But as he saw the approaching figures clearly, he became excited.
The one who came was Zhang Qian, and behind him were two people carrying a simple stretcher made of branches. This immediately reminded him of what Zhang Qian had said before leaving.
"Quickly, go down and greet them," Chen Xiaobei immediately ordered Chen Dayong and the others beside him.
After speaking, he was the first to grab the rope and descend. By the time Chen Dayong and the others had secured the rope and reached the bottom, Zhang Qian and his group had already arrived.
Zhang Qian wiped the sweat from his forehead, "We're finally back."
As he spoke, he pointed to the stretcher behind him, "Your good brother, I've brought him back for you."
Chen Xiaobei's expression moved. He stepped forward and gave Zhang Qian a big hug, "Thank you, Brother Zhang Qian."
Zhang Qian patted Chen Xiaobei on the shoulder, "Alright, no need for such talk."
At this moment, Huang Ying, standing on the steep slope, shouted loudly, "Brother Xiaobei, quickly invite them up to eat something."
Chen Xiaobei snapped back to reality, "Yes, yes, Brother Zhang Qian, you must be tired. Come up quickly and have a meal."
While they were having breakfast here, Sima Wushuang and the peerless Daoist priest were in a rather sorry state.
They had spent the night hiding in a grove of dogwood trees not far from the mountain top.
Without blankets, they had only a bonfire to rely on, which made everyone sleep poorly throughout the night.
What made them feel even worse was that their provisions were running low.
That morning, Sima Wushuang tallied up everyone's dry rations. They had just enough for one more day at most.
Facing the harsh reality, Sima Wushuang had no choice but to lower his noble head and face the truth. "Great Daoist priest, since they were able to escape by descending into the canyon, let's also find our way out through the canyon."
Upon hearing his suggestion, the peerless Daoist priest nodded helplessly, "Alright, as the saying goes, 'As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn.' Once we recover from this setback, we will settle the score with him."
After a simple breakfast, Sima Wushuang led his men down, following the trail left by Chen Xiaobei and his group. After more than an hour of walking, they finally found the spot where Chen Xiaobei and his group had descended into the canyon.
Looking at the almost completely burnt rope ends, Sima Wushuang stomped his foot in anger.
"Bastard. They even burned the ropes."
"A bunch of cowards, they were afraid we'd catch up!" the peerless Daoist priest sneered.
Sima Wushuang, however, frowned slightly, "But we only have this one rope. If we can't retrieve it, what if we need it again?"
The peerless Daoist priest said in a deep voice, "Alright, Great Hero Sima, you go down first. I'll cover the rear."
Sima Wushuang secured the rope and was the first to descend to the bottom of the canyon. He then tied the rope to a tree trunk and beckoned his subordinates to descend one by one.
Finally, all eyes fell upon the peerless Daoist priest.
The peerless Daoist priest grabbed the rope and descended about ten feet, his feet landing on a narrow crevice in the rock.
Then, the peerless Daoist priest pulled the rope upwards and gave a flick of his hand.
The rope, which was looped around a stone, was shaken loose by him.
Seeing this, Sima Wushuang was greatly astonished. If the rope was shaken loose and he couldn't use it for leverage, how would the peerless Daoist priest manage?
He then saw the peerless Daoist priest flick his hand again, pulling the rope further upwards. The rope immediately became taut.
Next, the peerless Daoist priest let out a soft shout, his hands alternating as he repeatedly pulled the rope upwards, yet his body was rapidly descending.
Seeing this, the people present let out gasps of astonishment.
Even Sima Wushuang was awestruck by the peerless Daoist priest's display of skill.
Pulling the rope upwards to create a counterforce for himself, this seemingly heaven-defying maneuver required both excellent qinggong and considerable strength in his hands.
Before coming here, the Grand Tutor Sun Yuliang had told him that the peerless Daoist priest was not only skilled in feng shui but also an exceptional martial artist.
It seemed that his words were not an exaggeration.
After reaching the bottom of the valley, the peerless Daoist priest lightly brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Alright, let's go."
Meanwhile, on the steep slope, after eating his fill and resting briefly, Zhang Qian recounted his observations near the iron chain bridge to Chen Xiaobei.
He also analyzed that Sima Wushuang and his men had likely crossed the iron chain bridge and set up camp on the other side.
This was within Chen Xiaobei's expectations. They were like birds startled by a bow, so setting up camp near the iron chain bridge and guarding it would make them feel more secure.
Chen Xiaobei also believed that Sima Wushuang would definitely discover the traces of their escape through the canyon and might even come around through the canyon again.
If that were the case, then within two or three days, he would have nothing to do here.
But that was not important. To trap them, he needed to be prepared for a long-term operation.
With this thought, he said to Zhang Qian, "If they escape to the iron chain bridge, they will most likely circle back through the canyon. It will take at least three days."
"You must be careful for the next two days. I need to go down the mountain."
Zhang Qian knew that when Chen Xiaobei said he was going down the mountain, he intended to send Li Dong's body back.
It was only natural, and he understood.
Just then, the bird calls from the forward outpost sounded again. Someone was coming.
The sudden warning made everyone very tense. Someone was about to hide behind a rock, but Chen Xiaobei waved his hand dismissively.
"No need to hide. The two sides have made their intentions clear. We'll stand here and see what they do."
A group of people approached from a distance. Zhang Qian peered into the distance and after watching for a moment, suddenly exclaimed with excitement.
"It's Liu Ce, Liu Ce and his group are back."
Liu Ce's return proved Chen Xiaobei's prediction to be true.
At this moment, Liu Ce had also spotted them.
After carefully identifying them, Liu Ce also became excited and said to the people behind him, "Excellent, they are waiting for us on the steep slope."
The reunion after a brief separation made the atmosphere even more joyous.
After listening to the situation report, Liu Ce looked at Chen Xiaobei and then at Zhang Qian, and said in a deep voice, "Trapping them here is not a bad idea, but it's not something that can be achieved in two or three days. And this small area of the steep slope doesn't require so many people. Perhaps we could consider rotating the guards so that everyone doesn't get too tired."
Chen Xiaobei carefully considered Liu Ce's suggestion and found it reasonable.
"As the saying goes, 'One man on guard can hold off ten thousand.' We will leave twenty people here."
"We will also arrange two more groups of outposts to assist them with early warning."
Upon hearing Chen Xiaobei's arrangements, Liu Ce gave him a thumbs-up.
"Brother Xiaobei is absolutely right. We should have more early warnings and prepare thoroughly. As long as we prepare in advance, this steep slope will be an insurmountable barrier for them."
After discussion, Zhang Qian would lead his men to stay behind first, while Chen Xiaobei would go down the mountain with Liu Ce. Chen Xiaobei would return to the mountain after three days, stay for three days, and then Liu Ce would come.
As for the village guard members, Chen Xiaobei had left five in the first batch, under the command of Chen Dayong. He himself would take the rest of the people down the mountain to rest.