SES Chapter 232 Part 2

It was like the old poem: “In September at Luntai, the night wind howls—stones the size of buckets scatter across the land.”

Clenching her teeth, she curled into a ball, arching her back and tucking her head beneath her knees. She didn’t know how long she was tossed in the current before sudden light appeared and cold air soaked into her body.

Cao Yanhua shouted, “Little Master, grab on! Don’t fall!”

Had she exited the passage? If she remembered correctly, between the tunnel and the platform was a cliff—and over it hung only a trembling rope bridge.

Mu Dai snapped her eyes open. She saw a rope through the blur and lunged for it—just missing, her hand sliding off. Cao Yanhua screamed, his voice cracking. Every nerve in her body tightened; she flipped midair, hooking one foot around the rope.

At last, her fall stopped.

For a second or two, she was stunned, as though her soul had been flung away and dragged back again. Her arms and legs trembled, cold sweat soaking her back.

She hung there by one foot alone, like a crippled bat dangling upside down.

Reaching up, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

What had just happened? That had been Luo Ren’s dream. The previous dreams had faded like silent bubbles—why had this one exploded into a violent storm?

Had Luo Ren suddenly woken up?

If so, that might actually be a good thing. For some reason, Mu Dai felt a small sense of relief.

Cao Yanhua leaned over the cliff edge. “Little Master, are you okay?”

She flashed him a reassuring gesture but didn’t have the strength to climb up yet. “Where’s Hongsha?” she asked.

“Not out yet.”

Maybe she’d gone through the same thing. Mu Dai’s heart tightened. “Fatty Cao, hurry—go block the tunnel entrance!”

If Hongsha got thrown out as she had, she might not be lucky enough to catch a rope.

Cao Yanhua bolted toward another rope bridge. Suddenly Mu Dai remembered something. “What about Xiao Qi?”

“Don’t know. He suddenly disappeared… but it also feels like he’s everywhere.”

What did that even mean?

A chill ran through her. She hooked her other foot around the rope, flipped upside down, grabbed hold, and hauled herself onto the bridge.

She remembered how Xiao Qi’s voice had echoed from every direction when they first entered the tunnel.

Suddenly gone, yet everywhere—the ominous slip itself had no physical form, hadn’t it?

Mu Dai hurried back to the platform. The wind picked up, driving away the fog. The sky darkened, but the solitary door standing ahead still glowed brightly on the other side, like a vivid screen in a dark theater.

A strange sound rose.

A sense of dread filled her chest. She looked up.

The rock face near the tunnel began to crumble, flakes falling away like dried earth cracking. Cao Yanhua noticed too as dust rained onto his head.

He brushed it off and looked up. “Is this thing about to collapse or what?”

Mu Dai shushed him and edged closer to the cliff.

She wasn’t mistaken—the cliff’s edge was eroding layer by layer. The stone crackled and popped; thin sheets peeled away and fell into the endless abyss like food swallowed by an invisible mouth.

The nearest rope bridge suddenly shuddered violently.

“This is…” Mu Dai’s voice shook. “Fatty Cao, the rock on both sides is eroding. The anchor points for the bridges might break!”

Cao Yanhua froze, staring down in terror.

The erosion was visible to the naked eye—not massive chunks at first, just thin flakes like crisp pastries. But that was more terrifying—slow, relentless destruction.

Sweat beaded on his forehead. “Little Master… what do I do?”

“Come back! Right now!”

“What about Hongsha?”

Who knew when Hongsha would emerge? Mu Dai’s face went pale as thoughts raced through her mind. Just then, the ground beneath Cao Yanhua cracked loudly.

She screamed, “Get back here!”

Realizing the danger, he sprinted across the bridge. He’d barely taken two steps when something slammed into his back with tremendous force, knocking him forward.

It was Yan Hongsha, thrown violently out of the tunnel.

Mu Dai shouted, “It’s Hongsha! Grab her!”

Cao Yanhua rolled and caught sight of a figure tumbling off the bridge. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, grabbed her leg, and hauled her back.

Terrified, Hongsha’s lips had gone pale. The two of them stumbled and scrambled back onto the platform, the ground crumbling beneath their feet. They leapt forward and rolled into safety.

With a thunderous crash, that rope bridge snapped in two.

Almost at the same moment, Cao Yanhua pointed to another one and yelled, “Brother Luo!”

Was it really him? Mu Dai hardly dared believe it. She turned—and saw a familiar figure at the tunnel entrance.

The erosion accelerated rapidly. Before she could speak, Cao Yanhua was already shouting warnings. “Brother Luo! Hurry!”

Another crash—part of the tunnel entrance collapsed, taking one end of the bridge with it. Dust billowed as it vanished into the void.

Along with it disappeared Luo Ren—before she could even see his face clearly.

Mu Dai’s mind went blank. A second later, she stumbled toward the cliff, screaming, “Luo Xiaodao!”

Tears streamed down her face. Her legs gave out and she crawled to the edge. The bridge’s anchor on this side was crumbling too. Grabbing the rope, she leaned out.

Faintly, she thought she saw someone at the far end.

The bridge hadn’t snapped in the middle—it had come loose from one side. Luo Ren must have been on it. With his instincts, he’d surely grabbed onto something.

Clutching the rope, Mu Dai shouted, “Come help me!”

Before she finished, the anchor cracked. Without support, the weight below yanked hard. Her body was dragged forward, nearly pulled over—until Cao Yanhua and Hongsha reacted instantly, one throwing himself onto her back, the other grabbing her legs.

“Don’t let go!” she cried hoarsely. “No matter what, don’t let go!”

Gritting her teeth, she twisted her arms through the rope, lowered her head, and braced her neck against it to share the weight.

Her vision blurred—no, her consciousness blurred.

She stared at the familiar figure climbing up the rope, repeating to herself:

Hold on. Don’t let go. Whatever you do—don’t let go.