Chapter 88 : Secret Help

Han Yuecheng’s eyes were red. A military order was as heavy as a mountain he could not, and would not, disobey it. He endured the pain and reluctance in his heart and replied with difficulty, “Yes, Commander.” Then, without looking back, he ran off. His disheveled figure quickly disappeared into the forest. As he ran, tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.

He didn’t dare stop for even a moment, retracing the path they had come. His mission was not yet complete. All he could do was pray that Nangong would survive by some miracle and hold out until he could return with reinforcements.

Nangong Ruochen took cover behind a tree, using it as a shield while firing back at the enemies chasing Han Yuecheng, trying to stop their advance. Yun Siying witnessed everything clearly, her eyes sharp and focused.

Her mental power took control of the bullets fired by the enemies. Just as the bullets were about to strike Nangong Ruochen, they would mysteriously stop in mid-air, tremble for a moment, then turn around and shoot straight back at the person who fired them, hitting them directly between the eyebrows.

The shooter was stunned when he saw the bullet freeze in mid-air. And when the bullet turned around and flew straight at him, he was so terrified he couldn’t even move. He stood there, eyes wide in horror, until the bullet struck him dead in the forehead. He collapsed to the ground, dying with his eyes still open in shock.

Nangong Ruochen was utterly stunned by the bizarre sight. Although spiritual phenomena and feudal superstitions had been banned since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, who could explain something this eerie and unscientific?

He gradually recovered from the shock. The same surreal scene played out over and over until the last enemy had fallen. If not for his strong mental fortitude, he might have fainted from fear.

He was unsure of the situation and scanned his surroundings in a full 360 degrees, there was no sign of anyone. The silence was eerie. The five men lay dead, their eyes wide open in terror, as if they had witnessed something unimaginably horrifying.

After Yun Siying confirmed that Nangong Ruochen was safe for the moment, she released her wood-type power. Several green vines shot out from her hands and wrapped around nearby tree trunks. She swung through the forest like a monkey on a vine, grabbing one vine after another as they materialized ahead of her path.

Once Nangong Ruochen confirmed there were no immediate threats, he dragged his injured leg to the fallen enemies, collected their firearms and ammunition, stuffed them into his backpack, and quickly left to avoid potential pursuers.

Meanwhile, Yun Siying deliberately positioned herself not far from where Han Yuecheng was running, carrying a basket of mountain goods. She ran in a panic, pretending to be surprised, and almost bumped right into him.

“Why is it you?” Both of them froze in surprise, a flicker of joy passing between them.

“Siying, please deliver this note to Chen Banghua as fast as you can. I have to go back and save Nangong. I’m counting on you.” Han Yuecheng pulled a folded note from his pocket and handed it to Yun Siying.

“You guys were the ones in the shootout just now, weren’t you?” Yun Siying, quick-witted as ever, glanced at the pistol still in Han Yuecheng’s hand in surprise.

Only then did Han Yuecheng realize he hadn’t concealed his weapon. He nodded and said, “Nangong’s in serious danger. I have to go back. You must deliver this message to Chen Banghua, many lives depend on it.”

Considering she had already dealt with the enemies over there and the two of them were armed, they should be able to defend themselves even if wild animals appeared. She nodded and quickly disappeared from his sight, backpack slung over her shoulder.

Once she was gone, Han Yuecheng turned and rushed back as fast as he could. The absence of gunfire made him even more anxious. ‘Nangong, you have to hold on,’ he prayed silently. Ten minutes later, the two of them reunited.

Han Yuecheng rushed forward and gave Nangong Ruochen a big bear hug. His body was still trembling, and he said excitedly, “Nangong, I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“Why did you come back? Did you complete the task I gave you?” Nangong Ruochen hadn’t expected Han Yuecheng to return, and he couldn’t help but get angry. If those enemies hadn’t mysteriously died, wouldn’t Han Yuecheng have walked straight into their trap?

Then all the work they had done in the mountains over the past few days would’ve been wasted. And if the information they had gathered wasn’t sent out in time, who knows how many people would be affected.

“I asked Siying to help deliver the message,” Han Yuecheng admitted. He knew he had disobeyed a military order, so he didn’t dare argue. But he was happy just to see that Nangong was still alive.

“Where did you run into Siying? What was she doing in such a remote mountain area?” Nangong Ruochen frowned. When Yun Siying’s name came up, the strange events from earlier flashed through his mind. Could they have been related to her? Then he shook his head. Even though Siying’s abilities were unusual, they couldn’t possibly be that miraculous.

“Not far from here. She was probably in the mountains looking for valuable goods. She had a full basket of wild products and moved like she was walking on flat ground,” Han Yuecheng recalled.

“Then let’s leave this place as soon as possible, find somewhere safe to rest and heal, and wait for our reinforcements,” Nangong Ruochen said. Looking down at his trembling leg, he knew he couldn’t walk much further. If he became crippled, how would he be worthy of Siying?

“Okay,” Han Yuecheng replied, helping Nangong with his uninjured right arm. They found a cave to hide in and marked the trail along the way so others could find them.

That trail would normally take about two and a half hours to walk, but Yun Siying only took an hour and a half to reach the Youth Courtyard. The sun was already setting in the west. Still feeling uneasy, she knocked on Chen Banghua’s door.

“Chen Banghua, are you there?”

A reply came quickly from inside:.”Yes.” He opened the door immediately. “Siying? What’s the matter?” Normally, Siying wouldn’t come knocking like this.

Yun Siying handed him the note Han Yuecheng had given her and said, “Han Yuecheng asked me to give this to you as soon as possible.”

Chen Banghua opened the paper, and his expression changed drastically. “How are they now?” he asked urgently. The fact that Siying had delivered such an important message meant something must have gone wrong.

“I only saw Han Yuecheng. After handing this to me, he went back to rescue Nangong Ruochen. He said this information was extremely important and asked me to bring it to you first.”

Yun Siying then told Chen Banghua roughly where she had met them. After hearing it, he immediately took off on his bicycle, pedaling away as fast as he could.

Yun Siying had originally planned to go to bed after dinner, but the image of Nangong Ruochen injured kept flashing through her mind. Looking up at the darkening sky, she worried that the two of them might encounter wild animals during the night. Both were hurt, what if something happened?

Thinking about how the three of them had looked out for her all this time, she felt a stab of guilt. If she had just let Han Yuecheng go down the mountain while she stayed behind, she wouldn’t be in this situation.

Regretful but determined, she decided she had to go back up the mountain to make sure they were safe. She put her basket away in the house, picked up her backpack, and headed into the mountains again.

Two hours later, she appeared not far from the cave. Inside, the two men heard movement, immediately got up, and positioned themselves at the cave entrance with pistols ready, alert and prepared for a fight.