Read Novel Full Chapter 987: Gu Hang
Chapter 987: Chapter 987: Gu Hang
"Si Yu!"
Tang Yue cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted loudly.
The incident happened at the village school, downstream from which lay a dense forest. The floodwaters flowed down, inundating the surrounding woods. The people who were with Meng Siyu were found in this part of the forest.
If found in this forest, there was still a chance for survival. If not, the floodwaters would merge into the big river...
Tang Yue dared not think further as the forest was vast, so large that despite a day’s search after the floodwaters receded, the rescue team found no trace of anyone.
She trudged unevenly through the flooded forest, seeking signs of life. Whenever she spotted a pit or a potential spot where Meng Siyu might be, Tang Yue would immediately rush over to investigate.
Wu Xin followed behind her to help search but mainly to ensure Tang Yue’s safety.
Though the floodwaters had receded, potential dangers were plentiful.
"Did you find anyone?" Tang Yue saw a few people up ahead, including some local villagers and a child around ten years old. She quickly approached to inquire.
"Xiangqian, did you find Si Yu?"
Tang Yue excitedly questioned Zhao Xiangqian upon seeing him.
"Sister-in-law," Zhao Xiangqian, whose eyes were bloodshot from a sleepless night, saw Tang Yue covered in mud. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Don’t worry, Sister-in-law, Brother Meng will be alright; he’s surely waiting for us to rescue him somewhere."
"Hmm." Tang Yue nodded and, unwilling to waste a moment, continued the search.
"Sister, the uncle who saved me will definitely be safe." The child, around ten, approached Tang Yue with eyes swollen like walnuts.
From the previous conversation between Tang Yue and Zhao Xiangqian, the child learned that Tang Yue was also searching for his liberator uncle. He cried, saying, "Uncle will be alright, he will definitely be okay."
Choking back tears, while wiping his eyes, the child’s face became streaked like a little cat.
Zhao Xiangqian stood to the side explaining, "This is the child Brother Meng saved, named Heizi."
"Uncle will be alright, but I’m Uncle’s wife, so you should call me Auntie." Tang Yue crouched down, took out tissues to wipe the child’s tears, and said, "You should return now; it’s dangerous here. Your uncle saved you, so he surely hopes you stay safe."
From being saved to witnessing his uncle being swept away and submerged by the flood, Heizi’s heart was filled with fear and he held onto Teacher Gu tightly, insisting on joining the search for his uncle. They had been searching all night, and Heizi was merely kept going by sheer will, never alleviating his underlying fear.
Now, Tang Yue’s gentle words caused Heizi to burst into loud sobs instead of mere sniffling.
Heizi sobbed and hiccuped, saying, "I want to find Uncle."
"Finding Uncle is a task for us adults; you should go back. If you get into danger again, it would waste Uncle’s efforts," Tang Yue spoke with patience, unwilling to see the child rescued by Si Yu fall into danger again. She looked at Zhao Xiangqian and said, "Xiangqian, send someone to take the child back; it’s too unsafe here."
"I tried to persuade him, but he wouldn’t listen." Zhao Xiangqian felt helpless as the child adamantly insisted on staying.
"Heizi, go back to the school; the teacher will help you find Uncle. Wait there for us to return." A young man among the villagers spoke up.
Heizi choked on his tears, saying, "Teacher Gu, please help me find Uncle."
"Alright, we’ll definitely find him." Teacher Gu spoke emphatically.
Zhao Xiangqian quickly assigned someone to escort Heizi back. He instructed sternly to ensure Heizi’s safe return, as he was the child Brother Meng saved with his life. They couldn’t afford further incidents, nor squander Brother Meng’s sacrifice.
If not for saving this child, Brother Meng wouldn’t have ended up in this predicament.
Zhao Xiangqian couldn’t blame the child for Brother Meng’s situation; he simply continued patiently searching. He briefed Tang Yue on the current situation. Only about a five-mile radius of forest remained to be searched; if Meng Siyu was alive, he must be in this area.
"Xiangqian, you’ve been by his side the longest; think carefully about where he might be." Tang Yue’s face turned pale with anxiety as she looked at the mud-soaked forest and the yellow muddy water pits scattered everywhere. She prayed inwardly: Si Yu, I’ve come to find you; where are you?
Si Yu, where are you?
Tang Yue walked step by step; the five-mile radius of forest felt neither too big nor too small.
"Ah..."
Tang Yue was careless and fell into a mud pit, soaking herself in muddy water.
"Xiao Yue." Wu Xin was nearby searching and hadn’t noticed Tang Yue’s fall until it happened. She quickly went over to help her up, knowing that though it was summer, wearing drenched clothes was certainly uncomfortable.
As darkness approached, they had been searching from morning in Fengji County to this forest. Even in the forest, nearly four hours had passed as they searched inch by inch, without missing a spot. Tang Yue’s frantic search made Wu Xin worried.
"I’m alright." Tang Yue adjusted her backpack—a special pack she carried for mountain trekking containing a flashlight, some practical tools, and some packaged food.
"Wu Xin, search over there; I’ll go check over here." Tang Yue pointed to the front left corner of the forest. Something drew her to search there, perhaps thinking someone might be there.
"Alright, be careful."
Wu Xin didn’t ask her to stop searching, understanding the deep attachment between Meng Siyu and Tang Yue.
The sky dimmed but was not completely dark.
A scream pierced the air, causing Wu Xin to look up only to see an empty forest, now missing Tang Yue’s silhouette.
"Xiao Yue?" Wu Xin shouted loudly and called out, "Zhao Xiangqian, come quickly."
Wu Xin jogged toward the spot where Tang Yue vanished. Clearly, she’d been there; how could she disappear in a blink?
"What’s wrong?" Zhao Xiangqian asked, caught off-guard. He focused on searching intensely, but upon hearing Wu Xin’s cries and turning around, only Wu Xin was visible, not Tang Yue. His face instantly turned pale.
They hadn’t found Brother Meng yet, and if anything happened to the little sister-in-law, how could he explain it to Brother Meng?
"Everyone, come!" Zhao Xiangqian called over everyone to head towards the spot where Tang Yue disappeared.
"This spot here is called Sanliao; the mountains are steep on both sides, and the ravine between is quite deep. Recently, an ancient tomb was discovered here," a villager mentioned. "With so much water accumulated, could she have fallen into the tomb?"
"You mean there’s an ancient tomb down there?" Zhao Xiangqian’s face turned several shades lighter; the area was low-lying, and the pit appeared shallow, but Tang Yue might have fallen into the tomb.
"Yes, it hasn’t been fully excavated before the flash flood arrived," Teacher Gu replied and hardly finished speaking when they heard a splashing sound. Wu Xin had jumped into the water.