Trésor de Jianghu

Chapitre 9

Before we knew it, we were about to part ways. I was heading northeast, and he was going southeast. We were supposed to say goodbye at the fork in the road, but as I turned to leave, he suddenly grabbed my hand and said, "Xiao Wu, are you in such a hurry to go to Longcheng?" There were still more than four months until Shen Yimei's wedding, so there was no rush. He added urgently, "If you have time, why don't you come with me to Baima Village for a few days? It would be good, and we could even have a friendly spar."

A sudden thought struck me, and I replied, "Alright." In my heart, I made excuses for myself, thinking, "His swordsmanship is truly excellent—elegant and graceful, swift as a startled dragon, steady as a mountain when slow. When he draws his sword, there's a chilling aura emanating from him, not from the sword itself. I've also studied swordsmanship for a while, but I've never been able to produce that same aura. Now, it's a good opportunity for us to exchange skills and practice."

I stayed in Baimazhuang for more than a month.

The Number One Manor Under Heaven is a very large estate with many disciples. Upon entering the manor, the servants respectfully addressed Bai Yifei as "Young Master." I remembered Uncle Shen mentioning that the former master of White Horse Manor was surnamed Chang, and had been the leader of the martial arts alliance for two terms. I asked him about it, and he replied with a smile, "That was my maternal grandfather. The current master is my father." I then learned that although the former Master Chang had several sons, the ones who truly inherited his skills were his eldest daughter and his beloved disciple's husband. Therefore, after his death, White Horse Manor was inherited by Bai Yifei's mother and father.

During my time at Baima Village, I exchanged martial arts insights with him. But most of the time, I watched him practice his sword, and he watched me use the "Thousand Mountains Flying Snow" technique. The moves I used all bore my mother's name, and when I introduced myself, I said I was from the Xuefeng Sect, my father was from the Northern Barbarians, my mother from Yunyang, and we lived in the Western Barbarians. He must have inquired about it, because later he told me that his father had mentioned a young swordsman surnamed Qi from the Xuefeng Sect nineteen years ago who was quite skilled, but his talent was fleeting, and he disappeared without a trace. He asked, "Is that your father?" Actually, it was my mother. I had heard my fourth uncle mention this, but I gave a vague answer and glossed over it.

It turns out that Bai Ma Manor is skilled in both swordsmanship and fist techniques. Their sword technique is the Hundred-Mile Flowing Stream Sword, and their fist technique is the Wind Chaser, named after the wind, which speaks volumes about its speed. The Hundred-Mile Flowing Stream Sword has twenty-four forms, but contains countless variations. Bai Yifei explained that the variations and power of this sword technique differ depending on the individual's cultivation level. His maternal grandfather had expanded these twenty-four forms into eighty-four, and he himself has now comprehended eighty of them.

He taught me swordsmanship with great care. Besides demonstrating, he would often stand behind me, holding my wrist and half-circling my arm, teaching me the direction and force of my sword strikes. His body heat and breath were intense, often making my heart race. My sword strikes were always slightly off-target, but they would actually be better when I practiced on my own.

The days we spent together flew by. Though I was deeply in love, I knew we had to part ways eventually, so after more than a month, I took my leave. Seeing the reluctance in his eyes, my heart was also stirred. He saw me off for a long time and said, "Are you going to the Shen family in Longcheng? I would also like to see where the Hundred Words Hall is, but unfortunately I've been helping my father with some affairs within the estate lately and haven't been able to get away."

I felt a little reluctant to part with him, so I turned back and said, "Brother Bai, let's leave it here. We'll meet again someday. After visiting the Shen family, I might go to Nanfeng Fort or Duanzhou."

He nodded, then suddenly came up and hugged me, saying, "Xiao Wu, from now on, you can call me Yi Fei."

I paused for a moment, then softly hummed in agreement and ran away as if fleeing. Even after walking quite a distance, I could still feel my face burning, and all I could hear was the sound of my own heart pounding.

I think I've fallen for him. Does this mean I've achieved one of my goals in venturing into the world: to make a few close friends and then find my knight in shining armor?

From now on, I will be walking alone, and I suddenly feel an unprecedented loneliness.

After wandering around for about twenty days, I arrived in Yinzhou and went for a stroll on Zhuhui Mountain. By the time I descended the mountain, it was almost dark. Back at Junyue Tower, I was about to go to my room to wash my face before dinner when I suddenly felt someone staring at me. I turned around and saw a man standing at the entrance, leading a white horse, looking travel-worn, yet his handsome features and dashing air were still undeniable. Seeing his intense gaze, I was overjoyed and called out, "Bai... Yifei!" He handed the horse to the waiter and strode towards me with a smile, saying, "I saw you at the door."

I chuckled and said, "It's true what they say, 'We've met again someday.'"

He shook his head slightly: "I came to find you. I'll go to Dragon City with you, okay?"

The shop was already lit, and I think my face was bathed in a dim light, so a slight redness wasn't very noticeable, but I was too moved to speak. After a long while, I finally managed to say, "You're so busy in your village..."

He laughed and said, "I finished it quickly. My father agreed to let me go out for a walk, and I can also look for business opportunities."

Later, I asked him how he found me, and he said it was purely intuition.

Looking back, those days were truly the best. We harbored unspoken feelings for each other, and everything we saw seemed so beautiful. With ample time, I didn't prepare another horse; occasionally we rode together, but most of the time we led our horses slowly. Along the way, we would occasionally rescue someone or punish an evildoer, and we still shared an unspoken understanding. I also exchanged the thousand taels of silver for relief and poverty alleviation.

In mid-August, we arrived in Longcheng.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I handed the gift to Shen Yimei. Yimei glanced at Bai Yifei beside me and nodded with a smile.

That night, I stayed with Yi-mei. She laughed and said, "You've had quite a haul since you came down the mountain. Have you found your knight in shining armor?"

I said, "His martial arts skills are good, but can he be considered a peerless hero?"

She tapped my forehead and said, "Bai Yifei, the young master of Baima Manor, ranked first in swordsmanship on the list of young heroes in the martial arts world, known as Young Master Liuxi. Last year, he defeated the leader of the Yunshan Sect with his Qingfeng sword, a sect famous for its swordsmanship. Also, this May, it is said that he single-handedly challenged the Xingyang Gang. Although the Xingyang Gang is not a major gang, it is still quite well-known in the Central Plains. Such a person will become a peerless hero sooner or later. Look at the way he looks at you, he is quite affectionate."

Ignoring her last sentence, I sighed, "So, it turns out my kung fu is also among the best in the martial arts world. When I sparred with him, he never lost, and I never won. Also, the Xingyang Gang—I went there with him. He beat up more people, but I beat up just as many."

Yi Mei looked at me suspiciously: "I believe in your skills, but the Xingyang Gang isn't mentioned in the rumors. It's said that one morning, Bai Yifei took advantage of the fog to take on the Xingyang Gang alone. Oh, it's said to be when the fog was rising. Fog, Qi fog, could it really be you?"

I was filled with grief and indignation: "Which storyteller with a short tongue told such a story! Did I really just vanish into thin air?" I then rested my chin on my hand and said, "It's so unfair. He's a third-generation hero, and I'm more like a second-generation hero. I've been completely outshone."

Yi Mei chuckled and nudged me: "You call yourself a second-generation hero! Didn't your mother forbid you from mentioning it? You should strive to be a first-generation hero. But that's not your dream, is it?"

In Longcheng, Bai Yifei was always by my side, and I actually met quite a few people there.

First came Xin Zibu. The Xin and Shen families had always maintained ties, and as the eldest grandson of the Xin family, he represented them in offering congratulations. I hadn't seen him for three years. At eighteen, he was indeed different from before, remarkably refined. He had heard I had arrived earlier and came to the Shen family's backyard to find me. My maternal grandmother passed away when I was thirteen, and I hadn't returned to the South since. Seeing him this time, and remembering my kind uncles, I naturally had many questions for him. He came to see me in the afternoon, and we chatted until dinner. While dining with everyone at the Shen family's house, he remembered my childhood habit, carefully picking the chives and scallions from my bowl and adding a chicken leg. Shen's eldest uncle remarked, "You cousins have such a good relationship." I couldn't help but chuckle, remembering the fight I had with my cousin when I was eight.

That evening, Bai Yifei escorted me back to my room. When we reached the artificial hill in the backyard, he suddenly stopped, and I almost bumped into it. The moon was nearly full that night, exceptionally bright. His face was calm, but his eyes held a dark glint. He asked softly, "Xiaowu, have you and your cousin always gotten along well?" I replied, "They're alright. Of course, we argued when we were little, but he was especially kind to me this time." He gazed at me for a moment, then suddenly smiled, leaned down, and placed a light kiss on my forehead, saying, "It's getting late, let's go back to our room." That warm, damp kiss made me tremble slightly, and I almost stumbled. A while after we got back to our room, it dawned on me that to understand his emotions, you had to look into his eyes.

The next day, I ran into the handsome father again in the city. I was so happy that I jumped up to him. The handsome father invited us to dinner, and Yifei stayed by my side the whole time, taking good care of me. The handsome father looked at him, but deliberately said that I was an old friend of his, that he had liked me since I was a child, but he swallowed the words "his daughter." Yifei's expression changed slightly, but he didn't say anything and continued to follow behind me. After the handsome father had had his fun, he left on his own. Only then did he say, "This young master is truly like a celestial being. Doesn't Xiaowu like him?" I said, "Yes, I like him. I've liked him since I was a child. He's my godfather." Yifei was surprised, but didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

In September, the wedding procession from Nanfeng Fort arrived. That's when we met the young master, Nan Cong, and the second young lady, Nan Ya. Nan Ya was a beautiful girl with a soft southern accent. She said she felt an instant connection with me and wanted to befriend me. She seemed unpretentious and quite straightforward, and I liked her a little too. So, in September, instead of going to the market with Shen Yisang and Bai Yifei, I took her along. She always praised the exquisite and beautiful things I chose, saying she couldn't find anything she liked, so I shared some with her.

Once, Yifei chose two jade hairpins for me. She saw them in my room and thought they were perfect. She asked her brother to go to the shop to check, but they said they only had single hairpins and didn't have that style anymore. She was very disappointed. Every time she saw me wearing one, she would stare at it for a while. I felt embarrassed by her staring, so I thought about it and gave her one. That night, Yifei was a little surprised when he saw the hairpin in her hair. I said apologetically, "I saw how much she liked it, and I couldn't bear to part with it, so I gave her one." He smiled and stroked my hair, saying, "It's nothing valuable. It's fine to give it away."

When Yi Mei found out, she warned me, "Girls born into a large family like Nanfeng Fortress are definitely not as naive as you, Wu'er. You need to be careful." Later I realized she was right, but at the time I felt that she seemed to dislike her sister-in-law, and I really didn't know what I needed to be wary of.

In October, I promised Yimei and Yisang that I would accompany her to her wedding in Nanfeng Fort in Lingnan. From the Northeast to the Southwest, Yimei's marriage was quite far away; no wonder Aunt Shen cried so bitterly. I wondered what my mother would do if I married into Baima Village. Stealing a glance at Bai Yifei, I saw him smiling at me as well.

But everything changed when she was sent to Nanfeng Fortress as part of her marriage.

The author has something to say: I don't know what to say, I'll just keep recalling.

Chapter Fourteen: Sending Off the Bride

The journey was long, but fortunately, we were all around the same age, so it was quite lively.

Bai Yifei was always by my side. Once, Uncle Shen joked, "Is it that after Mei'er gets married, Wu'er will be next?" Bai Yifei smiled but didn't say anything.

However, during the journey to the wedding, they were unexpectedly kidnapped.

We had already arrived in Guannan. Uncle Shen and Shen Yisang had left ahead with their dowry. Guannan was a bustling little town, full of gambling dens. Nancong and Bai Yifei said they wanted to check it out, and Zibu went along too. Yimei, Nanya, and I, along with a group of servants from Nanfeng Fort, stayed at the inn. They had probably had a good time and hadn't returned by 7 PM, so we went to sleep. Halfway through my sleep, I suddenly noticed a strange smell in the room. Instinctively, I grabbed some tea, soaked my clothes, covered my mouth and nose, and rolled off the bed. After a while, I heard shouts and the sound of someone trying to pry open the door. Some servants woke up, and there were sounds of fighting. I threw on my clothes, grabbed my Swift Shadow sword, and rushed out of the room. The door to Yimei's room next door was open. Yimei, dressed in red, was facing a masked man with an embroidered dagger. She was swaying slightly, apparently having inhaled some sleeping powder. Without thinking, I swiftly thrust my Swift Shadow sword at the man in black. He abandoned Yimei and charged at me with his sword. One leaf falls, and autumn is known; fallen leaves return to their roots. I dared not be careless and immediately used the Swift Shadow Killing Move that my father had created for me. The Swift Shadow swept across the man's chest and abdomen like a whisk, and fine blood droplets splattered everywhere. He opened his eyes wide and slowly fell to the ground.

I was about to help Yi Mei when she shook her head at me, saying, "I'm fine. Go check on Nan Ya." I then remembered Nan Ya in the next room. Going there, I found her unconscious on the bed. In a panic, I grabbed the tea from the table and splashed it over her head. A moment later, she woke up. I asked her, "Can you move now? Someone attacked." She nodded, drew her sword, and ran out with me.

Yi Mei was surrounded by three or four masked men in black within the inn's courtyard. There were also a dozen or so masked men inside, but few of the Nanfeng Fort's servants were present; presumably, some had been drugged. Nan Ya could only defend herself and couldn't help Yi Mei. I panicked and dragged her to Yi Mei's side. The three of us stood back-to-back, fending off the attacks of the dozen or so men. Their attacks became increasingly ruthless, and they frequently used hidden weapons; one of us was constantly dealing with them.

I pointed at Yi Mei and said, "Is this a bride kidnapping? This ruthlessness makes it seem like your wife has been stolen by someone else! Do you have a lover outside?"

Yi Mei spat at me: "You still have the leisure to chatter? They're not trying to steal a bride, they're just seeking revenge for losing a wife. Nan Cong probably has someone else on his mind."

Nan Ya said urgently, "Sister-in-law, my brother doesn't have any women outside."

I had never tried to disperse all my Shadow Steps before, but now I had no choice. I whispered to Yi Mei, "I'll attack the distant ones, you deal with the close ones." With that, I gathered my energy in my chest, leaped up, and simultaneously unleashed the Shadow Steps from my wrist, sweeping them towards the men in black. The Shadow Steps, like a spreading net or a wisp of light mist, enveloped five or six men in black. The Heavenly Silkworm Threads swept across them like steel brushes, instantly leaving some mangled and screaming. The men in black's attack paused for a moment.

Suddenly I heard Zibu's shout. He had just returned and saw this scene, so he drew his sword and joined the battle. As he approached us, he said, "Young Master Nan and Young Master Bai are behind us, a step behind me."

Upon hearing this, Nan Ya took a whistle from around her neck and blew it loudly. I didn't know how far Nan Cong and Bai Yifei were from here, but with Zi Bu protecting Yi Mei and Nan Ya, I could confidently attack the distant bandits.

Amidst the swirling snowflakes, I swept past the men in black like a whirlwind. My swift movements coalesced into a staff, sweeping, striking, and stabbing, the sound of bones shattering echoing. The pressure on Yi Mei's side lessened, but four men gathered around me. They feared my swift movements and dared not approach too closely, yet they relentlessly surrounded me. These four were no ordinary fighters; their coordination was impeccable, two attacking while two provided cover. Even if they couldn't harm me, they wouldn't let me join up with Zi Bu and the other two.

Annoyed and unwilling to break through, I focused on one man, my whip lashing out like a dragon. Though the other three attacked my opening, I moved with the whip, my shadow swiftly striking his neck. I leaped up, lightly circling him, and landed with a soft cracking sound as he collapsed silently to the ground. The other three hesitated for a moment, then attacked me even more fiercely. Soon, a man in black emerged from the other battle circle, replacing me with a fourth. I was still trapped, but Yi Mei's side was now one person short.

A fleeting shadow, a startled goose lost in the flock, a rainbow bridge crossed… I unleashed my whip techniques, move by move. Having decided not to break through, my movements became ruthless, more offensive than defensive. In the midst of this desperate struggle, the black-clad man closest to me suddenly collapsed silently, blood gushing out like arrows. A figure landed beside me, asking with concern, “Little Mist, are you alright?” Bai Yifei, he had finally returned. My eyelashes were slightly wet, but I smiled and said, “I’m perfectly fine.”

The men in black initially numbered around ten, but with Nan Cong and Bai Yifei's return, the situation instantly reversed; only seven or eight remained capable of moving. At the leader's whistle, the seven or eight scattered. Bai Yifei said, "No need to chase them. Take care of the wounded." But looking at the seven who had just fallen, their faces were covered in black aura; they had clearly taken poison. Nan Cong examined the dead bodies closely and said, "Nine Nether Palace!" That was an assassin organization; they must have been hired. As for who hired them, he couldn't find out. However, Nan Cong seemed unwilling to pursue the matter further. The servants of Nanfeng Fortress had indeed been drugged but not killed. I guessed that Nan Cong might know who was responsible.

We rested in Guannan for a while, not just because we were frightened, but because Nanya fell ill. That day, I poured cold water on her, and she went out to fight the enemy without wearing an outer coat. The October nights were still a bit chilly, and she caught a cold, which lingered for several days. It was said to be because of her poor constitution, a chronic illness she had since childhood.

I felt a little guilty, since I had poured cold water on her and that was part of the reason. These past few days, I've stayed by her side. Bai Yifei, being with me, has also come to Nanya's room several times.

Speaking of the attack, Nan Ya sneered, "No need to guess. It's just my cousins who can't stand that our eldest brother has the title of young master and married a daughter from a martial arts family. Nanfeng Fort has a smooth exterior, but it's full of thorns inside."

Nan Ya is the second young lady of the fortress, but she and Nan Cong do not share the same mother; her mother is from the second wife's side. Nan Qingyong, the lord of Nanfeng Fortress, has three wives and concubines. He favors the third wife the most. Although the first wife is not favored, Nan Cong is the eldest son born of the legitimate wife, making her position unshakeable. The second wife has one daughter and one son, while the third wife has two sons and one daughter, but they are still young. Nan Qingyong's position was passed down to him by his father. He has three uncles and four younger brothers; the Nan family is truly a large clan. Perhaps due to the abundance of powerful figures, power struggles are frequently staged.

Nan Ya once said, "If I hadn't been well-behaved and sweet-talking when I was little, and my grandfather hadn't liked me, who would have remembered that the neglected second wife had a second daughter, my mother, whose attention was also focused on my younger brother. Before my grandfather liked me, I couldn't even get enough to eat, and when I was sick, no one cared for me, which is why I developed chronic illnesses. Even now, my cousins see that my grandfather and father like me, and they fawn over me on the surface, but secretly they're waiting to find fault with me."

I was shocked beyond measure, and I think Bai Yifei felt the same way. He sighed to me, "Nanfeng Fortress is not a place for ordinary people to enter." Later, when he looked at Nan Ya again, his eyes showed more pity.

After saying that, Nan Ya patted the back of my hand and said, "Xiao Wu, I can tell you come from a good family, and your relatives must cherish you very much. You are truly blessed. Like me, the kindness of my parents is something I have to work hard for." These words made me reflect for a long time. I always thought that all parents in the world loved their children as much as my mother and father did, but it turns out that not all of them do. I am fortunate enough. I hope I haven't disobeyed my mother and father before.

Yi Mei's wedding proceeded as scheduled, without any further complications. We also stayed at Nanfeng Fort for a while, and upon closer inspection, it was indeed as Nan Ya had described. Even the Northern Di's palace wasn't this complicated; it truly rivaled the Yunyang court. Uncle Shen and Yi Sang returned to Longcheng after about ten days. I felt quite uncomfortable staying there and wanted to go with them, but Yi Mei asked me to stay with her for a while. I felt sorry for her as she was about to enter a life of battle, so I patiently stayed with her for a period. During this time, Bai Yifei received a message from Baima Manor and seemed rather depressed. I asked him if something had happened, but he said nothing was wrong.

In mid-November, Nan Ya's mother fell ill. The lord of Nanbao didn't seem to care much; he called a doctor once and then didn't inquire further. Nan Ya looked at the prescription and said that the herbs in the prescription were in the Siwei Mountains behind the fortress. To avoid having to deal with other people's attitudes so often, she might as well go into the mountains to collect them herself. Bai Yifei, Zibu, and I were feeling bored, so we offered to go with her.

Mount Siwei was actually a very high and steep mountain. If none of the four of us had martial arts skills, it would have been quite difficult to climb it. Perhaps because it was located in Lingnan, even though it was already winter, the mountain was still lush and green, with mist coming and going, and countless exotic flowers and plants.

We climbed up the path made by herb gatherers. The path was so narrow, in some places only a foot wide, and there was nowhere to hold onto except for a few trees growing in the cracks of the rocks. We also had to be careful of poisonous insects, making the journey quite arduous. I was alright, but Nan Ya mostly had to be helped up the steep slopes by Bai Yifei or Zibu.

We collected some herbs along the way, but failed to find the main herb, the "Seeking Grass." We walked until we reached a cliff, high but relatively gentle, with lush vegetation. Nan Ya said this place was called Ciyun Ridge, deep in the Siwei Mountains. It was said that the Seeking Grass grew near this cliff. The four of us slowly descended from the top of the cliff, searching for the purple-leaved Seeking Grass. Suddenly, Nan Ya pointed excitedly to a spot about three zhang below and said, "There's a large patch there!" We stopped to look closely, and sure enough, we could see a patch of purple grass through the trees. Before we could react, she parted the branches and ran down.

However, things changed suddenly. After a scream, I only saw Nan Ya's pale yellow sleeve draw an arc in the air and then fall downwards.

Hidden deep within the vegetation is a precipice.

Bai Yifei, who was closest to her, stopped abruptly, bent down, and called out, "Miss Nan!"

Nan Ya said, "I grabbed the small tree root."

I saw Bai Yifei bend down to grab her, but when I got to his side, I heard Nan Ya scream, and then Bai Yifei's blue figure also tumbled off the cliff.

In that instant, my mind went completely blank. The words "Yi Fei" rolled in my throat, but I couldn't utter them. Before my mind could process what was happening, I had already leaped off the cliff, and behind me, I heard Xin Zibu's desperate cries: "Wu'er!" "Young Master Bai, Miss Nan!"

Author's Note: There are still a few chapters left in the flashback. I hope you haven't gotten tired of reading them.

Chapter Fifteen Unexpected Changes

As I was suspended in mid-air, I remembered that my Swift Shadow skill could still be used. I quickly swung it out and grabbed a low tree, slowing my descent. I then realized that the cliff wasn't actually a precipice, just extremely steep. The fragrant herbs grew on this very cliff; they didn't grow on the ground but rather parasitized the trees, making them appear to grow on flat ground at first glance. Using Swift Shadow, I landed on a flat area below the cliff, but I didn't see Bai Yifei or Nan Ya.

Hearing Zibu's cries sound rather desperate, I quickly answered from below the cliff: "Zibu, I'm down here, I'm alright. I'm looking for Yifei and Nanya."

Zibu called from above, "Wu'er, don't move, I'm coming down to find you."

The cliff was really high, and his lightness skill wasn't very good, so I quickly replied, "Don't come down. Call me regularly so I know where you are, and it will be easier to come up when we find them."

He agreed from afar.

To find Yifei and Nanya, I can only use the most primitive method—shouting. The cliff is high and steep, but I believe they might not perish if Yifei managed to grab Nanya. If I shout like this, I might even wake those who are unconscious.

Sure enough, I heard Bai Yifei's voice from below: "Xiao Wu, we're here."

I could hear the voices, but I couldn't see anyone. After searching for what felt like the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, I finally found a hole in the bushes. Bai Yifei's voice was coming from inside the hole. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that a small patch of bushes around the hole had been flattened, suggesting that they had rolled down from there. The hole wasn't small, but even when I lay down at the entrance, I still couldn't see them.

Bai Yifei noticed me and asked, "Xiao Wu! You came down too? Are you hurt?"

He said it was probably a cave, very dark inside, with only the ceiling visible. They probably hadn't reached the bottom yet, because the ground was sloping, but it felt like they were quite far from the ceiling. He wasn't seriously injured; Nan Ya was beside him, but she was probably knocked unconscious.

Just then, I heard the sound of mud sliding down again, and I quickly called out to him. His helpless voice came from inside the cave: "I'm holding onto someone, but there's nowhere to grab on. I'm still going to slide down. Wu'er, don't worry, let me get to the bottom first."

But where is the bottom?

Fortunately, he replied to me soon after. The place they were in was a valley, but the cave entrance was still halfway up the mountain. There seemed to be no way down to the bottom of the valley, and the mountain was almost sheer.

I said, "I took a detour down to the bottom of the valley. If the cave entrance isn't too far from the bottom, I should be able to get up without any problem, given my lightness skill."

He thought for a moment and said, “Xiao Wu, no! I twisted my left foot when I came up. You can’t possibly carry two people up the mountain by yourself. Besides, you’re not familiar with the terrain, and there’s no path here. We don’t want all three of us to get stuck here. You’re good at light footwork, so why don’t you go back to Ciyun Ridge and go down the mountain to find the people in the fortress to rescue us?”

What he said made perfect sense, and I reluctantly accepted it.

Just then, I heard Zibu calling me, so I answered and followed the trail I had just taken through the tangled bushes back up.

Although we were in a hurry, without Nan Ya's directions, we got lost several times and didn't return to Nanfeng Fort until it was dark.

Nan Qingyong and Nan Cong were not present. The steward of the fort was Nan Ya's second cousin. He declined, saying, "This Siwei Mountain area is quite large, and we need a lot of manpower to go there. However, the deployment of twenty or thirty people in the fort must be approved by the fort lord. Why don't we wait for the fort lord to return and then ask for instructions?"

When will the lord of the fortress return?

"It'll probably be tomorrow, but it's uncertain when."

Yi Mei said anxiously, "Second brother, Nan Ya is always from Nanfeng Fort. Besides, it wouldn't be good if something happened to the young master of Baima Manor in Nanfeng Fort. You send someone first, and I'll talk to Father later."

The Second Young Master of the South shook his head and said, "The young master didn't have an accident inside the fortress, so White Horse Manor has no reason to come after us, right? Sister-in-law, you're not involved. Once Uncle has dealt with it, it won't come to you; we'll be the ones who suffer the punishment." He then asked the others beside him, "Right?"

Someone chimed in, "Yes, Uncle is the most ruthless. Besides, it's already dark. Even if we lit torches, the place wouldn't be easy to find. Below Ciyun Ridge is the Hanging Valley, and miasma rises in that valley at dusk. How are we supposed to get in?"