Ye Fan, pulling Shen Tianyin along, grew increasingly cautious. With every step, he stabilized his body, leaving no room for danger.
Shen Tianyin, held tightly by him, surprised him by not showing the fear he'd expected. Instead, a faint calmness graced her face, as if such an adventure posed no threat to her.
Giving Shen Tianyin an appreciative glance, Ye Fan chuckled, "I didn't expect you to have such courage. You truly impress me." He didn't know Shen Tianyin well, having only considered him a casual acquaintance before, so he was unaware of the resilience in his personality.
"I've trained," Shen Tianyin replied with a smile, a hint of pride in his eyes.
On the narrow path along the cliff face, dozens of people passed one after another, like a long serpent. Seen from a distance, their winding movement was quite imposing.
Just then, a scream suddenly echoed from ahead, causing everyone behind to hold their breath.
"What happened?" Ye Fan asked in a deep voice.
"Someone fell," came the response after a moment.
Ye Fan's expression grew even more somber. Life and death could be decided in an instant, and at such a time, one could not afford to be careless. Yet, danger often arrived hand in hand with difficulty.
Several small black dots now appeared in the sky, circling continuously.
"Blood Eagles, hurry! It's Blood Eagles!" Kong Weiren roared from the rear, urging those ahead to move faster.
"Why would there be Blood Eagles here? These creatures are long extinct," Ye Fan frowned. Blood Eagles were entirely black but had blood-red heads, and their eyes, in particular, gleamed with a vibrant red light. Adult Blood Eagles were as large as grown men, carnivorous, and incredibly strong. These creatures had been extinct even in Ye Fan's previous life, only appearing in historical records. How could extinct creatures appear here?
The people ahead quickened their pace, but the narrow path stretched for hundreds of meters, making it impossible to simply rush through. The Blood Eagles circling in the sky, however, had already fixed their gaze on them. In the eyes of the Blood Eagles, these people were the most delicious prey.
"Caw." With a cry, the black dots grew larger, and then, they suddenly swooped down. In an instant, a villager, unable to dodge in time, was knocked off the cliff. The scream that followed signaled the end of this villager's life.
"Stop looking, move quickly," Ye Fan roared angrily as the other villagers froze in panic. His shout instantly jolted them back to their senses. They focused their attention and hurried towards the end of the path.
A few minutes later, the villagers at the very front leaped off the narrow path, stepping onto the wider ground.
"Quick, don't waste time," Ye Fan said urgently, glancing at the Blood Eagles in the sky. As more villagers ascended, Ye Fan was only a few meters from the end, but the Blood Eagles had already swooped down again. This time, their target was Ye Fan.
"Be careful," Shen Tianyin warned urgently, his face instantly paling with fear. Ye Fan had already seen the Blood Eagle swooping down. He instantly pulled out a climbing pole from his backpack, gripped a protruding rock with one hand, and tightly grasped the climbing pole with the other, thrusting it forcefully at the Blood Eagle. At this moment, Ye Fan's upper body was already extended outward, hanging in mid-air, relying solely on the hand gripping the rock.
"Thwack." It seemed the Blood Eagle hadn't expected Ye Fan to possess such skill. Caught off guard, the tip of the climbing pole plunged fiercely into its chest, instantly drawing a gush of blood. However, despite being a behemoth, it wouldn't die immediately even when injured. The Blood Eagle flapped its wings and struggled frantically. Its immense strength yanked Ye Fan violently outward. In such a situation, even Ye Fan, with all his skill, was helpless. The hand gripping the rock slipped, and his body pitched backward.
"Ye Fan!" Shen Tianyin cried out in despair, turning instinctively to grab Ye Fan.
"No." Seeing Shen Tianyin's reckless action, Ye Fan roared, then shoved upward with both hands, forcefully pushing Shen Tianyin further along. This immense force, however, only hastened his own descent. In an instant, his feet left the narrow path, and he plummeted downward.
"No!" Shen Tianyin's eyes turned bloodshot, tears streaming uncontrollably. Just then, a rope descended from the sky, striking Ye Fan. Instantly, Ye Fan adjusted his angle and grabbed the rope with both hands. Fortunately, he hadn't fallen far, and the downward force wasn't great, otherwise, the people above wouldn't have been able to hold him. The rope tightened, and over a dozen villagers held it firmly, pulling Ye Fan up from the cliff face.
"Thank you." Looking at the dozen villagers gasping for breath, Ye Fan climbed to his feet, ignoring the scrapes on his body, and thanked them calmly.
"It's nothing. We saved you for the treasure. After all, you're the leader. If you had fallen, all our previous efforts would have been in vain. So, no need for thanks." Their simple words left Ye Fan speechless. Indeed, these people had saved him with a purpose. But regardless, they had saved his life. In that moment, a sliver of warmth began to thaw the coldness in Ye Fan's heart.
...
"Ye Fan, how are you? Are you okay?" Shen Tianyin jumped up, quickly falling beside Ye Fan and anxiously asking, gripping his hand. His shoulders trembled slightly, clearly showing that Ye Fan's ordeal had frightened Shen Tianyin and left him unable to calm down.
"I'm fine. Just a few scrapes, nothing serious," Ye Fan said with a smile, comforting Shen Tianyin. But the next moment, Shen Tianyin suddenly lost it, raising his hand and slapping Ye Fan hard across the face. "You scoundrel! Why did you push me away just now? Do you know that if something had happened to you, I would never be happy in this life? Why are you always putting yourself in danger? Have you thought about me?" He swung his small fists, pounding fiercely on Ye Fan's chest.
This sudden turn of events left Ye Fan stunned. Especially when Shen Tianyin bit him, Ye Fan winced in pain, unsure of what to say. After venting his frustration, Shen Tianyin quickly trotted forward, found a rock several dozen meters away, sat down, propped his chin in his hands, and sulked, pouting. Ye Fan was dumbfounded. He could dominate the field of antique appraisal, unrivaled. But in matters of the heart, he truly didn't know how to express himself.
At this moment, Shen Bao had already climbed up. Seeing Ye Fan standing there motionless, he was filled with annoyance. "Why are you just standing there like an idiot? Aren't you going to go comfort my sister?" Shen Bao was exasperated. He could resolve everything else perfectly, but when it came to emotional matters, he couldn't handle them. But Ye Fan shook his head, "Let's talk about it later. Getting through this path safely is the most important thing right now." With his life on the line, Ye Fan had no mood to consider anything else.