Chapter 68 Longevity Tablet

Chapter 68: The Longevity Plaque

Just then, footsteps sounded in the distance again, as if another group was rushing their way.

Cheng Ge immediately grew alert, set down the bamboo tube, and quickly put out the fire in front of him.

He turned and pulled Lin Nanshu into his arms. They held their breath, listening tensely as the sound got closer.

Night had fallen. Cheng Ge peeked half his head out from behind the rock.

He saw a group of people not far off, about twelve or thirteen of them. From their clothes, they weren't sent by Lin Zhufeng.

But they were different from the earlier groups too—probably sent by another faction.

Cheng Ge couldn't help frowning, realizing how many people wanted Lin Nanshu dead.

These guys were clearly trained fighters and had weapons. If he were alone, he might be able to fight.

But now, with Lin Nanshu to look after, he had to protect him without any room for mistakes.

Seeing they were about to get close, Cheng Ge clenched his teeth.

Without a second thought, he moved fast, scooped up Lin Nanshu, and quietly slipped into the river.

The icy water swallowed them up, and they both shivered.

Cheng Ge held Lin Nanshu with one arm and grabbed the riverbank weeds with the other, steadying himself as best he could.

They were almost completely underwater, with just half their heads sticking out.

"The boss sent so many of us down here, and we haven't seen a damn thing. Could Lin Nanshu have been eaten by a tiger already?" one of them suddenly spoke up.

"The boss said, 'See him alive, see his body dead!' A living person—even dead—can't just disappear without a scrap of clothing," another retorted.

"But it's been days. We've turned this place upside down and still haven't found him. What if he's already run off somewhere else?"

"What's the point of all this yapping! The boss gives orders, and we do what we're told! Quit wasting time, split up and search!"

Lin Nanshu grabbed Cheng Ge's clothes with both hands, his head on his shoulder, his mind starting to go fuzzy.

Cheng Ge felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked down and saw Lin Nanshu's eyes squeezed shut, like he was about to die.

His heart lurched. He quickly lowered his head and bit down hard on Lin Nanshu's cheek.

Lin Nanshu winced, let out a soft moan, and instinctively turned his head to dodge, slowly opening his eyes.

Cheng Ge didn't expect him to turn, and ended up biting a big chunk of his mouth instead.

Lin Nanshu: "..."

Cheng Ge: "!!!"

How do I explain this… Need help online, kinda urgent.

Cheng Ge's throat bobbed, looking a bit awkward, but he still whispered in his ear, "Hang in there, don't go to sleep."

Lin Nanshu's mind cleared a little, and he nodded gently, his face red.

By then, the men had started to spread out and search, their footsteps fading.

Cheng Ge held Lin Nanshu and pressed his cheek to his forehead—it was burning hot.

"We'll be back soon, don't go to sleep." He held Lin Nanshu's waist with both hands, about to push him up onto the bank.

But as he looked up, he met another pair of eyes. The guy's hand was still on his pants, clearly about to take a leak.

Caught off guard by the eye contact with Cheng Ge, he was clearly stunned.

But being trained, he quickly snapped out of it, pulled a long knife from his waist, and swung it at Lin Nanshu.

He looked like he'd just spotted a first-class medal…

Cheng Ge reacted fast, holding Lin Nanshu and dodging to the side. The blade grazed Lin Nanshu's clothes.

Seeing his first strike miss, the guy swung again.

Cheng Ge had trouble moving in the water, but to protect Lin Nanshu, he gritted his teeth and blocked.

Though weak, Lin Nanshu forced himself to stay awake, his arms wrapped tight around Cheng Ge's neck.

As the guy swung again, Cheng Ge seized the moment and kicked his wrist. The long knife dropped into the water.

The guy, clearly not expecting that kind of skill, turned to call his buddies.

Cheng Ge's eyes hardened. He shoved Lin Nanshu onto the bank in one move.

He reached out, grabbed the guy's ankle, and yanked hard, dragging him into the river.

The guy struggled violently after falling in, splashing water everywhere.

Cheng Ge tried to escape to the bank, but the guy grabbed him from behind, locking an arm around his neck. Cheng Ge struggled to breathe, his head spinning.

He opened his mouth wide, gasping for air, and tugged at the arm around his neck.

He couldn't die—Lin Nanshu was still waiting on the bank.

Gritting his teeth, Cheng Ge mustered his last strength, twisted his body, and drove his knee hard into the guy's groin.

"Ugh…" The guy went silent from the pain, his grip loosening slightly.

Cheng Ge broke free, grabbed the guy by the back of the neck, and shoved him forcefully into the water.

The guy thrashed wildly, his hands flailing, sending up huge splashes.

Afraid he'd alert the others, Cheng Ge pressed down even harder.

His eyes were filled with ferocity, teeth grinding audibly, veins bulging on his forehead. He clenched his fingers and held the guy down.

The guy struggled fiercely, kicking Cheng Ge in the stomach several times.

After a long while, the guy finally went still. Cheng Ge only then released his grip, a moment too late.

He gasped for air, turned the guy over to check.

The guy's eyes were wide open, jaw clenched tight, face purple, with foam at the corners of his mouth—twisted and horrifying.

Cheng Ge stumbled back several steps in fright, unable to look again. He scrambled back to the bank, using both hands and feet.

Lin Nanshu lay on the bank, faint traces of red seeping through his clothes, breathing with difficulty through half-open lips.

When he spotted Cheng Ge's figure, the corners of his eyes instantly welled up.

Cheng Ge lifted Lin Nanshu into his arms, his voice still trembling. "Yuli, are you okay?"

Lin Nanshu's eyes flickered, focusing on the face in front of him, and he gently curled his fingertip around Cheng Ge's finger.

"I'm fine..."

Cheng Ge held Lin Nanshu tight, not daring to waste a moment, and quickly ran toward the cliff they'd fallen from.

His steps were still unsteady, and Lin Nanshu in his arms was breathing faintly—this wasn't good.

At the bottom of the cliff, he found the rope they'd hidden last time and gave it a hard tug, relieved that it hadn't been cut.

A group had just come down, so the next batch probably wouldn't arrive so soon. He could take this chance to climb up.

Lin Nanshu had already fallen into a semi-conscious state, his body limp, making it impossible for him to hold on.

Cheng Ge thought for a moment, cut several thumb-thick vines nearby, and quickly tied Lin Nanshu and himself together with them.

He bounced in place a few times to make sure Lin Nanshu wouldn't fall off, and only then was he satisfied.

Reaching into his chest, he pulled out the life-saving medicine, counted out three pills, and quickly swallowed them.

He grabbed the rope, wrapped it around his wrist a few times, then turned his head to glance at the head resting against his shoulder.

"Remember to set up a longevity plaque for Dad when we get back."