"Something was wrong." Bing Yekong lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside. "It was too quiet."
The gorge was far too quiet. There was not even any wind, and the air hung heavy and stifling. Not a single bird could be seen on the cliffs to either side. The sound of wheels grinding over gravel rang especially harshly through the open space.
The moment he finished speaking, a muffled boom came from overhead.
It sounded like something had been pushed from high above, scraping down the rough cliff face before crashing down with an increasingly thunderous roar.
Bing Yekong suddenly looked up and, through the carriage window, saw an enormous gray boulder plummeting from the top of the right-hand cliff, trailing shattered rock fragments as it crashed into the middle of the convoy.
"Boom!"
The deafening blast erupted, sending rubble and dust soaring into the sky. The sounds of carriages breaking and horses shrieking in terror mixed together.
More rocks rolled down from the cliffs on both sides, one after another, as if someone had calculated the timing and positions precisely, striking the middle of the convoy and cutting off its front and rear.
The carriage lurched violently. The horses shrieked in panic, and Tianshui Academy's carriage was jolted half a step sideways by a massive boulder that fell grazing its rear, nearly overturning it.
"Get out!" Bing Yekong yanked open the carriage door, jumped out, and pulled Shui Bing'er down after him. Shui Yue'er had been jolted awake, and the moment she groggily opened her eyes, Xue Wu grabbed her arm and dragged her out.
The entire convoy had been split into three sections by the falling rocks.
The lead convoy was blocked toward the gorge exit. Two of the carriages in the middle had been overturned, while a