Chapter Four: The Fall

However, we finally saw a different scene. At first, a strange sound appeared in my ears; I initially thought it was just tinnitus. After walking a dozen steps forward, the sound grew louder. Ren and I exchanged a glance, and together we exerted our remaining strength to rush toward the source of the sound—a great river lay before us.

I touched my body and found nothing. Looking around, I struggled to get up, picked up some broken branches and dry leaves, and gathered them into a pile. Then I found some stones and struck them together forcefully, hoping to ignite a spark.

"We must look for some water; if we can find a little, we can clean the wound, otherwise it is prone to becoming infected," I said to her. She looked at me with confusion in her eyes, opened her mouth, and emitted a series of strange sounds. "What?" I did not understand.

The ground was getting closer, and I was scratched by several branches, causing my skin to break and blood to flow freely, but I finally landed safely. Releasing myself, I collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted, and fell beside her, my limbs feeling as if they had been disassembled, no longer wanting to move.

Ling has been destroyed and no longer exists. This should still be within the realm of Ling, where we should not feel pain, cold, hunger, or even the unprecedented peace of mind, not thinking of the past, not thinking of the future, neither sorrowful nor joyful. Most importantly, we should be able to converse freely, even though neither party had ever heard of the other's race before. ... But now, Ling no longer exists, the immortal's magic has dissipated, and we have returned to being ordinary "fools," capable of feeling pain, cold, hunger, fear, and various other sufferings, and moreover—there is a language barrier ... Most importantly, we should be able to converse freely, even though neither party had ever heard of the other's race before. ... But now, Ling no longer exists, the immortal's magic has dissipated, and we have returned to being ordinary "fools," capable of feeling pain, cold, hunger, fear, and various other sufferings, and moreover—there is a language barrier ...

Ran probably thinks the same way, although now we can only rely on gestures and glances to guess and understand each other's intentions. We support each other to stand up, and I have prepared several torches, lighting one of them, ready to begin aimless exploration

The region of Ziguo Zhi, located in the southern part of our country, is adjacent to the Great Wasteland. This time, due to a celestial event, it is said that the death toll has exceeded 3,000. However, the meteors that fell in the outskirts of Zhi are likely just a minuscule part of the meteor shower that almost covered the entire Great Wasteland, starting from Ying. Of course, because the Great Wasteland is uninhabited, very few are aware of this situation, and it has not been recorded in historical texts

The flame points towards the distance, yet also points to itself, as if saying: "I have come from the opposite bank of the river to this place." Then it continuously points to the river water, shaking its head and waving its hands, insisting that it cannot be consumed. I suddenly collapsed onto the ground; I was on the verge of dying of thirst, with endless cool water before me, yet it was forbidden to drink.

The surroundings were very dark, and the sky above the valley was now completely pitch black, likely shrouded in thick smoke. I forced myself to support my body and slowly got up, turning to look at Ran. She was also gazing at me, her eyes filled with fear, confusion, sadness, and exhaustion—I thought my own expression must be similar.

Once I start to move, I feel pain all over my body, especially in the areas of my abrasions and burns. I am unsure if they are still bleeding, but the pain is excruciating. What is particularly frightening is that I suddenly feel cold and also experience hunger. These sensations, which are common to people, seemed to have completely detached from my body and consciousness for a while, and now these gradually unfamiliar feelings fill me with profound fear

I exchanged glances with Ran Mian, and neither of us knew what to do next. After a long time, I finally remembered to touch her shoulder and lean down to examine the injury on her wing. The surroundings grew darker, and I strained to open my eyes wider, only able to vaguely see a large dark patch on her right silver wing. Was it blood? Had it been scorched by fireworks? I could not make a judgment. I reached out my finger to gently touch it, and Ran immediately trembled all over, retracting her wings. The surroundings grew darker, and I strained to open my eyes wider, only able to vaguely see a large dark patch on her right silver wing. Was it blood? Had it been scorched by fireworks? I could not make a judgment. I reached out my finger to gently touch it, and Ran immediately trembled all over, retracting her wings

After a long day of effort, I only managed to produce a few sparks, which were utterly insufficient to ignite the dry leaves; after all, those were not flint. I recalled an ancient legend and then took a slender twig to vigorously rub against a thicker dry branch. After rubbing for a while, I lifted my head to ponder carefully, crushed a few dry leaves, and stuffed them into the notch created by the rubbing on the dry branch, and then continued to rub.

I turned my head in anger and saw Ran anxiously shaking her head, pointing at the water, and then pinching her throat, as if trying to explain to me that this water was not drinkable. Why can't such clear river water be consumed? I looked at her in confusion; her lips were extremely dry, cracked in several places, yet she absolutely refused to lower her head to drink from the river.

I also want to cry, but the pain of Ran instead strengthens my resolve. I tightly embrace her, forcing myself to hold back the tears in my eyes, not allowing them to fall. Suddenly, the surroundings become very quiet, with only Ran's cries echoing in the valley. At this moment, it truly feels like being trapped in a nightmare, not knowing whether this nightmare will end or when it will end.

According to historical records: In the fourteenth year of King Tan, during the autumn of the seventh month, a star fell in Zhijiao, causing a great fire that filled the fields, resulting in numerous deaths.

On all sides, four to five zhang away, there are cliffs, while the front and back are dark and deep, with no knowledge of where they lead. We look at each other, uncertain of which direction to take—perhaps it is that no one dares to make a decision. What if we are wrong?

Is such a colossal natural disaster considered a great calamity? The human realm has also experienced catastrophic meteor showers. Historical records indicate that the most terrifying event occurred 1,200 years ago, when countless massive celestial stones fell in the region of Huadu. The earth ignited, transforming hundreds of miles into a wasteland, with the death toll exceeding 20,000. People believed this was a warning from heaven, and the Hong King seized this opportunity to overthrow the tyrant and establish a new dynasty—the Wei Dynasty

When the meteor shower appeared, Ran had already struggled to fly to my side. The two of us held each other tightly in fear, staring in astonishment at the countless massive fireballs hurtling down from the sky. Ran is a very beautiful woman, and I cannot deny that I have had romantic thoughts when I am with her. However, at this moment, even as I held her tightly in my arms, I had no thoughts that were in any way inappropriate. The fear of nature, the unknown, and death had firmly seized my entire heart!

***

In the past, I had never seen a winged person. Ancient legends mentioned a race in the far north of the earth, as large as elephants, with twin wings sprouting from their backs, entirely black—clearly not of the same kind as Ran. I believe that when anyone is young, they gaze at the soaring wild geese in the high sky, dreaming of being able to rise into the air and fly among the clouds. I never expected that I would truly be taken into the sky, and even more so, in such a dangerous situation. I believe that when anyone is young, they gaze at the soaring wild geese in the high sky, dreaming of being able to rise into the air and fly among the clouds. I never expected that I would truly be taken into the sky, and even more so, in such a dangerous situation.

The immortals seem to have mentioned to Ran that a great calamity is imminent, but no one is willing to explain what this calamity actually is. They only mentioned that when the calamity arrives, the Ling will be destroyed, and a large number of immortals will perish, with only one-tenth of them surviving, who will be forced to relocate to hetushucom.com in search of a new place to live

What is happening? I asked her again. "The great disaster..." she gasped, answering in a hoarse voice, "The great disaster has finally arrived..."

The burning gaze gradually transformed from confusion to fear. She kept emitting those strange sounds that had almost no variation in pitch. I looked up at the pitch-black sky, then at her eyes, and suddenly, everything became clear.

We walked for a long time, perhaps for one to two hours, yet we still had not found a way out—the valley was simply too narrow and elongated. However, it seemed that heaven was unwilling to let us die in despair; it appeared to mock us by forcing upon us a glimmer of hope: we stumbled upon a charred goose, which temporarily fended off the assault of hunger

What on earth is going on? After a long time, I slowly gathered a bit of strength and finally asked, but received no answer

However, the thirst soon surged even more intensely. I dared not open my mouth, fearing that the little moisture left would evaporate. Looking at Ran, she was the same... Only one torch remained, yet the surrounding darkness was still endless, suffocatingly dark

At that moment, I realized that the wings of flame, when spread open, were extraordinarily large, each measuring over seven feet in length, nearly equal to her height. I felt a tremendous force emanating from between her arms, gently lifting me away from the trembling ground. I quickly held her tighter, my heart filled with even greater fear.

Thinking of this, I shuddered. Being crushed by a boulder or burned by a meteor might be somewhat better. If I were buried in a valley, unable to find a way out, quietly waiting for death, what a tragic fate that would be... I couldn't help but recall the unbearable scene of wandering alone in the vast wilderness...

The flames shook and soared into the air, accompanied by loud coughing. Waves of heat surrounded us, and thick black smoke enveloped everything. We all felt a sense of suffocation, our mouths and noses burning as if scalded by fire. It was evident that the flames were not accustomed to flying with a person; they struggled to navigate through the smoke, tilting several times as if about to topple and crash to the ground. I was reminded of the time I shot a goose; the arrow-struck goose would perform a sideways tumble in the air before plummeting straight to the ground.

The sky remained perpetually dark, in stark contrast to those days of the past; now there was only the black night without a hint of day. In moments of fear for the future, I have thought more than once that if the experiences of the desolate wilderness were to recur, it would be better to die—though no one knows what happens after death. Some say it is eternal annihilation, others say the soul will drift aimlessly in the world, some say there will be reincarnation, and others say one will be confined to hell...! Yet, when truly on the brink of death, there is only one thought in my heart: I want to live, I must live!

"Let go of me, escape!" I shouted at her, but she showed no reaction at all, perhaps she didn't hear me clearly. I wanted to call out again, but my throat was hoarse, and I could no longer make a sound. A fireball whizzed past me, and I felt a sudden sharp pain on one side of my body, while simultaneously feeling my burning body violently shake, then it began to slide down the mountain slope at an angle.

If I could have foreseen what would happen later, perhaps I would have immediately bent down, opened my mouth wide, and gulped down the water... However, I did not do that at the time...

I stared blankly at Ran, and she seemed to gradually understand my thoughts. She slowly closed her mouth and no longer spoke in that anxious language I could not comprehend. Finally, she lunged forward, nestled in my arms, and began to weep loudly.

We lowered our heads to examine our injuries. Fortunately, my wounds were not severe, and the cuts had mostly coagulated, no longer bleeding. I then looked at Ran, and saw her slowly opening her right wing, which was marred by a large area of black, clearly indicating a serious burn.

As long as one puts in the effort, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished. I do not know how much time has passed, but finally, a few wisps of light smoke began to rise. After a long while, I finally managed to ignite a bonfire. While I was working, the flame silently gazed at me from the side, her eyes filled with confusion.

"The great calamity has arrived," Ran shouted loudly in my ear, "We must leave here immediately!" The tremendous roar of the shaking earth, the thunderous sound of landslides, and the terrifying noise of meteors striking the cliffs nearly drowned out her words. She did not repeat herself, but instead held tightly to my sides and then flapped her wings.

The river flows gently, producing a mesmerizing sound that captivates the senses. From a distance, the endless shimmering waves stretch all the way to the horizon. If it were not for its rhythmic flow, I would have thought it was the sea. But wait, shimmering waves? I looked up at the sky, where a deep blue expanse was dotted with twinkling stars. We have finally emerged, finally escaped the winding valley! The sky is free of thick smoke, and there are not even any dark clouds; we have returned to the real world! I looked up at the sky, where a deep blue expanse was dotted with twinkling stars. We have finally emerged, finally escaped the winding valley! The sky is free of thick smoke, and there are not even any dark clouds; we have returned to the real world!

"Where is this?" I asked her loudly, "How can we get out?" She shook her head, indicating that she was also unsure. Perhaps the surrounding cliffs will not collapse, and maybe they can keep the meteors out. But if the cliffs do collapse, will we be buried inside?

The bonfire was lit, and I pulled Ran closer, urging her to come near, for I noticed she was hugging her arms, seemingly shivering and trembling from the cold. We brought our hands close to the glowing flames and smiled at each other. It was then that I realized how beautiful Ran's smile was at that moment

A hot wind surged from below, seemingly piercing through my right side and then releasing from my left side. The uncomfortable sensation of my internal organs feeling sour and itchy, as if they were about to burst out of my body, was something I had never experienced before. I felt a bit dizzy, but then, suddenly, I found myself upside down, with my head below and feet above. ... Struggling to open my eyes, I saw that we were descending into a deep valley, with cliff walls rapidly flashing past my line of sight—lower and lower, faster and faster. My head felt like it was about to explode, and my vision gradually darkened ...

By the time I regained my senses, Ran had already stabilized his descent. Countless fireballs swept past the valley again and again, and the sound of boulders colliding could be heard intermittently from within the valley, though it was much weaker than outside. "My wings are injured," I finally heard Ran's voice, "I have no choice but to land in the valley for now..."

I raised the torch high and ran frantically towards the riverbank, at one moment even forgetting that the flames were following closely behind me. Upon reaching the water's edge, I planted the torch into the riverbank and scooped up a handful of water with both hands. The clear and transparent river water emitted an incredibly refreshing aura. Just as I lowered my head to drink, suddenly, my hands were scattered by the flames, and the glistening droplets rolled all over the ground

After hesitating for quite a while, as a man, I finally decided to take on this significant responsibility. I took Ruan's hand and walked straight ahead. There, the branches were relatively lush; perhaps the direction was due south or slightly southward. ... Heading south, I might reach Ruan's hometown, although I do not know how far it is, and if I go north, even if we can make it out of the valley, we will step into the vast wilderness that I never wish to enter again