Chapter 74 What kind of hellish place is this?
Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes slightly, "She has nothing to do with me, she's just an ordinary citizen."
"Really?" The leader of the men in black stared into his eyes.
Xiao Qidi remained calm. "Of course it's true. Since you've already arrested me, why bother arresting an unrelated woman?"
The leader of the men in black stood up with a smile and said to the others, "Did you hear that? His Majesty of Xuan Kingdom said she's a commoner. Since she's not important, then she's yours!"
The other men in black immediately lit up with excitement and pounced on Ning Jinli like hungry wolves.
"Stop!" Xiao Qidi hurriedly shouted.
Seeing his reaction, the leader of the men in black laughed loudly, "Looks like she's an important person. I'll give you another chance. Tell me who she is."
Xiao Qidi's eyes flashed with coldness. "She is just someone who is very important to me, and has no other identity."
“You captured me but didn’t kill me, you must need to keep me alive. Let me tell you, if you harm her in the slightest, you can forget about taking me away alive.”
Upon hearing this, the leader of the men in black fell into thought.
He didn't want any accidents to happen before handing Xiao Qidi over to his senior brother.
Since this young woman doesn't seem to pose any threat and can be used to control Xiao Qidi, then we'll leave her alone.
Once we've completed our task and confirmed that the woman is useless, it won't be too late to enjoy ourselves.
"Fine, we won't touch her, but you'd better behave yourself," the leader of the men in black warned.
At this moment, two men in black entered the cave from outside.
The report to the leader stated that everything in Linxian Village had been normal since midnight last night, with no panic or even the deployment of manpower or troops for a search.
It was as if they didn't know their king was missing.
The leader of the men in black glanced at Xiao Qidi and sneered, "I've long heard that the King of Xuan Kingdom is just a pathetic wretch who has the title but no power or prestige. Now it seems that's true. It's one thing for the court not to take you seriously, but even the soldiers and people in the border regions don't seem to care about you."
Xiao Qidi was too lazy to explain to anyone.
He knew very well that the reason why the soldiers and civilians had no reaction was because, just like last time, they thought he had gone to the fairy's side.
So the only thing we can do now is try to save ourselves.
"Tell me, who are you, and why are you arresting me?" he said calmly. "Although I hold the throne in name only, I am still the ruler of a country. Aren't you afraid of being punished by the court in the future?"
The leader of the men in black said, "We're just following orders. We'll take you there and that's it. What's there to be afraid of?"
Xiao Qidi recalled the events of last night and realized that he and Ning Jinli must have been drugged with sleeping powder to have passed out.
These people used江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the martial arts world) methods and were able to sneak into the camp without being detected by patrolling soldiers, which clearly shows that they are highly skilled in martial arts. In addition, judging from their performance just now, they also have a certain degree of organizational ability.
Even though the man in black didn't reveal his identity, it was easy to guess that he belonged to some martial arts sect.
And it's not a small sect or faction.
Major righteous sects in the martial arts world, as well as sects belonging to the Xuan Kingdom, probably wouldn't do such a thing, which narrows down the scope even further.
"Could you be from the Tian Shu Sect?" Xiao Qidi probed.
This was just his guess; he wasn't very certain.
He had recently encountered the leader of the Tian Shu Sect, which proves that people from this sect have been active in this area recently.
In addition, the Yuqi Mountain where the Tian Shu Sect is located is not far from Xitun Pass.
"How did you know?" a man in black blurted out.
The leader of the men in black tried to stop them but couldn't, and could only glare fiercely at the person who had spoken out of turn.
Xiao Qidi's guess was thus confirmed. He continued, "I once met your sect leader, and she did me a great favor. I guess you came to arrest me not at her behest, right? You roam the martial world without a trace. Perhaps you are not afraid of punishment from the imperial court, but aren't you afraid of your sect leader's punishment?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of several men in black changed slightly.
"Shut up!" The leader of the men in black stepped forward and delivered a chop to Xiao Qidi's neck.
Xiao Qidi fainted.
The leader of the men in black turned his head and stared at the others. "Don't let his nonsense shake your resolve. When our senior brother becomes a high-ranking official in the Yu Kingdom, we'll get our share of the benefits, and we won't need to go back to the Tian Shu Sect."
The group composed themselves, clasped their hands in greeting, and said, "Yes!"
Afterwards, the group carried Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli out of the cave and put them into the carriage they had prepared beforehand.
Then they all changed back into ordinary clothes, mounted their horses, and drove their carriages to Yuqi Mountain.
Although the route was through remote and desolate borderlands, their speed was much slower because they were carrying two captured people on their return journey.
It took two days to get into the Yuqi Mountain area.
Along the way, whenever they noticed that Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli showed signs of waking up, they would give them a mouthful of sleeping pills to ensure that nothing went wrong.
When they were still quite a distance from the main peak where the Tian Shu Sect was located, the group helped Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli down from the carriage.
There is a road leading to the main peak that can be traveled by horse-drawn carriage.
However, disciples of the Tian Shu Sect are stationed along this road. If they were to return so openly, they would surely be discovered by the sect leader.
Therefore, they had to wait until dark and then take another extremely secluded dark path to meet their senior brother on the back side of the main peak.
As dusk fell.
Layers of mist have risen from the towering peaks of Yuqi Mountain.
Although the sun had not completely set, the area behind the main peak was already shrouded in a hazy darkness.
Several people took turns carrying Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli on their backs, making their way through the rugged and narrow mountain path that could hardly be called a road.
The mountain path was extremely steep. Even if they were highly skilled in martial arts, it would be very difficult for them to walk empty-handed. They also had to be extremely careful. If they were to fall into a crevice in the cliff, their chances of survival would be slim.
After walking for an hour or so with their nerves on edge, everyone was panting heavily.
"This kid is too tall and heavy," someone complained. "Why don't we wake him up and let him walk by himself? The road ahead is even narrower, and we might not be able to carry him through."
The leader thought for a moment, "Hmm, tie his hands tighter, and be careful not to let him escape."
Then, the group wrapped thick hemp rope around Xiao Qidi's arms before waking him up.
Xiao Qidi slowly opened his eyes. "I haven't had enough sleep yet."
The leader warned sternly, "Take a good look at this place. Let me tell you, even a god would get lost without our guidance and eventually be trapped here. If you don't want to live anymore, or if you don't care about that woman, then feel free to run around."
Xiao Qidi looked around and couldn't help but frown.
He could tell that the other party was not exaggerating.
The treacherous terrain here far surpasses the natural defenses of Linxian Village.
"Okay, I understand. Let's go." Xiao Qidi glanced at Ning Jinli, who was still unconscious, and stood up with difficulty.
Eight experts from the Tian Shu Sect, two of whom led the way.
Xiao Qidi and the person carrying Ning Jinli walked in the middle, while the others walked at the back, keeping an eye on their surroundings and watching Xiao Qidi.
The deeper the group went into the mountains, the steeper and narrower the path became, and in many places, one side was a bottomless cliff.
Ordinary people couldn't walk across it at all, and even these martial arts masters had to cling tightly to the other side of the cliff to avoid slipping and falling.
After walking for half an hour, a bright moon rose in the sky, illuminating the mountain mist as if it were a slowly floating gray-white veil.
"How much longer do we have to walk?" Xiao Qidi asked casually.
The leader pointed ahead, "We'll reach our destination after we cross Eagle Falling Gorge."
Xiao Qidi suddenly stopped, feigning extreme weakness, and said, "I can't walk anymore, I need to rest for a while."
The leader said coldly, "Don't play dumb with me."
Xiao Qidi leaned his shoulder against the mountain wall on the left. "Who told you to drug me and ruin my strength? I really have no strength left. Do whatever you want with me."
As soon as his shoulder touched the rock, a pile of dirt and pebbles fell from the cliff face, scattering into the abyss on his right.
This greatly frightened the members of the Tian Shu sect.
Xiao Qidi said calmly, "How about this, you give me some antidote, so that I can regain some of my strength, and it won't delay your business."
"Don't even think about it!" The leader wiped the sweat from his brow.
Xiao Qidi chuckled, "Even a fool could see how dangerous this place is. Do you think I could run away? Besides, if I lose my strength and fall into the abyss, wouldn't all your efforts have been in vain?"
The leader was speechless.
That makes a lot of sense.
He hesitated for a moment, then took out a small pill from his pocket, pinched it in half with his fingertips, and put one half into Xiao Qidi's mouth.
Xiao Qidi instantly felt much lighter.
Although he was far from back to normal, he had gained some confidence in dealing with these people.
The group continued walking forward.
Before long, they finally arrived at Eagle Falling Gorge, as the leader had described.
This is a naturally formed stone bridge.
It's called a bridge, but at its narrowest point it's less than a step wide, and below it is a mountain ravine crevice that's deeper than the places we've passed before.
Thick wisps of cold fog billowed from the cracks, chilling to the bone.
The leader took the rope hook from his waist and swung it forcefully toward the other side of the stone bridge.
He planned to hook onto the other side so that the group could hold onto the rope and safely cross the stone bridge.
However, due to the great distance, the dim moonlight, and the thick fog obscuring his vision, he tried several times but failed to hook onto the fixed object on the other side.
"Why don't you let me give it a try?" Xiao Qidi suggested.
"Are you sure you can do it?" the leader asked with a doubtful look.
Xiao Qidi said, "Why not give it a try? Maybe my arms are a bit longer than yours, so I can swing them further and catch them."
The leader then untied his hands and handed him the rope hook.
Xiao Qidi took the rope grappling hook, stepped forward, stood firmly on a small platform at the bridgehead, and slowly swung the hook.
Seeing that the grappling hook was swinging faster and faster, he suddenly turned around and threw the grappling hook at the Tian Shu Sect members.
Whoosh!
A sound like something cutting through the air.
Several experts were completely unprepared for Xiao Qidi's actions, and before they could react, their calves were all entangled.
Xiao Qidi pulled hard with both arms, and the group fell down almost simultaneously.
In a flash, he darted forward, scooped Ning Jinli into his arms with one hand, and then, with his other hand, gripped the end of the rope and hurled it forcefully toward the ravine.
The movements were as fast as lightning.
The people whose calves were entangled lost their balance and were pulled off one after another, falling to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the eight people fell into the fog-shrouded mountain stream like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
Xiao Qidi broke out in a cold sweat.
This extremely risky move instantly depleted the strength he had secretly accumulated.
He couldn't even stand steadily, and with a thud, he knelt down on both knees.
Just as he was about to put Ning Jinli on the ground to catch her breath.
Whoosh!
A rope grappling hook flew up from below, piercing through the thick fog, and coiled around his neck like a snake.
Immediately afterwards, the immense force of the fall pulled him down as well.
He was too exhausted to struggle and didn't even have time to let go of Ning Jinli.
And so, holding her, they plunged into the abyss together.
The howling, icy wind lashed his face like knives.
He had no idea what lay beneath the abyss.
But it's estimated that this time it's a doomed situation, and he's bound to be smashed to pieces.
"I'm sorry, Miss Ning... I've dragged you into this."
Xiao Qidi gritted his teeth, apologized to Ning Jinli who was unconscious in his arms, and then resolutely adjusted his body to the lower position.
Even if it meant being smashed to pieces, he wanted to cushion her fall and give her a chance to survive.
Bang!
After a loud bang.
Xiao Qidi instantly lost consciousness...
...
I don't know how much time has passed.
Ning Jinli opened her eyes groggily.
As she gradually regained consciousness, the pain throughout her body and the biting cold made her shiver.
She lay on her back, surrounded by a vast expanse of white, like clouds she could reach out and touch.
It seemed that it was already dawn, but the thick white fog made the surroundings appear gloomy.
She turned her head and looked around, only to find that she was lying on the bank of a river, with most of her body submerged in the icy water.
"What the hell is this? Wasn't I in Xiao Qidi's camp in Linxian Village? How did I get here?" She endured the pain and cold all over her body and struggled to climb ashore.
“Xiao Qidi…Xiao Qidi…”
Ning Jinli crawled along, calling out weakly.
Suddenly, she saw a figure floating on the water near the shore, face down with most of its body submerged in the water, but it was clear that it was a man.
Without thinking, she struggled to her feet and went to the shore. She stood in waist-deep water and used all her strength to grab the other person's clothes and flip them over.
Whoosh—
A face, pale from being soaked in the icy river water, came into view.
The man stared wide-eyed, looking terrified and dying with his eyes wide open.
Ning Jinli was startled, but also relieved.
At least this isn't Xiao Qidi.
"Xiao Qidi! Where are you!" Ning Jinli looked around anxiously, her shouts echoing through the mountain stream and cliffs.
Suddenly, she felt something soft wrap around her calf, and then it tightened little by little.
A water snake?!
Her face changed drastically, and she splashed around in the water, scrambling and crawling towards the shore.
Once ashore, I looked back and saw that my ankle was wrapped with a hemp rope about two fingers thick.
The rope tightened as it flowed slowly with the river, as if something was submerged on the other side.
She gritted her teeth, gripped the rope, and pulled hard toward the shore.
As the rope was pulled up little by little, a tall figure appeared from the bend in the river.
This time, Ning Jinli saw things clearly.
That's Xiao Qidi!
Ning Jinli pulled with all her might and finally dragged him to the shore.
However, he was already ice-cold, pale-faced, and no longer breathing...
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