2025-01-01 16:39:28The sky was dark that night, with black clouds rolling over the horizon. The moonlight failed to penetrate through the gaps in the clouds, leaving silence in the secluded outer courtyard of the student village.
However, the silence was interrupted by whispers and the bustle of three small children.
"Let's drag him to the Bamboo Forest near here. It's impossible to arouse suspicion!" a boy whispered.
"Shouldn't we wrap him up to avoid suspicion?" a girl's voice was heard.
"Can't you two shut up? You've been arguing with each other with no action at all! Now, let's drag this cheap kid away. There's no need to wrap him up in anything. It's too much of a waste of resources for a talentless kid who doesn't have a Pearl Core at the center of his life!" snapped the other boy, making the two boys who were previously arguing instantly fall silent.
Two boys immediately dragged Eadric Rong's body while the girl swept away the footprints using leaves. Their demeanor looked like that of professional criminals.
All three were disciples of the Wudang Sect itself: Malakai Yan, Teddy Huo, and Judith Tang.
Since Elder Juric Teng reprimanded him, Malakai Yan had felt angry and embarrassed. Some children from the inner court gathered around him after the incident.
"It turns out that even though you're the son of a deputy sect leader, you're still afraid of Eadric Rong, whom Elder Juric Teng defended!" teased an inner court kid.
"Are you the son of the deputy sect leader? How is it that, with such a high status, you have to submit under Elder Juric Teng's orders? If left unchecked, this Eadric Rong will become big-headed!"
"Malakai Yan! Show that you are the son of the deputy sect leader!"
The ignorant voices of his friends made Malakai Yan think repeatedly. After discussing and deciding, he and his two mischievous friends devised a plan. They would discourage Eadric Rong by throwing him into the ravine beside the bamboo forest.
+++
"Let's just dump the kid here," Malakai Yan whispered.
"Is this the deepest part? It is said that no one can come alive from the bottom of this abyss," Judith Tang's voice sounded trembling. After all, she was a little girl. Doing something like this was like committing murder.
Judith Tang secretly shivered in fear. "If it's caught by others and reported, the three of us will be in trouble!"
"Come on, Teddy Huo. Help me push this boy into the ravine!" Unlike Judith Tang, Teddy Huo was a little short-minded.
Without thinking, Teddy Huo immediately helped Malakai Yan push Eadric Rong's figure into the abyss. At that moment, Eadric Rong was still unconscious from his head being hit by the wood.
Heavy objects rustled as Eadric Rong's figure slid through the wild plants along the abyss wall. Then, a rush sound was heard, and shortly afterward, Eadric Rong vanished into the depths of the ravine.
Malakai Yan snorted coldly. He then took his two companions away, leaving the sounds of night animals in the bamboo forest at the ravine's edge.
+++
"Where am I?" Eadric Rong woke up after several hours of unconsciousness. His head still hurt from the impact of the wood, and his whole body was in pain. His bones seemed on the verge of breaking.
However, Eadric Rong first tried to recognize the surroundings. His eyes looked in all directions. There were dense trees; the lighting wasn't too bright, the sunlight looked like an array of lines and a rocky cliff wall.
"This is?" Eadric Rong was confused, asking where he was.
By then, it was noon. It was around 10 a.m., and the sunlight was beginning to brighten. However, the sunlight seemed far away, just a straight line coming through the leaves of the dense trees.
"Is this the bottom of the abyss? How can I be here?" Eadric Rong's voice complained softly; then he turned into a panic.
Don't think that little Eadric Rong is a stupid child. He's smart. Just by observing his surroundings in a few blinks of an eye, he instantly deduced that he was at the bottom of a cliff.
Continued
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The sound of cackling filled the entire cave, echoing and causing fear. A foul stench came out of the figure's mouth as it brought its head closer to Eadric Rong, only half a meter away from his face."Are you deaf? Didn't you hear my words?" his voice echoed again, sounding like an ancient voice from another world.Eadric Rong naturally shivered with fear.The ugly face, the long and tangled hair. And the most terrifying thing was those empty eyes, as if they were moving and observing him. Eadric Rong felt like he was being interrogated. His mind quickly moved. "No matter what, I have to stay alive! The safest answer is the one I'll use."Subconsciously, still trembling, Eadric Rong replied, "My name is Eadric Rong. An outer court disciple, even if I can be considered a mere worker disciple..."Eadric Rong could feel the figure's hand grip loosening. "He softened when he learned I wasn't a core disciple.""Does Zhang Shi Dao still lead the Wudang Sect?" asked the hideous old figure,
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