The situation seemed to be under Qin Ningyi's control. They arrived before Qin Ningyi, "Young Master Qin, the others are on their way. Some people have found the poisonous insects and descended the mountain ahead of schedule. Should we also..."
Qin Ningyi shook his head, narrowed his eyes slightly, and looked at the person in front of him. "Descend the mountain!"
As per the plan Qin Ningyi had set before their departure, everyone escorted them in another direction. After only a few steps, Qin Ningyi's pace faltered.
He rubbed his head. A group of small figures seemed to appear before his eyes, muttering incantations at him. Then, he saw his parents sighing as he, holding a toy gun, stood there awkwardly. wap.kanshu伍.net
Shen Wuyou, who had been closely monitoring his condition, saw this and supported his elbow. "You won't make it down the mountain!"
If they didn't retrace their steps, the journey would take approximately twice as long. Qin Ningyi wouldn't be able to hold on until they reached the bottom; it was already remarkable that he had lasted this long.
"Everything has its counter, I'll find you an antidote!" Shen Wuyou said, taking out a dagger from his person.
He looked at the person in charge. "Young Master Qin is poisoned. I need someone to take me back to find the antidote."
"Young Master Qin is poisoned? Is it the Illusion Mask?" The person in charge hadn't noticed when Qin Ningyi was poisoned at all. Those poisoned by the Illusion Mask showed symptoms quickly. How could he believe that Qin Ningyi, who had been hitting every shot just moments ago, was already poisoned by the Illusion Mask?
Shen Wuyou placed the bottle containing the poisonous insects into Qin Ningyi's waist pouch. He nodded at the person in charge, his expression somewhat solemn under the moonlight.
"Doctor Shen, I'll go with you." The person in charge made a decisive call, instructing someone to help Qin Ningyi first.
From further behind, the movement of the approaching encirclement became undisguised. They had only this moment.
Qin Ningyi looked at the people appearing before him, listened to his parents' conversation, saw the stacks of manuscripts on his sister's desk and the brilliant light in her eyes. The young him put down his toy gun...
The scene shifted to Qin老爷子's wooden stick. It was a rare moment of deviation in his disciplined life. It was the first day Grandpa returned, a day for celebration, yet he had beaten the boys in the compound until they were bruised and swollen.
It was that day his grandfather learned of his skills. While pleased, he was also exasperated. He hit Qin Ningyi with the stick again and again. Stubbornly, Qin Ningyi refused to admit fault.
He didn't regret hitting so hard. If it meant he could save her, protect her, it was all worth it.
That was the first time he felt the benefit of physical strength, the first time he had such a strong desire to fulfill his wish.
Immediately after, he saw Huo Rou weaving through the crowd, covered in blood.
His Ah Rou, what happened?
Qin Ningyi wanted to rush forward to chase her, to protect her, but his arm was firmly held.
"Let go!" He didn't know why his voice was so soft when he said this, when he was so incredibly anxious.
The voice in his ear seemed to come from the void, "Young Master Qin!"
Young Master Qin...
No!
Qin Ningyi clenched his fists, dense sweat beading on his forehead. As his veins bulged, a trace of clarity returned to his eyes.
On the narrow, treacherous path, one wrong step meant a fall into the abyss.
"Young Master Qin!" The person beside him leaned tightly against the rock behind them, gripping his arm with all their might.
Qin Ningyi swept his gaze around. "Where is Shen Wuyou?"
Before the people around him could speak, the sound of fighting erupted from the cliff above.
"He went back?" Qin Ningyi vaguely recalled someone saying something about counteraction.
"Yes, the boss took him." They were also from a subsidiary of the Qin Corporation, usually referring to the person in charge here as boss.
Qin Ningyi struggled to focus, resisting the strange scenes surging in his mind. "To the cave!"
Judging by the sounds above, they were near the cliff. Since he had gone back alone with Shen Wuyou to find the herbs, they would likely retreat from that direction if they encountered an encirclement.
The group hurried along the rock face to a cave hidden by dead branches and trees at the base of the cliff.
This path was little known. After all, to the people of Country B, this was not considered a path; it wasn't even marked on maps.
"Prepare the ropes." Qin Ningyi sat down in the cave, shook his head, and looked at the fragmented night sky outside, low-voicedly giving the order.
This plan was also part of Qin Ningyi's arrangements. Everyone understood what it entailed; it had to be foolproof.
The sounds of fighting from above gradually ceased, and someone spoke broken Mandarin.