Chapter 8: A desperate gamble

The middle-aged man with the horse face had told him many places that he couldn't enter that day, such as the Wudang Martial Arts Field and Book Cabinets, the True Martial Great Hall, and so on, but he didn't make any requirements for the back mountain.

After all, there was nothing there but high cliffs and dense forests, and Li Xiu had no other interests except for the back mountain.

The back mountain of Wudang is not small, but there are not many cliffs as far as cliffs are concerned, and there are even fewer if we exclude those that are not separated from the outside world at the bottom of the cliffs.

In the space of just a few dozen days, Li Xiu has made other unexpected gains, in addition to roughly determining the location of the cliff from which Huogong Toutuo jumped.

On his way to deliver firewood to Wudang, Li Xiu had seen Zhang Wuji several times, either passing by or seeing him from a distance.

Not only did he look like a modern martial arts superstar, he was also easy to spot because of all the Wudang disciples, only Zhang Wuji and Song Qingshu wore shoes and robes.

As for the difference between Zhang Wuji and Song Qingshu, it was clear as day.

Maybe it was because Zhang Wuji had been suffering from cold poison day and night, and had a huge grudge against him, but Zhang Wuji, who had already reached adulthood, always had a worried look on his kind and honest face and eyebrows.

When Li Xiu saw Zhang Wuji several times, he would either wander around lonely and restless, or he would watch the Wudang disciples practising martial arts at the edge of the martial arts field with a sullen and envious look.

At this time, no one in Wudang could have imagined that Zhang Wuji, the son of Zhang Cuishan, one of the Five Heroes of Wudang, who was weakened by cold poison and unable to practice martial arts, would rise to become the infamous leader of the Demon Cult. In a short span of time, Zhang Wuji would become a name that would strike fear into the hearts of many.

That is, of course, if Li Xiu didn't intervene and let things run smoothly. How could he let go of such a golden opportunity to ascend to heaven in one step? Even if Zhang Wuji is the so-called Destined Son of the World protected by Qi Yun, Li Xiu can't let go of this chance to change his future in front of him.

After all, a person's life is only a fleeting hundred years, and how often can you come across such a great opportunity to change your future? When he does, Li Xiu will seize it with all his might, even if it means crushing his finger bones.

As for what would happen to the original protagonist, Zhang Wuji, without the Nine Yang Divine Skill as the basis for his rise, Li Xiu has never thought about it.

He's a purely selfish individual at the moment and doesn't think about anything else. After seeing Zhang Wuji in Wudang, Li Xiu also found out through casual questioning that there have been no guests in Wudang lately, which means that Zhou Zhiruo hasn't come to Wudang to retrieve the Yitian Sword (Heaven Sword) as ordered by her master.

It is estimated that there is still some time before Zhang Wuji and Xiao Zhao are thrown off the mountain cliff, but Li Xiu doesn't know whether it will be short or long.

To avoid too many sleepless nights, Li Xiu decided to act early. One morning, after delivering the firewood as usual, Li Xiu, dressed in rough cloth, sneaked up to a high cliff on the back mountain of Wudang without anyone following him.

Once there, Li Xiu carefully leaned over the edge of the cliff to look down. Although it was daylight, the vines and weeds at the bottom were so tangled and overgrown that he could hardly see anything. He pulled his gaze back and took a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

To be honest, Li Xiu had a slight fear of heights, so the thought of jumping off the cliff was daunting to him. However, the thought of giving up and turning back was even harder for him to bear.

So, with a determined look on his face, he began to prepare for the jump.

He slowly lowered himself to the ground, cleared away a large tuft of weeds about a metre from the edge of the cliff and revealed three triangular iron nails, each the size of a baby's fist, deeply embedded in the cliff face.

Looking at the three iron nails, Li Xiu could still faintly remember the scene a few days ago when he had sweated profusely and used an axe to drive them into the cliff face. It was a bitter experience that only he knew.

Then he untangled the thick and strong hemp rope that was wrapped around the iron nails. One end of the rope was tied tightly around the three iron nails, and the other end was brought up by Li Xiu and tied around his waist several times.

He stood up and checked again, then slowly leaned down along the edge of the cliff until only half of his body was on the cliff.

Without looking down again, he knew that the more he looked, the worse it would get. Li Xiu just let go and grabbed the hemp rope instead of the edge.

There was a very short period of falling and weightlessness, and when the rope in his hand tightened and his body stopped, Li Xiu breathed a sigh of relief.

When it comes to life and death, there is no room for carelessness. The merchant who sold him the rope had told him that even if two oxen fought, the rope would not break.

Li Xiu had carefully tried the same rope before, and fortunately it had not slipped this time.

Following the rock face, Li Xiu began to loosen the rope piece by piece and lower himself down. He worked hard to regulate his breathing and stabilise his heartbeat, resting on the protruding rock on the wall as his strength waned. A dozen minutes passed in this way, and when Li Xiu looked down again, he was already close to the place where the vines were thickest, and he could barely see the bottom of the cliff.

Finding a protruding rock, Li Xiu began to untie the hemp rope from his waist and searched for a place nearby where the vines were tangled and knotted. This cliff must be jumped from, otherwise even the foolish Huogong Toutuo would suspect something.

If he jumped from here, he would inevitably be injured, but at least he would be cushioned by the vines and there should be no immediate possibility of death.

There was no point in thinking about it any further. He took a deep breath and leapt towards the vines.

In an instant, there was a pain in his abdomen, and before Li Xiu could react, there were several intense pains that he could barely distinguish from front to back, as if he was being whipped with a thick whip.

The descent was fast and furious, and the weightlessness and reaction force from hitting the vines made it impossible for him to control his body freely.

In the blink of an eye, Li Xiu could only pray in his heart that it was not his head that hit the ground first.

''Peng!!''

A large cloud of dirt was stirred up and scattered, and there was another human shadow on the ground.

Li Xiu curled up on the ground like a cooked shrimp, his face red and his neck with prominent veins bulging out.

A deep, painful scream came from his throat, followed by intense, heavy breathing.

After a few seconds, Li Xiu tried to move his body and stand up. With this movement, he felt as if his whole body was being scattered.

Everything hurt, especially his chest, as if someone had dug several large holes in his chest.

''Sii!''

Li Xiu tried to stand up, pulling at the wounds in his chest and abdomen as he involuntarily inhaled a breath of cool air.

He had to move his body carefully and lean on some scattered rocks to sit down, assess his injuries and wait for Huogong Toutuo to arrive.

Li Xiu couldn't help but smile bitterly. Although his head had not landed particularly unlucky just now, it was still a miserable front landing.

His rib was certainly broken, but Li Xiu could not feel how many bones were broken. His internal organs must have been injured as well. In short, he is now in a very bad condition.

There are obviously no doctors at the bottom of the cliff, and even if there are herbs to treat injuries, Li Xiu does not know them or how to use them.

If he can't bluff Huogong Toutuo and get the Nine Yang Divine Skill, his injuries might get worse in a few days.

But it is not too bad. After all, Li Xiu has already mentally prepared for the situation after falling off the cliff.

Besides, the injuries on his body are not completely useless. At least it gives Huogong Toutuo a reason to threaten him, and then he can proceed.

Next, it is time to take a desperate gamble and deceive Huogong Toutuo. Whether he succeeds or fails is a matter of life and death.