My body spun uncontrollably in the air, the whistling wind tearing past my ears, everything rapidly receding before my eyes.
I saw Wan Ying, who had chased after me but stopped at the edge of the cliff. I saw the increasingly distant grey-blue cliff face and the vast, distant azure sky.
Instinctively, I reached out, wanting to grab something. But the wind swept through my fingers, and I held onto nothing.
“Splash!”
With a loud crash, my back was painfully slammed, as if all my internal organs had shifted, and my head grew foggy. Falling from such a height, the impact was terrifyingly immense.
My body sank beneath the water due to the massive impact. Instinctively, I opened my mouth, and water poured in from all directions!
In my mouth, ears and nose—my body was growing heavy, like it was weighted down by a huge steelyard, pulling me constantly downwards.
For the first time, I felt my body was so heavy and so out of control.
In the blink of an eye, I had fallen from above the gorge into the river. I panicked and lost my composure, thrashing my limbs wildly, forced to swallow several more mouthfuls of water. My nasal passages were also filled with water, making breathing difficult. The stinging pain briefly jolted me back to consciousness.
What was even more terrifying were the hidden reefs in the water; a moment of carelessness could leave me with a bleeding head.
“Gasp!” I struggled to find a rhythm, moving my limbs to try and surface, finally breaking through the water. The air was sweet and wonderful. Greedily and impatiently, I opened my mouth, devouring the hard-won air.
I can swim, but not expertly. It was a skill I barely learned in a college physical education class. Normally, I could only manage a few laps in a swimming pool. This was my first time entering open water without any safety measures.
It was my first time, yet it was enough to be fatal.
Now, the instinct to survive made me pump my arms with unprecedented effort.
The current was swift, much faster than it had appeared from above. Countless whitecaps and small eddies formed on the surface, only to dissipate, reform, and dissipate again under the rapid impact.
Such a harsh environment was incredibly draining on my energy; even a skilled swimmer might not escape unscathed.
I was involuntarily carried forward by the current, unsure of where it would end. My strength was rapidly draining, my arms aching unbearably. Each time I lifted them, I doubted if I’d have the strength to lift them again.
“Clatter, clatter…” The sound of my teeth chattering was louder than the roaring water, filling my eardrums completely.
The water temperature was very low; even though it was the height of summer, it was still bone-chillingly cold. My body temperature was dropping with each passing moment, and the chill seeped through every pore, invading my limbs and bones.
My strength couldn’t keep up anymore. If this continued, I would surely die!
I had just barely escaped, only to comically drown? No, I wouldn’t accept it!
Another large gulp of water poured in, and my lungs burned as if they would explode. I struggled to surface, but before I could even take a breath, a wave from behind crashed over me, submerging me again.
Even just getting my head above water was an extremely difficult task.
I had to get to shore. This was the only thought in my hazy mind.
I kicked with all my might, and my body surfaced once more.
I didn’t know where the water had carried me or how long I had been swimming. Here, the river had widened, and the green hills on both banks were not tightly opposed like in Shidi Mountain, where only a sliver of sky was visible. Instead, they were far apart, and the view and light became expansive.
And the shore was incredibly distant.
Suddenly, not far ahead, I saw a small tree growing horizontally from the cliff face. Its roots were embedded in the cliff, and its trunk was extremely close to the water. It wasn’t thick; it looked quite slender, but it was my only chance at survival.
The desire for survival ignited another burst of strength within me. I paddled desperately, heading towards the small tree.
The current was swift, but in the blink of an eye, the tree was right before me.
Now! I seized the moment, gritting my teeth, and lifted my aching arms, grabbing hold of the slender tree trunk!
My body was pulled forward by inertia and the force of the water, but I clung to the small tree with all my might. I struggled to lift my chin, tilting my head out of the water.
“Gasp—cough, cough, cough!” My chest heaved violently, my stomach full of water, making me nauseous. I briefly gasped for air, my mind racing, trying to figure out how to escape.
Hanging onto the tree like this, my strength might not last. And prolonged exposure to the water could lead to hypothermia.
I had to get to shore.
I wiggled my fingers, attempting to bend my arms, flexing my muscles, and changing my grip from holding the tree to hugging it.
The upstream current intensified the difficulty. I gritted my teeth, my arms trembling from the exertion.
Everyone understands the principle of striking while the iron is hot; once you rest, you lose the strength to continue.
The extreme environment unleashed my potential, and I actually managed to pull myself up, wrapping both arms around the tree trunk!
“Phew!” I sighed with a small sense of relief. I could rest for a moment and recover my strength.
My clothes, soaked through, clung to me uncomfortably. But I couldn’t spare a hand or the energy to adjust them.
This tree, growing horizontally from the cliff face, truly felt like a blessing from heaven. I painstakingly lifted my head. The bank wasn’t very high above the water, and the cliff face wasn’t smooth; on the contrary, there were many jagged rocks, which offered footholds and easy places to climb. As long as I could cling to the cliff, I could climb ashore.
With a plan for my route in mind, I slowly moved my arms, inching closer to the cliff face.
Just then, I heard a faint, crisp sound.
“Crack!”
I froze in terror.
The tree was shaking.
Not just from the impact of the water, but because its roots were loosening!
I glanced towards the roots and saw with horror that they had, without my realizing it, been pried out of the mountain!
Before I could think of another solution, the tottering small tree gave way completely. Its roots snapped, and it plunged into the water!
I didn’t even have time to cry out before I was plunged back into the water. The surging current engulfed me again. Despair filled my heart, and I could only cling tightly to the small tree that I had “implicated,” like holding onto a last straw.
My body bobbed uncontrollably, my face sometimes lucky enough to surface but mostly submerged beneath the water.
My consciousness began to feel light and airy; my strength was draining much faster than I had imagined. I was barely able to hold onto this life-saving tree anymore…
I didn’t know where the current would take me, nor if I would ever make it to shore alive.
In the last moments of my consciousness, a surging wave crashed over my head, and I instantly sank into the water. The water’s surface seemed boundless, its patterns strangely full of a free beauty. Countless water particles struggled, rose, and shattered in the river.
And I sank continuously.
