But reality was far crueler than they had imagined. This time, they covered an even shorter distance—only about a quarter of what they had managed at first. Then the strange Buddhist hall appeared before them again, and the chanting and scent of incense within were even clearer.
By now, Jiang Cheng and the others understood: they were trapped between the Buddhist hall and the Hall of Merit, and the distance between the two was steadily shrinking.
If they chose neither, the Buddhist hall and the Hall of Merit would eventually press in on them at the same time. The consequences would be even more disastrous.
But Jiang Cheng wasn't about to give in so easily. He patted the Fatty's arm and pulled him close to one of the high walls. "Make a ladder and give me a boost. I want to take a look over the wall."
The Fatty glanced at the two rows of trees beside the wall and blinked in confusion. "No need to go to all that trouble. It'd be much easier to climb a tree."
Jiang Cheng had no intention of explaining. He brushed him off with a vague reply. "I don't trust these trees."
At first, the Fatty didn't understand. But after thinking it over for a few seconds, he suddenly grew uneasy. When he looked at the nearby trees again, his expression had changed, as if they weren't trees at all, but corpses disguised as trees.
Without another word, the Fatty crouched and patted one of his broad shoulders, signaling for Jiang Cheng to step on him and climb up.
With their lives on the line, Jiang Cheng didn't stand on ceremony. But even with the Fatty standing straight, they still weren't tall enough. They were at least a meter short.
"Miss Ye, climb