The System screen flickered.
[Correction, Host: Not idiot. More like… bok bok bok—chicken lost.]
Liu Yang's face cracked. "...Did you just cluck at me?"
[Affirmative. Bok bok bok.]
His jaw dropped open, his hand flying to his hair. "System, I swear if you start laying eggs, I'm uninstalling you."
After running for a while, which to Liu Yang felt like eternity of running. They reached to location.
"Master, we're here. That's the Qingmu village," she said, her voice calm, steady, like she didn't even break a sweat.
She stood by the tree at the edge, one hand on the bark, the other pointing down.
Her finger showed the small village below, a few houses packed close together, smoke coming out from the chimneys, roofs lined side by side like toy blocks.
Liu Yang, on the other hand, was dying. His chest went up and down like crazy, sweat falling off his chin, his whole body looking like it could drop any second.
He stumbled forward a few steps, then just let his butt drop right down on the edge of the cliff.
His legs hung over, swinging weak like they didn't even belong to him anymore.
He let out a long sigh, tired and annoyed, his whole body slumped like he didn't care if he rolled off right then.
"Great… great… fuck… finally…" he muttered, head leaning back, mouth hanging open as if air itself was trying to escape him.
She looked down at him, tilting her head a little. Her face was still fresh, not a drop of sweat, not even breathing heavy.
Just that same calm smile sitting there. The kind of smile that made Liu Yang grind his teeth because right now it looked way too damn annoying to him.
He turned his eyes to her, standing tall, smiling fresh, not a single drop of sweat. His teeth clenched.
"Of course… of course she looks like she just took a morning walk in the park… while I look like I ran ten marathons barefoot…"
Finally, after sucking in some air and trying to catch his breath, Liu Yang lifted his eyes—and then he realized.
His eyes rolled down to the bottom, and right away his chest stopped moving.
His breath stuck in his throat, and it felt like his heart jumped up to his head. For a second his whole body froze, like even his legs forgot how to move.
"Wait… wait, wait, wait…" he shouted, both hands flying out, palms open, pointing at her like she was the one who dragged him here. "How the hell are we supposed to get down from here?!"
He stared at the drop below, mouth dry, legs shaking. The village was right there, so close, but the only way was down. No path, no stairs, no rope—just one huge jump that looked like suicide.
"Oh hell no…" Liu Yang's eyes rolled down the cliff, and his stomach dropped with it.
The ground looked so far it might as well be in another world.
The wind blew past his face, sharp and cold, making it feel like the cliff was getting higher every second. His legs dangled over the edge, shaking on their own.
"Nope. Nope, nope, nope. This isn't a road, this is suicide training. Who the hell puts a village down there?"
He slapped his face with one hand, dragging it down slow.
"Just great… just perfect. Yeah, run through forest like chickens, survive hunters, get a shiny guild card, and now—ta-da! We die falling off a cliff. Wonderful ending."
She blinked, then smiled like it was the smartest thing in the world.
"Master, there's a way. We jump."
He stared. "You want to what?" His voice went small. "Jump? From here? Are you joking?"
She hopped on the spot like it was no big deal. "No joke. I do this all the time. When hunters chase me, I jump down. Works every time." She shrugged one shoulder, trying to look casual, like dropping off cliffs was her morning walk.
Liu Yang stared at her like she lost her mind. The wind shoved his skirt, his heart knocked hard. "You… you just jump off cliffs? Like a frog?"
She blinked, then giggled fast and turned the answer smooth. "Not a frog, Master. Strategic descent. Tactical repositioning. Yes, tactical." Her voice went proper, like she read it from some hero book. "It's not cowardice. It's guerilla theatre. Very fancy."
He opened his mouth, closed it, then muttered, "Fancy? That's your defence?" He rubbed his forehead. "You mean you jump and hope the ground likes you."
She put both hands on her hips and puffed up. "I land in the bushes. They break your fall. Also, I'm light. You on the other hand—" she pointed at him, then looked guilty. "You are—erm—unique."
Liu Yang gave a short, sharp laugh that sounded more like a cough. "Of course I am. Fine. Show me then. Lead the way, oh graceful cliff diver." He pushed himself up, legs stiff, taking the lead but not moving an inch.
She grinned, grabbed his hand like it was normal, and walked to the cliff edge like she owned the whole area around her.
Up close, the drop looked worse. Leaves far below, tiny roofs, the village like a toy set.
Her smile wobbled for a beat. Then she cleared her throat and said, calm and loud, "Hold hands. Close eyes. Count to three. I go first, you follow—quickly. Trust me."
Liu Yang blinked. His mind screamed. His feet itched to run back.
But she was already there, toes hanging over the rock. She gave him a look that was half daring, half pleading.
He blows out air loudly, rolled his shoulders, and for the hundredth time that day did something stupid.
For the first time, Liu Yang didn't argue, didn't roll his eyes, didn't think at all.
He was too tired for that. She reached out her hand, and somehow his own hand went up and grabbed it. Stupid, maybe. But he held on anyway.
He grabbed her hand. "One… two… three."
Together they leaned forward, and then the ground was gone.
The green rushed up fast from below, trees spinning in his eyes, the whole forest waiting with open arms to smash them.
"Why does the ground always look twice as hard when you're flying straight at it?!" Liu Yang screamed inside his head, his stomach already flipping around like it wanted out.
As they were dropping, she turned her head and caught a glimpse of him.
His eyes were shut tight, his face twisted like he was about to puke, and she could almost hear his thoughts screaming inside.
He wasn't fighting. He wasn't even looking. He just held on to her hand like he was saying, "I'll trust you this once."
So in mid-air she pulled him closer, wrapping both arms around him the way you'd grab something precious you didn't want to break.
His weight pressed into her, his breath shaky against her shoulder. She bent her knees, legs braced, ready to take it all.
The leaves whipped past, branches smacked her arms, but she didn't let go.
And when the ground hit, it was her legs that slammed down first, the force shooting through her body.
She gritted her teeth, held him tighter, and absorbed the landing so he wouldn't feel a thing.