Chapter 87 The Terrifying Ladder
The sound of a copper bell rang out from the direction of the Cloud Ladder, and Tieji, who was drinking with his brothers, looked up.
"Brother Iron Chicken, what's wrong?"
The brother who was drinking noticed his strange expression and put his arm around his shoulder.
"Why aren't you drinking anymore? Keep going!"
A strong smell of alcohol emanated from the man's mouth, smearing Iron Chicken's face. He pushed the man's face away with some disgust and stood up.
"There's a sound coming from the Cloud Ladder."
"Sigh! So what if it rang? I guess it's one of Alan or Axiang coming down!"
Tieji frowned, a strange unease creeping into his heart. Two young women had come today and were currently locked up in Azu's courtyard. How could Axiang and Alan possibly open Azu's courtyard at a time like this? Besides, the little mute had come down with him! Without that girl, how could Axiang and the others have dared to climb the Cloud Ladder!
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Tieji put down his glass and gestured with his chin toward his brothers, who were somewhat staggering from drinking: "You guys continue, I'll go check over there."
...
After the ladder to the clouds was activated, the old woman, who had been bowing her head and hadn't spoken for a long time, chuckled softly.
"Ha...hahahahaha"
Fan Xiaoxiao felt a little uneasy at her eerie laugh. Just as she was about to ask what she was laughing at, the ascending ladder clicked and moved. Immediately afterward, Fan Xiaoxiao felt the ladder beneath her feet seem to pause for a moment. Then, it suddenly plummeted downwards at high speed.
This sudden turn of events caused all three of them to fall violently onto the wooden plank. As they descended, Fan Xiaoxiao felt as if she were being thrown up by the inertia of the fall.
"!!!"
I'm fucking dead!
As the ground drew ever closer, Fan Xiaoxiao felt her heart and breath catch in her throat. Instinctively, she closed her eyes and hugged the nearest old woman tightly.
This is really the end for me! Damn it! Even if I die, I'll make sure you, you old hag, take me down with you!
The wooden plank slammed onto the ground with a loud thud.
After a sudden pause, the pain Fan Xiaoxiao expected didn't occur. She cautiously opened her eyes. Her feet were still about a meter or so off the ground. Looking up, she realized that Boss Ye's silk thread was tightly wrapped around the wooden frame of the cloud ladder, while her other hand was tightly gripping the back of her collar.
Feeling somewhat dazed after surviving the ordeal, Fan Xiaoxiao realized the old woman she was holding was rather heavy. Just as she was about to let go, she heard a "ripping" sound, and her poor collar finally gave way under their combined weight and tore open.
"Ouch!"
The two of them landed heavily on the ground. Hearing the commotion below, Madam Ye raised an eyebrow; it seemed the place wasn't very high. With a swift movement, she gracefully landed beside Fan Xiaoxiao.
"..." Touching the sandy ground beneath her hands, Fan Xiaoxiao's soul finally returned to her body. A gust of wind blew, and she shivered slightly, only then realizing that she was soaked in sweat.
"Cough cough cough..."
The old woman coughed again, and Fan Xiaoxiao suddenly stood up and grabbed her by the collar.
"What the hell have you done?!"
Her hands were trembling slightly, and she could hardly contain her excitement.
"Pfft, what's all the excitement about? I didn't do this. Don't forget, you're the one who pulled the rope."
Fan Xiaoxiao choked slightly, and something suddenly flashed through her mind.
It was that little girl! They didn't bring that little girl with them! That's why the Cloud Ladder malfunctioned!
"You did this on purpose! You fucking know that without that child, this thing will be in trouble!!!" Fan Xiaoxiao tightened her grip, glaring fiercely at the old woman.
"Ha! Hahahaha! Yes! I did it on purpose, too bad I didn't manage to kill you!" The old woman met Fan Xiaoxiao's eyes, her gaze filled with malice.
This person is beyond saving!
Fan Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes and pulled the old woman up from the ground. Just as she was about to speak, she heard a "crack" sound.
She instinctively looked in the direction of the sound and saw the little girl they were looking for staring at them with wide eyes.
"Little mute!"
The little girl was startled by the shout and turned to run. Just as she took two steps, she felt a blur before her eyes, and there stood in front of her, the beautiful woman with her eyes covered by a black veil.
"Ah! Ah!!"
The little mute girl was so frightened that she fell to the ground, opening her mouth and letting out two soft "ah ah" sounds. The woman in front of her tilted her head slightly, as if she were being looked at through the black veil. The little mute girl trembled slightly, and her hands unconsciously picked at some gravel.
Lady Ye squatted down in front of her, gently stroking the little girl's face with one hand, then moving down to the child's throat. The little mute girl was so frightened that she immediately froze on the spot, too afraid to move.
Fan Xiaoxiao pushed the old woman over. By the moonlight, Fan Xiaoxiao could see the little girl's face clearly. She had big eyes and a somewhat thin face. Her hair was styled in two small pigtails. She was a very cute child, but for some reason, there was a long scar on her forehead, which looked rather frightening.
She glanced at Madam Ye's hand touching the other person's throat, remained silent for a long while, and frowned in confusion. As soon as the little mute saw her approach, he seemed to think this young lady would be easy to talk to, and his eyes immediately welled up with tears. He opened his mouth and made some sounds towards Fan Xiaoxiao.
A soft chuckle escaped from Lady Ye's lips.
The little mute girl stiffened slightly, her neck constricted, and she slowly shifted her gaze back to the beautiful woman's face. The woman wore a knowing smile, and the girl could feel the woman's hand tightening around her neck before slowly releasing. Then, she saw the woman's beautiful lips move. She said:
"Stop pretending, take me to see your grandfather."
Upon hearing this, the little mute girl's breath caught in her throat, and her pupils involuntarily dilated. Seeing her expression, Fan Xiaoxiao understood everything. She looked at the little mute girl in surprise; it turned out that Boss Ye had been touching the child's throat for so long without speaking, actually trying to see if the child was truly mute.
"How did you know?" The little mute girl, unable to keep up the act any longer, stopped pretending and asked after a moment of silence. But when she spoke, her voice was like a wire scraping against a blunt object, so unpleasant that it gave one goosebumps.
"Little mute, I never expected you to be pretending to be mute." The old woman's voice was somewhat sinister, her face cold. She never imagined that the little girl beside her had been deceiving them all along.
"Ha, you old hag. Are you disappointed that you couldn't poison me into being mute?"
The old woman's expression twitched, becoming even more sinister and vicious. The little girl's eyes swept over the tightly bound body, a mocking smile playing on her lips: "I never expected that my usually arrogant great-grandmother would be like this. What, didn't you call your good grandson to rescue you?"
"you!"
The little mute glanced at her disdainfully and turned his gaze back to Lady Ye.
"Who are you? How do you know I can speak? And what do you want with my grandfather?"
Fan Xiaoxiao looked at the little mute boy with some surprise. He asked a series of questions very clearly, which was not like a child who was not much older than Xiaobao.
"Little girl, take me to see your grandfather. If you still want to save him." Madam Ye's face was cold, and her aura was quite intimidating.
"!" The little mute girl frowned, her eyes changing instantly. She hesitated for a moment, opened her mouth, and was about to speak when she suddenly felt a lightness in her body; she had been thrown away by that beautiful woman.
"clang!"
The little mute girl turned around and saw a sharp dagger firmly embedded in the spot where she had just been standing!
(End of this chapter)
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