Jiang Yan scanned the area as she climbed down the cliff, trying to spot any sign of her grandmother. Suddenly, she heard a scream coming from the side of the cliff.
"Help!" cried a small voice.
Jiang Yan quickly made her way towards the sound and saw a little boy hanging onto a small tree branch, his feet dangling off the edge of the cliff.
"Don't worry, I'm coming," Jiang Yan reassured him as she slowly approached.
She reached out and grabbed the boy's arm, pulling him to safety.
"Thank you, thank you so much," the little boy gasped, tears streaming down his face.
Jiang Yan smiled at him, relieved that he was okay.
"Are you hurt?" she asked, checking him over.
The little boy shook his head, still trembling with fear.
Jiang Yan noticed him frantically pointing towards the bottom of the cliff.
"What is it?" she asked.
"A grandmother, she fell there," the little boy cried.
Jiang Yan's heart sank as she followed the boy's gaze and saw her unconscious grandmother lying on the rocks below.
"Stay here," she told the little boy firmly. "I need to go down and check on her."
The little boy was terrified but he nodded as Jiang Yan made her way down the cliff.
Ignoring the pain ripping through her body, she hurried down. When she reached the ground, her heart skipped a beat—grandmother lay on the rocks, barely conscious. She quicl\kly pressed her fingers to her pulse and let out a shaky sigh of relief. Still breathing. Battered, bruised… but alive.
Jiang Yan scooped her grandmother onto her back, feeling her muscles burn with the effort. Quickly, she tied her grandmother with the red scarf she was wearing, securing her as best she could, then began the grueling climb back up the cliff. She had to get her grandmother to safety.
Jiang Yan's muscles ached as she carried her grandmother up the mountain, and her heart felt heavy with worry. When they finally reached the top, she laid her grandmother on the ground and gently shook her, but there was no response.
"Grandma, please wake up," Jiang Yan said, her voice trembling with fear.
The little boy watched on, tears streaming down his face. "Is she going to be okay?" he asked.
"I don't know," Jiang Yan replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "But we have to leave this place now. It's not safe here."
The little boy nodded, prompting Jiang Yan to take a closer look. She observed that he appeared to be barely four years old with distinct, adorable features that seemed oddly familiar to her. However, she couldn't quite pinpoint where she had seen him before. Nevertheless, reaching the village was her top priority now.
Jiang Yan gently asked him, "Can you walk?"
The little boy nodded. Jiang Yan scooped her grandmother behind her back and held the little boy's hand tightly as they began their descent down the mountain.
Every step was painful, and Jiang Yan winced with each movement. "We have to keep going," she said to herself, gritting her teeth through the pain. "We have to get to the village."
The little boy stumbled a few times on the rocky terrain, but Jiang Yan was there to catch him each time. "Hold on tight," she told him. "We're almost there."
As they made their way down the mountain, Jiang Yan couldn't help but worry about her grandmother's condition. She kept checking her pulse, hoping for some sign of improvement, but there was none.
Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the bushes far behind them. Jiang Yan's heart raced with fear as she thought about the kidnappers who had held her captive in the mountain.
"Keep walking," she told the boy, her voice urgent. "Don't stop, don't look behind, no matter what."
The rustling grew louder, and Jiang Yan could hear footsteps behind them. She pushed herself harder, ignoring the pain in her body, and urged the boy to move faster.
As they approached the mountain's edge, Jiang Yan could feel her breathing becoming heavier. Despite their progress, the village was still far off in the distance, and she knew that they were not yet out of danger.
As they neared the edge of the mountain, Jiang Yan could feel a sense of relief wash over her. But just as they were about to reach safety, they heard footsteps behind them. She turned around to see the kidnapper and his men approaching.
Jiang Yan's heart raced as she realized they were in grave danger. The little boy clung to her, terrified by the menacing, burly-looking men. Jiang Yan forced herself to remain calm and strong for the boy, but deep inside, fear clenched her heart.
The kidnapper and his men surrounded them, blocking their path. Her body was reaching its last stage of strength, and she could barely hold on.
Jiang Yan knew she had to act fast if they wanted to escape. She slowly put her grandmother down, supporting her back against a tree. She took a deep breath and tried to reason with the kidnapper.
"Please, let us go," she pleaded. "We haven't done anything wrong. We're just innocent villagers."
But the kidnapper was not swayed by her words. He had already accepted the money in advance and would only get the rest of the payment after completing his mission.
The kidnapper leader chuckled menacingly as he approached Jiang Yan, a wicked glint in his eye. She stood her ground, shielding the little boy behind her. The leader stopped in front of her, towering over her petite frame.
"What a brave little girl," he sneered. "But your bravery won't save you."
Jiang Yan's mind raced as she tried to come up with a plan. "I can offer you money," she said, her voice quivering slightly.
The leader laughed, a cold, harsh sound. "No amount of money can save you now. We already accepted the advance to do this, and so you have to suffer."
Jiang Yan's heart sank. This wasn't a random kidnapping—someone had planned this. Someone didn't want her to return to the Jiang family. She clenched her fists, determined not to give up without a fight.
The leader's signal came, and three men lunged at her. She moved like lightning, dodging their strikes with uncanny precision. Two went down before the third could even react, staggering back in shock.
The kidnappers had assumed she was nothing more than a rare beauty, a girl targeted for offending someone rich. To them, she was an easy target—someone they could humiliate, assault, and play with while collecting their ransom. They had expected fear, tears, and submission. That had been the plan, and they had been more than happy to comply with the order.
They had never imagined she could fight back. Every precise dodge, every powerful strike defied their expectations. The smug confidence that had driven their cruelty now turned to disbelief. The girl they had thought weak… was anything but ordinary.
But she knew she couldn't keep this up forever. They had drugged her when they took her. And the poison still lingered in her veins, making her every movement feel heavier, every breath more labored. Her body screamed in protest, running purely on willpower.
More men were coming. She was outnumbered, exhausted, but she couldn't fall. The little boy and her grandmother were behind her, helpless, relying on her. No matter how weak she felt, she had to fight.
Meanwhile, the little boy, who had been trembling in fear moments ago, now watched in awe. His eyes sparkled with admiration.
Suddenly, one of the kidnappers pulled out a knife, and Jiang Yan's heart skipped a beat. She backed away, narrowly avoiding the blade as it slashed through the air. She knew she had to act fast.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Jiang Yan dodged the kidnapper's next few attacks, waiting for an opening. When she saw it, she lunged forward, knocking the knife out of the kidnapper's hand.
The leader's face darkened with rage as he watched his men fall one by one. Moving from behind, he tried to strike—but Jiang Yan had already seen him. She twisted, using his momentum against him, throwing him over her shoulder and pinning him completely. Shock and humiliation painted his face—never before had he been defeated by a girl.
"Get her! All of you!" he roared.
Soon, the men surrounded Jiang Yan. Some even tried to capture the little boy. Throwing off a few more kidnappers, Jiang Yan leapt forward and wrapped her arms around the little boy, shielding him from harm. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the kidnappers closed in around her.
Although more than half of the men had already been defeated by her, Jiang Yan refused to give up. She used all her strength to fight, punching and kicking her way through the remaining crowd of kidnappers. Despite being covered in sweat, she persevered, knowing that if she stopped, her grandmother and the little boy would be in danger.
Just as she landed a powerful punch on one of the kidnappers, she heard a loud clicking sound behind her. She spun to see a gun aimed at the little boy.
"No!" she screamed, terror freezing her for a heartbeat.
"Don't move, or the kid gets it," the kidnapper hissed, voice cold and menacing. Jiang Yan's mind raced. She had to act—and fast.
A rustling came from the trees, drawing the kidnapper's gaze for a split second. Seizing the opportunity, Jiang Yan lunged, pulling the little boy into her arms and shielding him just as the gun went off.
A deafening shot ripped through the air.
***