The little basket emerged from beneath the tree roots.
Chen Xiuyuan pulled, paused, then pulled again, making the basket's rim move slowly behind the rock. The herb basket was light and would tip over with the slightest extra force. He could only keep the thin cord low and drag it north under cover of the grass.
The sleeve behind the gray rock disappeared.
He thought the man was about to come out and stopped his hand. He waited a moment, but nothing stirred on the opposite bank.
Chen Xiuyuan looked up to find Shi Lei. Shi Lei crouched beneath the tree, his arrow still nocked, and merely gave him a slight nod.
Keep going.
The little basket shifted another short distance north. Its bottom struck a jutting rock with a clack. Chen Xiuyuan loosened the cord, letting it stop there. The grass where the sleeve had been showing on the opposite bank trembled, and part of a gray-clad shoulder emerged from behind the rock.
Immediately afterward, the man withdrew.
Chen Xiuyuan's palms grew sweaty. With the slanting rock between them, he could only see the opposite bank, not Shi Lei's expression. Should I pull again? The basket's almost at the corner. Another pull, and it'll be completely exposed.
Shi Duo's low voice came from behind him.
"The rope's ready."
Chen Xiuyuan tugged the thin cord.
The basket tipped past the corner of the rock, half its lid flipping open. The archer lower down finally moved. He took two steps north along the side of the gray rock, trying to get around the slender tree in front of him and see who was behind the basket.
A short stretch of taut bowstring showed beyond the tree's shadow.
Chen Xiuyuan sharply hauled the cord toward himself, and the basket struck the slanting rock.
The arrows sounded almost simultaneously.
The first pierced the basket's bottom, knocking the empty basket askew; the second flew from beneath the tree on the near bank and sank into the man's upper arm.
A short cry of pain rang out across the stream.
The gray-clad man slammed into a tree. His bow slipped from his hand, and he hurriedly caught it. He bent low and retreated behind the gray rock. Shi Lei had already nocked another arrow and aimed higher up. The man behind the leaning pine had just started to rise, only to duck back down.
"Go!"
Chen Xiuyuan dragged the little basket toward him and tugged twice, but its bottom caught in a crack between the rocks. The arrow had pierced it at an angle, leaving its shaft sticking out sideways and wedging it in place.
He gripped the shaft and snapped off the protruding section against the basket's rim, leaving the remaining half and the arrowhead in the bottom. The basket came free. He grabbed its straps and retreated south behind the slanting rock.
Auntie Sang took the little basket, glanced at the hole, and lined the inside with the coarse cloth used to wrap the herbs before putting the remaining bundles of medicinal roots inside. Chen Xiuyuan gathered up the thin cord and hurried to the gully entrance, only then discovering that Shi Duo had not tied the rope to a tree.
The thick rope passed through a natural hole in the rock, its knot pressed against the back of the stone and its other end hanging into the shadows below.
Shi Lei was the last to retreat. He tugged the rope at the hole and looked down to check the footholds.
"I'll go first. Auntie Sang, follow me. Don't step straight down. There's a flat rock on the right."
He handed his bow to Shi Duo and descended along the rope to the bottom of the gully, then looked up and beckoned. Chen Xiuyuan lowered the bow and basket with the thin cord. Shi Lei caught them, moved the basket behind a rock, and took up his bow again to cover the ground above.
Auntie Sang glanced into the gully, her face a little pale.
"Can I reach?" she asked.
"If you can't, slide down a little farther. I'll catch you."
She nodded, tucked her hem into her waistband, and gripped the rope with both hands. Chen Xiuyuan and Ge Ping each supported one side of her, helping her feel for the rock face with her feet. Shi Duo never turned around, guarding the path to the gully entrance with his saber.
Auntie Sang was only halfway down when a whistle suddenly sounded in the woods to the north.
Very close.
This time, there was no drawn-out ending. The sound was cut short by the leaves, followed immediately by the crack of dry branches underfoot.
Shi Duo held his long saber crosswise and advanced two steps.
Chen Xiuyuan looked back and saw a masked man flash past behind a tree. A saber hung at his waist and a bow was slung over his shoulder. One look at the gully entrance told him they were leaving, and he immediately took down his bow.
Shi Duo pressed toward him.
The man had no time to nock an arrow. He could only block once with his bow before retreating behind a tree and drawing his saber. The two blades collided. Standing close by, Chen Xiuyuan heard that dull impact for the first time.
"Get down!" Shi Duo shouted.
Auntie Sang called from the bottom of the gully. She had found her footing. Ge Ping seized Chen Xiuyuan's arm and pushed him toward the rope.
"You first."
"You're closer."
"Your leg! What are you dawdling for?"
Ge Ping shoved the thick rope into his hands, then lay beside the hole in the rock and pressed down on the stretch of rope crossing its surface. He did not even look at the blades behind him, watching only Chen Xiuyuan's descending feet.
"Right. Shi Lei said right. Don't slip."
Chen Xiuyuan argued no further. Bracing his good leg against the rock face, he moved his hands down one after the other. Whenever his injured leg touched stone, the pain made his waist give way. Ge Ping pulled the rope taut from above, letting him catch his breath before moving again.
When he was almost at the bottom, Shi Lei reached out to support his waist and brought him onto the flat rock.
The first thing Chen Xiuyuan did after finding his footing was shout upward, "Ge Ping, come down!"
Ge Ping did not descend at once.
He was still watching the ground above. From the bottom of the gully, Chen Xiuyuan could only see half his body and a saber tip flashing past the rim. He could not see Shi Duo, much less the masked man.
Shi Lei guided Auntie Sang a step farther in and had her crouch behind a rock. He himself retreated to a narrow gap with a view of the ground above and drew his bow.
"Shi Duo, fall back toward the gully!"
The blades clashed again, and both men's footsteps drew closer.
Only then did Ge Ping turn over and seize the rope. He moved too hastily. Before one foot had found purchase, his body slid down against the rock face, the thick rope scraping his clothes and stretching taut.
Chen Xiuyuan reached out to catch him, then suddenly heard someone above shout sharply, "Get low!"
It was Shi Duo.
An arrow struck the rocky rim, sending stone chips flying down. Ge Ping's left arm jerked inward, and his body swung away from the rope. Only his right hand still gripped it, his toes scrabbling wildly against the stone.
Chen Xiuyuan could not reach him and hurriedly raised a hand to support one foot.
"Step down! Step on my hand!"
Ge Ping's foot pressed down, dragging Chen Xiuyuan's shoulder lower. His injured leg nearly buckled to the ground. He braced himself against the rock face without letting go. Using that support, Ge Ping regained his grip on the rope and slid down the last stretch. Shi Lei caught his upper body and dragged him to the inner side of the flat rock.
"Where were you hit?" Shi Lei asked.
Ge Ping shook his head, doing nothing but panting. Only after a long while did he squeeze out, "Arm."
Shi Lei pulled open his left sleeve and glanced at it. "It grazed you. Keep pressure on it for now. Don't let go."
Auntie Sang immediately crouched and pressed a corner of her clothing against his upper arm. Chen Xiuyuan ran a hand over his back. Finding no arrow shaft, he let out a slight breath of relief.
The fighting above continued.
Shi Lei turned and raised his bow, then suddenly said in a low voice, "Shi Duo, don't pursue him!"
Chen Xiuyuan looked up and saw half of Shi Duo's hem appear at the rim. His long saber thrust forward, forcing his opponent back a step and clearing the spot where he could descend. But the man merely retreated beside a tree rather than leaving, his saber still held crosswise as he waited for Shi Duo to turn his back.
Holding his saber in his right hand, Shi Duo tried to reach for the rope with his left, then withdrew it.
The moment he descended, his entire back would be exposed to that man.
The archer high on the opposite bank was still there, too. The arrow that had just struck Ge Ping had come from the other side of the stream valley. This place could conceal those who had reached the ground, but not someone clinging to the rocky rim.
Shi Lei shifted half a step within the narrow gap. The tip of his bow struck the rock face, preventing him from raising it. He looked down at his feet, then at Chen Xiuyuan.
"Take them farther in. Clear some room for me."
Chen Xiuyuan and Auntie Sang helped Ge Ping up and moved along the flat rock into the gully. Ge Ping could still walk, but after two steps, he tried to look back again.
"What about Shi Duo?"
"Shi Lei will cover him," Chen Xiuyuan said.
Even as he answered, he could not help pausing half a step. Shi Duo was still up there. He remembered who had been the last to check their route and who had guarded this rope for them.
Auntie Sang tugged him, and the three moved a few more steps inward.
Shi Lei stepped onto the flat rock they had cleared, finally able to raise his bow. He loosed an arrow toward the tree on the near bank. The masked man twisted aside, the back of his saber knocking against the trunk.
"Now!"
Shi Duo seized the rope and swung himself over, keeping his long saber against the outside of his right arm as he braced both feet against the rock face and slid down. Chen Xiuyuan saw his face. A patch of skin had been scraped from his forehead, and blood ran down along his brow.
Before he was halfway down, the man above lunged over.
A blade flashed, and the rope jerked violently.
Chen Xiuyuan cried out. Shi Lei's second arrow had already flown. The masked man pulled back his saber and toppled backward, disappearing beyond the rocky rim. But the thick rope had already snapped. Half of it fell from the hole in the rock, plunging after Shi Duo.
Shi Duo kicked off to the right, avoiding the sharp rocks at the bottom of the gully. His left shoulder slammed into the rock face. His knees bent as he landed, and his long saber nearly struck the flat rock before his grip steadied again.
"Go!" he shouted.
Chen Xiuyuan stepped forward to help him, but Shi Duo shook his head. First, he reached back to scoop up the rope at his feet and bundled it at his waist.
"It's still useful. Don't block the way."
Half a cloth-masked head appeared above. Shi Lei immediately raised his bow, and the man ducked back again. The rim of the gully was high and the footholds narrow. Even if he pursued them down, he would have to face the blades and arrows below. A moment later, footsteps retreated outward.
Shi Lei did not lower his bow.
"He'll circle around. Move if you can. Don't wait for him."
Shi Duo moved his left shoulder, his face twitching with pain, but his right hand never released his saber. He stepped beside Shi Lei and said a few words in a low voice. Shi Lei nodded, drew back the arrow he had kept extended until last, and led everyone deeper into the gully.
Chen Xiuyuan supported Ge Ping's right arm, letting him lean against him. Ge Ping's left hand hung at his side. His steps grew shorter and shorter, and every time he crossed an uneven stone, he had to suck in a breath.
Auntie Sang pressed his hand back over the wound.
"Keep pressing. Even if it hurts."
"I know," Ge Ping said. "I didn't hold it steady just now."
His words were casual, but his voice was weak. Chen Xiuyuan lowered his head and saw two drops of blood fall onto the stone, one dark-red spot followed a few steps later by another.
He reached out to support that arm, his fingertips touching the soaked sleeve.
The first drop of rain struck Chen Xiuyuan's face.
The gully ahead bent to the left. Shi Lei had already reached the turn and looked back, beckoning them to follow. But Ge Ping paused for a moment, leaning against the rock face and closing his eyes. The little color left in his face rapidly drained away.
"Shi Lei." Chen Xiuyuan looked up. "We need to find somewhere to stop his bleeding."