Chapter 129: Rescued

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In the pitch-black culvert, Xu Zhengyong was desperately trying to dig away the earth and rocks blocking the entrance.

Though the debris did not seem especially heavy, it was as if it were endless. Every time he cleared away one portion, more came sliding down to fill the gap.

Suffocating from the lack of air and exhausted from his efforts, Xu Zhengyong felt his strength slipping away.

“Brother Xiaoyong, rest for a while,” Wei Mingting said. “If you keep going, your body won’t be able to take it.”

Wei Mingting sat nearby, his breathing heavy as he spoke.

They had already been trapped in the culvert for four hours. The air inside was growing thinner by the minute, while the damp, frigid surroundings posed an immense strain on their bodies.

Wei Mingting and Xu Zhengyong were both martial artists, so they were holding up somewhat better. The three villagers who had been traveling with them, however, had already curled up together. The weakest among them, a nine-year-old boy, had fallen into a semi-conscious state.

At this rate, they would not last much longer.

Looking at the three frail villagers, each of them barely clinging to life, Wei Mingting felt deeply responsible.

Although he had hurried there to rescue them, he had still arrived too late. On the way back, they had encountered a landslide.

At the critical moment, they had managed to take shelter in the culvert and avoid being buried alive, but all they had done was delay their deaths.

Xu Zhengyong struggled on for a while longer before finally giving up and sitting down beside Wei Mingting.

The ground was wet and uncomfortable, but when dizziness and blurred vision overwhelmed him, sitting was the only way to ease it slightly.

“I don’t want to die…” Xu Zhengyong said bitterly.

He was filled with regret. He had yet to fulfill the promise he had made to Sister Ruo’er. He had not properly honored his parents. He had not even heard Xiumei call him “Senior Brother.”

Was he really going to die here today?

“I understand how you feel. I don’t want to die either. I’m not afraid for myself; I’m only worried about my family…”

How could Wei Mingting not be troubled? He did not know what would become of the Wei family after his death, or what would happen to his wife, his son, and his daughter.

Xu Zhengyong glanced at Wei Mingting. In his eyes, Wei Mingting was a worthy martial commander. Whether in strategy, martial prowess, or his compassion for the common people, he was someone Xu Zhengyong deeply admired.

Unfortunately, he was not a good father. He had allowed Sister Ruo’er to be bullied.

Thinking of Wei Ruo, Xu Zhengyong said, “There’s still a promise I haven’t kept…”

Nearby, a family of three huddled together. The husband and wife, who still retained a trace of consciousness, sensed that there was no hope of survival and began to sob softly.

Just as everyone in the culvert believed they were about to die there, a faint glimmer suddenly appeared above the entrance.

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Was it an illusion?

Why was there light?

Had the underworld’s wardens come to take them away?

None of them had died before, so they had no idea what such soul-reaping spirits were supposed to look like.

At that moment, several voices came from outside.

“Can the people inside hear us? Commander Wei! Deputy Commander Xu!”

Hearing the voices, Wei Mingting and Xu Zhengyong both stood up.

“We’re here!” Wei Mingting replied with all the strength he had.

“Commander Wei, hold on! We’ll dig the passage open and get you out immediately!”

Outside, a man’s voice rang out, followed by the increasingly frantic sounds of hoes and shovels.

Before long, one-third of the entrance had been exposed.

Then a sturdy middle-aged man climbed down through the opening.

“Rescue those people first!” Wei Mingting told him.

The man nodded. He first lifted the unconscious boy up through the opening. The people above pulled him out, and the boy was rescued safely.

Next came the boy’s parents.

Only after that were Wei Mingting and Xu Zhengyong brought out.

Once they reached the surface, they discovered that the rescuers were Wei Jinyi and Wei Ruo. Both Wei Mingting and Xu Zhengyong were astonished and overjoyed.

The words “Sister Ruo’er” rose to Xu Zhengyong’s throat, but he forced them back.

Normally, no matter how often his parents corrected him, Xu Zhengyong refused to change. Whenever he saw Wei Ruo, he would shamelessly call her “Sister Ruo’er.” Yet now, he could not bring himself to say it.

At the moment of his rescue, discovering that Wei Ruo was among those who had come for him filled him with an overwhelming urge to rush over and speak to her. But Xu Zhengyong understood that there were outsiders present. He could not act that way. The moment he called out to her, it would be Wei Ruo’s reputation that suffered.

Chapter 129: Rescued

Wei Ruo’s gaze also fell upon Xu Zhengyong. Seeing the excitement in his eyes, and how he opened his mouth only to stop himself, she immediately understood his intentions.

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Wei Ruo felt pleased. Brother Xiaoyong had grown up. He would no longer act recklessly without considering the consequences.

Although Wei Ruo and Xu Zhengyong did not speak to each other, the exchange between their eyes was perfectly clear—and Wei Jinyi, standing beside Wei Ruo, noticed it all.

“Jinyi, Ruo’er! Why are you here?” Wei Mingting asked, astonished and delighted at once.

“My sister heard that you had gone missing, so she came with me to search for you. She was the one who discovered that you had been buried here,” Wei Jinyi explained.

“Ruo’er, how did you find us?” Wei Mingting asked Wei Ruo.

Wei Ruo explained, “I thought about what you would have done. If I were in your place, knowing that there might be danger, I would naturally choose the safest route into and out of the mountains. After observing the surroundings, I thought you might have taken the path along the western side.”

“While searching along the way, I found a dagger. It was brand-new and clearly did not belong to any of the villagers, so I guessed that this might be where Father and the others had been buried.”

A delighted expression appeared on Wei Mingting’s face. He did not comment, but the smile on his lips revealed exactly how he felt.

“Let’s leave this place first and return to the village before discussing what to do next,” Wei Jinyi ordered.

Wei Mingting and Xu Zhengyong were both martial artists and therefore physically stronger than ordinary men. Even so, after being trapped for so long, they were in only slightly better condition than the three villagers. The cold had seeped into their bodies, leaving them feverish and in urgent need of treatment.

After they emerged from the valley, Wei Jinyi borrowed a villager’s home so that Wei Mingting and Xu Zhengyong could take hot baths and change their clothes.

The roads leading in and out of the village had been blocked. Given their current condition, neither Wei Mingting nor Xu Zhengyong was fit to continue traveling, especially not through the mountains. They would therefore remain temporarily at the villager’s home and leave once the roads had been cleared.

While Wei Mingting and Xu Zhengyong were bathing and changing, Wei Ruo took the pulses of the weakened family of three who had been trapped with them.

All three had caught chills and were feverish. The lack of oxygen had also caused some disruption in their physical condition.

There was no way to purchase medicine outside at the moment, but fortunately, Wei Ruo had brought a large supply with her before leaving. For the time being, she had no trouble stabilizing their conditions.

Afterward, Wei Ruo went into the courtyard. Seeing Wei Jinyi seated at a small table, she walked over and sat down beside him. Taking out the medicine bottles she had brought, she began mixing the medicines.

Wei Jinyi quietly watched as Wei Ruo worked with the things in her hands.

Chapter 129: Rescued

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