Taking the opportunity of traveling through books

Dark night, heartbroken

The old man Lingcao gently pushed the little girl away, and then... he rushed towards the mountain wall!

I screamed in surprise, but before I could react, I saw Elder Lingcao slam into the solid rock wall. Blood instantly dyed the wall red, and he slowly slid down and fell to the ground. The little girl let out a shrill scream and threw herself on Elder Lingcao, crying, "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

My heart sank, a chill running from my feet to my head. I had never imagined that the old man would choose this way to end his life. What kind of despairing story lay behind his protection of the sacred herbs?

Seeing this, Wei Xue laughed gleefully, "Haha, I told you, this old guy won't give you the spiritual herbs! Your plan is doomed to fail!"

Her laughter pierced my eardrums like a sharp knife, making me even more irritated. I glared at her fiercely, suppressed my anger, and quickly walked over to the little girl. I squatted down, gently stroked her hair, and said softly, "Don't cry, child. I'm sorry..."

The little girl cried even harder, hugging the corpse of the old man tightly, her small body trembling constantly. My heart also ached, and I seemed to see the despair and helplessness I once felt.

I turned to look at Hao Yang, and his face was also very grim. He walked over to me, gently held my hand, and gave me an encouraging look.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Now was not the time to be sad. I had to find a way to get the spiritual herbs and complete my mission.

I once again looked at the magical herb nestled deep within the crevice of the mountain wall. It still emanated a faint golden light, as if mocking my powerlessness. A deep sense of despair rose within me. Could it be that I truly could not change my fate? Was I destined to become the villain in the book, destined for ultimate destruction?

Wei Xue's voice rang out again, with a hint of sarcasm: "What? Have you given up? I knew you couldn't do it! You are no match for Wei Qing at all!"

Every word she said was like a needle, piercing my heart. I gritted my teeth, holding back the tears in my eyes, refusing to show weakness in front of her.

I slowly stood up and looked at Wei Xue with a determined gaze: "I won't give up! I will definitely get the spiritual herb and change my destiny!"

I turned around and ignored Wei Xue's sarcasm. I walked to the cliff face and carefully observed the surrounding environment, hoping to find another way.

Suddenly, I noticed a tiny crack in the mountain wall that seemed large enough for a person to pass through. A glimmer of hope ignited in my heart: perhaps I could climb up from here and get the magical herb.

I turned to look at Hao Yang, who seemed to have noticed the crack as well. He nodded, indicating that I could give it a try.

I took a deep breath, thrust my hand into the crack, and, with a push, slowly climbed upward. The cliff was steep, and my hands and feet were scraped raw, with blood streaming down the stone wall. But I didn't give up. I gritted my teeth and climbed up step by step...

"Be careful!" Hao Yang's voice suddenly rang out.

I looked up and saw a huge rock rolling down from the top of the mountain, heading straight towards me... "Wei Yao!"

Hao Yang suddenly pushed me away, and the boulder brushed past my shoulder before landing with a resounding thud. I sat on the ground, shaken and trembling. Hao Yang quickly ran over and hugged me tightly, his heartbeat beating like a drum against my eardrums.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" His voice trembled slightly and his tone was full of worry.

I shook my head and leaned into his arms, feeling his warmth, but I still couldn't dispel the haze in my heart. At that moment, I truly felt the threat of death, and I even thought I was going to die.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here and I will always be with you." Hao Yang gently stroked my hair and comforted me softly.

His words flowed slowly into my heart like a warm current, bringing me a sense of comfort. I knew that no matter what happened, he would be by my side, which gave me a great sense of peace of mind.

We were silent for a moment, and Hao Yang suddenly said, "We can't give up. We must get the spiritual herbs."

His tone was firm and powerful, which rekindled my hope. I looked up at him, and his eyes were filled with determination, as if telling me that no matter how many difficulties lay ahead, we would overcome them together.

I nodded, held his hand tightly, and said, "Okay, let's work together."

At this moment, Elder Wei's voice suddenly rang out: "Wait, look!"

We followed his gaze and saw that Old Man Lingcao was still alive! He was lying on the ground, breathing weakly, but his chest was still rising and falling.

Elder Wei hurried over and carefully examined Elder Lingcao's injuries. His brow furrowed, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "He has an old wound, seemingly caused by some special weapon. This injury has been tormenting him and causing him unbearable pain."

Elder Wei stretched out his hands, and a soft white light flowed out from his palms and slowly flowed into the body of the old man Lingcao. This was Elder Wei's unique healing technique, which could repair any injury.

As the white light was injected, the old man's breathing gradually calmed down, and his face gradually regained its rosy complexion. He slowly opened his eyes, and when he saw us, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"Who... who are you?" His voice was hoarse and weak.

"We're here to ask for the spiritual herbs," I said quickly. "We know it's not easy for you to protect them, and we're willing to pay any price."

The old man looked at me, a complicated look flashing in his eyes. He was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "You guys can go. The spiritual herbs are not something you can get."

His tone was full of helplessness and despair, as if he had given up everything.

"Why?" I asked unwillingly, "Do you really want to watch the spiritual herbs you protect fall into the hands of the bad guys?"

Old Man Lingcao did not answer. He just closed his eyes, as if he didn't want to mention this matter again.

Elder Wei saw this and spoke again, "Old man, I know you have your reasons, but you can't just give up like this. You've guarded the spiritual herb for many years, so you definitely don't want it to fall into the wrong hands, right?"

Elder Lingcao slowly opened his eyes and looked at Elder Wei, a trace of struggle flashing in his eyes. He was silent for a moment, and finally said, "Okay, I'll tell you..."

He was about to speak when suddenly, a cold laugh came from the valley... "It seems that we have arrived at the right time..." A man in black walked out of the darkness, holding a dagger that was shining with cold light in his hand.

The appearance of the man in black was like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent valley. His sinister laughter was even more chilling. My heart sank, thinking to myself, "This is bad!" It seemed we had been discovered after all.

"Who are you?" Hao Yang stepped forward, protected me behind him, and stared at the man in black vigilantly.

The man in black didn't answer, but sneered and rushed towards us in a flash. His speed was so astonishing that he was in front of us in the blink of an eye.

"Be careful!" Elder Wei shouted, and suddenly a long sword appeared in his hand, and he rushed forward.

A fierce battle erupted instantly. The black-clad man's martial arts skills were extremely powerful, and every move was deadly. Although Elder Wei was experienced, his age was gradually weakening him. Hao Yang also joined the battle. Although young, he was agile and fought the black-clad man to a standstill.

However, this was only the beginning. As the men in black appeared, more and more emerged from the darkness, surrounding us. These men were well-trained and coordinated, clearly from some mysterious organization.

"Damn, how come there are so many of them?" Master Hao's face was solemn. While resisting the enemy's attack, he looked at us worriedly.

I was also filled with anxiety. This time, the enemy was stronger than ever before. Although we fought hard, we were still being defeated.

In order to protect me, Wei Feng was stabbed in the chest by the enemy and fell to the ground, dying. I watched him fall, but I was powerless to do anything, my heart filled with grief and despair.

"Wei Feng!" I screamed heartbreakingly and wanted to rush over, but Hao Yang held me tightly.

"Don't go over there, it's too dangerous!" Hao Yang's voice trembled slightly.

Master Hao was also injured by the enemy's hidden weapon and was in critical condition. Wei Xue hid aside, not daring to show up.

The battle was brutal, and I felt as if I were trapped in endless darkness, with no hope in sight. Were we really going to die here?

Just when I was on the verge of despair, I suddenly realized that the men in black seemed to be sending each other some kind of signals. They didn't communicate verbally, but their eyes and movements seemed to be conveying some kind of information.

Is there some bigger conspiracy behind this?

I tried to calm myself down and focus on observing the signals between the men in black. I found that these signals seemed to be related to the terrain of the valley...

One of the men in black pointed in a direction deep in the valley, the other man in black nodded, and then... they suddenly stopped attacking.

"Retreat!" a voice sounded coldly.

The men in black retreated quickly and disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind only corpses on the ground and a few of us survivors.

I looked at the direction they disappeared in, and suddenly a bad premonition came to my mind.

"What are they waiting for?"