Li Man'er's actions were perplexing, and since she remained silent, everyone prepared to rest and await the revelation the next day.
Qi Yihan, with matters weighing on his mind, naturally couldn't sleep. He sat by the campfire, his posture suggesting he intended to stay awake all night.
Li Man'er sat beside him, not urging him to rest, but instead asking, "If tomorrow proves my guess wrong, what will you do?"
"Then we'll go back."
Li Man'er hadn't expected such a swift reply.
As if sensing her doubt, Qi Yihan explained, "This is my personal affair. I cannot, because of it, drag them all to their deaths alongside me."
Even though all these people were willing to risk their lives for him.
"If it doesn't work this time, we can come again. We can survey the bridge's distance and have craftsmen forge sufficiently long iron chains, or think of other solutions. We won't be as helpless as this."
"That's a good idea. Fix the iron chain to the cliff face, then have someone swing across with it, reaching the other side of the mountain and climbing up by clinging to the rock."
Qi Yihan chuckled with a hint of helplessness at her animated gestures, "Perhaps it could actually work."
"Don't worry, you have the blood of the Wu tribe in you. Your ancestors won't make things difficult for you."
"Hearing you say that, it sounds like you have ill intentions."
"Then you're right."
As the two chatted and laughed, their worries seemed to dissipate.
"Are you tired?" Li Man'er shook out her small blanket, sharing half with Qi Yihan. "Get some sleep. We'll know when dawn breaks."
They sat leaning against each other, and before long, Li Man'er was asleep.
Qi Yihan looked at her sleeping face and couldn't help but smile helplessly. The little girl was so carefree, falling asleep so quickly.
Qi Yihan's gaze swept towards the distance, but he could see nothing. He then turned to look at Li Man'er, who was fast asleep on his shoulder, and the corner of his lips curved slightly upwards.
Perhaps with her around, some regrets could be overlooked.
As dawn broke, Li Man'er's eyes fluttered open. The person who should have been sitting beside her was standing at the edge of the cliff, gazing into the distance.
Li Man'er got up, tossed the blanket to Ah Si, and quickly walked over.
"Awake?"
"Mm. Did you figure anything out?"
Qi Yihan and the others shook their heads. Even the usually composed Ah Wu couldn't help but ask, "Miss Li, what is the mystery of the other side? We've studied it for ages and still can't figure it out."
Li Man'er said mysteriously, "It's not time yet. Let me have some food first."
Ah Wu couldn't help but frown. How long would she keep them guessing? And the Prince wasn't intervening.
Qi Yihan remained still. Since the secret would be revealed sooner or later, there was no need to rush.
Ah Si handed Li Man'er a towel to wipe her hands and then brought her a bowl of chicken soup with a few eggs hidden within.
Li Man'er leisurely ate the wild eggs, drank the soup, and even asked Ah Si for water, which she drank slowly as if it were tea for quite some time.
Everyone was anxious, but no one urged her.
Li Man'er put down the teacup and, with Ah Si in tow, went to the cliff edge. The rising sun illuminated the cliff face opposite, and a pattern suddenly appeared before everyone, causing them to gasp in astonishment.
"What is that?"
"Is it a painting?"
"It's an eagle." Qi Yihan said, "That's the totem of the Wu tribe."
Li Man'er remarked, "There's something wrong with the eagle's eyes. If I'm not mistaken, that should be the mechanism."
"A mechanism?" Ah Wu craned his neck to look again. Indeed, he noticed something different about the eagle's eyes, which seemed to be a hollow.
"When carving, especially stone carving, the eyes of an animal are usually depicted with great lifelikeness, not as a simple hollow."
Everyone thought about it carefully and realized it was indeed the case.
"But it's so far away, even if it is a mechanism, what can we do?"
"Yes."
Li Man'er, however, seemed to have a special plan. "Where human strength is insufficient, we use external force. Ah Si, bring my bow and crossbow."
Ah Si looked bewildered. "Miss, you brought a bow and crossbow?"
"It's in the bag!"
"Oh!" Ah Si hurried over to fetch the bag. When she took the bow and crossbow out, everyone's expression became quite interesting.
It was a large bow, much bigger than the original crossbow. Ah Si alone struggled to hold the bow and crossbow, making everyone wonder how much Li Man'er's large bag contained to be able to carry such a massive contraption.
"This bow, though it looks big, can be folded. This crossbow has an excellent name."
Qi Yihan broke out in a cold sweat. "What's its name?"
"Overlord Bow." Li Man'er had initially been joking, but she noticed everyone looking as if they suddenly understood. She decided to play along.
"How do we use this bow and crossbow?"
Li Man'er explained, "I need your help to find a long spear to use as an arrow. Of course, before that, we need to find some long branches, similar in length and thickness to a spear shaft, with their tips sharpened."
"What do you mean?"
"A test shot."
Qi Yihan understood immediately and said, "Get to it, everyone. First, cut the branches Miss Li needs."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Everyone sprang into action.
Li Man'er took the opportunity to introduce her bow and crossbow to Qi Yihan. "This is already a large offensive weapon. It's best operated with the cooperation of two or three people. It's a siege weapon."
Qi Yihan's eyes held a hint of darkness as he said meaningfully, "You shouldn't take such risks."
Li Man'er's hand trembled, almost pulling the trigger. She pretended not to understand and offered no response.
Soon, Ah Wu returned with people, carrying over a dozen straight branches as long as javelins, their tips sharpened to points, looking like real spears.
A real Wu-gold spear was also placed at Li Man'er's feet.
"Let's test it first, to gauge the force and angle."
"Alright!"
The bowstring was drawn taut, and Ah Wu steadily placed the branch into the groove. Li Man'er half-crouched, resting the bow and crossbow on her shoulder.
Qi Yihan pointed the sharpened tip of the branch towards the opposite cliff, calibrating. "Release!"
The branch shot out of the string with extreme speed, actually flying to the opposite cliff. However, the angle was still off, missing the eyes of the stone eagle by a considerable distance.
Even so, the onlookers couldn't help but exclaim. No one expected a small branch to fly so far, demonstrating the bow and crossbow's immense power, truly living up to the name Overlord Bow.
With the first test shot, everyone gained confidence. They fired twice more, getting progressively closer to the stone eagle's eyes.
Li Man'er glanced up at the sky. "There's not much time left. Success or failure depends on this one shot. We must succeed."