Pang Xiao went to find Xie Yue and Xu Weizhi to discuss the matter quietly.
As Qin Yining and Pang Xiao had previously thought, even seasoned Xie Yue and clever Xu Weizhi could think of no other safer method at the moment than having Pang Xiao keep the appointment.
They could send someone else, but that might alarm whoever had kidnapped the Empress. If anything happened to the Empress, wouldn’t that give Li Qitian an excuse to do whatever he pleased?
Everyone came to the suspension bridge in the back courtyard.
The heavy fog had not dispersed and seemed to be growing even thicker. Standing beside the suspension bridge, the turbulent water flow below was their greatest obstacle. The water splashed up white foam, and the sound of the waterfall thundered nearby. Just thinking about walking across such a suspension bridge made it hard for Qin Yining not to imagine what would happen if one lost footing and fell.
Half the suspension bridge was hidden in thick fog, making it impossible to discern the situation on the other shore.
Facing the unknown circumstances, Qin Yining’s heart was on edge.
Abbot Xuanyun pressed his palms together: “Amitabha. You benefactors need not worry. This suspension bridge is actually not very long. The water flow is turbulent here because the banks are narrow. In reality, it’s only about twenty-some steps to reach the other shore.”
Some felt reassured by these words.
But Qin Yining’s brow furrowed even tighter.
If it was a bridge that wasn’t very wide, couldn’t the Empress cross it?
Or was the Empress now trapped, or perhaps she was already…
Pang Xiao took Qin Yining’s hand with a relaxed expression and gently squeezed her fingers: “You don’t need to worry. I’ll go and come right back.”
Qin Yining bit her lower lip and leaned close to Pang Xiao’s ear, whispering: “There are no outsiders here now. Even if there are people guarding the Empress on the other side, through this heavy fog they can’t see how many people walk over from our side. With the water flow and waterfall making such loud noise, they can’t hear clearly what we’re saying either. Why don’t you take a few more people with you? It would be good to have backup. There’s no need to go alone just because they demanded you go alone.”
Pang Xiao smiled and patted the back of Qin Yining’s hand reassuringly, also lowering his voice: “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. Besides, we can’t be certain whether the other side has more people around. I’m afraid that if we don’t follow what the note requested, they might harm the Empress in ways we can’t anticipate. If anything happens to the Empress, the consequences would be unthinkable.”
Seeing Qin Yining’s delicate brows still tightly furrowed, Pang Xiao consoled her: “Don’t worry. I have this confidence. Besides, I’m someone accustomed to battlefield fighting. I’ve been feeling restless with no battles to fight lately, and now there’s a way to stretch my muscles—consider it going to have some fun.” With that, he patted Qin Yining’s shoulder and strode onto the suspension bridge.
Qin Yining frowned and followed a few steps. A gust of wind blew, making her moon-white long dress flutter at the hem and cling to her body, outlining her graceful curves.
Pang Xiao’s long hair, tied high in a bundle, also fluttered in the wind, and his robe hem rustled loudly. Each step he took was very firm.
When someone stepped on the suspension bridge, the wooden planks creaked under the weight, and the sudden wind made it sway back and forth as if it might flip over and throw the person down at any moment.
But Pang Xiao’s steps showed no hesitation, still walking very steadily.
With his tall stature and long legs, he quickly entered the fog, his silhouette gradually disappearing.
The suspension bridge on Qin Yining’s end gradually stopped swaying. Qin Yining called out worriedly: “Zhixi, how is the situation on the other side?”
Knowing there was about twenty steps’ distance to the other side, Qin Yining tried to raise her voice as much as possible.
But just as Qin Yining and everyone waited for Pang Xiao’s response, the bridge’s rope suddenly made a “crack” sound.
The thick rope seemed to be maliciously gripped and arbitrarily torn apart by a giant, gradually stretching taut. Then the smaller strands of rope snapped one by one until only a thread remained connected.
Qin Yining was so frightened her soul nearly left her body: “Zhixi, the rope is breaking! Run!”
As soon as she finished speaking, that last thread of connection also snapped. The entire suspension bridge lost its support and helplessly fell from before Qin Yining’s eyes. Wooden planks dropped into the water flow and were swept away in the blink of an eye. The dangling ropes disappeared into the fog, and a “bang” sound came from within the mist.
“Zhixi! Are you alright? Can you hear me talking?”
With the bridge destroyed, beneath their feet was now a cliff. When Qin Yining tried to get closer, Ji Yun hurriedly grabbed her: “Princess, calm down! His Highness will be fine!”
Qin Yining’s eyes were bloodshot with rage. She shook off Ji Yun and rushed to the cliff edge, completely disregarding the people behind her.
“Zhixi!”
Qin Yining’s voice echoed through the mountains, but the waterfall sound easily drowned out her voice.
Qin Yining’s face was deathly pale, her whole body trembling.
Watching the suspension bridge that Pang Xiao had just crossed collapse before her eyes, while she was completely powerless to save the situation! This feeling was like having her heart and liver torn out alive—such helplessness and despair that it was heart-wrenching.
Tears poured out torrentially, her heartbeat like beating drums. If Ji Yun hadn’t held onto Qin Yining tightly, she probably would have thrown herself straight off the cliff.
“Princess, please calm down, listen!” Ji Yun said anxiously.
Qin Yining couldn’t hear anything; she could only hear her own heartbeat. Even Ji Yun’s voice seemed very far away.
“Princess, it’s His Highness’s voice! Really, please listen carefully!” Jingzhe also grabbed Qin Yining’s arm from the other side. “I’m not lying to you, please listen!”
Barely brought back to her senses, Qin Yining’s ears gradually began to hear the voices of people around her. Then, amid the violent sound of water, she seemed to faintly hear Pang Xiao shouting, but the water was too noisy—Qin Yining couldn’t make out what Pang Xiao was saying at all.
“Is that really His Highness’s voice?” Qin Yining was afraid it was her own auditory hallucination.
Xu Weizhi said: “Princess, this old man also heard it. That is indeed His Highness’s voice.”
“Princess, please calm down.” Xie Yue stepped forward to persuade her. “His Highness’s voice sounds unharmed. With His Highness’s skills, if the suspension bridge was truly the length Abbot Xuanyun described, that time would have been enough for His Highness to jump to the other shore! It’s just that the water flow is too turbulent and drowns out His Highness’s voice, but now we can determine that His Highness is safe.”
Only then did Qin Yining gradually steady her mind, her head also becoming clearer.
At this moment she realized she was covered in sweat and her face was streaked with tears. If Ji Yun and Jingzhe hadn’t been holding her from left and right, she would probably be in danger too.
“I’m fine now.” Qin Yining’s voice was weak, and her legs were still somewhat unsteady.
Ji Yun and Jingzhe quickly supported her as she stepped back.
Abbot Xuanyun chanted Buddha’s name and consoled her: “Princess, please be at ease. This humble monk does not speak falsely—that suspension bridge was not as long as it appears now. His Highness’s voice has also come through, so he should be unharmed.”
“But with the suspension bridge broken and no path down from Destiny Peak, how will His Highness return?”
Abbot Xuanyun was momentarily speechless.
“This suspension bridge was built by an accomplished monk of this temple over a hundred years ago. This humble monk also doesn’t know how, without any path up the mountain from Destiny Peak’s side, the ropes were tied to both sides and the suspension bridge constructed.” In other words, he also didn’t know how to retrieve people.
Qin Yining looked back at the other side. The mountain was still shrouded in heavy fog, and without the suspension bridge, Destiny Peak seemed not to exist at all.
Xu Weizhi said: “Princess, please be at ease. We’ll find a way to repair the suspension bridge. His Highness will definitely be fine.”
Abbot Xuanyun also said: “There are wild fruits on the other side, as well as abundant water sources. The mountaintop has a very large area with lush vegetation, and there are even natural caves to shelter from wind and rain. In the past, accomplished monks who went to Destiny Peak for retreat could survive there for three to five years without harm. Princess, please be at ease—His Highness will be fine.”
Qin Yining shook her head. “The Abbot also said those were accomplished monks who went for retreat in the past. The current situation is naturally different from then. Don’t forget that the Empress was kidnapped and taken there, and His Highness was also deceived into going. No one can be certain what kind of ambush awaits on the other side.”
Qin Yining’s words made everyone lower their heads.
She truly regretted now—she should have stopped Pang Xiao from going to rescue people!
Knowing that the schemer was very likely Tianji Zi, and knowing that Tianji Zi’s actions had always been eccentric and impossible to fathom, how could she have nodded and agreed to let Pang Xiao go to Destiny Peak?
In the current situation, Qin Yining truly didn’t know what to do.
“Princess.”
Just then, Xiao Xue quickly walked up to Qin Yining and lowered her voice: “Princess, the five guards and four palace servants from Her Majesty the Empress’s entourage have just arrived at the mountain gate.”
Qin Yining’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.
If Her Majesty the Empress had been kidnapped and gone missing here, and Pang Xiao had also been deceived into going to Destiny Peak, if this matter became known to the Empress’s people, it would definitely be reported to Li Qitian.
If Li Qitian knew they had lost the Empress, he would immediately have grounds to deal with Pang Xiao.
Moreover, Pang Xiao might now be trapped on Destiny Peak together with the Empress. Once this news spread, who knew what it would be twisted into by ignorant people.
“Whether for our safety, the safety of all the monks in Ten Thousand Buddhas Temple, or for the reputation of His Highness and the Empress, this matter must absolutely be concealed.” Qin Yining said in a low voice.
Nanny Sun’s voice trembled: “Princess, we… how long must we conceal this?”
Qin Yining looked at Nanny Sun with determination and a hint of coldness in her eyes: “If Nanny Sun wants to immediately lose her life, she can certainly spread the word immediately. If Nanny Sun still wants to live, this matter must be concealed until the suspension bridge is repaired and the Empress and His Highness are brought back.”
“But what if…”
“If there is a ‘what if,’ whether you speak now or later, all of us will find it hard to escape death.” Qin Yining moved close to Nanny Sun, her gaze sharp and piercing, her voice gentle yet imposing.
“Nanny Sun is a clever person and should know what to do. If Nanny Sun is willing to cooperate, all of us still have a thread of hope for survival. Otherwise, if this matter gets back to the capital, everyone currently on Juhuan Mountain will become souls under the executioner’s blade.”
Everyone present shivered in unison.
Most of the monks on the mountain were law-abiding and devoted to Buddha, completely unaware of the Empress’s situation. If the truth came out and they were made to die with the others, wouldn’t that harm the innocent?
Nanny Sun’s eyes flickered, gradually becoming resolute. Gritting her teeth, after a long while she said: “This servant will follow the Princess’s instructions. This servant will definitely not act on her own initiative regarding this matter.”