The two of them rolled down the steep slope of the cliff. Before the pain could be transmitted from the brain to the wound, they encountered a new collision. They rely on instinct to grab whatever they can around them. Ling Huan reacted quickly. Her left hand luckily caught a branch growing in the crack of the cliff, and her right hand happened to grasp Mi Yin's wrist with great precision. This surprised Ling Huan herself, because she thought she would not be able to do this - she went to catch the other person who was rolling with her, and she happened to catch the wrist. This move was like her hands, reacting faster than her eyes and brain.
She lowered her head to make sure Miyin was still safe. The gravel and dust fell rustling down the steep cliff. Miyin shook his face like a cat to shake the sand and dust away. Both of them were dirty, their clothes and hair were messed up, and they had a few scratches. Fortunately, Ling Huan tied the small bundle tightly again and it was still hanging on her body. Miyin looked up at her, and suddenly felt that this scene felt strangely familiar. But at that time, she was the one reaching out from above.
"That little bastard!!"
Miyin was going to be blinded by anger. When her life was at stake, she discovered that she still had the ability to be so angry.
Ling Huan looked up and saw that they were still several feet away from the top of the cliff. What he held in his hand was a stem of an unknown plant that had dried up and lost water. Fortunately, in order to survive in such a dangerous place, it dug its roots deep into the cliff and penetrated the stone. In order to withstand the strong winds in the mountains, its branches are strong even after death. But how long can this last? There seemed to be small thorns on the branches, which were embedded in Ling Huan's left hand. It hurt and itched even if he adjusted the strength of his grip even slightly. Her right hand was more powerful than her left hand. Miyin could even see that the veins on her hand were darker, almost black, and looked a little scary. It was such a terrible hand that grabbed her and gave her a glimmer of hope to live.
Amiao's voice above seemed faint due to the distance, although it sounded like she must have tried her best.
Miyin looked back at the shamisen she was carrying. There should be some bumps, but since Amiao was still alive, the damage probably wasn't serious. She also shouted upwards with all her strength:
"Go find someone quickly! Hurry--"
Amiao suddenly disappeared. She must have understood Miyin's words. Although it is not easy to save a life, this long suffering is not a bigger challenge. Miyin's hand was pinched very painfully, but this position could not allow her to hold Ling Huan's wrist in the opposite direction, so she had no choice but to let herself hang like this. Coupled with her own gravity, her skin, flesh, muscles and bones were so numb that she lost consciousness before long. The time is too long, and every heartbeat and every breath that is endured can be regarded as a small victory.
"how so……"
After a long time, Ye Lingyu finally let out a sad sigh. But it was useless no matter what she thought about now. She then said, "We will be fine." She didn't know whether she was comforting Mi Yin or herself. She didn't even glance down. Tears welled up in Ling Huan's eyes, but she couldn't even free a hand to wipe them away, she couldn't cry yet.
Miyin has been looking around to see if there is any place to stay, but unfortunately there is not. Although this cliff is uneven, it has been polished smooth by wind and rain, making it almost impossible for people to climb on it with only four limbs. Moreover, they are still a short distance away from the cliff. Even if they let Miyin swing past, they will miss if they are not careful. Ye Linghua was thinking that it would be nice if the plant could grow closer to the plant. Then maybe with the strength of his right arm, he could throw Miyin up and let her pull him up. Although it sounds a bit whimsical, Ling Huan feels that he can really do it. But the distance was too far, not to mention that the remains of the plant had temporarily saved their lives, so what else could they expect it to do.
I don’t know how long it took.
The power is drying up little by little. Is the spring sun so fierce? They felt like their close-fitting clothes were clinging to their bodies, and the sun was shining directly on them. Is it noon now? It's been almost an hour or two since Amiao left. Why haven't you called someone over yet? But none of them dared to ask these questions, because every topic seemed to lead to a pessimistic answer in the end. "Someone will come to rescue us soon" "We will definitely be able to go up" "Just hold on a little longer"... These words were said over and over again, but each sentence only aroused a brief period of hope and then ushered in a deeper experience. layer of disappointment. In the end, they stopped talking at all.
With no feeling in his whole body, Ling Huan grasped Mi Yin's wrist with all his will. It might have been dislocated, but the screams of pain didn't help. Ling Huan was very scared, fearing that he would lose strength if he was not careful. She could barely feel the force of her hands, and the places where their skins touched seemed to blend together.
The sun moved a little, and Ling Hu noticed that the shadow of the dead stem had shifted, but not too much time had passed. She felt exhausted, all her strength evaporated in the sun. Occasionally, a breeze or the melodious chirping of birds are filled with a strong sense of sleepiness. She really yawned, tears fell down her cheeks, and she didn't even think about wiping them. At this moment, she suddenly felt that her right hand was empty, and then she immediately grasped it again.
"ah!"
There was a short scream from Miyin, and both of them were completely awake. Ye Lingyu's heartbeat accelerated, and the rhythmic drumbeats echoed in his eardrums. What happened just now? She almost fell asleep? It's just a joke... How can you feel sleepy at this time? She apologized to Miyin repeatedly, but Miyin did not speak. She can understand it to some extent. After all, energy consumption is inevitable. Without food and water, the only way the body can restrain consumption and restore energy is to sleep, even if it is noon. But the last thing they can do now is sleep. If they close their eyes for a little longer, they will worry that their thoughts will escape reality and completely let go of this only life-saving straw. Ling Huan felt scared because of her laxity - if something happened before the miracle that saved them came, she might never be able to forgive herself in her life.
But they don't know if they can hold on until a miracle happens.
The sun is no longer directly overhead, but the heat is still there. Ling Huan started to have tinnitus - the continuous buzzing sound was trying to cut off her rational defense line. But she couldn't, she knew very well that there were two grasshoppers on the rope, and she couldn't harm another person because of her mistake. In fact, Xue Miyin didn't dare to speak because she didn't know what Ling Huan was thinking.
She was always a kind person...always. But how precious is kindness? Everything must be tested to prove its worth, and right now, right now, this is a test—a test of humanity. Xue Miyin didn't want to ask for anything, because she knew very well that if she was the one above, she might not be able to hold on for long.
If it were her, she would save Ling Quan, just like last time. She would hold her hand tightly...
Then what?
Can she hold on to a moment, an hour, or a whole day?
She couldn't guarantee it, and it had nothing to do with endurance. And everything is based on her being in a safe position. Is a burning house considered safe? Of course not, but she was still willing to reach out if it wasn't urgent. This is a kind of feedback, a kind of repayment, and a kind of recognition - it belongs only to the greatest kindness that Miyin can give to "good people". Now this kind of thing where there is no hope and no end in sight... She is not good at persisting. To be honest, if she really stayed in Ling Huan's position, she might have let go long ago. She was the only one left, and she still had hope of living, and she could hold on for a long, long time. But now? The person who was caught was just a burden. As long as Ling Huan's brain was not dehydrated by the warm spring sun, she would not persist.
…What if she could?
Xue Miyin couldn't believe there were such stupid good people in the world. The final result of this is likely to be that both of them fall into the cliff and neither of them survives. But if it did—she would be touched.
The fact that Ye Lingquan had been holding her hand tightly made Xue Miyin regret not leaving without permission with her old friend.
But……
But--
Amidst the tinnitus that never went away, there was a whisper that was close at hand.
"Let go," the voice said to Ling Huan, "let go."
No, absolutely impossible. Ye Lingquan suddenly grasped Miyin's hand tighter, making the already numb latter realize that he still had some pain left. But the voice was so close, so unmistakable.
"Let go. And I live."
I live.
Ye Lingyu didn't know why this happened. She realized that the sound did not enter her ears from the outside world, but originated from her own body. She couldn't believe it, she had never thought this way - but the voice just appeared, and she didn't know why.
But soon, she realized the problem.
Her right hand began to shake uncontrollably.
She knew very well that the sound did not come from the independent consciousness of her right arm, but a thought welling up in her heart. However, this thought was not spontaneous. If this part of the limb had not been out of control, she would not think so at all... at least that is what she thought. However, the power of the right hand is so powerful that even the will of the brain cannot stop its movement. The muscles in his arms were trembling, and each finger was pushing outward, like a seedling trying to break through the ground and grow.
"W-what are you doing?" Miyin's voice changed a little, "You want to let go, don't you?"
"No! I don't want to, I won't let go. How could I - I won't let go!"
Xue Miyin's upward eyes were so sharp, full of desire to live and unbelievable confusion. She originally believed it too - believed that Ye Lingyu would not let go. It was only an hour or two... maybe she was really tired. But if she admitted that she had no strength and then let go, Xue Miyin would feel better.
Don't make promises you can't keep...just like those people.
The sounds kept swirling in Ling Huan's mind, weaving them into an independent consciousness and taking root in her mind. This consciousness says: If you let go now, you still have the strength to climb up, sit on a branch, and wait for others to save you; if you continue to waste your energy in this senseless way, then both of you will die.
Ling Huan kept shaking his head, his left arm holding the branch shook a little, and blood overflowed between his fingers. But she didn't care about this. All her attention was focused on her right hand to prevent it from acting on its own and losing control.
Then she let go.
