Chapter 516: The Baiqi Tribe's Treachery

Twilight hung low, the slanting sun set in the west, gently scattering lingering glow over the ground.

When Nan Qinghuan and Ying arrived at the place the ancestors had spoken of, there wasn't even a single ghost, and there was no sign of mother at all.

"Ying, let's go look around and see where mother went?"

Nan Qinghuan thought mother wouldn't go far, but after such a long time she wondered where she could be, which made her very worried, also fearing something might happen to her.

After all, the mountain harbored many fierce beasts, and mother was an elderly person; if she encountered one, it would be trouble.

Ying was also worried, but showed no sign of it, "No rush, mother has been walking in the mountains for years without trouble; I'll go look in that forest over there."

The couple split up, and Nan Qinghuan, looking at the barren cliff, felt that something bad was about to happen.

Mother had come here to gather Herbal Medicine, but the vegetation had been destroyed by people from Ying Town, making it impossible to find anything; where would she go? The sky grew darker, and visibility on the mountain worsened, so she lit a torch, oil‑filled and especially bright.

"Mother, mother"

Nan Qinghuan searched all the way and finally found a shoe at a cliff.

A shoe!

It made her mind feel like it would explode; she recognized the shoe on the ground—it was mother's.

"Mother, mother… 'Mother'"

She saw that this was a cliff, bottomless below; her voice could only echo, and at that moment she silently feared the worst—could it be that mother had fallen?

No, it can't be! No!

"Ying, come quickly"

Ying hadn't gone far; first, he worried about Nan Qinghuan's safety, second, he knew mother wouldn't go into deeper forest. Hearing Nan Qinghuan call him, he hurried toward her, and when he saw her holding a shoe, his expression darkened, "Qinghuan, this shoe…"

"It's mother's, Ying; I found it here on the cliff. What should we do?"

In that instant Nan Qinghuan felt so worried she wanted to cry; what a wonderful mother, helping raise the child and still gathering herbs—if she truly had fallen, she would blame herself for a lifetime.

What to do? Ying, seeing her on the verge of tears, gently comforted, "Don't be afraid; nothing will happen. I'll find some green vines and go down to look."

Ancient People possessed their own climbing abilities, and Ying's climbing skill was even greater, so he gathered many green vines winding around ancient trees, bundled them together to descend the cliff and search. Though he knew the drop was deep and mother's chances were slim, he still held hope, hoping to find mother unharmed.

In the past some clan members had fallen, and vines below sometimes caught them; perhaps mother was caught too.

Thinking that way, he was less worried.

"Qinghuan, I'll go down and see; don't worry."

"Ying, be careful."

She hated that the sky had already darkened; darkness limited visibility, making descent difficult, but they could wait no longer.

"Be careful; if anything happens, shout out, and I'll go find the Rongdi."

She grabbed Ying's arm as if clutching the whole world, also fearing that Ying might be in danger if he went down.

Ying saw the worry in her eyes, gritted his teeth, "Don't worry, it'll be fine; I'll be back soon."

Just as he prepared to descend, Yao's voice came from not far away.

"Ying, Goddess, Ying"

"Yao has arrived"

Yao's arrival might change things; indeed, Yao hurried over, seeing Ying holding many vines, looking as if he were about to descend the cliff.

"Ying, what are you doing?"

Nan Qinghuan quickly explained, "We found mother's shoe, suspect she fell, and Ying wants to go down and look."

Hearing this, Yao shook his head and stopped Ying, "Don't go; mother isn't below."

Not below? The words made Nan Qinghuan and Ying's expressions darken; the couple didn't understand his meaning, and Ying halted, "What do you mean?"

"Come with me back; mother was probably captured by people of the Baiqi Tribe."

"What?"

At the first watch, the couple followed Yao into the Cave, and before entering they heard Rongdi's scolding, "You'd better be telling the truth, or you'll suffer."

"Rongdi"

Ying strode in, calling out Rongdi; Rongdi, seeing the couple arrive, hurried forward, "Ying, Qinghuan, you're here?"

"Who captured my mother? Speak!"

The leading man, bruised and bloodied—Rongdi's handiwork—glanced at Ying with a mocking laugh, "You're Ying of Ying Town?"

"Did you do it?"

He stepped forward, gripping the man's throat, his face grim and vicious, as if to kill him.

"Ying, don't act rashly; ask him why he captured mother, and where mother is now safely?"

Nan Qinghuan feared Ying might lose his mind and choke the man, so she rushed forward and grabbed his arm. Ying had been furious—how dare anyone touch his mother, seeking death? Soon, after Nan Qinghuan's soothing, Ying gradually released his grip on the man, his face dark, saying coldly, "Tell me, where is mother?"

The man, seeing his frantic demeanor, was no longer afraid; now they held a female captive, fearing no one. Seeing how much Ying cared about that female, they realized they had the upper hand.

"It's simple: let us leave and return to the Baiqi Tribe, and we'll release that old thing; otherwise you'll only get corpses."

"Heh…"

Ying sneered, his gaze sharp; he coldly fixed the man before him, a stare the man could barely withstand, and he curled his lips, "If you let us go, we'll let that female go, Ying."

Ying clenched his fists, trying to suppress his inner frenzy; he disliked being manipulated, especially by these people.

The Baiqi Tribe clansmen dared to cause trouble here and even captured his mother; he would not let them go unpunished!

"Do you think I'm so easy to bully?"

"Ying, as long as you agree, we'll release that old thing; otherwise if we die, she must die too."

These people weren't joking; Nan Qinghuan was very worried—once mother was rescued, capturing these few wouldn't be hard.

"I promise you; tell me where mother is, you release us first, and I'll make sure you're released—never breaking my word."

The man looked up, glancing at Nan Qinghuan, "You are Nan Qinghuan?"

Nan Qinghuan was startled, exchanged a look with Rongdi; how could this man know her? She took several deep breaths, straightened her back, "I am Nan Qinghuan; how do you know me?"

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