Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 342 Cold Pond
Seeing the rope pull on the wooden stake and make a crisp "crack" sound, Wei Chan was so frightened that her soul almost fell out.

Pei Nian immediately lay down and grabbed the rope.

Fortunately, after the bang, the wooden stake was not pulled down.

The rope was taut downwards, clearly indicating that Gu Jingnian was hanging below.

But it's good that he didn't die from the fall.

"Are you alright?!" Pei Nian asked loudly.

After a while, Gu Jingnian's voice came from below.

"fine!"

Pei Nian breathed a sigh of relief and called out, "I'll pull you up."

"Need not."

After Gu Jingnian shouted, the rope gradually became less taut, probably because he had found a place to step on below.

But after only a short while, the rope quickly taut again and began to sway.

"What are you doing?" Pei Nian asked.

I'll swing across.

By the light of the fire on the wall, everyone looked down and could finally vaguely see Gu Jingnian's figure.

Just below the plank road, there was a protrusion on the rock wall. Gu Jingnian was standing there. He bent his knees and suddenly leaped into the air.

The rope swung in a wider arc, making a creaking sound, which made one worry that it might not be able to withstand the force.

Gu Jingnian used the force of the rope swinging to reach the drilled hole and grabbed it with one hand.

This scene terrified Wei Chan. Before she could calm down, Gu Jingnian's voice could be heard calling from afar.

"I have arrived!"

"Great."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Xun Yan's hopes were rekindled, and his desire to find treasure was rekindled.

Soon, Gu Jingnian tied the rope to the wooden stake over there and shouted, "Come here!"

Xun Yan immediately said, "This old man will go first."

"it is good."

The group then made a shorter rope, tied one end around Xun Yan's waist, and the other end looped around the long rope to ensure that Xun Yan would not die even if he fell.

He was seen climbing shakily, his hands gripping the rope and his feet stepping on the drilled hole.

He hadn't taken two steps when the rope slipped down from his grip, and his foot hooked onto the drill hole, leaving him in a very disheveled state.

Taking another step, Xun Yan lost his footing and fell straight down. Fortunately, he was caught by the rope binding him and didn't die from the fall.

He simply gave up climbing and started hanging down the rope. Whenever he got caught on a knot, he would step on a hole he had drilled to pull the rope over.

Seeing this, Wei Chan shook her head and said, "I can't get through."

She turned to Ah Wan and said, "If we can't go over there, let's stay here and wait for them."

“We can’t wait,” Pei Nian said, shaking her head. “We might not be able to come back.”

Ah Wan's face was still wet with tears, looking pitiful and disheveled, yet she said firmly, "No, I have to go find the girl."

"You're looking for your daughter, but what can you do? You don't have the strength to save her."

As a noble princess, Wei Chan must have been out of her mind to want A-Wan, a mere servant, to stay and keep her company.

No matter what she said, Ah Wan just shook her head and said, "I have to save you, young lady."

The two argued for a while, and Xun Yan, though walking slowly, had already reached the other side.

Then Gu Jingnian's voice came through.

"Doctor Xun has arrived."

Without saying a word, Pei Nian tied a rope tightly, attached one end to the long rope, and looked at Wei Chan and A-Wan.

"I come."

A-Wan stepped forward, and Pei Nian tied the rope around her waist.

"Go, don't be afraid."

"it is good."

Ah Wan responded with a single word, her voice trembling.

Although she was determined to save the girl even at the cost of her life, she was actually terrified.

I took a few steps forward and came to the wooden stake. I looked down and saw that although it was dark below, the abyss gave me a terrifying feeling of swallowing everything.

Fear surged into Awan's heart, dominating all her thoughts. Her legs went weak, and she dared not take another step, standing there trembling.

"Go ahead," Pei Nian urged.

Ah-Wan was about to leave when she moved, but then she was so frightened that she squatted down again.

She wanted to back out.

But she knew that if she couldn't find her daughter, even if she returned alive, she would be severely beaten to death by the steward of the Marquis's mansion.

"Yes." She gritted her teeth and said in a trembling voice, "I must save the girl."

Pei Nian placed her hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her.

"what!"

A scream rang out as Ah-Wan plunged into the abyss, sliding down the long rope.

Her screams only stopped when she was hooked onto the knot. She spun around there for a while before she started trying to pull the rope over the knot.

Wei Chan stared blankly at the scene, thinking that it was common for a maid to risk her life to save her master... but she didn't want to go over there.

She was in a daze and hadn't reacted yet when she suddenly felt a tightness around her waist. Pei Nian had already tied a rope around her waist.

"I can't get through it."

"Princess, rest assured, nothing will happen," Pei Nian said softly. "If A-Wan can do it, Princess, you can definitely do it too." "I...I...I..."

Wei Chan looked back and saw that the road she had come from was winding and terrifying.

She was caught in a dilemma; she couldn't go back.

For some reason, Pei Nian had already helped her to the edge of the boardwalk, and she immediately burst into tears.

Looking back, when she first met Pei Nian, he was accompanied by a group of guards, riding a tall horse, dressed in a martial robe, and arrogant and domineering.

But now, she closed her eyes, looking as lost as a child.

She tried to struggle back.

“Princess, relax,” Pei Nian said. “Squat down first.”

"Okay, let me squat first... Ah!"

Before Wei Chan could finish speaking, she had already fallen into the abyss.

At that moment, she felt as if her soul hadn't caught up with her body.

When the rope tightened around her waist and caught her, her soul returned, and the first thought that came to her mind was...

"Pei Nian, I hate you!"

Despite her resentment, now was not the time to pursue the matter. Wei Chan finally regained her senses and began to move forward.

With great difficulty, she finally saw the firelight in the darkness ahead, and Gu Jingnian and the others standing on the plank road.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

As they slid towards the boardwalk, Gu Jingnian reached out, grabbed Wei Chan, and pulled her up. Wei Chan immediately burst into tears.

Her feet finally touched the solid wooden stake, and she couldn't help but hug Gu Jingnian, murmuring, "You scared me to death..."

Gu Jingnian pushed her back, and Awan hugged her, crying.

Wei Chan was too frightened to push the maid away, but she wanted Gu Jingnian to comfort her even more. When she turned around, she saw Gu Jingnian standing by the plank road, staring at the rope.

The figure remained motionless, like a stone.

Pei Nian arrived quickly, and Gu Jingnian acted swiftly, pulling Pei Nian up with his arms.

The process was quick; the two always had a unique tacit understanding in their every move, their actions were swift and decisive, and they stood out from the crowd.

Gu Jingnian even gave Pei Nian a hug and gently patted her back.

"What do you say?"

"As expected of you."

After a brief exchange, the two quickly turned around.

"Just keep walking."

Without resting, the group continued down the plank road.

The road wasn't always treacherous; after walking for a long time, the plank road ended at stone steps.

Therefore, Wei Chan's mood improved, and she said, "It's good that we came down."

That being said, she actually owed it to Gu Jingnian, and her prejudice against Pei Nian did not diminish.

"Ouch!"

Before she could finish speaking, she slipped and fell.

"it hurts."

Xun Yan reached out and touched the rock wall. There was a thin layer of water on it. He was overjoyed and said, "We're almost there."

"Really?"

Wei Chan believed him, and without complaining, she got up and walked on bravely.

This departure felt like an eternity.

Finally, they heard the sound of water.

It wasn't the kind of babbling sound, but rather the sound of water droplets falling into a tranquil spring, creating a crisp, clear echo.

The sound alone is soothing and refreshing.

The chill intensified.

Xun Yan quickened his pace, leaning on his crutches, not afraid of slipping.

The bottom of the abyss is filled with jagged rocks, but the rocks are not sharp; they are smooth and moist.

The group struggled through the rubble, followed the sound, and squeezed into a crack in a rock. Finally, they saw a cold pool inside the cave.

“Let’s go in,” Xun Yan said.

"Wait a minute." Pei Nian grabbed him and asked, "What about the bat?"

"Let's see how things go."

Xun Yan shone the oil lamp in his hand into the stone cave, and saw a swarm of bats startled and flying inside.

Pei Nian then realized that the giant bat was likely inside.

The group entered and walked through the pool.

"This water is so cold, we'll freeze to death if we keep walking like this."

"Don't rush, don't rush," Xun Yan said.

After walking for a while, when the cold pool water reached their ankles, they saw several bamboo rafts floating ahead.

"Who exactly built all this in here?" Wei Chan asked, taking a deep breath.

Xun said, "You'll know when you arrive, Princess, that there is a palace inside."

They boarded the bamboo raft, and Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian used long poles to push it up.

The bamboo raft drifted slowly across the cold pool, and the cave ahead grew larger and larger, revealing a hidden paradise.

(End of this chapter)