Li Ying took the lead. The villagers each carried a torch and filed out one by one, heading straight for the Barren Mountain.
Everyone was worried about Granny Sun's safety. They simply tied up Qing Liu and a few others and threw them into the yard. Then they left a few of A Man's black dogs to guard them and didn't bother to worry about them anymore.
"Sister Qing Liu, will our plan really work? That old hag went looking for the Sea God Temple because of what we said. If she really has a narrow escape this time... and blames us when she comes back..."
Qing Liu just snorted indifferently and said confidently, "The Barren Mountain is steep. She's just an old woman on the verge of death. With the slippery road at night, how can she keep her life? Even if she really comes back..."
"We just asked her how we could pray on behalf of others. We didn't instigate her to go and die! Moreover, we're also covered in injuries. Who can say anything against us?"
The few women glanced at each other and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They were all worried because they had accidentally lost Lord Lin's letter.
The villagers in the fishing village were on guard against them. With this play of feigning injury, they could stay in the fishing village and wait for orders at any time before their injuries healed.
If they were lucky, the old hag surnamed Sun would die. Li Ying would surely be heartbroken. Since grief is greater than despair, even if they still had some small actions, presumably she wouldn't have the energy to care.
Not to mention that Qing Liu finally relaxed. Li Ying led the villagers. According to the scattered guesses of the several old women who led the way, they finally groped their way to the Barren Mountain outside the village in the dark.
This place was rarely visited by people. Under the night sky, the mountain was towering, steep and precipitous. It was like a huge, gloomy and terrifying statue that pierced into the sky. Just taking a look from afar made people shiver.
A Man carried Mian Mian and followed behind her. He quickly and carefully reached out his hand to cover the little girl's eyes, for fear of scaring her.
Su Buchi's men also got the news and had already guarded at the foot of the mountain.
Li Ying took out a girdle and tied up her loose robe sleeves. She casually took off her hairpins and rings, then without hesitation, she set off towards the Barren Mountain.
A constable saw this and quickly stepped forward to stop her.
"Miss Li, don't be in a hurry. We all know that you're worried about Granny Sun's safety. But Lord Su has personally led people up the mountain to look for her. Before he left, he specifically told us that there was indeed an old temple on this mountain, but it had been in disrepair for a long time and was really dangerous."
"Miss Li, don't worry. Lord Su is leading some of the constables with good skills in the yamen. They will surely rescue Granny Sun safely! You might as well wait patiently at the foot of the mountain for a while?"
The constables had long been familiar with Li Ying's family. Every word they said was true. They didn't want her to take risks, and it was also a sincere advice.
But how could Li Ying just sit back and let Su Buchi take risks for her? She took a torch and held it tightly in her hand, then stubbornly climbed up the mountain.
The villagers followed closely and responded in unison, climbing up the mountain one after another.
A crescent moon hung high in the sky. The cold wind blew intermittently. In this situation, there was an inexplicable sense of strangeness.
Li Ying opened her eyes wide and carefully searched every desolate and overgrown place.
Before long, she caught up with Su Buchi's men.
Su Buchi's moon-white long robe was already stained with a lot of grass ash and sawdust. It no longer had the spotless and noble appearance it usually had.
"Little Master Uncle!"
As soon as she called out, she felt a faint and indescribable sourness welling up in her heart.
Su Buchi didn't seem to be surprised that she finally caught up regardless of his concealment.
"Miss Li, don't worry. Granny Sun is a lucky person and will surely be fine."
He gently comforted her to calm down, but Li Ying immediately saw a piece of blue cloth with white flowers hanging on the long grass not far away. Her breath suddenly caught!
That was clearly the cloth that Granny Sun usually used to cover the basket!
She had really come here!
Li Ying's heart tightened. She took a few steps forward and stumbled to pick up the piece of cloth. She saw that there was a faint brown stain on it, which was clearly a bloodstain. Her heart became even more tormented.
Granny Sun...
If anything happened to Granny Sun...
She would never forgive herself in this lifetime!
Li Ying tightly clenched her fists. Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
"My lord, there's something strange here!"
Not far away, a constable seemed to have discovered something strange and shouted loudly. The crowd immediately rushed over. Sure enough, they saw that behind the collapsed rocks, there was clearly a dark cave.
Li Ying didn't care about anything. She took a few steps forward and saw that the soil and stones at the entrance of the cave were still slightly moist. It was clearly a new landslide. Her heart suddenly skipped a beat!
Su Buchi also understood what was on her mind.
"Gather all the people. Quickly dig open this cave! Search for Granny Sun with all our might!"
Before his words fell, Li Ying had already snatched a pickaxe from a villager's hand and without hesitation, swung it at the piled-up rocks.
It was getting late. Granny Sun might not have been able to get down the mountain, so she hid in this cave, planning to rest for the night. But unexpectedly, there was a landslide by accident, and she was trapped inside.
She had to be faster, even faster. As long as her hands and feet were a little faster, the chance of Granny Sun surviving would be greater.
Granny Sun, don't be in a hurry. A Ying is here. Wait for A Ying. A Ying is coming to rescue you and take you home!
Li Ying tirelessly smashed the soil and stones. Before she knew it, even her palms and the bases of her thumbs had split open, oozing strands of fresh blood.
There was a "click" sound.
Maybe she had used too much force, or maybe the pickaxe had been in disrepair for a long time. The rotten wooden handle broke off with a snap. Li Ying staggered. All that was left in her hand was a bare pole. The pickaxe head "clanged" against the bluestone and fell to one side.
Li Ying's face was already covered with tears at some point. Streaks of criss-crossing tear marks had turned her face into a barren and salty land where no grass could grow.
"Granny Sun, Granny Sun..."
The cave was tightly blocked by rocks. It seemed that there was no sign that anyone could get in to search. Li Ying seemed to have been completely drained of all her strength. She slumped down on the ground in a daze.
Granny Sun, where are you?
Lu Xunguang, where are you again?
A Ying can't hold on anymore. A Ying is scared. Lu Xunguang, if you were here at this moment, what would the situation be like?
The villagers in the fishing village also knew that the situation was probably hopeless. They couldn't bear to look anymore and each turned their heads away.
It was Mian Mian who struggled to stretch out her little hand from A Man's arms and softly and gently placed it on her mother's face.
"Mommy, no cry, no cry."
The tender childish voice was soft and clear. It sounded extremely heart-wrenching in this desolate night.