The Inverted Dragon's Scale

I just mentioned it casually, heavens you’re not serious, right? It’s just a joke, okay? Do you not have any sense of humour?

“I said I’m willing to carry Cui Xiaoxin through water and fire buy you don’t have to immediately let torrents of water gush down the mountain——do you not know that a man’s promise can’t be put to test?”

LI Muyang even wanted to commit suicide.

The deep booming noise came closer and closer until it sounded like a constant crash of thunder in the ears.

A wave of white surged down the mountainside.

As if charging and breaking through the enemy lines, it came crashing down in the direction of Li Muyang and Cui Xiaoxin, sweeping away obstacles, eroding the mountain and breaking off trees along its way.

Li Muyang’s mouth widened slightly to say something but nothing came out in the end.

Cui Xiaoxin was frantic with worry, screaming: “Li Muyang run——hurry run—–”

Li Muyang finally reacted, his limbs unfroze, tossing the branch in his hand aside. He dashed down the slopes.

This was the mountain road he managed to climb up after much difficulty, but now he has to head back down and at a much more rapid pace.

Crackle—–

The incessant sound of the breaking branches grew closer.

Behind, were torrents of water grumbling and growling like a pack of mad dogs chasing after them.

“Put me down—-put me down—–” Cui Xiaoxin’s voice sounded increasingly anxious. “You can’t run with me on your back—–Li Muyang, you can’t run faster than the torrents. Hurry let me down.”

“I can’t.” Li Muyang said firmly. “No matter what happens, I will not leave you behind. If we leave, we leave together; if we die, we die together—–”

“Li Muyang.” Cui Xiaoxin anxiously cried: “do you have any idea you’re going to die. The torrents will drown you. You’re an idiot, let me down—–”

“I know that. If I let you down, you would also die—–” Li Muyang said.

He is not a fool, how would he not know of the current situation?

Gallons of water came crashing down from above, this was most likely because a levee had collapsed.

Nameless Mountain rears into the clouds and the torrents thundered down from its summit, then the force and weight won’t be less than ten thousand pounds? How could Li Muyang’s ordinary body withstand its power?

Besides, he was carrying Cui Xiaoxin on his back; if he left Cui Xiaoxin and fled himself, she would definitely die, but if he tries to escape with Cui Xiaoxin on his back then they would die together—–under such desperate circumstances, how could Li Muyang make a decision?

The incessant rumbling got louder as the waves slapped at his legs.

The explosive rumble of water got closer and closer, the water lapping at their buttocks.

The floodwaters had reached Li Muyang’s ankle, with the slightest mistake he will be engulfed by the wave behind.

“Li Muyang, put me down, I need to come down——” Cui Xiaoxin screamed. Cui Xiaoxin who was always quiet and calm became anxious and her voice was shrill and loud.

Li Muyang ignored her, continued to wade through the ankle-deep water with her on his back.

“Li Muyang, put me down, put me down——” Cui Xiaoxin desperately smacked Li Muyang’s shoulder.

Li Muyang clenched his teeth and did not utter a word.

He would never let Cui Xiaoxin down and escape by himself, even if it means he would die.

“Li Muyang——-” Cui Xiaoxin eyes reddened and her voice began to choke with sobbing. “Put me down, put me down———”

Crash—

A huge wave crashed over them. Li Muyang’s body was pushed over by the force of the raging torrents.

The mighty torrents engulfed them completely, sweeping away Li Muyang and Cui Xiaoxin from the surface of the floodwater.

Rumble——

Torrents of water continued to pour down at a terrifying speed.

Birds flew off and animals tried to escape.

Boulders were sliding down, forming deep cracks in the mountain. It looked as if the water from the heavens was trying to erode Nameless Mountain itself.

“Ah——–” Li Muyang’s head suddenly broke the surface and he rose up out of the water. His body drifted forward by the swirling currents, and his eyes frantically darted back and forth: “Cui Xiaoxin—-Cui Xiaoxin——-Cui Xiaoxin where you are? Cui Xiaoxin, say something——–”

Waves slapped against his back, causing him to lose his balance, he stumbled and fell to the ground. Without the chance to crawl up from the ground, the torrents beat him down again.

His body plunged underwater. He made a concerted effort to finally rise from the ground and managed to finally make his head surface out of the water. But only to find that Cui Xiaoxin has disappeared.

Presumably during that split second he fell to the ground he did not hold on tight so he lost Cui Xiaoxin.

Li Muyang’s eyes brimmed and his lids turned red. He shouted until his voice had gone hoarse: “Cui Xiaoxin——Cui Xiaoxin say something. Cui Xiaoxin——–”

Bang——

Engrossed in searching, Li Muyang was unaware of his surroundings, knocked right into the rough bark of a thousand-years old tree.

He was struck dizzy, his face deeply scratched and his nose bleeding.

Li Muyang did not care about his face, clasping onto the trunk of the big tree with both hands he repeatedly yelled: “Cui Xiaoxin—-Cui Xiaoxin—pah—-”

He spat out a mouthful of blood because the blood from his nose had flowed into his mouth.

The torrents gushed down, showing no intention to stop at all.

Li Muyang was torn with anxiety not knowing whether Cui Xiaoxin knows how to swim or her current situation. If something happens to her, he would never forgive himself.

“Li Muyang——-” A weak and faint voice cried from somewhere in the distance.

Li Muyang listened carefully, then yelled at the top of his voice: “Cui Xiaoxin, is that you? Cui Xiaoxin, where are you?”

“Li Muyang——–” It was the familiar voice again.

This time, Li Muyang was certain of the direction.

He took several deep breaths before he released his hold on the tree and hastily swam to the edge of the cliff.

The powerful torrents thrust Li Muyang ever forward.

Very soon, Li Muyang was shoved to the corner of the cliff, he clung fast onto some vines to prevent himself from falling off.

“Cui Xiaoxin——-” Li Muyang yelled again. Next to him was the bottomless abyss, but Cui Xiaoxin was nowhere to be found.

“Li Muyang——–” Cui Xiaoxin’s voice echoed from below.

Li Muyang’s lowered his head, glancing around carefully until he caught sight of Cui Xiaoxin, who was pushed off the cliff and was caught by the thick and dense branches.

Both her hands were tightly clenching onto a large bulky tree trunk, it looked like with the slightest mistake she would fall down.

Li Muyang was worried to death but his face was calm and collected: “Cui Xiaoxin, are you alright? Are you injured?”

“Li Muyang, I’m fine—–I’m going to die.” Cui Xiaoxin said, her voice lacking strength. As a pampered girl since childhood, this ordeal had really made her go through too much hardship.

“You won’t. You’re not going to die, I will never let you die.” Li Muyang grinned foolishly. “I’ll throw the vines down, then you tie them around your body—–I will drag you up—–”

“Li Muyang, I have no energy, I have little strength left, I’m afraid I can’t catch them——–”

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t. Wait there, I’ll come down and save you.”

“Li Muyang, don’t come down—–” Cui Xiaoxin quickly shouted. “Don’t come down. If you come down, I will jump——-”

“What are you talking about? If I don’t climb down, are you going to lie down there forever?” Li Muyang said with a smile. He kept twisting his body and wrapping the vines around his waist. “Wait there, I’ll come down and drag you up—–I just carried you so I know you’re not heavy at all, the vines are very strong, it can pull both of us up——–”

“Li Muyang, don’t come down, you must not come down—–” Cui Xiaoxin dissuade him repeatedly. “After coming down you won’t be able to climb back up. Don’t tell me you don’t know?”

Torrents of water sluice down at the side; Li Muyang’s body was swung side to side by the force, looking like he may fall into the abyss at any time.

Li Muyang grinned: “I know, but I want to try—–if I don’t come down, you can’t climb up. When you can’t hold onto the trunk any longer, you will fall——-”

“Li Muyang, why are you so foolish?”

“I just don’t want you to die.” Li Muyang began to climb down. He had to climb down; if he does not climb down, there is no way he could pull Cui Xiaoxin back up.

Cui Xiaoxin was losing grip, if he did not climb down in time and secure her with him, he was afraid Cui Xiaoxin would fall down midway.

However, there was still a very important problem—–if he smoothly reached down and successfully tied him to Cui Xiaoxin. How could he haul both of them back up the edge of the cliff?

Is his strength enough to support the weight of both their bodies?

There was no time to think too much. Li Muyang made his way down the edge of the mountain, slowly and cautiously lowering his body to a place that can support the weight of him and Cui Xiaoxin.

Then, grabbing the tip of the tree, he swung over to the tree Cui Xiaoxin was clinging onto.

“Xiaoxin—–” Li Muyang’s face was dripping with blood. The streams of blood dripping from his face and nose were mixed together with the floodwater as he splashed through. “It’s okay, I’m here to save you.”

“Li Muyang——-” Tears welled up in Cui Xiaoxin’s eyes and ran down her cheeks as she said: “How can you be so stupid? How can you be so stupid? You know it——you know this is just a test. This is not real, this is only a test——I’m not Cui Xiaoxin, I just—–transformed to look like Cui Xiaoxin.”

Li Muyang wiped the blood and sweat on his face, so he could see a bit more clearly.

After listening to Cui Xiaoxin, there was no expression of disappointment on his face. He said in a nonchalant tone: “I know. I know you’re not Cui Xiaoxin, I also know that this may be just a test——–but, you look exactly like Cui Xiaoxin, I’m afraid——What if you’re really Cui Xiaoxin?”

He lowered himself step by step on the vines down to Cui Xiaoxin and then fastened the vines around Cui Xiaoxin’s body.

“No matter who you are, since you look like Cui Xiaoxin, I have to help you up—I cannot let anything happen to you—-” A smile spread across Li Muyang’s face, revealing his two rows of sparkly white teeth. He looked like a handsome boy with a positive outlook.

“Li Muyang——-” Cui Xiaoxin grasped onto Li Muyang’s body, murmuring his name: “Li Muyang——-”

Cui Xiaoxin’s body suddenly leaped, dragging onto Li Muyang’s body, they dropped down into the bottomless cliff that is enveloped by thick mists and clouds throughout the year, and wind whistling coldly across the weathered cliff faces.