nycdaug Chapter 235 The Cave on the Cliff
Chapter 235 The Cave on the Cliff
A carrier pigeon took off from the quiet courtyard and flew towards Huian Temple.
Two hours later, it gradually got dark, and there was no one left on the mountain path.
Su Mowan was tying a rope around her waist.
Yinshuang originally wanted to suggest that she come, but knowing that tonight's events had to be handled flawlessly, she didn't dare to speak.
She knew that her chances were not as good as Consort Su's.
Su Mowan glanced at her casually and knew what she was thinking.
She smiled easily and said, "It's okay. I'm perfectly confident even without the rope, let alone with the rope tied to me."
Su Mowan tied the rope into a tight knot, then kicked the pile of rope at her feet and said, "Find a secluded place to tie it up. It doesn't need to be too secluded. It's late at night anyway, so no one will notice."
Yinshuang picked up a large bundle of ropes and walked towards the edge of the cliff.
The rope was very long, about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), but Su Mowan did not plan to go that deep. The deeper the rope went, the more difficult it would be to pull someone out. All those years of studying physics had paid off.
Feng Yue's men had all hidden themselves away. After confirming that there were no problems, Feng Yue himself also disappeared at the edge of the cliff.
"Yinshuang, are you done yet?"
Su Mowan swung the rope tied around her waist, and Yin Shuang immediately replied, "All done!"
"You should also find a place to hide; the time is probably almost here."
After giving her instructions, Su Mowan went over and saw that Yinshuang had tied the rope to the trunk of an evergreen tree, which was fairly well hidden.
Shen Muyue and her companions were accompanied by seven or eight guards. Of course, these guards were arranged in advance by Feng Yue. All Su Mowan needed to do was put on an act, so she wasn't worried at all.
She was dressed in men's clothing and was not wearing a mask.
There was no moonlight tonight, so she wasn't worried at all about her face being exposed. In particular, after catching Shen Murui, she would wait until Shen Muyue left before going up the cliff.
With her slender fingers easily gripping the rope, Su Mowan slowly swung down. Before it got completely dark, she planned to familiarize herself with the terrain, a process known as scouting.
In just a short while, the rope around her waist tightened, meaning it had reached its maximum length.
Su Mowan tugged at the rope around her waist; it was very sturdy.
She tilted her head and looked around, then suddenly noticed something unusual about two or three meters to her right. She grabbed the rope and slowly moved over, then lifted the covering vines, and her eyes lit up.
It is a cave that is taller than a person.
A cold wind occasionally blew out of the cave, indicating that there was another exit.
Although Su Mowan didn't have much of an adventurous spirit, she was bored out of her mind and wanted to go inside and take a look.
Without hesitation, Su Mowan stepped onto the stone slab at the edge of the cave. She untied the rope around her waist and casually tied it to a vine next to the cave entrance.
Su Mowan did not carry a tinderbox.
The cave was pitch black, almost so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. She had only walked about ten meters when she felt a sense of oppression. Just as she was about to return to the cave entrance, she felt a gust of cold wind blowing out from the depths of the cave.
Goosebumps immediately rose on my skin.
That's not all. Su Mowan actually heard a faint sound, very much like breathing!
All the muscles in my body tensed up instantly, and I even held my breath.
She was starting to regret coming in. There might be some creatures inside. It wouldn't matter if they hurt her, but it would be terrible if they delayed things outside!
Thinking this, Su Mowan moved her feet very lightly. She had moved very lightly when she came in, but this time she mobilized all her nerves and moved several steps with almost no sound.
"call--"
"..."
Su Mowan felt a little creeped out.
The sound seemed like breathing, or perhaps the sound of wind, which gave her goosebumps all over her body. She just wanted to use her lightness skill to rush to the cave entrance!
She touched the slightly damp cave wall, listened intently, and the sound vanished into thin air, making it seem like she had just hallucinated.
Su Mowan doesn't believe in ghosts or gods, but she's a little afraid that there might be other living beings in the dark, or even unknown living beings.
It's not that she's a coward; it's just a psychological reaction. When things happen that are beyond her control, she feels insecure, like right now.
Taking advantage of the quieter moment, she retreated two or three meters further and could already see the faint light filtering through the cave entrance. It was almost completely dark outside, so that light was only enough for Su Mowan to vaguely locate the cave entrance.
She instantly moved two meters closer to the cave entrance.
Just then, the sounds inside the cave seemed to grow louder, and seemed to be mixed with other sounds.
It sounds a bit like the dragging of chains on the ground!
Even though she was very curious, Su Mowan didn't dare to go back. She was almost at the cave entrance when she quickly mustered all her strength and rushed towards it.
Because she exerted too much force, she almost fell off the cliff before she could stop. Fortunately, she reacted quickly enough and grabbed the vines hanging at the edge of the cave, which helped her regain her balance.
Taking two deep breaths, Su Mowan finally calmed down. There was definitely something in the cave, but she didn't have a tinderbox with her and couldn't rush in.
She untied the rope from the vine and wrapped it around her waist. She had tied a slipknot, but after thinking about it, she untied it and tied a knot that was no longer in place.
She moved to the spot where she had come down, then climbed up about ten meters until she landed on a protruding rock, just big enough for her to step on.
Half an hour later, it was completely dark.
Although there was no moon, there were still stars in the night sky, so it wasn't completely invisible.
Just then, Su Mowan felt someone tug at the top of the rope.
She tugged at it from below, and in response, there was no further response from above.
This was the pre-arranged signal with Yinshuang; when the person was almost there, she would pull the rope to signal her.
Su Mowan held her breath and listened intently, and sure enough, she heard the faint sounds of horses' hooves and cart wheels rolling.
coming!
Composing herself, Su Mowan focused intently on the sounds coming from above.
Meanwhile, Shen Muyue in the carriage was in a very complicated mood. She thought she had been given a good job, but after arriving at Huian Temple, she had to wash her hands, burn incense, and pray. What was worse, she had to queue up!
What angered Shen Muyue was that after she revealed her identity, the temple arranged for an abbot to receive her. The abbot looked kind and gentle and said that she had a connection with Buddhism.
Once she started talking, she couldn't stop!
Then, when the abbot heard that she wanted to ask for a peace charm for the Empress, he said he would personally consecrate it! Shen Muyue was anxious as it was getting late, but she could not refuse.
By the time the whole procedure was completed, the sun was almost setting. The abbot was particularly hospitable and wanted the guests to stay longer, but Shen Muyue didn't dare to delay any longer and immediately took her leave of Huian Temple.
They kept urging the driver to hurry.
Eight guards on horseback followed around the carriage, protecting it in the middle.
The carriage was now approaching Su Mowan's ambush location. Shen Murui had been tense the entire way, as she didn't know exactly where Su Mowan planned to strike. Even if she had known beforehand, it was now completely dark, and she couldn't see where they were.
It's understandable to feel nervous.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Su Mowan's abilities, but rather it was an instinctive reaction.
Uncontrollable tension.
While in the same carriage, Xiaoyun noticed something amiss and leaned closer to Shen Murui, quietly asking what was wrong. Shen Murui simply grabbed Xiaoyun's hand and said she was carsick.
This excuse managed to fool Shen Muyue as well. Shen Murui did indeed get carsick, and she had vomited terribly on the way to Huian Temple.
It's normal to get carsick on the way back now.
Xiaoyun patted her back worriedly. Shen Murui felt a little sorry for Xiaoyun when she thought about what was about to happen.
But she really couldn't tell them in advance. Only by deceiving those around her could she deceive Shen Muyue and, in turn, the Prime Minister's residence.
Just as Shen Murui felt a pang of guilt, a guard outside the carriage shouted, "Who goes there?!"
No one answered; instead, there was the sound of swords being drawn in unison, followed by the guards shouting, "Assassins! Protect Consort Shen and Madam Shen!!"
Shen Murui knew they had arrived at their destination, and her fingers involuntarily tightened their grip.
Xiaoyun's hand was still in hers, but Xiaoyun thought she was scared, so she moved closer and pressed herself tightly against her.
Shen Muyue's reaction was much stronger. As the daughter of the Left Prime Minister's mansion, when had she ever been robbed or assassinated on the road?
"Gather the wild herbs and red flowers! Close the carriage door!"
"Yes! Miss!"
Caiwei and Caihong heard the ear-piercing sound of swords clashing outside, and their hands trembled with fright. They each grabbed one side of the carriage door and held on tightly.
At that moment, the carriage jolted violently, almost tipping over. A scream erupted from inside the carriage.
"what--"
"Ahhh-"
"Miss! Miss, are you okay?!"
Xiaoyun's head slammed against the carriage wall, but she still held tightly to Shen Murui's hand.
Shen Murui was deeply moved, but she had also bumped into the carriage wall and was feeling dizzy, so she didn't have time to respond.
Xiaoyun thought she was badly injured, and when the carriage jolted again, she cried out, "Miss, don't scare me!"
Hearing the shout, Shen Muyue, whose internal organs were nearly dislocated from the jolting on the opposite side, assumed that Shen Murui was seriously injured. But at this moment, she couldn't even take care of herself, let alone others. She could only grip the carriage window tightly and dare not let go.
Caiwei and Caihong, who were originally holding onto the carriage door, were thrown into the carriage due to the jolt of the carriage again. The carriage door was immediately opened wide, revealing the dark mountains and fields in their sight.
Shen Muyue only heard the coachman shout, "Consort Shen, jump out of the carriage immediately!" Then the carriage came to a sudden stop with a loud bang.
It looks like it hit a rock!
As soon as the carriage door opened, Shen Muyue heard the clear sounds of battle, with occasional screams mixed with the sharp clash of swords, which sounded particularly terrifying in the darkness.
At this point, she didn't care about appearances anymore; escaping was the priority. "Get out of the car! Get out of the car now!"
As she spoke, she climbed over Caiwei and Caihong towards the carriage door. She accidentally stepped on Caiwei's finger, and Caiwei immediately cried out in pain.
"Shut up! Are you trying to get yourself killed by yelling so loudly?!"
As Shen Muyue spoke, she got off the carriage and immediately fell silent, presumably to find a place to hide.
She never intended to invite Shen Murui and her servant, which finally made Shen Murui in the carriage harden her heart and extinguish the last trace of affection in her heart.
"Miss, miss, are you still able to move? Let's get off the bus quickly, it's not safe to stay in the bus!"
Xiaoyun anxiously helped her up.
"It's okay, I can walk."
Shen Murui roused herself and pulled Xiaoyun off the carriage. Just then, two men in black approached them from the left and right.
"Miss, you must leave quickly!"
Xiaoyun pushed her, trying to stop the person and buy time herself.
The two assassins ignored Xiaoyun, shoved her aside, and advanced straight towards her.
Shen Murui suddenly cleared her mind and retreated step by step, following the assassin's coercion.
She cried out in a trembling voice, "Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
"Miss, run!" Xiaoyun struggled to her feet.
Just as she was sweating profusely with nervousness, she finally lost her footing and fell. In the instant she fell, she uncontrollably let out a shrill scream.
"what!!!"
"Miss--!!"