A jinx, me? But I bring good fortune to my whole family!

The mountain wind howled, stinging people's cheeks, and the torchlight flickered in the woods, illuminating anxious faces.

"Da'an—!"

"Da'an, where are you?!"

Su Xiulan's voice was hoarse from shouting, and her sobbing voice broke everyone's heart.

"Xiulan!"

A series of hurried footsteps came from behind, and Sister-in-law Hongxia caught up breathlessly and helped the swaying Su Xiulan.

"Sister-in-law, what brings you here?" Su Xiulan turned around, her face streaked with tears.

"How could I not come? I couldn't bear to leave you all!" Sister-in-law Hongxia said irritably while wiping away her tears. "Don't worry, I've already sent my second son to keep watch over Xiao An. The doors and windows are all locked tight, I guarantee nothing will happen!"

As she spoke, she spat towards the dark depths of the forest, "That old hag! She's truly heartless! She'd even lay a hand on her own grandson, doesn't she fear being struck by lightning!"

Gu Jianguo carried Nuannuan on his back without saying a word, but his taut jawline and red eyes betrayed his inner torment.

Nuannuan nestled against her father's broad back, her little face pressed against his neck, her tiny hands gripping his collar tightly. "Big brother, you absolutely can't get hurt!"

"Gah—!"

The little black cat hovering above let out a sharp, long cry and swooped down in one direction.

"Over there!" the captain roared, torch in hand. "Follow them!"

The group followed the crow's directions, stumbling along the path that became increasingly difficult, filled with slippery mud and sharp pebbles. Several people nearly slipped and fell.

"This is the road to Guijianchou!" a villager familiar with the terrain exclaimed.

Ghost's Sorrow is the most dangerous cliff in the back mountain, hundreds of feet high, with jagged rocks and a rocky beach below. If a living person falls in, they will not even be found with a complete body.

Upon hearing this, the brigade leader's face darkened, his grip on the wood-chopping knife creaking as he angrily cursed, "That old hag! If she dares to do anything to Da'an, I'll tear her to pieces, even if it costs me my life!"

More than two hours later, the group finally arrived at the top of the cliff, panting heavily.

The cold wind was like a knife, so sharp that people could hardly stand.

The torchlight illuminated the edge of the cliff, where several messy footprints stretched to the very edge before disappearing.

There were no signs of struggle, no bloodstains; the person simply vanished into thin air.

"This...this..." The captain's hand holding the torch was trembling.

The worst thought simultaneously flashed into everyone's minds.

"Da'an—!" Su Xiulan let out a heart-wrenching cry, and like a madwoman, she broke free from Sister Hongxia and rushed towards the edge of the cliff.

"Xiulan!" Gu Jianguo threw down Nuannuan from his back, rushed over, and hugged his wife tightly.

"Let me go! I need to find my Da'an! My son!" Su Xiulan struggled desperately in his arms, her fists raining down on Gu Jianguo's back, crying so hard she was almost breathless.

"He fell...he must have fallen..." a villager said in a trembling voice.

"It'll take us four or five hours to get around there, we won't even get there by dawn!"

Despair, like a giant net, hangs over everyone's heart.

Nuannuan stood to one side, her small body shivering in the cold wind.

She didn't believe it! Her older brother would be alright!

"Little Blackie!" Nuannuan looked up and shouted at the night sky.

Little Black hovered and landed on her shoulder.

Nuannuan leaned closer, listening to Xiaohei's chattering report, and the color drained from her face little by little.

"Mommy," Nuannuan ran to Su Xiulan's side, tugging at her clothes, her voice trembling, "Little Blackie said... said that a bad grandma and a bad uncle in black clothes are downstairs... but... but I didn't see big brother..."

What?!

This statement is even more terrifying than simply saying that Da'an fell down.

The kidnappers are there, but the hostages are nowhere to be found?

Su Xiulan's vision went black, and she completely fainted.

……

at the same time.

In a secluded cave more than ten miles away from the Ghost-Seeing-Sorrow Cliff.

A bonfire was burning brightly, crackling and dispelling the chill in the cave.

Gu Da'an leaned against the dry stone wall, clutching a military green water bottle tightly in his arms, staring blankly at the firelight.

He's alright; he was rescued.

At that time, he was knocked unconscious by the man in black and carried on his shoulder as he walked up the mountain with Old Lady Gu. Halfway up, the man in black found him too heavy and tried to push him down a steep slope.

Just then, a figure descended from the sky, as fast as lightning, and quickly chased away the man in black.

It was this man in front of him who saved him.

The man was very tall, wearing old clothes of indeterminate color, and his face was covered in greasepaint, making his features impossible to discern.

He calls himself Mountain Eagle.

"There are wolves outside, we can't go out tonight," Mountain Eagle explained succinctly, then fell silent, focusing on fiddling with a square box in his hands.

It was a walkie-talkie and a small radio.

He tried turning it for a long time, but all he could hear was a crackling sound of electricity.

"Damn it!" Mountain Eagle slammed his hand on the machine in frustration, almost throwing it away. "It's broken again, and I can't get in touch with it!"

He took something out of his backpack, tore it open, and handed one piece to Gu Da'an.

"Eat."

It was a very hard biscuit, but it smelled delicious. It was the first time Gu Da'an had ever seen such a thing.

He took it and, imitating the mountain eagle, nibbled on it in small bites.

The taste is not bad.

He ate only a small piece, then carefully wrapped the remaining half in paper and put it in his pocket.

Mountain Eagle raised an eyebrow.

"Why aren't you eating?"

Gu Da'an looked at him, moved his lips and uttered a few words.

"For...my sister."

The mountain eagle paused for a moment, then chuckled softly.

"I didn't expect you to be such a sister-lover."

Sister slave?

Gu Da'an tilted his head, thinking about the word in his mind.

Does "奴" mean servant?

To serve as a servant to my younger sister.

He thought about it carefully, then nodded heavily.

Yes, he is his sister's slave, and he is happy to be one.

Seeing his serious expression, Mountain Eagle's smile deepened. He put away the cookies and went back to arguing with the radio station.

Gu Da'an looked at the things in his hands, and the wires and parts immediately attracted his attention.

He shifted his body and moved closer.

After fiddling with it for a while, the mountain eagle finally threw it on the ground in frustration.

"It's hopeless. This thing is extremely precious; it'll be ruined if it's dropped even once."

Gu Da'an stretched out his finger and pointed to the radio station.

"I...will give it a try."