Chapter 592: Chapter 592: Liao Feng Mountain

Liu Ji’s words did indeed damage the reputation of the new county magistrate, but looking at the letter and the farmer who came to report, the County Magistrate had to nod, "As far as we know, that is indeed the case."

The County Magistrate anxiously said, "It’s been several hours since the letter was thrown down from the mountain. If the person trapped is indeed the new county magistrate, it’s a matter of life and death. We cannot shirk our responsibility. Please, Liu Junren, take a trip and ask Village Chief Qin to meet us at Liao Feng Mountain. We will be sure to reward him heavily after this is settled!"

Hearing those last three words, Liu Ji’s eyes lit up, suppressing his excitement, clasped his hands in a salute and left.

Leaving the government office, Liu Ji ran to the city gates to retrieve his carriage and hurried towards the village. Old Huang galloped until he was out of breath, reaching home in just over an hour.

Before he had time to park the carriage, Liu Ji jumped off, ran into the courtyard with an excited face, and shouted:

"Wife! Our chance to curry favor has come! No, my chance to curry favor has come!"

Luckily, he corrected himself in time. How could he drag his noble wife into such ingratiating affairs?

It was him!

It was Liu Ji’s insistence!

"Wife, the new county magistrate went up the mountain to enjoy the scenery and got trapped halfway up. Unable to go up or down, he wrote a desperate letter and threw it down. Someone picked it up and reported it to the officials. I almost laughed out loud—how could someone be so foolish and timid as to trap themselves halfway up a mountain? Hahaha... Uh!"

The laughter abruptly stopped as Qin Yao, who was doing accounts, lifted her gaze and shot a dagger-like look of annoyance.

"The new county magistrate got trapped halfway up the mountain?" Qin Yao furrowed her brows, doubting the absurdity of the situation.

Liu Ji was initially skeptical too, but the facts were as they were.

"Wife, this is absolutely true." Liu Ji stepped forward and briefly described his encounter with the farmer and the contents of the letter with a serious face: "The Lord County Magistrate asked me to call you to help, and he said there would be a heavy reward if successful."

Fearing she wouldn’t believe him, Liu Ji raised his hand in oath, "If there is even half a lie in what I just said, may I be struck by lightning and die a miserable death!"

"Enough." Qin Yao gestured for him to lower his raised hand, set aside her work, and stood up to ask, "In which direction is Liao Feng Mountain? How many hours do we need to get there?"

"The mountain isn’t far. It’s about ten miles north from the county town on the main road. It’s been a treacherous place since ancient times, but the view from the heights is magnificent, often attracting scholars and poets to climb and write poems."

Liu Ji looked up at the sky, "Heading over there now, it’ll take at least two hours."

"So we’ll arrive by dusk." Qin Yao furrowed her brows, contemplated for a moment, and told Liu Ji to prepare torches and ropes just in case.

"Also, bring a quilt. It might come in handy." That’s if the person is still alive.

Liu Ji nodded, seeing her go inside to change clothes, knew she was preparing to rescue, and quickly called Ah Wang to prepare whatever Qin Yao needed and load them onto the carriage.

Qin Yao changed into clothes and trousers suitable for action, took only a slingshot tucked at her waist for self-defense, and went with Liu Ji onto the carriage.

Instructing Ah Wang and Yin Le to look after the house, the couple immediately set off for Liao Feng Mountain.

As Liu Ji drove, Qin Yao sat inside the carriage, inquiring about the situation and organizing information about Liao Feng Mountain.

Liu Ji had never been there, only heard that the mountain was high and the path dangerous, with only a stone-paved path along the mountain ridge leading to the top.

"The stone steps are such that only half a foot can stand on each, straight up and down, with no railings on either side, making one’s legs weak and heart tremble just at the sight."

Saying this, Liu Ji remembered that to rescue someone, they would definitely have to take this perilous narrow stone path, and if they failed to rescue and got themselves trapped, what good would it be?

The horse carriage suddenly stopped, and Qin Yao frowned slightly, "Why did you stop?"

"Wife, maybe we should turn back." Liu Ji turned around, seriously suggesting.

Qin Yao raised an eyebrow in curiosity, "Didn’t you just say this is a great opportunity? If we save the person, the new county magistrate will owe us a big favor, giving us convenience in the future."

Liu Ji awkwardly scratched his head, "But what if it isn’t? The County Magistrate says it is, but he hasn’t even seen the new county magistrate. If we mistake the person, we’ve lost big."

"Moreover, moreover... the mountain path is dangerous and difficult to climb alone, let alone bringing someone back. Even martial arts experts might not escape unscathed..."

Qin Yao’s mouth quirked into a slight smile, "You’re worried about me, huh?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Liu Ji’s eyes widened momentarily, meeting her confident smile, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, he quickly turned back and exaggeratedly laughed, "How could that be!"

With a quick thought, he realized this might lead to a miserable end, so he muttered a faint "Hmm."

Qin Yao flicked his plump, round head with her fingertip, "I couldn’t tell you, Liu San, had a bit of a conscience."

"But fortune favors the bold, we’re already here; let’s see the situation first before deciding."

Qin Yao commanded, "Go!"

Liu Ji’s body reacted faster than his mind, immediately flicked the reins, prompting the horse forward.

Once the horse had gone some distance, he realized, annoyed at his instinctive compliance, yet worried she’d meet no return from the mountain climb.

"If it’s too treacherous, then it’s not worth it." Liu Ji said suddenly in a muffled voice.

Qin Yao smiled gently, "Hmm."

It seemed he had no idea about her capabilities.

After traveling for more than two hours, the couple finally reached the bottom of Liao Feng Mountain, where they met up with the County Magistrate and others.

The sun was almost setting; the trees in the mountains made it even darker, so torches were already lit by the officers.

Seeing Qin Yao, the County Magistrate hurried to explain the current situation to her.

A group of officers had already been sent up, calling out the new county magistrate’s name loudly. A response was faintly heard, roughly confirming the distance located halfway up Liao Feng Mountain.

An officer skilled in climbing had delivered water and food, also confirming the identity and status of the trapped person.

Now, this delivery officer had not yet returned, and everything depended on his return to plan the next steps.

Qin Yao glanced at the place surrounded by officers and nearby villagers ahead, "Can I take a look at the climbing path first?"

The County Magistrate nodded and ordered the people to make way, leading the couple to the mountain’s entrance.

One look was enough for Qin Yao to realize that Liu Ji’s description of the path being straight up and down was not an exaggeration but a factual portrayal.

The climbing path was indeed straight up.

Carved along the mountain ridge, the artificial stone steps were less than half a meter wide and only about a palm’s depth.

The initial section had iron chains on both sides to hold onto for support.

Once past this five-meter-high stone stair section, it was all bare stone walls, tree branches, and wild grass.

The only good point was that the road above had a slope, no longer at a ninety-degree vertical, allowing for climbing while bending down.

Of course, provided one didn’t have a fear of heights.

Otherwise, stranded on the mountain, looking back down, with no support around and incredibly steep cliffs, just the sight would make one’s legs go weak.

Earlier, Liu Ji mocked the new county magistrate for being foolish and timid. Now, following Qin Yao’s steps up the vertical section, looking back gave him dizziness!