Only then did the little girl come to her senses. Without a word, she gripped the iron chain and carefully made her way across. Hu Xiaotian turned back, panting, and saw Murong Feiyan struggling up the tilted suspension bridge. One of its four supporting cables had been severed, making the crossing far harder than before. After this life-and-death struggle, Murong Feiyan had actually overcome her fear of heights. It seemed people could only break through their own limits when life and death hung in the balance.
Hu Xiaotian reached out to her, and Murong Feiyan extended her delicate hand. At last, their fingertips touched.
Whoosh! A flaming arrow cut through the rain and mist toward the suspension bridge, lodging in its wooden planks with a thunk! Hu Xiaotian sucked in a breath. Their enemies clearly meant to wipe them out to the last person.
"Go!" Murong Feiyan cried.
They ran toward the end of the bridge, one behind the other. Fortunately, the rain extinguished the flaming arrow before it could set the bridge alight. Thick smoke had completely sealed off the exit. Following the iron chain, Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan held their breath as they passed through it, but even so, the smoke left tears and snot streaming down their faces.
At last, they crossed the suspension bridge, frightened but unharmed. By then, the wildfire sparked by lightning had spread to the bridge, setting it ablaze. The dwindling rain could no longer put out the mountain fire, and thick smoke soon spread around them. After crossing last, Murong Feiyan swung her sword and severed the remaining cables. The burning bridge swung toward the opposite cliff as its cables snapped, smashed against the rock face, and broke apart. She had had no choice: only by cutting down the bridge could