Chapter 28
After much deliberation, the master decided to follow the path suggested by Orion. Although climbing the mountain is very hard, it is better than meeting a beast. Every time they climbed a mountain, the three of them would find a dry and flat place and set up a grass shed to rest for a day.
Counting the days, if you stop and go like this, you can still arrive at Qianyunzong Post Station in half a month.
In order to make it easier to climb the mountain, Zheng Qiu came up with a way. They use thatch to weave a grass rope, and use the straw rope to tie the wheelchair to the big tree every time they climb a section of the mountain, so that they can rest and not be afraid of the wheelchair sliding down the mountain.
Ten days later, the bushes at the foot of the mountain shook and were cut down. Three people came out from behind, Zheng Qiu, Shifu and Yunyou. Their clothes were covered with dust, one was scratched in the east, and the other was caught in a thread. There are still some weed leaves hanging in the hair, messy.
"Master, we're here!" Zheng Qiu shouted, pointing to the front, and at first glance he knew that it was the mountain where the Qianyun Zong station was located.
It was a very special mountain, the peak rose from the ground, towering into the sky, and the rest of the mountains were not half as high as it. The mountain peak is gray-brown, with only sporadic green shade. When you get closer, you can realize that the gray-brown color is a large piece of steep mountain wall.
At the foot of the mountain, Zheng Qiu ran forward to touch the big stone face of the mountain wall. The stone face was almost vertical, and when the wind blew, small stones would roll down from above. He stepped back ten feet, opened his mouth and looked up. Above the stone is still a stone, and above the cliff is still a cliff.
Zheng Qiu asked blankly: "Master, how can I go up here? There is not even a rope ladder to climb."
The master squinted his eyes and watched for a while, then took out the map and looked at it carefully for a while: "My dear apprentice, the direction may be wrong. Let's go around the mountain and look for it. There should be a way up."
Pushing on the wheelchair, they followed the master to search around the foot of the mountain. After half a day, as the master expected, they found a mountain road in the north of the mountain. This road was carved out of the mountain wall abruptly, like a long groove, spiraling upwards.
Zheng Qiu stepped forward and measured it with his feet. The road is only half a foot wide and one foot high, and wheelchairs can pass through it.
With the luggage on his back, Zheng Qiu wanted to push the wheelchair, but the master stopped him. "Good apprentice, don't worry, master, let me go up for a while to see the situation."
After all, the master set foot on the mountain road. About half an hour later, the figure of the master reappeared. "Good apprentice, don't go up the mountain today, let's rest at this intersection and get enough energy to start tomorrow morning."
"Master, why can't you go up the mountain today?"
"I went to see it just now. The road is full of slopes, and the mountain wall next to it has been chiseled bare. There is no place to rest when pushing a wheelchair."
Hearing this, Zheng Qiu's face was full of sadness: "There is no place to rest! Then will this mountain be able to climb up in one go tomorrow? It's so high."
"Apprentice, don't be afraid. Let's leave all our luggage tomorrow and just bring a few biscuits. The wheelchair master can exchange pushes with you."
After discussing the method, the three of them set up a shed on the grass beside the intersection, lit a fire and boiled water for the night. When eating, Yunyou distributed all her cakes to Zheng Qiu and the master, asking them to eat more to replenish their energy.
The next day the weather was fine and the wind was not strong, which was the right time to go up the mountain. The master weaved two straw ropes and tied them to the two armrests of the wheelchair, then tied one around his waist and the other around Zheng Qiu's waist. Then he told Zheng Qiu that after going up the mountain, he would pull for a while, and Zheng Qiu would push for a while, taking turns to rest.
The mountain road is long, and from a distance, the three of them are like snails on a big tree, moving up bit by bit. There is a cliff at your feet, and every time you take a step forward, sand and stone will roll down due to vibration.
At first, Zheng Qiu was still very scared. He turned his head to the side and kept looking at the mountain wall. As time passed, he gradually became more courageous, from sneaking to the edge of the cliff to looking under the cliff with his head. With trees, streams, and mountains in sight, Zheng Qiu thought to himself, perhaps this is what it feels like when a cultivator flies.
However, the scenery in front of me cannot relieve the fatigue of the body.
After climbing for a while, Zheng Qiu felt that his legs were getting hotter and hotter, and a tingling feeling in his bones seeped into his muscles little by little. Breathing also gradually became short, the more panting, the more dry the throat felt.
He straightened his body and looked above his head. Above him was a top made of large rocks, and he couldn't see how far he was from the top of the mountain. It seems that this upward road has no end and must go on forever.
"Master..." Zheng Qiu wanted to ask the master to pull him, so he could rest for a while. But seeing the heavy steps of the master, he couldn't say anything when it came to his lips. Not long after the master pulled the wheelchair, he wanted to take turns after pushing it so far, and he was too inconsiderate of the master.
Thinking of this, Zheng Qiu lowered his upper body, put his shoulders against the back of the chair, put his whole body behind the wheelchair, and pushed up with all his strength.
Suddenly, the master who was walking in front stopped. I saw him turn around, his face was full of joy, and he tried hard to swallow the saliva in his throat, trying to speak quickly: "Apprentice, apprentice, that's great. There is a flat road ahead."
There is actually a flat road. To Zheng Qiu, these words are like rain in a long drought, and coals in a cold winter. All of a sudden, he got a lot of energy, took three steps and made two steps, and rushed to the master's position.
It turned out that the mountain road turned inward at this position, stopped its upward momentum, and dug a tunnel into the mountain wall. The tunnel is not long, less than three feet, and it is in an arc shape, just going around a section of the outer mountain wall.
After docking the wheelchair, Zheng Qiu and his master sat down to rest regardless of the sand on the ground. When the master sat down, the machete on his waist hit the outer mountain wall, making a crisp sound.
Zheng Qiu moved over to touch it, it was cool, and when he looked carefully, he could still see the metallic luster on the mountain wall thanks to the light coming in from the cave entrance. No wonder they want to dig a tunnel here. It turns out that there is metal in the outer mountain wall, so it can't be cut.
This less than three-foot-long tunnel gave them great help. After resting for two hours and eating some cakes, the three of them continued to head towards the top of the mountain.
As they climbed higher and higher, the temperature dropped. The road started to get wet and then snow. The snow gradually thickened, from a thin layer to the instep. The snow is rustling when stepped on, making the soles of the feet feel slippery.
Zheng Qiu glanced at the cliff beside him, feeling fear rising from the bottom of his heart. "Master, this place is too slippery, I can't go anymore, I'm afraid...in case..."
"Good apprentice, don't be afraid. You see that there is snow on this mountain, which means that we have climbed very high. The top of the mountain is definitely not far away. We can't give up at this time." Said, the master took off the machete and kept sweeping with the side of the machete. Open the snow ahead, "Master will open the way for you, don't be afraid."
Yunyou also turned sideways, and gave Zheng Qiu an encouraging smile: "Zheng Qiu, we can reach the top of the mountain, I believe in you."