The iron chain was only as thick as a teacup, strung horizontally between two cliffs, swaying with the mountain wind and clattering with a “rattle, rattle” sound.
“This is the Heavenly Ladder.”
Master Changmei was a bit excited, saying, “I read about it in the ancestral master’s notes, this iron chain is called the Heavenly Ladder, once we cross it, we’ll enter the heart of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.”
Ye Qiu looked up, the other end of the chain connected to a mountain peak.
The chain stretched over a hundred meters, beneath it a bottomless cliff.
Extremely perilous!
For someone with a fear of heights, just one glance might be enough to scare them to death.
Shuisheng peeked over the cliff’s edge, shrank back, and said, “Uncle-Master, let’s find another way, there’s just this one chain, there’s no way we can cross.”
“There’s only this one path into the heart of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, there are no roads anywhere else.”
“Even if there were, taking a detour would delay us by at least a few days.”
“My body can’t hold out that long.”
Master Changmei said, “So, we can only cross via the Heavenly Ladder.”
“But how do we cross?” Shuisheng’s face twisted in distress.
Master Changmei asked Ye Qiu, “Little brat, can you handle it?”
“No problem for me.”
Ye Qiu had cultivated innate true qi and stepped into the ranks of elite masters, though the Heavenly Ladder was treacherous, it wasn’t an issue for him.
He was a bit worried about Master Changmei.
If Master Changmei weren’t injured, crossing the ladder would be no trouble, but now, not only was he gravely wounded, he also had Shuisheng as a burden.
Yet Master Changmei said, “If you’re fine, then I’m fine too.”
Hearing their exchange, Shuisheng immediately piped up, “Uncle-Master, I’ve got a problem.”
“I don’t dare cross this ladder.”
“How about this, you and Dr. Ye go ahead, I’ll wait here for you.”
Thwack!
Master Changmei smacked Shuisheng’s bald head with a chestnut, snapping irritably, “I told you ages ago to learn some martial arts, but you refused, now look, a little challenge and you’re backing out, how can I trust you with Dragon Tiger Mountain in the future?”
“Uncle-Master, what do you mean? You want me to be the head of Dragon Tiger Mountain?” Shuisheng shook his head quickly, “Uncle-Master, find someone else, I can’t handle being the head.”
Master Changmei roared, “You coward, trying to drive me to my grave!”
“Alright, you two stop bickering, I’ve got a way to get you both across,” Ye Qiu said.
“Dr. Ye, what’s your plan?” Shuisheng asked.
Master Changmei looked at Ye Qiu too.
Ye Qiu replied, “Simple, I’ll carry one of you in each hand and take you across.”
“Dr. Ye, you’re not joking, right? This ladder’s so long, you can carry both me and Uncle-Master across?” Shuisheng added, “What if you drop me halfway?”
“Drop you? Good, then I won’t have to die from your nonsense,” Master Changmei glared at Shuisheng, then asked Ye Qiu, “You sure about this?”
Ye Qiu nodded.
“Then let’s do it!” Master Changmei knew Ye Qiu well, he was loyal and righteous, he’d never gamble with their lives.
Soon, the three reached the cliff’s edge.
Shuisheng glanced at the drop, his legs trembling, and said again, “Uncle-Master, maybe I won’t go, you and Dr. Ye cross!”
Master Changmei exploded, “Damn it, how did Dragon Tiger Mountain end up with a coward like you? One more word, and I’ll kick you off myself.”
“If you’re scared, just close your eyes,” Ye Qiu said.
Shuisheng quickly shut his eyes.
The next second, Ye Qiu grabbed Master Changmei and Shuisheng by the shoulders, saying, “Here we go.”
He took a deep breath.
Then, with a flash, he stepped lightly onto the chain, his body leaping into the air, covering three meters in a single bound.
The two of them together weighed less than three hundred pounds, a trifle to Ye Qiu, whose single arm could unleash a thousand pounds of force.
In less than two minutes, the three landed on the opposite peak.
“Little brat, your skills have improved a lot, at this rate, it won’t be long before you can take on the folks from the Forbidden City,” Master Changmei marveled.
When he first met Ye Qiu, Ye Qiu’s abilities hadn’t matched his own.
But now, Ye Qiu had entered the ranks of elite masters, his progress astonishing.
“Such a martial genius, what a pity he’s not from Dragon Tiger Mountain,” Master Changmei thought, glancing at Shuisheng.
Shuisheng still had his eyes closed, legs shaking.
Coward!
Master Changmei’s temper flared, and he slapped Shuisheng’s head.
“Uncle-Master, why’d you hit me?” Shuisheng clutched his head, looking at Master Changmei with a pitiful expression.
“Just seeing you pisses me off,” Master Changmei snapped.
Shuisheng grew even more aggrieved, “Uncle-Master, why does seeing me upset you? I’m not ugly.”
That only made it worse, Master Changmei’s anger surged.
Shuisheng wasn’t just not ugly, with his clear brows, bright eyes, and fair, clean face, he was a textbook “pretty boy,” the kind who’d charm countless rich women in the city.
What infuriated Master Changmei was that this kid was a blockhead, slow-witted, he’d tried teaching him martial arts for over a decade, and Shuisheng hadn’t learned a single move, utterly lacking talent, and he was a total coward too.
Sometimes, even Master Changmei wondered if he’d miscalculated, could a natural-born saint really be this pathetic?
Master Changmei cursed again, “Tell me, besides your looks, what else do you have?”
“Uncle-Master, don’t you think being good-looking is a strength?” Shuisheng said earnestly, “If being handsome is a fault, then I’d rather keep making that mistake.”
“Fault your grandma!”
Master Changmei nearly choked with rage, landing another hard smack on Shuisheng’s head.
“Enough arguing, old man, what’s the next step?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Down the mountain,” Master Changmei said.
The three began their descent.
This peak was at least two thousand meters high, they were currently at the midsection, one side a cliff, the other a forest.
They headed down through the forest.
About five hundred meters from the base, Shuisheng stepped on something, a “crack” sounding beneath his foot.
Shuisheng looked down and shouted in panic, “A person, a person…”
Ye Qiu and Master Changmei rushed to his side, seeing a shattered skull where Shuisheng had stepped.
Master Changmei bent down, intending to pick it up.
Just then, Ye Qiu’s urgent shout rang out, “Old man, don’t touch it!”
“What’s wrong?” Master Changmei looked up, puzzled, at Ye Qiu.
Ye Qiu’s face was grave, “That skull is poisoned!”
