Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 341 Plank Road
"what!"

The calls echoed through the cave.

Xun Yan woke up with a start and saw Shen Lingshu being snatched away by the giant bat. Gu Jingnian was also a ruthless person, and he rushed to the edge of the stone steps to jump onto the bat.

"Don't worry!" Xun Yan shouted quickly, "I'll take you to find it!"

He hurried over to Gu Jingnian, his old legs carrying him, saying, "Encountering these bats means we haven't come to the wrong place..."

Behind him came Ah Wan's trembling cries, repeatedly calling out "Girl."

When Xun Yan arrived, Pei Nian grabbed the old man by the collar and, in the tone of a detective from the Kaiping Division, demanded, "Speak! What are your intentions in bringing us here?!"

Startled by such harsh words right off the bat, Xun Yan quickly waved his hand and said, "I really didn't mean to harm you. These bats don't usually show up easily."

"It seems you knew beforehand that there was a monster in this cave."

"Pei Ji, please listen to what this old man has to say," Xun Yan said. "These bats prefer cool, shady places and dislike light. We lit a fire after we came in, so they certainly shouldn't have come near us. As for why one of them could fly over, we don't know. This is strange... But I know where those bats gather, and I can definitely lead you back to Miss Shen."

Pei Nian was experienced in interrogation and saw that Xun Yan's expression did not seem to be fake, so he let go of his hand.

In fact, she couldn't do anything to Xun Yan, since she still needed Xun Yan to detoxify Gu Jingnian.

In the current situation, some members of the team have been poisoned, some have been captured, and the rest are the elderly and weak. They are being pursued from behind, and their future is uncertain. Pei Nian himself is also in danger of being possessed. The situation is not good.

But she remained calm and exuded the aura of a leader.

He glared at Ah Wan first, then snapped, "Stop crying!"

Ah Wan was worried about Shen Ling Shu and was crying uncontrollably. However, she was also very afraid of Pei Nian. She was startled by Pei Nian's scolding and dared not make a sound, but her tears still kept falling.

Pei Nian, not forgetting to consider Wei Chan's feelings, added, "Princess, the situation is urgent, we should not delay any longer, let's set off as soon as possible."

After saying that, she helped Gu Jingnian up, raised her hand to Xun Yan, and said, "Lead the way."

"well."

Although Xun Yan was old, he was not slow in dealing with things. He walked down the stone steps with his cane, and Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian quickly followed.

Wei Chan was actually unhappy that Pei Nian, a mere police officer, was issuing orders and making decisions directly, bypassing her, the princess. However, given the current situation, she had no better suggestions and could only stomp her feet in anger and follow their lead.

Everyone was anxious, but the further they went, the more treacherous the road became.

When you first enter, it's a cave. After exploring the abyss below, the other side of the stone steps is no longer protected by the rock wall, and it looks like a plank road winding down the cliff.

If one missteps, there is a possibility of falling into the abyss and being shattered to pieces.

Wei Chan, in particular, was unable to walk fast at all. Holding onto the rock wall with one hand, she could only slowly descend one step at a time.

Later on, there was a section of the road where even the stone steps disappeared, leaving only wooden stakes carved into the rock face.

This is a real plank road.

The firelight in their hands dispelled the darkness in the abyss, and every now and then small bats were startled awake and flew towards the darkness below the abyss.

"what!"

Wei Chan was startled and almost fell off the cliff. She patted her chest, still shaken, and asked, "Is this road really passable?"

“Yes.” Xun Yan showed delight instead, saying, “Follow them, and we will find Miss Shen.”

However, after walking for a while, the plank road ahead suddenly ended.

Xun Yan stood leaning on his cane, trembling as he stood on the last few wooden stakes, his figure appearing somewhat lost and helpless.

He sighed deeply and said, "In the end, we still went down the wrong path."

Looking back at the road he had come from, a look of helplessness appeared in his eyes for the first time. He murmured, "I know perfectly well that if I take the wrong turn, I don't know how long I'll be wandering around here."

"what?"

Seeing this, Ah Wan felt despair and cried out, "But the girl has already been captured!"

If Shen Lingshu were still alive, she wouldn't complain no matter how long it took. But if she turned back now to search again, how could she possibly rescue Shen Lingshu?

Wei Chan was also stunned, feeling that she probably couldn't save Shen Lingshu. As a friend, she was also very sad. She sat there hugging her knees and burying her head, letting her frustration fester.

Pei Nian didn't want to give up, so she asked, "Doctor Xun, do you have any way to get Gu Jingnian to use his special abilities?"

"Yes, but the necessary treasure is below... where we need to go."

Pei Nian stepped forward, picked up an oil lamp, and threw it down.

The flames fell downwards until they disappeared from sight, but they never saw them reach the bottom.

Still uneasy, she lit another oil lamp and threw it into the abyss. She did this several times until she finally saw a plank road on the distant cliff face, a section of the original connecting road that had been smashed apart. But they couldn't cross it.

There are only a few remaining drilled holes on the rock face, making it impossible to step on.

Pei Nian stared at it for a long time, and when she realized that she couldn't get through it at all, she finally started to get anxious.

She wasn't particularly close to Shen Lingshu in the past, because that's just her personality; she felt that Shen Lingshu was too clingy.

But Pei Nian never forgot or lessened the bond they shared growing up together.

Shen Lingshu also has Wei Chan, but Pei Nian has only ever had Shen Lingshu as a friend.

She couldn't accept watching Shen Lingshu being taken away right in front of her, but since it had already happened, she was in more pain than anyone else.

This pain even made her feel incredibly guilty towards Shen Lingshu because of her relationship with Gu Jingnian.

"I come over."

Gu Jingnian suddenly spoke up.

Pei Nian was taken aback for a moment before realizing that he wanted to go to the plank road on the other side.

"How could that be? You can't get through it."

“We can try,” Gu Jingnian said. “I’ll climb over the drilled hole, and then I’ll bring a rope. You can pull yourselves across by stepping on the drilled hole.”

Wei Chan's eyes widened in disbelief; she thought the idea was too crazy.

If anyone else were to say such nonsense in front of her, she would immediately yell at them to be dragged out and beheaded.

But for some reason, because it was Gu Jingnian who made the suggestion this time, she felt that this man was very brave and decisive.

Just as he was about to say something to Gu Jingnian, he heard Pei Nian say, "Don't go, it's too dangerous."

"It's okay, I won't die."

"No, it's too high up here. Who knows what might happen if you fall?"

Pei Nian unconsciously grabbed Gu Jingnian's wrist and said, "Even you might die if you fall."

"Don't worry, I can get there."

Gu Jingnian's style of doing things is very autocratic. He doesn't give others a chance to persuade him before he starts to take action.

He took Pei Nian's dagger directly, cut open her outer robe, and tied it into a rope.

His clothes alone were not enough, so everyone took off their outer robes and shivered in the cold underground cave, wearing only their inner garments.

Having made a rope, with one end tied to a wooden stake and the other end around his waist, Gu Jingnian then climbed forward by hanging from the hole carved into the rock face.

His feet had nowhere to grip, and to move, he could only grab the first two holes with one hand and move the other hand over.

Thus, his entire weight was supported by the three fingers gripping the drilled hole, and before he could move very far, his fingers became sore and achy.

The hole was filled with dust, making it slippery to the touch. Gu Jingnian almost fell because he wasn't paying attention.

But the road ahead is still very long.

At such a time, if he stops and hesitates, allowing even the slightest hint of fear and retreat to arise, he is bound to fail.

He dared not rest, nor did he look at or think about it; he gritted his teeth and continued forward.

It was slow, but he was definitely moving forward little by little.

The people on the plank road stared intently at Gu Jingnian, watching his figure slowly disappear into the darkness.

Wei Chan was terrified and instinctively covered her mouth, afraid to make a sound.

Once Gu Jingnian was out of sight, she turned her gaze to Pei Nian, who stood silently, seemingly lost in thought, yet exuding a serene aura.

They held onto the rope, and although they couldn't see Gu Jingnian, they could feel the force coming from the rope, knowing that he was still moving forward.

Suddenly, the rope taut, pulling A-Wan to the ground. She nearly fell, but Pei Nian pulled her back in time.

"Crack!"

With a sharp crack, the wooden stake with the rope tied to it swayed twice, almost falling out of the drilled hole.

That's where Gu Jingnian fell.

(End of this chapter)