Taking the blame
Since we're already here...
With only one small section of the path remaining, there's no need to deliberately leave any gaps. We've already spent the whole afternoon on this, so a few more minutes won't make a difference. Let's just walk the entire cliff top thoroughly, checking everything completely, leaving no unknown blind spots, and that will mark the end of our exploration of this area.
Lu Heng stopped thinking about it and slowly walked up the stable rock slope towards the outermost edge of the cliff.
The closer you get to the edge of the cliff, the more monotonous and desolate the surrounding scenery becomes.
The scattered green grass and dwarf vines on the slope have completely disappeared, leaving only gray-white bare rocks polished by wind and sun over the years. A thin layer of weathered gravel covers the ground, the particles are fine and loose, making a soft rustling sound when stepped on, and there is always a slight, almost imperceptible slipperiness underfoot.
The further out you go, the narrower the mountain becomes.
The once spacious flat top gradually narrowed into a long, narrow rock ridge. Behind you was a safe return slope, and just a few steps in front of you was a sheer, bottomless cliff. The wind from the valley floor rushed up the cliff face, its fierce force causing the edges of your clothes to flutter incessantly.
Lu Heng walked slowly, keeping his center of gravity low, making sure each step was firmly planted on the solid rock, never rushing. He scanned left and right, carefully checking for any overlooked supplies or hidden dangers along the way, looking for any crevices, pits, or grooves in the rocks.
We walked all the way to the outermost edge of the cliff platform.
Standing here, we are at the very edge of the entire cliff.
His gaze swept casually across the area, landing on the outermost, suspended, protruding rock groove, and his eyes paused slightly.
A Black Iron Chest was securely wedged in the recessed corner of the stone trough.
The box was dark in color and hard and heavy in texture, unlike the thin and light wooden treasure chests of ordinary people. It had not been damaged by wind and sun. Its location was ridiculously cunning, hanging right at the top of the cliff, with no way up or down, completely stuck in a position that ordinary creatures could not reach.
That is precisely why it has been preserved so well to this day.
Lu Heng didn't rush to lean forward. He first stood steadily on the hard rock on the inner side, lightly stepping on the surrounding stone surface with his toes to confirm that the rock layer under his feet was solid and not loose. After confirming that it was safe, he lowered his body slightly, leaned half of his body forward, stretched his arms as much as possible, and firmly gripped the edge of the treasure chest with his fingertips. With a gentle pull, he directly put the Black Iron Chest into his Storage Space.
The moment I received it, today's gains have completely exceeded my expectations.
He breathed a sigh of relief, stood still, and looked over the edge of the cliff, instinctively gazing down at the towering forest below.
The dense canopy of trees piled up layer upon layer, a thick expanse of green that completely blocked out the view below. No gullies, ground, or animal trails could be seen; only the dark, deep sea of trees remained.
As the gaze slowly descends along the vertical cliff face, sweeping across one bare rock face after another, it suddenly stops halfway down the precipice at a unique landform.
In the middle section of the rock wall, there is a natural cave recessed into the rock face.
The cave entrance is neither too wide nor too narrow, facing outwards and sheltered from the wind. The most conspicuous feature is a huge honeycomb hanging in the center of the entrance.
The nest was layered upon layered, thick with a yellowish wax coating, and countless cells were densely packed together, firmly attached to the cave walls. Tiny bee shadows constantly hovered around the cave entrance, and a soft, low buzzing sound drifted intermittently up through the wind.
Lu Heng squinted at the cave and stared at it for a long time.
He couldn't help but marvel at how brilliantly the bees had chosen their location.
The cave is embedded in the cliff face, neither high nor low.
Wild animals on the ground can't climb up, and birds of prey in the sky have nowhere to land; there's nowhere to invade from any direction. The wind can't blow it, and the rain can't get in. It's safely hidden in the crevices of the cliff, a perfect natural Shelter, ridiculously safe.
Looking at the thick, full honeycomb, Lu Heng couldn't help but feel envious.
Wild honey can quickly replenish the body and relieve fatigue, while beeswax can waterproof, seal crevices, and preserve fire; these are all very useful and scarce resources for him at this stage.
But there's no use in being envious.
The location was perched on a precipice, with no ropes, no equipment, and no climbing footholds. It was visible but untouchable. There was simply no feasible way to approach and harvest the fruit.
With such excellent resources right in front of them, yet they could only watch helplessly, a strange sense of frustration slowly began to rise within them.
Lu Heng casually bent down and picked up a fist-sized piece of hard rock from the side of his feet.
He had no other purpose than to have a bit of an itch to play. He raised his hand and flicked it lightly, sending the stone tracing a gentle arc before it struck the rock wall on the side of the cave.
A muffled thud.
The stone chips and fragments collapsed instantly, bouncing and tumbling down the cliff face to the bottom of the valley.
After throwing it away, he didn't look at it again. He turned around and slowly retreated towards the inside of the cliff, intending to leave this dangerous area near the cliff completely.
The vibrations from the rocks hitting the rock wall eventually disturbed the swarm of bees guarding the cave entrance.
Within seconds, dozens of ferocious bees suddenly burst out of the cave, circling and hovering rapidly in the air, checking the surroundings. The sound of their wings flapping suddenly became dense and ear-piercing, a buzzing roar that drowned out the sound of the wind.
But after circling for a long time, they only saw scattered pebbles on the cliff face, no signs of life, and no trace of invasion.
Being situated on a cliff face year-round, falling rocks are a common occurrence.
Finding no threat, the restless swarm of bees gradually calmed down, returning one by one to the entrance of the burrow and slowly landing back at the edge of the nest, restoring the previous tranquility.
However, just as Lu Heng was leaving, an unexpected event occurred.
Just as the swarm of bees settled down, a dark shadow suddenly swooped down from the sky.
A Beehawk with a sharp body and strong wings precisely locked onto the cave in mid-air, ignoring the swarm of bees that were guarding the entrance, and charged straight into the cave. Despite being stung by countless bees, it paid no heed, ripped off a large piece of the thick honeycomb with a jerk of its head, flapped its wings, accelerated and soared into the air, and flew away from the cliff with its trophy.
It was arrogant and domineering throughout, completely ignoring the bee swarm's defenses.
In a split second, the cave bee swarm exploded.
The bees, which had been docile and guarding their nest, were suddenly enraged by the sudden attack. Countless bees poured out of the hive, and the entire cave entrance was instantly filled with a dark mass of bees, their buzzing and deafening noise filling the entire cliff face.
The frenzied swarm of bees lost all judgment and could no longer distinguish between falling rocks, the sound of wind, or natural enemies.
Following the only remaining trace of life, they raised their heads, ascended, and surged straight to the top of the cliff.
Lu Heng, who was slowly retreating at this moment, became their only target.
Lu Heng was steadily walking towards the safe zone when suddenly a deafening, muffled buzzing sound filled his ears. The sound was rapid, dense, and getting closer and closer.
He paused, then turned around abruptly.
A swarm of bees, a dense, dark mass, hurtled straight toward him at breakneck speed.
Lu Heng was instantly stunned.
He casually tossed a stone aside, and didn't approach the nest or provoke the bees at all; he had even started to retreat long ago.
Without any reason, and completely unaware, they were unfairly blamed.
"No way..."
He muttered a complaint under his breath, his scalp tingling slightly as he watched the rapidly approaching swarm of bees.
The swarm of ferocious bees was now completely enraged, acting irrationally and without regard for reason, treating him entirely as an accomplice in the attack on their nest.
There's no time to dwell on right and wrong.
Seeing the shadowy bees obscuring the sky, Lu Heng dared not gamble. He immediately abandoned his slow walk, turned around, and sped up, sprinting down the rocky slope.