Chapter 7

Chapter 7

As noon approached, we neared the summit.

At that moment, a mist began to slowly roll in, gradually obscuring the sparse trees scattered around us.

Wei Zhang was at his limit, unable to climb any further. I hooked my arm under his, supporting his weight.

“It was perfectly clear just a moment ago. Why is it suddenly getting so foggy?” Wei Zhang panted heavily.

“Just hold on a little longer. We’re almost there.”

I encouraged him, but just then, I suddenly spotted a dark, hunched shadow crouching by the side of the road ahead.

Looking closer, it appeared to be a person, squatting on the ground and searching for something.

I told Wei Zhang to rest where he was for a moment while I hurried forward. However, as I drew closer, I realized it wasn’t a person at all-it was a rock.

Had I seen it wrong?

I looked past the rock into the wild fields beyond. Through the thin veil of mist, countless stones of all sizes were scattered across the mountain slope.

From a distance, they looked like an infinite number of people crouching there, each with their head bowed, clawing at something on the ground.

I quickly shook my head to dispel those strange associations and turned back to find Wei Zhang.

But when I turned around, I jumped in fright. Wei Zhang, who was supposed to be standing by the roadside, had vanished!

Terrified that something had happened to him, I ran back immediately.

Returning to the spot where I’d left him, I saw that Wei Zhang hadn’t gone far. He was crouching behind a tree!

I breathed a sigh of relief and walked over, thinking he was simply exhausted.

“How are you feeling? Can you still walk?”

Wei Zhang didn’t answer. His back was to me, and his cheeks were bulging unnaturally.

He seemed to be muttering something under his breath, his hands frantically clawing at the dirt.

“What are you doing, Wei Zhang!”

His state sent a cold shiver down my spine.

I grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, only to find to my horror that his mouth was stuffed full of stones!

When he saw me, his eyes were vacant and dull. He actually tried to shove another rock he’d just picked up into his mouth!

“Are you crazy? Spit it out!”

I hurriedly pinned him down, trying to force him to spit them out. If he accidentally swallowed them, he’d be lucky if he only lost half his life instead of choking to death on the spot.

But Wei Zhang clenched his teeth tightly, refusing to let go. I reached up and clamped his jaw, forcing his mouth open so I could dig the stones out.

Wei Zhang struggled violently, pushing and shoving me while shouting something incoherent.

I could only vaguely make out one word: “Jade…”

I managed to dig out half a mouthful of stones, but his gums and lips were already cut, staining my hands with blood. Despite this, he reached for the ground again to grab more rocks.

Seizing the opening, I yanked the Soul-Whip from around my waist. A strange, resonant hum vibrated through the air.

I lashed the whip across Wei Zhang’s back with a sharp crack. He shuddered violently and fell to his knees with a thud.

“Wei Zhang!”

I shouted his name. Suddenly, he began to wail and sob, followed immediately by a fit of violent retching.

I quickly patted his back, helping him clear the remaining stones from his mouth.

Wei Zhang’s mouth was covered in blood, but fortunately, he hadn’t swallowed any.

I stayed with him for over half an hour until he finally caught his breath.

I had him rinse his mouth with fresh water and asked if he could still make it up the mountain. He nodded.

“I’ve already come this far,” Wei Zhang said in a low voice, his eyes bloodshot. “Even if it costs me my life, I want to die knowing why.”