Chapter 13
Her original plan was to rush into the thatched hut, assassinate Li Qingran, and then dispose of the body in the mountains to feed the beasts—clean and efficient. But now, with the plan changed, she dared not approach recklessly. Instead, she would use the "Kuang Shou Yin" (狂兽引, "Beast Frenzy Inducer") to summon beasts to kill, even though the chaos it would cause might attract the attention of the sect.
“Li Qingran, when the walls come tumbling down, don’t blame me.”
Song Jiao Jiao lit a red incense stick and flicked her fingers.
The incense shot out and landed on a tree near the estate.
After completing this, she quickly set up a concealment array to mask her presence.
Soon, when the small-scale beast frenzy erupted, there would inevitably be a few fierce characters among them. With this array, she could ensure her safety.
Next, it was time to hide in the shadows and watch the show.
It would take some time for the beasts to gather after catching the scent.
Meanwhile, the girl in the stone house remained blissfully unaware of the impending danger.
…
At five in the morning.
A faint light began to break on the horizon.
Chen Huai'an was nearing the mountain's peak.
But his condition was far from good. The wind on the mountain was strong, and the temperature was low. Many tourists, sweating profusely halfway up, found themselves chilled as the sweat on their bodies dried in the cold wind. To warm up, they either had to quicken their pace or stop by a restaurant along the trail for some hot porridge.
But Chen Huai'an was different.
His face was pale, his clothes soaked with sweat, and each step felt like he was about to collapse, with beads of sweat dripping from the soaked hem of his shirt.
This was pain.
He had only eaten two pieces of bread along the way, the rest of the time he had been drinking water—constantly drinking water.
Yet, despite his staggering steps, each footfall was resolute, no longer wavering.
His back was straight, and his calm gaze was fixed ahead, the light in his eyes making him look like a pilgrim.
“Hey, man, let me carry you up! Stop climbing!” Zhang Rui was on the verge of tears. He would remember tonight's experience for the rest of his life. He watched helplessly as a patient with bone tumors on his legs climbed the stone steps, enduring excruciating pain without stopping.
The two middle-aged men were even struggling to keep up, and the punk girl was panting heavily.
Zhang Rui usually exercised and had decent stamina, but his pressure was mostly psychological.
With every step Chen Huai'an took, seeing the sweat drip from his hem, Zhang Rui felt his heart tighten.
Throughout it all, Chen Huai'an never complained.
He embraced their malice with a tolerant and peaceful heart.
Behind Chen Huai'an were not just the four friends from the water group, but many other tourists. Many of them had turned back halfway up, but after hearing Chen Huai'an's story, they spontaneously followed him, and the number of people grew.
As they neared the mountain's peak, the size of the group had formed a long dragon along the stone steps.
“We're almost there.” Chen Huai'an looked up at the summit and smiled.
He had to make it to the top.
Because an hour ago, a level 57 guy had said that if he could reach the summit before sunrise, he would give him 66 "Luo Gu Long Cheng" ("Drum and Gong Dragon City"), each worth 2888¥. After deducting the platform's share, that would be 95,000¥, and with the tips from other tourists, he could earn around 120,000¥ tonight.
Of course, there was also the possibility that the guy was just boasting.
Chen Huai'an was open-minded about it; he was going to reach the summit regardless.
Whether or not he received the gift from that guy, he would still accomplish this.
He was climbing Mount Liao not just to make money.
He simply wanted to see his limits in the remaining days of his life,
To see how much heat he could still generate.
However, just 98 steps away from the summit of Mount Liao,
A sudden sharp pain shot through his right leg.
His body lost balance, and he knelt on the stone steps.
Su Xiaoqian, who was following behind, instinctively looked at Chen Huai'an's leg. Her face changed, and she covered her mouth, screaming.
“Ah! His leg…!”
Chen Huai'an gritted his teeth and looked down at his leg.
His right leg, from the ankle to the knee, was twisted beyond recognition.
He had,
Broken it.
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Chapter 14: Mirage?
Pathological fractures are a common symptom in bone cancer patients.
Due to the destruction of bone tissue by cancer cells, the bones become soft and brittle, making fractures easy to occur.
This was exactly what happened to Chen Huai'an.
After enduring so much pain, he felt a bit numb.
The physical pain was still within his limits; the psychological pain was nothing in comparison.
Chen Huai'an thought nothing could hurt more than the memory of his parents perishing in a fire.
So, amidst the concerned gazes and inquiries from the surrounding tourists, he calmly adjusted the camera and said to Zhang Rui, who was supporting him, “Hey, man, help me out and open my backpack.”
“No, man, call an ambulance! Why are you worrying about your backpack?” Zhang Rui had never seen someone like Chen Huai'an, as if the broken and deformed leg wasn’t even his.
“You call for an ambulance, and it won’t be able to come up here. Just help me open the backpack; I have my own way.”
Zhang Rui, half-convinced, took off the backpack, unzipped it, and handed it to Chen Huai'an.
Chen Huai'an pulled out a bag and then extracted a folding cane.
Zhang Rui: “…”
Other tourists: “???”
Wait, man, is this your way?
We thought you had some miraculous pain relief medicine…
“Alright, let’s keep going!” Chen Huai'an skillfully propped himself up with the cane.
The probability of fractures in bone cancer patients is high, so he often used a cane to walk even before he broke anything, fearing he wouldn’t be able to adapt when the time came.
Now that he had indeed broken it, wasn’t this a kiss with fate?
The viewers in the live stream silently liked and sent gifts, some urging the streamer to descend, and no one questioned the authenticity of Chen Huai'an's illness anymore. Or rather, they no longer cared what illness he had.
They only cared whether this brave man could make the journey worthwhile.
That bent right leg was like the pressure of fate, a mockery from death.
And the cane in Chen Huai'an's hand was not that a middle finger raised against death and fate?
You won’t let him reach the summit, even crippling his leg, yet he still intends to make it.
The tourists watched the figure struggling upward with growing respect.
This young man was so determined; he must have grand ambitions, right?
“Charge! We’re about to get 90,000 in sponsorship! 1,000 draws for the lucky koi prize pool!!!” Chen Huai'an gritted his teeth, staring at the diminishing steps, his face gradually contorting: “Hunyuan Butian Dan! Hehehe! Just a mere Hunyuan Butian Dan!!”
The surrounding tourists felt even more admiration.
Look at how much pain this guy is in! His features are all twisted!
At the summit of Mount Liao.
When Chen Huai'an's leg trembled as it landed on the last step,
A ray of unripe light pierced through countless layers of clouds, spreading from the dim horizon, gently brushing over his head.
A flock of birds flew through the light.
A bell tolled in the distant mountains.
In the next moment,
A sunburst erupted from the horizon, its flames spreading out, illuminating the entire world.
Chen Huai'an's eyes widened, his heart trembling, and the surrounding tourists fell silent.
Everyone quietly watched this scene, gazing at the hazy mountain outlines bathed in gold.
Suddenly,
“Bow—!!”
A voice of proclamation rang out from nowhere.
Strange ripples appeared in the sunlight.
The halo stirred like a disturbed lake, creating layers of ripples.
Within the ripples, a procession of ancient ceremonial troops emerged in the interplay of light and shadow.
At the forefront stood a dignified figure, clad in a dark dragon robe, wearing a crown, with a sword at his waist, followed by civil and military officials. The civil officials held tablets, the military officials donned dark armor, and attendants carried ceremonial vessels, stepping on clouds, with blue bricks and tiles appearing beneath their feet, advancing step by step toward the summit of Mount Liao.
“What the hell is this?”
“Is this a mirage?”
“No way, is someone filming a movie here?”
The tourists stared in awe at this scene. At this moment, the ceremonial procession was still quite far from them, and they had the time to discuss. But in the next second, the procession suddenly crossed miles, appearing right in front of them. The summit of Mount Liao fell silent, and everyone closed their mouths.
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