Chapter 550 - 284 Invitation_1
Qian Yixiu stood at the doorway, looking westward where beneath the vast starry sky, the continuous mountains loomed dark and iron-like, mysterious and solemn. Within those mountains, every minute could see a struggle, the vanquished becoming food for the victor. She didn’t know whether Uncle Liang had found the Monkey Brother and his troupe, let alone if they could hold out for the rescue.
Qian Yixiu covered her face with a handkerchief and wept. She couldn’t keep them from the mountains; Monkey Brother and Monkey Sister were spirits of the hills, White Wolf had grown up there, and the Dashan family had roamed among the mountains since they were young, treating them as their own skies to fly through at will. But allowing them to enter the mountains always led to one situation or another.
She blamed herself for being careless. She should have warned them early on that these mountains were different from those they knew, filled with unknown dangers. She should have let Monkey Brother scout the area first, determine where was safe and where was not. That way, they wouldn’t have faced danger...
She wanted to wait at the courtyard gate but was forcefully persuaded to stay back by Blue Bead.
On the winter night, where water would freeze to ice, Qian Yixiu stood for a while until her hands and feet grew numb, then Blue Bead helped her back to the house to warm by the fire.
Thinking of the soldiers at the mountain, Qian Yixiu had Blue Bead relay a message to Auntie Pan to steam more buns and cook a large pot of egg drop soup, then had the servants take it to the foot of Jiufeng Ridge. Jiufeng Ridge was part of those continuous mountains and also belonged to West Mountain.
Slowly hoping for daybreak, neither they nor the animals had returned. Qian Yixiu forced herself to the main house; Qian Sangui was so anxious, his health took a turn for the worse. Qian Yixiu had to console him, "Master, don’t worry. Our Monkey Brother is formidable, and now General Liang and his men have gone, surely there will be no trouble..."
The sun rose from the east to mid-heaven, then slowly sank toward the summit of Jiufeng Ridge, but they and the animals still had not returned.
That morning, Qian Mandua’s family, along with Li Ahcai and Li Ahcao, arrived. Qian Sangui felt somewhat better upon seeing them. Knowing that Li Shuanzi had also entered the mountains, everyone waited here.