Chapter 20
Thrilling; Falling off a Cliff
Su Ying helped Mama Zhao put on her straw raincoat and hat. She then put on her own hat and gave the remaining oil-paper umbrellas to He Shouyi, Zhang Cuiniang, and her son.
Not long after they left the village, the rain became heavier.
The heavy curtain of rain made it almost impossible to see the road ahead, but they had walked some way and wouldn’t turn back to take shelter from the rain.
Their mission was to pass through Yue City and head southwest that day.
“There is a hole in the heavens. How can we travel in this rain? Damn it.” A young bailiff cursed. For him, this trip was an arduous task. The prisoners were tired, and the bailiffs had also suffered along the way.
According to the planned route, they would spend the night in a dilapidated temple outside Yue. However, if the rain continued like this, they would not be able to reach the place before dark.
“Boss, is there no shortcut?”
Li Da was also drenched and wanted to get there as soon as possible. “There is a shortcut, but we will have to cross a chain bridge. That route can save us about half the time.”
Saving half of their journey was a huge temptation. No one liked to stay in the rain on such a day.
“Boss, let’s take the shortcut. Otherwise, we won’t even have a place to hide from the rain tonight.”
Li Da thought for a moment and nodded. With the heavy rain, it was unknown what kind of danger they would encounter on the road, so it was better to reach the destination as soon as possible.
“Head south after the next intersection.”
“Yes.”
“Madam, if you are tired, let this old servant down. I can walk.”
“Mama Zhao, you’ve said the same thing at least a hundred times on the way here. I’m not tired. You see, I’m walking much faster than the others.”
Mama Zhao was also amazed because Su Ying was indeed walking very fast. Even those who carried nothing weren’t as light-footed as her.
“I’m afraid we’re going to the chain bridge on the southwest.” He Shouyi said slowly as he looked ahead.
“What is that?”
“It’s nothing special, just a bridge over a gorge that separates two cities. For the residents of the two cities to travel easily, the Imperial Court built a chain bridge. Afterward, another bridge was built in a more convenient place, and no one used this chain bridge anymore.”
With no one using it, the Imperial Court stopped spending money to maintain the chain bridge. So it is unknown if it was good or bad and whether it could be used.
“Are we still very far away?”
“If we want to cross the other bridge, we must take the main road. At our current speed, I’m afraid we won’t be able to reach there before dark. That’s probably why they wanted to take the shortcut.”
Su Ying didn’t mind where she went. She just wanted to arrive as soon as possible.
Fortunately, the chain bridge was not far away, and they arrived after noon.
Su Ying raised her head and saw the rain and water vapor covering the cliffs. They could see the rusty chain bridge in the distance, but nothing on the other side, because of the thick fog.
A bailiff untied the dog from the cart and led it on the iron chain bridge.
Not long after, a dog barking came from the opposite shore.
Su Ying estimated that the bridge was about 50 meters long.
Fifty meters wasn’t too long. Walking over wouldn’t be a problem if the iron chain were firm.
To ensure that the iron chain would not break, Li Da divided all the prisoners into groups of ten, and two bailiffs crossed the bridge in front and behind each group.
He Shouyi took Su Ying’s bag to lighten her burden.
The prisoners were all worried that something would happen when they crossed the bridge, so everyone took great care.
“Bai Shuang, follow Uncle He and Zhang Cuiniang. I’ll go behind you. When the group was assigned to Su Ying, they were separated.
Bai Shuang nodded. She carried Ling and carefully walked onto the bridge. Fortunately, everything went smoothly.
“Madam, this bridge isn’t easy to walk on. You’d better put me down. I’m still coughing, but my strength has almost recovered. I can walk by myself.”
The bridge was entirely tied up with metal chains, and the weather had long corrupted the supporting wooden planks on the chains. It was indeed challenging to carry a person over, so Su Ying put Mama Zhao down and let her hold onto the metal chains on both sides so she could walk more steadily.
Su Ying tore off a piece of cloth and wrapped it around Mama Zhao’s wrist. She tied the other end of the fabric around the chain to prevent her from falling.
“Jiang Yang, put me down.”
“Your Highness, I can carry you over.”
Xiao Jin shook his head. “The chains aren’t stable. You’ll lose your balance if you carry too much weight. I can get through on my own. Carry Ji safely.”
“Father…” Ji looked at Xiao Jin worriedly.
Xiao Jin gestured for them not to worry. Although he couldn’t walk, he could still use his hands. As long as he grabbed the chain, he could slowly move over.
“Those at the back, follow me. We’re getting on the bridge.” The bailiff in the front shouted, and the prisoners went up the bridge one after another.
Their visibility decreased because of the fog as soon as they got on.
Su Ying was the last to leave. She looked at Mama Zhao and the rest. “Don’t worry, Mama Zhao. This iron chain bridge is very sturdy. You’ll be fine as long as you step firmly on it. Even if you slip, I’ll be able to pull you back.”
Su Ying’s words were like a tranquilizer that calmed down Mama Zhao’s nerves. After the initial panic, she walked even more steadily when she reached halfway across the bridge.
Just as Su Ying relaxed slightly, the bridge suddenly shook violently and began to flip.
Su Ying’s expression turned. She grabbed the chain with one hand and held on to Mama Zhao tightly with the other.
“What’s going on?”
“A chain has broken. Hurry up!” Someone in front suddenly shouted.
Su Ying’s heart sank. She grabbed Mama Zhao and walked forward steadily.
Suddenly, a hidden weapon brushed past Su Ying’s ear and flew straight at Xiao Jin, who was walking in front.
“Xiao Jin, be careful!” Su Ying exclaimed.
Xiao Jin came back to his senses in an instant. He let go of one hand and turned his body to the side to avoid the attack.
But at that moment, the iron chain in his hand broke. He lost his balance and fell off.
“Father!”
Su Ying didn’t have time to think and pounced at Xiao Jin.
Xiao Jin looked at Su Ying, who jumped with him, astonished. He never would expect her to do this.
Su Ying grabbed Xiao Jin’s hand and looked down at the water, which was becoming close. She said: “Hold your breath! Quick!”
The next moment, they fell into the cold water. The pressure underwater was huge. But no matter how uncomfortable she felt, she held Xiao Jin’s hand tightly. She knew that if she let go, Xiao Jin would most likely not survive in his current condition.
Xiao Jin held his breath the moment he hit the water, but the chill numbed his scalp. Blood surged up, and he gradually lost consciousness…