't climb up, needing to get far away from the demon cultivators before landing and circling back to meet up with the group heading to the capital.

The current was swift, and soon the three, riding the tree, were carried far away.

After traveling several miles, Yu Qing gradually noticed something was wrong, realizing the current was getting faster, and soon he couldn't see the surface of the water ahead.

When the tree, carrying the three, flew out of the water, they realized the current had turned into a waterfall.

The drop was immense, about 200 meters high.

To their horror, there was no river below, just the ground, and the massive volume of water seemed to disappear.

The sensation of falling towards the ground was terrifying, Yu Qing's eyes nearly popping out. He clamped his legs around the tree trunk, knowing that even with his cultivation, he couldn't withstand the impact from such a height. Chong'er, sitting behind him, clung to him in fear.

Xu Fei, lying in the tree crown, trembled with fear, eyes tightly shut, having never experienced such a terrifying moment, even more so than the rat swarm.

The background of their descent was a 3,000-foot waterfall.

As they approached the ground, Yu Qing realized they were not hitting the ground but a pool of water. From the height, the pool had seemed too small, leading him to think they would hit the ground.

When the tree hit the pool, the impact was not as terrible as they had imagined.

The tree, with its full crown, provided significant resistance, slowing the descent.

The heavier trunk hit the water first, acting as a buffer, and by the time the crown submerged, the impact was greatly reduced.

With a loud splash, the three, eyes tightly shut, clung to whatever they could.

When they surfaced again, Yu Qing wondered if he was dead, seeing only darkness, as if he had entered another world.

Fortunately, the coughing of Chong'er and Xu Fei behind him indicated they were still alive.

Yu Qing immediately checked his body with his cultivation, finding no serious injuries, amazed that he had survived such a fall, feeling incredibly lucky!

He then felt for the spirit rice tied to his back, relieved it was still there, knowing Chong'er's tight grip had likely saved it from being lost.

Looking back, a faint light from the direction of the water flow was the only source of light in the darkness, and the sound of the water hitting the ground came from that direction.

After some thought, he understood why they couldn't see the river from above, only a pool. The river continued underground after the waterfall.

In other words, they were now in an underground river.

Xu Fei, finally recovering, spoke, "Chong'er, is that you?"

He had heard Chong'er's coughing earlier.

Chong'er responded, "Master, I'm here."

Xu Fei, tense, asked, "Brother Shiheng, are you still there?"

Yu Qing replied, "Don't worry, I haven't left you behind."

Hearing this, Xu Fei felt a sense of relief, knowing he had a leader in this situation, and relaxed, "Brother Shiheng, it's so dark, where are we?"

Yu Qing: "Under the waterfall, in an underground river." He patted the hand clutching his waist, "Let go. You almost tore my skin off when we landed."

Chong'er quickly withdrew his hand, embarrassed, "Master Shiheng, I'm sorry, I was scared at the time." He was more than just scared, nearly terrified, thinking that only by clinging to this person could he survive.

Xu Fei asked again, "Brother Shiheng, can we get out of here?"

Yu Qing: "Don't worry, with such a strong current, there must be an exit if there's an entrance."

Looking back, he found the only light source had disappeared, leaving them in complete darkness...

The forest was ablaze, ashes floating everywhere, and the fog had long since dissipated.

The snow leopard, lying beside the black leopard's body, gradually calmed down, surprised that no one from Sihan Mansion had come to search for her.

No one came to kill her, and she had to face this reality. Her gaze fell on the bloodied wound on her husband's forehead, and she suddenly stood up, her throat emitting a low, hoarse sound. She realized how foolish she had been, her husband killed, and she had not avenged him, yet she had sought death.

Who was the murderer? Why had they mutilated the body after the killing?

She stood up, despite her injuries, and began to sniff and examine her husband's body, quickly drawing a conclusion.

Her husband had two fatal wounds: one a through-and-through wound on his forehead, clearly caused by an arrow, and the other a sword wound that severed his neck.

The murderer used a sword, which might have been taken away, but the arrow, which had been held, should still be at the scene. The murderer's scent might still be on it.