Chapter 10 – You Won’t Die, I’ll Come Find You
The next day, Xia Yi started sowing seeds.
He divided the field into two sections, planting fennel on one side and onions on the other. In less than half an hour, he had finished planting the entire plot. Dusting the dirt off his hands, he was ready to head home and make lunch to bring to Gu Wenzhu in the fields.
Just as he turned to leave, he saw Uncle Wang from the village running toward him from a distance, followed by a group of children. When Uncle Wang got closer, he stopped to catch his breath and said to Xia Yi, “Your Gu… Gu Wenzhu has been… taken by the authorities.”
A chill ran up Xia Yi’s spine. He raised his voice anxiously, “Gu Wenzhu has been taken by the authorities? Why? Are you sure it’s Gu Wenzhu?”
Still panting, Uncle Wang was overtaken by the kids, who all chimed in, “Yes, it’s Brother Zhu! The officials chained him up and dragged him away!” They even mimicked the motion of being handcuffed.
“Where did they take him?” Xia Yi’s voice became shrill with panic.
“To the county office.”
“Do you know what he was accused of?”
“No idea, but the officers mentioned something about provoking a fight.”
Thank goodness—it wasn’t some major crime like murder or robbery. Xia Yi took a deep breath to calm himself and ran back home in long strides.
As soon as he stepped into the house, Qilin came over affectionately, but Xia Yi was too preoccupied to pay attention. He rushed to the inner room and grabbed a cloth bundle, hastily packing his belongings.
“Pack up the money bag. My own money probably isn’t enough. Brother Zhu’s stash is in that chest; I’ll take it all. In case we need to bribe someone,” Xia Yi mumbled to himself, trying to stay calm.
Gu Wenzhu had never hidden his money or keys from Xia Yi, so he knew exactly where to find them. In the chest, there were some scattered silver coins and a few full silver ingots. Xia Yi threw them all into the bundle. He also packed a change of clothes, entrusted Qilin to Uncle Wang, then slung the bundle over his shoulder, ready to leave.
“Bring some food and water,” the system reminded him.
Xia Yi grabbed a few steamed buns and a water flask, picked up the wooden staff he’d carried since fleeing from famine, locked the gate, and set off toward the county town.
“Gu Wenzhu kidnapped several young women and hid them in a cellar, and he stole boxes of gold from a wealthy family after killing two servants. He’s a wanted criminal!” 179’s voice suddenly rang out, shrill with excitement.
Xia Yi froze. “Who told you that?”
“Those women washing clothes by the river,” 179 replied.
Anger surged within Xia Yi: Could you not make things worse right now?
Hurrying along the road, Xia Yi’s mind raced: The county town was more than ten miles away, and without any means of transport, walking would take forever. If he didn’t make it in time, what if Gu Wenzhu was already beaten up by then?
Looking around, Xia Yi recalled how Gu Wenzhu had taken a shortcut over the mountains last time, so he decided to do the same.
The mountain was eerily quiet, with only the occasional birdcall and the rustling of leaves in the wind. Xia Yi leaned on his staff, sweating as he trudged along the narrow path.
It wasn’t much of a road, just a trail beaten down by woodcutters. The path was steep and barely visible, making it tough to walk. Having never taken such a route before, Xia Yi was quickly exhausted, collapsing against a tree to catch his breath.
“179, this body is really weak. I used to be able to run 800 meters without even breaking a sweat, and now look at me after just a little climb.”
After a brief rest, Xia Yi looked at the winding path leading up to the mountain peak. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for the climb.
But just as he grabbed his staff and pushed off the tree to continue, the ground beneath him shifted. The rocks slipped, and Xia Yi lost his balance, tumbling down the slope along with the falling stones. He reached out desperately, but found nothing to grab hold of as he slid helplessly downhill.”
“Ahhhhh… 179…”
“Ahhhhh… Host…”
Xia Yi let out a scream, sliding down with a few rocks for about ten meters before finally stopping. His feet touched solid ground, and he quickly stood up, still in shock, looking around.
It was a deep ravine, surrounded by cliffs on three sides, each about thirty feet high. In front of him, the ravine ended in a cliff. Though the mountain walls were slanted, they were smooth, covered in slippery, damp moss, with nothing to grab onto.
Xia Yi tried to climb a few times but gave up. The smooth wall was impossible to grip, and he couldn’t take even a single step up.
He began shouting for help, “Is anyone there? Help!” But only his own echo answered him in the empty valley.
After calling for a while, his voice grew quieter. Finally, he sat down in defeat. “179, what do we do? I can’t get out. I’m stuck here. What about brother Zhu? Will he get beaten?”
“179, do you have any way to get me out? I can do some extra side tasks to repay you.”
“Host, I don’t have any way to get you out,” 179 replied, sounding dejected.
Xia Yi hugged his knees and stared blankly at the sky. What should he do?
*
Unknowingly, the sky darkened, and the calls of crows returning to their nests echoed. Xia Yi buried his head in his legs, not moving, maintaining the same position for a long time.
“Host, eat something,” 179 reminded him.
Xia Yi slowly shook his head. “I don’t want to eat.” He had tried climbing many times already, and now his hands and body were smeared with moss. If no one came to rescue him from above, he would be trapped here indefinitely.
This stupid farming world—he couldn’t even use a phone to call 110 for help.
*
Xia Yi was awakened by a sudden flash of lightning and thunder. He had fallen asleep without realizing it and had no idea how long he had slept. When he opened his eyes, the mountain was completely dark.
Then, raindrops began to fall, at first pattering lightly on the leaves and grass, but soon turning into a heavy downpour, the entire valley filled with the deafening sound of rain. The mountain temperature plummeted, and Xia Yi, now completely soaked, shivered as his wet clothes clung to his skin. A gust of wind sent his teeth chattering.
He had only eaten one meal today, and his stomach was now growling with hunger, his chest almost pressed against his back. Trembling, Xia Yi opened his bag and found the steamed buns he had packed. They had already turned mushy from the rain, but he pinched off bits of the soggy buns and ate them, swallowing them with the rainwater.
“179, if no one comes, will I be stuck here until I starve to death?” Xia Yi leaned against the cliff, speaking in a low, tired voice.
“Host, hold on. Someone will come to rescue us tomorrow,” 179 said, sounding anxious.
“Really? But no one knows I fell here. They all think I went to the city to find brother Zhu.” Xia Yi closed his eyes and rested his head against the cliff. “I wonder how brother Zhu is doing. When he gets out and finds that I’ve disappeared and the money is gone, what will he think of me?”
“He might think that, seeing him get arrested, I took the money and ran.” Xia Yi slid down the wall and hugged his knees.
“179, if I die, will I return to my original world?”
Xia Yi stared blankly into the darkness. “If I die, I hope brother Zhu finds me soon so he knows I didn’t just leave.” He shook his head slowly. “But if he finds me dead, he’ll be sad. Better if he thinks I ran away.”
“Host, there will be woodcutters or hunters passing by tomorrow. Don’t lose hope,” 179 comforted.
“But by tomorrow, brother Zhu will already be punished… I don’t know how badly he’ll be beaten.” Xia Yi closed his eyes in the rain.
*
“Host! Host! Someone’s coming!” 179 suddenly shouted. “Quick, get up! Someone’s nearby!”
Soon after, a voice called from above, “Xia Yi… Xia Yi…”
Xia Yi shot his head up. It was brother Zhu! It was brother Zhu’s voice! He hadn’t been arrested and had come to find him.
“I’m here… brother Zhu, I’m here…” Xia Yi’s voice was hoarse and rough, like he had swallowed a handful of sand. He coughed a few times and then shouted louder.
A moment later, a rope dangled down the cliff, and brother Zhu, with a lantern strapped to his back, slowly descended the rope.
When he reached the bottom, brother Zhu wiped the rain off his face and stared intently at the bedraggled Xia Yi. His chest heaving, he took a few steps forward and pulled Xia Yi into a tight embrace.
Xia Yi hugged him back, choking out, “I heard you were taken away… so I went to find you…”
“I know, I know. Uncle Wang said you went looking for me.” brother Zhu held Xia Yi tightly, muttering with a mix of relief and fear, “I’m fine.”
With Xia Yi in his arms, brother Zhu’s warmth and strong embrace made him feel utterly safe. But at the same time, a wave of helplessness surged inside him, and his voice quivered as he spoke. “I was so cold and hungry, worried about you. I didn’t know when someone would pass by. I thought I was going to die here.”
“You won’t die. I would have found you,” brother Zhu murmured softly.
He didn’t tell Xia Yi how worried he had been when he learned Xia Yi had gone to find him but the returning villagers from the city said they hadn’t seen him. And when he found Xia Yi’s walking stick on the trail, his heart had sunk to the pit of his stomach, cold and empty, until he heard Xia Yi’s voice echoing from the ravine.
At some point, the rain had stopped. The two climbed out of the ravine using the rope and headed home. When brother Zhu saw Xia Yi’s legs trembling, he carried him on his back.
“I’m starving,” Xia Yi complained, pressing against brother Zhu’s warm, solid back.
“We’ll be home soon. I’ll make you something to eat,” brother Zhu reassured him gently.
“My knee scraped against the cliff. It really hurts,” Xia Yi said, relishing the attention.
“We’ll check it when we get home. If the skin’s broken, I’ll put some ointment on it,” brother Zhu quickened his pace towards home.
“My legs are still tired,” Xia Zhu whined softly, dragging out his words with a hint of playfulness.
“I’ll give you a massage when we get home.”
