The Rogue Villager Chen Erbao

The group of several dozen people immediately fell into chaos.

"Quick, grab on!"

"Village Chief, hook onto the mountainside!"

"…"

The crowd grew noisy, everyone shouting at Zhao Ruoying, who was sliding down.

Zhao Ruoying's composure was actually quite good. In the midst of the panic, she took the iron pick from her back and jammed it forcefully into the rock face, finally halting her slide.

"Hurry, save her!"

The crowd had already prepared the Emergency Rope and began tossing it down.

Chen Erbao had been at the back of the group and had only just arrived. With his extraordinary eyesight, he could clearly see that the iron pick Zhao Ruoying had hooked into the rock face was slowly loosening. Cracks were already appearing in the wet, slippery mountainside.

'There's no time!'

A determined look flashed in Chen Erbao's eyes. He gripped the iron pick on his back and slid down the mountainside.

He alternately jammed his iron pick into the rock face, quickly sliding down to Zhao Ruoying's position.

"Er Bao!"

Seeing this, Chen Dabao paced around anxiously. But the nearby terrain was steep, and there was nothing he could do but hastily connect the Emergency Rope.

This was also the first time Chen Erbao had faced such a dangerous situation, but he wasn't panicking inside. He mobilized all the Spiritual Power in his body, viciously stabbing the iron pick into the hard rock, and reached a hand toward Zhao Ruoying.

"Grab my hand!"

Chen Erbao said softly.

Zhao Ruoying had also noticed that her own iron pick was loosening. Her beautiful eyes were filled with terror, but when she saw that Chen Erbao had personally slid down and put himself in grave danger to save her, something deep inside her seemed to stir. She stared blankly at him.

"What are you spacing out for? Fuck! Grab my hand!"

Seeing her dazed, Chen Erbao wanted nothing more than to slap her.

Zhao Ruoying snapped back to her senses. She gripped the handle of her iron pick tightly with one hand, carefully braced her legs against the rock face, and slowly reached her other hand toward Chen Erbao's outstretched palm.

Just as Chen Erbao was about to grab her hand, terror flashed in Zhao Ruoying's eyes!

The iron pick had come loose!

CRACK!

With a soft crack, the iron pick, which hadn't been lodged very deeply, broke the rock away. Zhao Ruoying began to slide down the eighty-degree slope once more.

The cliff edge was just inches away!

Just as she was about to fall, a shadow suddenly appeared beside her at an even faster speed, followed by a powerful arm wrapping around Zhao Ruoying's waist.

THUD!

Chen Erbao held Zhao Ruoying with one arm and, with his other hand, slammed his iron pick down with immense force. The front end of the thirty-centimeter pick dug into the rock face, and their sliding bodies jerked to a halt!

Below their feet was a bottomless abyss. A biting wind howled past, causing Zhao Ruoying to subconsciously cling tighter to Chen Erbao.

She lifted her delicate face and looked blankly at Chen Erbao:

"Why did you save me?"

Chen Erbao was busy trying to figure out how to survive; he didn't have the time to deal with her, so he answered casually:

"Because I like you."

Zhao Ruoying froze, his words replaying over and over in her mind.

Chen Erbao looked around and saw there was absolutely nowhere to get a foothold. The Emergency Rope from above was still too short. He looked down again.

The valley below was thick with fog, its bottom completely invisible, like a great mouth waiting to swallow them both.

If he were alone, he could have jumped down and relied on the short-term Flying Technique recorded in the Joyful Technique to land safely. But carrying Zhao Ruoying made things a bit more difficult.

Most importantly, he had never even tried that Gliding Technique!

'If I jump and can't pull it off, or if it can't support our combined weight, we'll fall to our deaths on the spot. That would be a huge loss!'

'I might just be the first Cultivator in all of history to die from a fall!'

After all, the Qi Refining Stage was still just a phase of physical enhancement. Forget being invulnerable to blades and spears; someone could still crack his skull open with a brick!

A qualitative change wouldn't occur until the Late-stage Qi Refining.

Chen Erbao thought for a moment and made a decision.

'I'll risk it!'

'If I don't jump now, I feel like this pick isn't going to hold for much longer.'

It would be better to jump voluntarily. At least with his control over his Spiritual Power, he could manage their posture in mid-air.

"Hold on tight!"

Chen Erbao roared.

Perhaps thinking she wouldn't make it back alive today, Zhao Ruoying obediently wrapped her arms around Chen Erbao's neck and her legs around his waist.

"Brother Da Bao, the pick can't hold on any longer! This valley probably isn't too deep. You guys go find me at the bottom. I'm jumping down now. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"

He shouted up to Chen Dabao above.

"Er Bao, hold on a little longer!"

Chen Dabao was frantic, continuously trying to connect the Emergency Rope, but the two of them had slid too far, and there wasn't enough rope!

"Don't worry, I've got this! Go find me at the bottom!"

Chen Erbao could already hear a cracking sound coming from the iron pick. He simply let go, pushed off the mountainside, and leaped into the valley, holding Zhao Ruoying.

The two were instantly swallowed by the thick fog, leaving only the mournful whistling of the wind.

On the cliff edge, the crowd stared at each other in dismay.

"It's over. The new village chief is dead. How are we going to explain this when we get back?"

"Er Bao…"

"…"

The villagers were at a complete loss. No one had expected something like this to happen on what was supposed to be a simple trip.

They often went into the mountains and had traveled this path many times. They all knew this section was narrow and rather dangerous, so they were always careful. But Zhao Ruoying had never walked this path before; she didn't know!

"Er Bao said he had it under control, so he must be fine. I'm going down into the valley to find them!"

Chen Dabao was silent for a moment, then picked up an iron pick and his rations and headed down the mountain.

He planned to descend into the valley from another direction.

Seeing his determined expression, the others could only try to comfort him:

"Right, Er Bao is so clever. If he said he's got it, then he must be fine. We'll go down to meet them!"

Although they said this to comfort him, everyone understood in their hearts that Chen Erbao and Zhao Ruoying were, in all likelihood, goners.

From such a height, even Ultraman would be hurting for a while after a fall, let alone two ordinary people!

They'd be lucky to find their bodies intact.

…

The cold wind howled in his ears.

The intense feeling of weightlessness nearly made Zhao Ruoying pass out. Her body hung limply on Chen Erbao.

Chen Erbao manipulated his Spiritual Qi, trying hard to keep his body balanced. He looked down and soon saw the dark ground below.

'Body as light as a swallow!'

The "Body as Light as a Swallow" movement technique, recorded in the Joyful Technique, was considered the only aerial technique that could be used in the early Qi Refining Stage.

Of course, to truly fly, one had to reach Foundation Establishment at the very least. "Body as Light as a Swallow" could only allow for a brief moment of levitation, and its effectiveness depended on the user's proficiency.

He had never practiced it before. Now, he had to learn it on the fly, and he had to master it immediately!

Because the two of them were getting closer and closer to the ground!

As the Mental Method circulated, Chen Erbao suddenly felt a wind spring up beneath his feet. His entire body felt as light as a swallow, and his falling speed slowed dramatically.

But with Zhao Ruoying still clinging to him, the two of them were still falling.

Feeling his Spiritual Qi rapidly depleting, Chen Erbao calculated the distance. Finally, just as they were about to hit the ground, he mobilized all his Spiritual Power and activated "Body as Light as a Swallow."

THUMP!

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