The moon was enormous, casting a faint, ethereal blue light upon the rocks of the cliff face, making it appear clearer than in daylight. I glanced to my left and right. About five meters away, there were either cracks or small "steps" to climb down. However, a short distance down on the left, there was another blank section.
The right side was better. If I could transfer to it, I could continue descending all the way to the bottom of the cliff.
Currently, there were "steps" beneath my feet that I could stand on. I had only two options: either stay put and wait for the Eagle Demon to pick me up; she should arrive in about ten minutes.
Or, swing to the right, change routes, and continue climbing down the cliff.
My choice depended on my level of danger, and the danger level was determined by what lay on the other side of the mountain.
My Qi sensing technique was useless now, as I was pressed against the cliff face, and a solid mountain stood between me and the castle. I couldn't see anything.
Having climbed this far, I was reluctant to fail. What if the Mohe people caught up?
I took out a cigarette from my pocket, lit it, and ate a few grapes. Both would help steady my nerves.
In the end, I decided to take a gamble. I'm a man, after all!
I gradually tightened the wire above me, coiling the excess length around my arms for the time being. I pulled the wire as taut as possible, effectively turning it into a rope. Then, I moved along the "steps" to the left until I could go no further. After that, I sprinted to the right, jumped, and leaped sideways, my feet scrambling and adjusting against the cliff face, successfully landing on the "steps" to the right!
Is this how "flying over walls and walking on walls" works?
The base of my palms, where the wire had been, was almost severed. I blew on them for a good while before I recovered.
I untangled the wire from my arms and continued to lower myself. The descent was smooth until the wire went taut again. It had reached its end. There were still six meters to the ground, but there were places to climb. I unhooked the wire from my waist and continued down. When I was about two meters from the ground, climbing down became difficult. I took a deep breath, eyed a flat patch of ground below, turned around, and jumped down lightly.
*Thump.* My legs were so weak that I landed on my knees. Fortunately, no one saw.
It was a shame I couldn't retrieve the wire. If I could erase this "evidence," the Mohe would never believe I could have taken this route, no matter how hard they tried!
After descending, I walked along a dirt path and soon reached the road. The feeling of freedom was wonderful!
I moved forward at a marathon pace under the beautiful night sky, occasionally activating my Qi sensing technique to scan my surroundings, including the air.
After running for about two kilometers, a small blue dot appeared at the edge of my aerial vision from the Qi sensing technique.
I stopped, moved away from the road into a nearby open field, and looked up at the sky. A dark shadow circled and approached, then descended in front of me. It let out a few guttural cries and transformed into a human.
Perhaps she had flown too quickly. The Eagle Demon, after transforming back into her human form, was covered in sweat.
"You've worked hard!" I said, patting her shoulder. My palm was completely wet.
The Eagle Demon swallowed and nodded. She bent down and unfastened her phone from her ankle, handing it to me. "Boss, I couldn't get through to you earlier. The boss wants you to call back!"
"Let's get out of here first!" I said.
"No, no, call back first. This, this is more important!"
I frowned and picked up the phone. It was a new one. I remembered the Eagle Demon had lost one before, shot by the Mohe. She had recovered quickly; there were no visible wounds on her body. I remembered Yao Yao's number and dialed it directly.
Yao Yao answered. Before I could speak, she anxiously said, "You can't run! You have to go back!"
"What?"
"Go back quickly! Long Yue is about to wake up!"
"Why?" I asked. "I just escaped a near-death situation, and you want me to go back?"
"You are more meaningful by Long Yue's side!" Yao Yao stated decisively.