Amid the dense weeds, a gale several times stronger than the previous ones howled through, sweeping up stones of all sizes. Like a pack of ferocious beasts, it charged straight toward the place where they had just stopped to rest.
Ben Yu, who was not far away, was the first to sense that something was wrong.
Without hesitation, he raised both hands to shield his head, then opened his mouth and shouted at the two girls examining the old woman's injuries: "Watch out for the stones!"
Hearing Ben Yu's warning get snatched away by the wind, Zheng Wuyou and Yuan Ling reacted almost simultaneously.
Instinctively, they covered their heads with their hands, then quickly twisted around and turned their backs to the oncoming gale.
In an instant, the gale swept stones and weeds past their ears, the air filled with a piercing, shrill whistling.
Yuan Ling felt an immense force that seemed ready to tear her apart. She had never felt anything like it; never before had she felt so keenly that death was this close.
At last, as the fierce gust gradually died down, Zheng Wuyou's anxious heart eased a little.
But when she cautiously lowered her arms, the sight before her left her utterly stunned. Yuan Ling's head hung low, her hair veiling her face as she struggled to draw deep breaths. Her right hand braced against the grass, while her left pressed tightly against her slender left side.
Even more distressing, bright-red liquid seeped slowly through the gaps between Yuan Ling's fingers, like paint spilling from a leaky container. It formed a thin but horrifying red line that kept spreading...
At the sight, Zheng Wuyou's mind was instantly flooded with red. She could see nothing but the liquid trickling out, and for a moment she didn't know