Chapter 91
Although Yuan Lu had only been Xu Gui's assistant for a short time, she believed she knew Xu Gui fairly well.
Although Xu Gui often acts unpredictably, leaving people puzzled by her behavior, she is not actually the kind of person who makes baseless accusations or acts unreasonably.
Many things later proved that she had her reasons for doing so.
So, is it because Teacher Xu discovered something down there during this inspection?
Thinking of this, Yuan Lu felt a chill and suddenly gave up trying to persuade Xu Gui. Instead, she actively began to work with Xu Gui to find a suitable place to go down.
Finally, after searching for a while, the two found a suitable place.
“Teacher Xu, I’ll go with you,” Yuan Lu said immediately.
Xu Gui looked down and said, "No need, you can stay up here. That way, if I accidentally fall down here, you can call to save me."
Yuan Lu: "Then, I'll go downstairs. Teacher Xu, you wait for me upstairs?"—As her assistant, how could she let Xu Gui put himself in danger?
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui looked her up and down with surprise, then slowly shook his head and said, "I'll go down myself."
Although she didn't say much, Yuan Lu felt she understood what she meant; her eyes seemed to be filled with the words "you're useless."
Yuan Lu was a little embarrassed.
After Xu Gui jumped down, she looked at her thin arms and legs, which looked weak, and suddenly made a decision: she must exercise hard in the future to strengthen her physique so that she could stand up for herself if something like this happened again.
Yuan Lu exhaled and looked down, only to find that Xu Gui's figure had already disappeared into the woods, his silhouette indistinct.
She turned her head and saw the girl in the black dress they had seen before, who was standing a few steps away, looking in their direction.
Yuan Lu asked in confusion, "...What exactly is this child trying to do?"
He followed them, but didn't get close. He just kept a distance from them, watching them with a strange expression.
...
At this moment, Xu Gui had already disappeared into the woods below. She found her direction and headed towards the area at the very bottom of the large platform.
The "Golden Summit" side has many trees and rocks. The tree canopies overhead are connected, blocking out the sun and creating a cold and gloomy atmosphere.
Because almost no one comes down there, it's overgrown with weeds and vines, making it quite difficult to walk around. Occasionally, there are rustling noises all around, and it's unclear what kind of animals are scurrying about.
Fortunately, Xu Gui was very agile. To outsiders, her movements looked dangerous, but in reality, she walked steadily and had a very stable lower body.
Fluttering!
A small bird with a pale yellow crest on its head, rosy cheeks under its eyes, and white feathers fluttered its wings and landed on the tree in front of Xu Gui.
It tilted its head slightly, looking at Xu Gui with great curiosity.
Xu Gui looked up at it and stretched out his arm: "Come here."
The little bird tilted its head again, its tiny, beady eyes revealing a hint of innocent foolishness.
A few seconds later: "Chirp chirp..."
With a chirp, the little bird flapped its wings and flew up, drawing a smooth and steady line, before gently landing on Xu Gui's arm.
Xu Gui gently stroked its feathers and asked, "Have you seen any humans like me down here?"
The little bird hopped around on her arm and called out, "Human! Human!!"
“That’s right, a person, someone like me,” Xu Gui said. “Have you seen her? If you have, can you take me to her?”
The little bird stared at Xu Gui for a few seconds, then suddenly flapped its wings and flew off in one direction, calling out, "People, looking for people... Mom, Mom is the prettiest!"
Xu Gui looked up at the white figure and hurriedly followed.
...
Yuan Lu returned to the large platform at the top of the mountain.
Standing here, the view is not only clearer, but also covers a wider area.
The trees below were lush and their canopies blocked her view, so even though she squinted and looked down carefully, she still couldn't see Xu Gui.
Not seeing him and unable to ascertain Xu Gui's condition, Yuan Lu couldn't help but worry and called him.
Fortunately, the call was answered quickly. As soon as she heard the ringing tone, she couldn't wait to ask, "Teacher Xu, are you alright? Did nothing happen?"
Xu Gui's voice was a little breathless as he said, "Of course I'm fine."
"People, people... looking for someone!" A strange sound came from the phone. Yuan Lu listened for a moment and couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Xu, is there anyone else with you?" She thought she heard another person talking.
"Is there someone else down there?" she wondered.
Are there still people down there?
Upon hearing this, the girl in the black dress, who was standing a few steps away, suddenly raised her head and stared intently at Yuan Lu.
Yuan Lu didn't notice the other person's gaze, nor did she see the girl's seemingly flustered eyes. She was still talking to Xu Gui: "...So it was a bird talking?"
Xu Gui explained to her that it was a bird that was speaking.
After Xu Gui described the bird's appearance, she suddenly realized, "It should be a parrot..." She remembered that many parrots could talk.
The parrot that Xu Gui encountered might belong to someone on this mountain.
Yuan Lu thought to herself.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll contact you if anything happens." Xu Gui's reassuring voice came from the phone. She said, "I might need your help later."
The call ended.
Yuan Lu stared at the phone that had just been hung up, pondering Xu Gui's last words: What did he mean by "we might need her help later"?
Yuan Lu leaned over the railing, peering down, trying again to find Xu Gui's figure.
Time passed silently, and the blazing sun grew even hotter, making exposed skin feel hot.
After waiting for about half an hour, just as Yuan Lu was wondering whether she should call Xu Gui again, her phone finally rang again.
"Hey, Teacher Xu..." she called out anxiously, "Are you alright?"
“Yuan Lu,” Xu Gui’s somewhat cold voice came through the phone, “Could you please contact the security guards at the Golden Summit… and tell them that I met someone down here who probably fell down the mountain, and he doesn’t look well and needs help.”
Upon hearing this, Yuan Lu was speechless.
people? !
There's someone down there? Or someone who fell down?
In that instant, several thoughts flashed through Yuan Lu's mind, her thoughts were in a mess, but fortunately, she still seemed calm and subconsciously replied, "Okay, I'll go find the security guards at the Golden Summit to help me right now!"
As she spoke, she turned to find the security guards at the Golden Summit, but the girl in the black dress, who had been standing to the side and had been ignored by her because she hadn't spoken, suddenly rushed over and blocked Yuan Lu's way.
"What happened?" The other person looked at Yuan Lu anxiously. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Seeing Yuan Lu in a daze, she quickly said, "Sister, my home is right at the Golden Summit. I know this place very well. If there's anything I can do to help, I definitely can!"
Her attitude was very positive. Yuan Lu thought about it and realized that having an acquaintance would indeed make things easier, so she said, "My friend met someone down there who seemed to have fallen off the mountain. He asked me to find the security guards at the Golden Summit to come and help..."
The girl in the black dress froze, her face blank. The next second, she suddenly grabbed Yuan Lu's shoulders and excitedly asked, "What kind of person was she? Was she a man or a woman? Did she say who she was?"
Yuan Lu: "Ah..."
"Yuan Lu!" Xu Gui's voice came from the phone, which was still connected. Yuan Lu quickly put the phone to her ear. "Hello, Teacher Xu!"
Xu Gui squatted on the ground, looking down at the figure lying there, and said in a cold voice, "Tell that girl that the person who had the accident was a girl about her age, with two braids and a blue dress..."
Yuan Lu had already turned on the speakerphone halfway through, so the girl in the black dress heard Xu Gui's words. At this moment, the expression on her face was blank, as if her soul had floated out of her body.
Several seconds later, she came to her senses and asked softly, "Is she...is she still alive?"
Is he still alive?
Xu Gui looked down at the disheveled girl and said, "Although she looks miserable, she is indeed still alive."
Upon hearing this, the girl in the black dress displayed a very strange expression, a mixture of fear and relief... Finally, she covered her face and began to sob.
"Thank goodness, Meimei is alright, Meimei is alright..." she said, wiping away her tears.
Yuan Lu looked at her cautiously and asked, "Are you alright?"
The girl wiped away her tears and said, "I'm fine... By the way,"
She looked up at Yuan Lu and said, "Didn't you want to find security? I know where the security office is. I'll take you there!"
With the girl's help, Yuan Lu easily found the security guard at the Golden Summit.
The security guards at Jinding are all hired at high prices, not just the pretentious showmen in ordinary residential areas. They are all really skilled, and some are even retired soldiers, so they are very capable.
When Yuan Lu said that someone had fallen from the platform, the security guards' first reaction was disbelief, and then they quickly took action.
There is also a medical room on the Golden Summit. Because it was heard that the person who fell was not in good condition, the security guards called the doctors and nurses from the medical room, and a group of people hurriedly rushed to the back mountain of the Golden Summit.
The commotion also alerted many people living on the Golden Summit. Xu Gui and his group are currently on a small island in H Province. The Golden Summit is actually a resort villa area with few permanent residents; most people come here for vacations only occasionally.
Now, many people have come over to join in the fun, seeing what the security guards are doing.
"What happened?"
"I know, I heard that a little girl fell off the big platform at the top of the mountain..."
"Wow! That's really high over there. If someone falls from there, will they be dead already?"
"I'm not sure about that, but it seems they said the person is still alive, and the medical staff went down to rescue them!"
Everyone crowded onto the large platform to look down, trying to see where the person had fallen, but the island was full of trees, blocking the view of what was below.
The security guards acted swiftly and were highly efficient. Guided by Xu Gui's location, they quickly found him.
Splash—
As soon as they arrived, they saw a cockatiel, as if startled, suddenly flap its wings and fly up from the side with a whooshing sound.
It circled in the air once before slowly descending, its small body landing on the shoulder of a person below. Once it was steady, it made a gurgling sound and then turned its head to tidy its somewhat ruffled feathers.
The security guards kept their eyes on it, and when it landed, their gaze naturally shifted from the parrot to the figure beneath it.
"...You must be Miss Xu?" The security captain strode over. "Where is the injured person?"
Xu Guichong nodded to them, "Come with me, he's over there."
To prevent the security guards from not being able to find her, Xu Gui deliberately took a few steps in this direction, and then led everyone towards the person who had the accident.
After walking for about two minutes, the security guards finally saw the person who had the accident. Upon seeing the person's condition, everyone felt a chill and their faces showed extreme shock.
They only knew that someone had fallen from the Golden Summit Mountain, but they had no idea how badly the person had fallen. They guessed that it might be serious, given how high and steep the place was. However, now that they had actually seen it, the person's condition was beyond their expectations.
The person who appeared before them was extremely disheveled. She was filthy, covered in mud and weeds, and looked extremely thin. Her exposed fingers were so thin that they looked like skin and bones. She was completely unrecognizable.
It lay there, almost blending into its surroundings.
This doesn't look like someone who just fell from above...
The security captain didn't dare to think too much and immediately called to the doctor and nurses following behind them: "Doctor, quick, check on the other person's condition!"
Without saying much, the doctors and nurses rushed over and knelt down to check on the person's condition. While the doctors were doing so, the security captain walked over to Xu Gui and spoke to her.
"How did Miss Xu discover this person?" he asked tentatively. "Does Miss Xu know who she is?"
Xu Gui shook his head: "I don't know him..."
"How did Miss Xu know there were people down there?" The security captain looked up. "From here, looking down, it seems like we can't see anything."
Xu Gui suddenly looked at him and asked, "Are you suspecting that I'm the one who harmed her?"
The security captain said calmly, "I just find this very strange, and I'm also very curious as to why Miss Xu would suddenly come here."
He looked around. "Ordinary people wouldn't come to a place like this, would they? Miss Xu, your actions seem to suggest that you knew there were people here from the beginning, so you went straight to your destination as soon as you came down... Isn't that strange?"
The security captain felt that the whole thing was strange from the beginning, and he couldn't believe Xu Gui even if he wanted to.
Upon hearing this, Xu Gui smiled and said, "Don't worry, this really has nothing to do with me. This is my first time in H Province..."
"However, if you ask me how I knew there were people down there, I can tell you that I calculated it."
She looked at the security captain, and amidst his shocked yet "Are you out of your mind?" expression, said, "My main job is fortune telling. You can call me the fortune teller!"
Security captain: ? Huh?
The security captain was dumbfounded.
"Captain!" Over here, the doctor had finished examining the injured person and immediately stood up to say to the security captain, "The patient's condition is not good. She broke her leg, and it seems she hasn't eaten for a long time. She is very weak, and she also has a fever!"
The doctor's expression was very serious—this was the first time in all her years that she had encountered a patient in such poor physical condition; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe them as "riddled with wounds."
Moreover, her breathing was very weak, and she was clearly on the verge of death.
"Therefore, we must get her to the hospital as soon as possible for a thorough medical examination!"
The captain nodded, not bothering to ask Xu Gui anything more, and hurriedly told his men to put the person on a stretcher and carry him up the mountain.
When the security guards lifted the person and placed them on the stretcher, they touched the person's thin, bony hands and were extremely careful, afraid that any force might cause further injury to the patient.
A group of people walked quickly up the road, and when they came up from the bottom, they saw that there were many people gathered on the road.
"They're coming up!"
"My God, look at their stretchers, there's actually someone underneath? Whose child is it?"
"What happened to this person? How long has it been since they fell? Did it rain today?" It looks like they've rolled around in mud.
When the girl in the black dress saw the person on the stretcher, her eyes widened and her lips trembled slightly.
Xu Gui appeared behind the security guards. As soon as she came up, Yuan Lu rushed towards her: "Teacher Xu!"
She originally wanted to go down with the security guards, but they said they were going down to rescue people and were afraid that Yuan Lu would cause them trouble, so they refused to let her go.
"Teacher Xu, are you alright?" She looked at Xu Gui with concern, then her gaze fell on the little bird on her shoulder: "Is this the parrot you mentioned on the phone?"
Xu Gui nodded, reached out and naturally patted the little bird's head, saying, "Quickly say hello to your sister..."
"Sister," the little bird hopped on Xu Gui's shoulder and called out, "Hello, sister."
Yuan Lu's eyes widened, and she stammered, "It...it spoke..."
Xu Gui looked at her strangely and said, "Didn't you say that parrots can talk? Why are you so surprised?"
Yuan Lu: "...But this is the first time I've ever seen a parrot talk in real life!"
She cupped her face in her hands, saying excitedly, "And it even calls me 'sister'!"
The little bird continued to call out at the top of its lungs, "...Hello, sister! Hello, sister!"
Xu Gui smiled, turned her head, and saw a young woman not far away looking at them with a shocked expression.
Xu Gui: ?
The next second, the young woman suddenly rushed over, her eyes fixed on Xu Gui... and the parrot on Xu Gui's shoulder.
"Caiyun, you can actually talk?" The young woman asked excitedly, reaching out to hold the little bird in her hands. "Weren't you a mute parrot?"
The parrot, held in her hands, didn't struggle; it just tilted its head slightly.
Xu Gui looked at the woman and asked, "Is this your parrot?"
The woman was trying to get the parrot to say a few more words, but the parrot kept its mouth tightly shut and didn't open it at all.
Hearing Xu Gui's words, she looked up, nodded, and said, "It's mine. Its name is Caiyun, and it's a cockatiel... The aunt who was feeding it today accidentally scared it, and it flew away. I looked for it for a long time and thought I would never find it again."
The woman spoke with tears welling up in her eyes.
Looking at her outfit, she was wearing slippers and a simple dress, with no makeup, and she really looked like she had rushed out of her house in a hurry.
So it seems that what she said might actually be true. Of course, the most important thing is that the parrot didn't struggle violently after she caught it, which shows that the person and the bird do know each other.
"Did my Caiyun just speak?" She looked at Xu Gui and the others expectantly, seeking confirmation.
Xu Gui nodded: "He spoke."
"Right?" The woman in the mask said excitedly to the little bird, "Caiyun, quickly tell Mommy: Mommy is beautiful!"
The moment he opened his mouth, it was the old-fashioned Jiazi accent.
Unfortunately, Caiyun completely ignored her words and tilted her head to straighten her feathers.
The young woman was a little confused. She asked, "Didn't you just say something? Why are you silent now?"
The little bird ignored her.
The woman looked flustered, and for some reason, she looked pitifully at Xu Gui and asked, "Why did you ask my Caiyun to talk? Why won't it talk when I ask it to?"
She couldn't help but feel a little wronged—not only did her pet bird not listen to her at all, but it also seemed too lazy to pay any attention to her.
Young woman: Waaah, that's too much!
Xu Gui glanced at the person and the pet and said, "Oh, it's just too lazy to pay attention to you."
As she spoke, she reached out her hand, and the little bird immediately seemed to see its family. It eagerly spread its wings and flew to her hand, even rubbing its beak against Xu Gui's fingers.
Seeing this, Yuan Lu could hardly bear to look at the woman's expression. Anyone who didn't know better would probably think that their teacher, Mr. Xu, was the owner of the little parrot.
She glanced at the woman, and sure enough, the woman's face showed a heartbroken expression.
"How...how did you do that?" The woman looked at Xu Gui with grief and indignation. "Did you bewitch my Caiyun? She's a very aloof bird."
But now? It's acting like a total sycophant... Her Caiyun has never rubbed its mouth against her like that before.
The woman was filled with grief and indignation; in other words, she was overwhelmed by what she was seeing.
"Hello, beautiful sister!" Caiyun added fuel to the fire, becoming even more obsequious to Xu Gui's finger.
Seeing that the young woman was about to burst into tears, Xu Gui said, "It's not that it doesn't like you; it actually likes you a lot. Think about it, out of everyone in your family, isn't it the one who likes you the most?"
The young woman calmed down a bit and had to admit that Xu Gui was right.
Caiyun was a bird she found in a trash can. The little bird was initially listless and sick all over—which was probably why its previous owner had abandoned it.
It took the woman a long time to cure its illness and turn it into a healthy little bird. So, in their family, the little bird was the one closest to her.
You should know that Caiyun is a very proud parrot. It is unwilling to be touched by other people, including the aunt who occasionally feeds it. It ignores her. Only when facing its young female owner will it obediently lower its proud head and let her preen its feathers.
Thinking about these things, the woman's heart softened again.
“But…” she looked at the little bird that was so close to Xu Gui, and her expression became mournful again, “It has never been this close to me.”
"Idiot! Idiot!" The little bird hopped on Xu Gui's finger, looking like it was jumping up and down.
woman:?
Why are you swearing, you bird?
Xu Gui chuckled and said, "It's just a little unhappy with you, so it sometimes doesn't like the look of you and really wants to peck you..."
She looked at the woman intently and said, "Believe me, the fact that it didn't peck you or slap you with its wings is entirely because it really likes you."
woman:?
"What could it possibly be unhappy about with me?" She couldn't think of anything she could do that could make her little bird so unhappy with her; she had given her bird her whole heart.
Xu Gui began, "Well, it's because..."
"Miss Xu!"
A voice suddenly broke in.
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