Chapter 593: Chapter 593: The New County Magistrate Trapped

"Miss, Miss!"

Liu Ji tightly clutched the iron chains on both sides, almost lying flat on the stone steps, looking up helplessly and pitifully at Qin Yao.

His legs were trembling, his eyes full of fear, just short of shouting for help.

But with a crowd watching at the foot of the mountain, he could only force a smile.

Qin Yao stood above, heard the trembling call of "Miss," and glanced down; the sight was quite amusing, and she unabashedly curled her lips.

She waved her hand to signal him to calm down, "Wait a minute, let me see if the person delivering the water has come down."

A shivering Liu Ji replied, "Oh, oh, okay, Miss, please hurry."

Qin Yao: "Hmm."

The two of them stood on the mountain blowing in the wind for nearly half an hour, and Qin Yao finally saw a figure coming down the mountain. Estimating the distance, the person should be about three hundred meters up, which was also the most perilous and steep part of Liao Feng Mountain. Just looking at it from afar made one’s heart quake.

It was challenging for a single person to walk without carrying any luggage, testing both skill and mentality. Not to mention, as the sky darkened, they’d need to bring someone down, increasing the difficulty immensely.

Unless the person trapped could walk on their own, otherwise, the rescuers would be dragged down.

"Let’s head down first, and wait for that government officer to ask about the situation on the mountain."

Qin Yao turned around, grabbed Liu Ji’s shoulder, and leaped to the ground with him in one swift motion.

Liu Ji, for a change, wasn’t scared into screaming madly, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he stood upright, composed and fearless, and said to the County Magistrate:

"The mountain road is rugged and steep, and it’s getting dark. At night, it’ll be more difficult on the mountain. If the people on the mountain received water and food and can wait another night, we can go up tomorrow morning to carry them down, reducing the risk for the officers."

Saying this, he even winked at Qin Yao.

He realized that with her calm demeanor while jumping around, it showed that the fierce woman didn’t even bother with this small Liao Feng Mountain.

So, why not raise the stakes a bit?

Sure enough, upon hearing Liu Ji’s words, the County Magistrate immediately looked at Qin Yao with concern: "What does Miss Qin think? Is it difficult?"

Qin Yao glanced at Liu Ji, whose constant winking was almost causing a cramp in his eye, and nodded seriously, "I’ve checked the path up the mountain, and taking them down isn’t impossible, but with dark roads and risks, should anything go wrong, I’m afraid..."

She left the sentence hanging, furrowing her brows in apparent difficulty, making everyone below hold their breath in anxiety.

If even Miss Qin found it difficult, then it was even less likely for them to bring the people down safely; they might endanger their own lives.

While they worried, the officer who delivered food returned, and everyone rushed forward, bombarding him with questions.

"Is the person trapped the new County Magistrate?"

"How is he? Is he injured? Can he walk down the mountain?"

"How did he get trapped?"

Being questioned from all sides, the officer didn’t know where to start, until the County Magistrate shouted for silence, letting him speak.

With a sigh of relief, the officer reported, "Sir, there are two trapped individuals; it’s indeed the new County Magistrate and his loyal servant. Neither is seriously injured, but the new County Magistrate is scared of heights and has weak legs. I tried convincing him to come down with me earlier, but he just couldn’t move."

"The servant could barely walk but is worried about his master, so he insisted on staying to watch over the County Magistrate and wouldn’t come down with me either."

"I left them with some water and food, but with the high wind at such altitude and the County Magistrate wearing thin clothes, I’m afraid they can’t hold out for long. I urge you to decide quickly, Sir County Magistrate."

With their identities confirmed, the County Magistrate breathed a low curse, realizing rescue was unavoidable now.

He quickly gathered Qin Yao and others to discuss strategies.

The servant was still manageable, with enough energy after eating, and under the guidance of the officials, he could probably make it down with care.

But the County Magistrate, afraid of heights and with weak legs, would probably need to be carried down.

Upon discussion, they decided to send three people with ropes and a quilt from Qin Yao’s home up the mountain. One person would lead the servant down first, while two others would wrap the County Magistrate in the quilt and carry him down.

No sooner said than done, the County Magistrate immediately picked three men to try the plan, interestingly leaving Qin Yao out, perhaps considering she wasn’t needed yet.

But by this time, darkness had fallen. The three men had to light torches, climb, and carry heavy ropes and quilts. As they passed the iron chain segment, a sudden gust nearly swept them off their feet.

For a moment, chaos ensued, torches fell, but luckily Qin Yao, with her quick reflexes, leapt up and steadied them, preventing any accidents.

The County Magistrate was also startled, hastily shouting, "Come down, come down, everyone down!"

Qin Yao retrieved the quilt and ropes, jumping down first, followed by the three officers, who were still patting their chests, shaken.

"The wind on the mountain is too strong, and it gets worse the higher you go. It’s really too risky to continue," the officers reluctantly admitted.

The County Magistrate’s face darkened, "What should we do now?"

After being a bystander for a while, Liu Ji stepped up to ’cautiously’ suggest, "The lives of the officers are also important; it’s too risky up there now, why not wait for daylight?"

The County Magistrate glared at him; a dilemma between the new superior, the County Magistrate, and his long-time subordinates.

"Miss Qin," the County Magistrate eventually looked to Qin Yao, aware of his difficult request, but still needing to try; what if it worked?

At this critical juncture, Qin Yao felt it was about time for her to step forward.

She solemnly spoke, "I’ll try my best." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

The County Magistrate, moved to the point of tears, bowed deeply, "Then I entrust this matter to Miss Qin! If you can safely rescue the County Magistrate, just name your price, and whatever I can give, I will spare no expense."

Liu Ji, inwardly smiling, quickly offered humility, "Sir County Magistrate, you are too courteous. This is the duty of us, the people of Kaiyang County."

"No, no, no, climbing a mountain is dangerous; Miss Qin risking herself deserves some reward..."

Before Liu Ji could offer more modesty, Qin Yao had already picked up the ropes and quilt, ready to act.

Lives were at stake, and delays could lead to casualties, negating any potential benefits.

Qin Yao, focused and clear-headed, calmly used the hemp rope to tie the quilt into a makeshift bag, slung it on her back, and with a torch taken from the officers, ascended the narrow, steep stone steps without a word.

Having passed the initial iron chain section, she immediately felt the gusts from the cliff on the right, wobbling the torch but not extinguishing it.

The wind resistance was minor, though the visibility was poor. Her body relayed this information to her brain, and Qin Yao promptly adapted, bending low with the torch to illuminate the path as she cautiously climbed upwards.