?Chapter 422: Chapter 422 Obstacle (Extra Monthly Ticket) Chapter 422: Chapter 422 Obstacle (Extra Monthly Ticket) Because they were so close to the river, the sound of the rapids demanded full attention, so she focused even more on each step, carefully ensuring she didn’t fall from the uneven rocks.
There was no riverbank, at least not the kind most people think of. On both sides of the river were only rocks, all shapes and sizes,rge and small, round and pointed.
Some were as stable as Mount Tai, while others would roll at a single step. Some were very slippery, and the most dangerous were both slippery and rolling.
Before she took each step on the rocks, she made sure to grab hold with at least one hand before daring to shift her weight. As you can imagine, their progress was very slow.
Liu Yun and she held each other’s hands tightly, making their way as they hadst time; this was just another experience.
A cold fog blew over, and within seconds, clouds enveloped the mountains, reducing visibility to zero.
For the next hour, it was like this, with clouds shrouding the area and the wind continuously blowing mist in and scattering it. Once, the fog was so thick they had to stop and put on thin raincoats to keep their clothes as dry as possible.
So, proceeding with frequent stops, their pace was greatly slowed, and they were still a long way from their final destination. Ahead of them was a slope covered in trees, their targety to the northwest, but the terrain leaned north, so they could only advance as the terrain dictated.
But the worst was not these; it was the weather.
Halfway through, a torrential downpour began.
Their situation was quite awkward, with no way forward and no way back, and any path on either side involved great risk. An Zhiyuan, whose previous burden of carrying the wounded had been taken by others, was now anxiously contemting what to do in the pouring rain.
He and Hu Biao picked up a thumb-thick branch and poked around in the shrubs for small caves, protruding rock faces—any ce that could provide shelter from the wind and rain for the night.
He had to find a suitable cave within the time he had set for himself. Although there were many protruding rock faces, some were too shallow, some cracked, and some had unstable ground. Some had water running over them; one of his conditions for resting was dryness, so none of these would do.
Finding a karst cave would have been ideal, but the terrain was unfamiliar to him, though Hu Biao knew it much better.
Finally, he spotted a potential spot. A piece of granite extended slightly upward, perched on top of a massive thick rock b. These two rock pieces were as solid as Mount Tai, having been fixed there for so long that they were almostpletely buried, withrge trees growing on top. At the opening below, which faced south, there was arge fir tree partially covering the entrance.
He leaned in to inspect, this time turning on the shlight to make sure there were no snakes, bugs, mice, or anything else unsuitable for spending the night together; after moving aside the vines hanging over the entrance, the inside was dry. He illuminated every corner to check for snakes, dead mice, live mice, or any other undesirable guests.
The cave was halfway up the hillside and resembled a northern sweet potato cer. The entrance was narrow; to get in, one had to extend their legs inside first, supporting themselves with both hands on the sides until their feet reached the stones below, then they could walk down the steps.
The inside of the karst cave was irregrly shaped and not veryrge. With all 16 of them inside, there simply wasn’t enough space to lie down; they had to lean tightly against each other.
But this was already the best they could have under the current conditions.
The ground was, of course, covered with gravel, and there were a few insects hastily avoiding the light. Having a fire would have been perfect, but that was absolutely impossible unless they wanted to invite the enemy’s shells for a close encounter.
Everyone began to orderly withdraw into the cave.