Chapter 15: Crossing the Rope Bridge

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Ye Minwei stared at the inverted world before her and asked in puzzlement, "But why would it come to tie you up?"

"Obviously! It was me it tied up last time! If you don’t change anything and just activate it directly, of course, it’ll come for me!"

"I tied you up?"

"On Kunwu Mountain, it was just the two of us. If you didn’t tie me, who else would it tie?"

Wen Ci clenched his silver teeth so hard they nearly shattered. Taking a deep breath, he asked, "What about the Ten Thousand Phenomena Senluo?"

"What’s that?"

"That golden bracelet of yours!"

Ye Minwei awkwardly twisted her head and looked at her hands. "I don’t know. I lost it on the way here."

"Lost it? Do you even know what that means… never mind, you don’t!"

Wen Ci’s face darkened like iron. At that moment, he and Ye Minwei were tied back to back, hanging precariously on a high rope, swinging wildly—a sight almost too ridiculous to behold. The best course of action, naturally, was to call for help and have someone below come to their rescue.

He glanced up at Jiang Husheng standing on a wooden stake, who no longer bore a provocation in his expression but looked dumbfounded, staring at them. Looking back at the crowd below, the number of spectators had more than tripled. Everyone craned their necks, eagerly and joyfully watching.

Wen Ci took a silent breath and whispered to Ye Minwei, "Don’t move randomly. Keep your torso tense and your limbs relaxed."

"What’s wrong?"

"Listen carefully. Even tied up, I can still get us to that wooden stake. I’m not going to lose to that rope-dwelling bug!"

At this point, with stakes this high, words had been laid bare. Everyone fights for their pride—he might even die trying but would never admit defeat!

Wen Ci exerted force with his instep and abdomen. With a sway, he spun around, dragging Ye Minwei to stand on the rope. She obediently relaxed her entire body, even complimenting, "You’re really amazing!"

Her praise should have been drowned out by the applause and cheers of the crowd, yet Wen Ci heard it loud and clear.

Irritated, he snapped, "Shut up!"

While the two were in dire straits, Xie Yuzhu was also in a frantic state. She was out of breath chasing a nimble stray dog weaving between pedestrians on the street. Bent over, eyes fixed on the dog, she dodged people and finally cornered the dog against a wall after a long chase.

Panting heavily, Xie Yuzhu pulled out a meat bone she had taken from a nearby restaurant, coaxing, "Chomp chomp chomp, look what I have! A bone! Drop the bracelet and eat the bone!"

The stray dog growled hoarsely, eyeing the bone suspiciously. Hesitantly, it took a few steps forward and sniffed it.

Sensing its resistance easing, Xie Yuzhu’s eyes lit up, "Yes, good dog!"

She reached out to grab the bracelet, but the moment her fingers touched it, the dog’s glossy black eyes snapped fiercely toward her. It clenched the bracelet tightly in its jaws and backed away, utterly unmoved by the bone, as if resolutely guarding its new toy.

Xie Yuzhu gritted her teeth, "Fine, if you won’t eat the toast, you’ll have to drink the bitter wine! Don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

With that, she plopped down and pulled with all her might to yank the bracelet free, cursing all the while: "Why get so worked up over something you can’t even eat? Is stealing other people’s things fun? Naughty dog! Spit it out! Let go!"

Meanwhile, on the rope, Wen Ci and Ye Minwei, one moving forward and the other retreating, barely managed to keep their footing as their bodies twisted and they were tied face-to-face again, bound tightly.

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In the jostling, the two nearly fell from the rope. The crowd gasped. Wen Ci swiftly reached out, grabbing Ye Minwei’s arm to help her cling to the rope, suspending them once more.

The crowd erupted in applause and whistles. Veins bulged on Wen Ci’s arm as he cursed, "What kind of bastard treats the Ten Thousand Phenomena Senluo like a toy!"

Meanwhile, Xie Yuzhu and the dog tugged and bit at each other. When one released, the other would snatch it back. The bracelet was tossed back and forth between the two.

On the rope, Wen Ci and Ye Minwei were tossed about—sometimes tied facing forward, sometimes back to back, sometimes hugging, various bindings in all directions. Thanks to Wen Ci’s quick reflexes and skill, despite the dangers, they never fell.

The short journey to the wooden stake was more arduous and prolonged than the pilgrimage to the West.

As they neared the end, Wen Ci finally exhaled slightly. Just as he relaxed halfway, he felt the force binding him suddenly vanish.

Before his mind could react, Wen Ci grabbed Ye Minwei; she pulled him down, and he caught the rope, suspending Ye Minwei midair.

Her feet wobbled three meters above the ground. Wen Ci gritted his teeth, clutching her arm tightly, furious, "Has that idiot lost his mind?"

Not only did the spell keep changing, but suddenly it was lifted altogether—utterly reckless!

The crowd below thought it was another trick. Everyone held their breath, hands raised to applaud. Yet Wen Ci’s sweaty palm slipped, and he couldn’t hold Ye Minwei’s arm. She slid down visibly fast, red marks left on her arm.

Looking at the hand gripping hers, knuckles white from exertion, she glanced down at the height beneath and sighed, "I’m going to break my leg."

Wen Ci’s pupils contracted sharply. He bit his lip hard.

As Ye Minwei pondered how to fall with the least injury, the hand holding her suddenly tightened. She was flung into the air, spinning once, then fell freely without restraint.

The world spun. No sharp pain of broken bones came. Instead, she fell into a warm embrace, the scent of moist flowers filling her nostrils. She was rolled along the ground several times, then slowly stopped.

Amid the crowd’s rising gasps, Ye Minwei was dizzy for a moment, then blurred figures surrounded her. She propped herself up and looked toward Wen Ci beneath her, confused, "Why did you give up?"

She was the one who fell, not him. He could have won. Didn’t he say he must win?

Wen Ci lay on the ground, sweat dampening his hair and the bell-tied string in it. In the spring sunlight, his skin gleamed like glazed white porcelain. On his picturesque face, a complex, inscrutable expression appeared.

Finally, gritting his teeth, he said deliberately, "None of your business."

Wen Ci shoved Ye Minwei away roughly, a movement that seemed to aggravate his recent injury. Clutching his shoulder in pain, he staggered to his feet.

Even in defeat, his aura remained strong. He addressed Jiang Husheng, who had descended from the wooden stake, "You’re lucky today. I’ll let you go."

Jiang Husheng, having witnessed the breathtaking rope walking, was too embarrassed to boast. Bowing with a sheepish expression, he said, "Brother, your rope skills far surpass mine. Your rope techniques are truly unheard of and unseen by me…"

Wen Ci’s temple twitched. He did not want any praise for his forced performance. Ignoring the crowd’s cheers, he turned and pushed through, departing swiftly.

Ye Minwei stood up and called after him loudly, "Wen Ci!"

Without looking back, Wen Ci quickened his pace, about to disappear into the crowd.

"I’ve saved enough money."

She pulled out two silver notes from her bosom and raised them. "One thousand taels."

"What! One thousand taels?"

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"Really one thousand taels!"

"So much money…"

This huge sum was enough for an ordinary person to live worry-free for a lifetime. The moment Ye Minwei produced the two silver notes, astonished gasps erupted around her. All eyes focused on the notes. Some even stood on tiptoe, peering and whispering, with many faces turning greedy.

The figure who had already gone far spun around, the colorful hem of his garment swirling. Wen Ci returned, scowling.

He grabbed Ye Minwei’s wrist and strode forward quickly, weaving through the crowd until they were out of sight, then released her hand.

He turned back, face cold, and said, "What are you doing? Flaunting your wealth? Want to be robbed and killed?"

Ye Minwei shook her head, "I want to talk to you."

Wen Ci frowned, pondering for a moment. The concepts of "one thousand taels" and "talking to you" circled in his mind until he recalled their conversation by the stairs of the Moonplucking Pavilion that day.

He scoffed, "You took what I said casually seriously? The Xie family’s lady is really kind to you, handing over a thousand taels just like that."

"This is my reward. I pretended to be her in the room and earned it by helping her with nightmare arts."

"You helped her with nightmare arts…" Wen Ci’s voice trailed off.

He looked at the two silver notes in Ye Minwei’s hand thoughtfully. "So you entered the nightmare not out of curiosity, but because…"

"Because I needed to save money to see you."

Wen Ci's expression was unreadable. After a moment of silence, he sneered, "Do you think whatever I say goes? What if I asked for ten thousand taels?"

Without hesitation, Ye Minwei said, "Then I’d save up that too. I ask something of you, so whatever you say goes."

Slowly, Wen Ci raised his eyes to look at Ye Minwei. She stood in the shadow by the wall, draped in a gray cloak. Her gaze, misty like thick fog, locked onto his. White strands of hair fluttered in the breeze, brushing her eyelashes and crossing her nose, drifting into the sunlight.

Many years ago—perhaps a full sixty years back—when her hair was not yet fully white and her eyes not so dim, she had walked thirty miles of rugged mountain paths, climbed cliffs barehanded, covered in dirt and wounds, standing before him.

Back then, they often argued, and he often hid, waiting for her to find him. That time, he waited longer than usual, ready to be angry, but seeing her like that, he was stunned.

—Aren’t you a great cultivator? Skilled in many arts, able to soar the clouds and ride the mists—how did it come to this?

At that time, she nonchalantly wiped the dirt from her face, unaware her nails were broken, even smearing blood on her face.

—Last time, didn’t you say I wasn’t allowed to use magic to find you?

He wanted to say it was just venting anger but couldn’t. Instead, he snapped, "If I say no magic, then no magic. When have you ever listened to me?"

She turned her head, serious as ever, "Because I ask something of you, so whatever you say goes."

This prodigy of cultivation, who had barely ever traveled far or climbed even an inch of mountain, took his words seriously—even when spoken in anger—and followed them with unwavering sincerity.