At that moment, the goat came galloping over, skidding to a sudden halt at the cliff’s edge. It anxiously bleated down into the abyss, its cries sounding like a mother calling for her child to come home.
Da Keng arrived soon after. Seeing only Liu Yun alone at the cliff’s edge, a sense of foreboding instantly rose in his heart!
Before he could even ask what happened, Liu Yun rushed over and sobbed to him: “Da Keng gege, you finally came! I didn’t mean to! Waa waa waa! I’m so scared! Waa waa waa…”
Da Keng’s face turned extremely grim. He pushed her away and demanded: “Where’s Hu Niu?!”
“Da Keng gege, Hu Niu fell from here! I’m so scared! Waa waa waa!” Liu Yun’s tears flowed freely as if they cost nothing.
Da Keng’s heart tightened. He grabbed Liu Yun’s clothes and roared with wide eyes: “Say that again!”
Terrified by Da Keng’s expression, Liu Yun stammered: “Hu Niu… she fell from here!”
Before she even finished speaking, Da Keng had already leaped into the cliff!
Liu Yun had thought Hu Niu was just some wild child they picked up – no great loss if she was gone. But she never expected Bai Dakeng would risk his life jumping down to save her!
“Da Keng gege!” Liu Yun let out a horrified scream.
The cliff was bottomless – anyone jumping from here would either die or be severely injured!
The other Keng brothers crouched at the cliff’s edge, shouting for their older brother!
But no matter how much they shouted, there was no response.
Si Keng turned his head and glared fiercely at Liu Yun: “Liar! It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t insisted on playing hide-and-seek, how would you have tricked our little aunt away? How would she have fallen?”
Liu Yun had never seen such a terrifying gaze – a hundred times scarier than when her mother beat her. She couldn’t help but retreat several steps in fear.
Er Keng, San Keng, and Wu Keng also turned to stare at her in unison.
Liu Yun felt like she was being killed by their gazes.
She turned to flee, only to find the four Keng brothers surrounding her!
“Beat her up!” Er Keng squeezed the words through clenched teeth.
With their eldest brother gone, the second brother’s word was law. Instantly, the four brothers’ fists rained down on Liu Yun like hailstones.
Wu Keng was the youngest, but he was as fierce as his mother, his small fists landing the hardest blows.
Liu Yun was thinly dressed, and the boys were strong. Every punch that landed on her made her cry out in pain!
“Please stop hitting me, I didn’t mean to! Waa waa waa…” Liu Yun was truly frightened now, afraid these wild boys would beat her to death!
She absolutely couldn’t die. Her mother said she was pretty and would marry an official when she grew up, enjoying a lifetime of luxury. If she died, she’d have nothing.
“Waa waa waa, please stop hitting me…” Liu Yun hugged her head and wept bitterly.
But none of the four Keng brothers paid her any attention.
Er Keng kicked her toward the goat, shouting, “That’ll teach you to bully our little aunt!”
Liu Yun seized the chance to hug the goat’s leg, hoping to shield herself from the beating. But the goat simply shook its hoof, sending her flying. She landed on the ground with a sickening thud!
She felt like her arm was broken, the pain nearly making her faint.
Seeing they had beaten her enough – any more might actually kill her – Er Keng ordered his brothers to stop. He instructed Si Keng and Wu Keng to immediately run home and tell their mother, while he and San Keng would wait here for their eldest brother to rescue their little aunt!
Si Keng and Wu Keng hurried home as fast as they could, stumbling countless times along the way. When they appeared before Cui Shi, she was instantly terrified!”Si Keng, Wu Keng, what happened to you? Where are your aunt and your eldest, second, and third brothers?” Cui Shi suddenly felt her heart pounding with panic!
Si Keng answered frantically, “Grandma, Aunt fell off the cliff! Big Brother jumped down to find her!”
Cui Shi’s breath caught, and the bowl in her hand fell to the ground with a crash, shattering to pieces!
“What did you say? What exactly happened?” Cui Shi shook Si Keng’s small body in disbelief.
Through tears, Si Keng recounted the events. Upon hearing it, Cui Shi’s legs immediately went weak.
“Quick, Si Keng, Wu Keng, come with me to find the Village Head!” Cui Shi said, staggering as she rushed out.
With her husband not home, she had no choice but to seek the Village Head’s help in this matter.
Si Keng and Wu Keng closely followed their grandmother.
Cui Shi had no idea how she managed to run to Bai Lizheng’s house. The moment she entered, she anxiously cried out, “Uncle, please save my Hu Niu and Da Keng!”
Bai Dafu was smoking a dry pipe in the yard. Seeing the usually steady Cui Shi in such a panic, he knew something serious had happened. He asked in a grave voice, “Hu Niu’s mother, what’s wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?”
With a trembling voice, Cui Shi briefly explained the situation and finally pleaded, “Uncle, I beg you, please help me think of something!”
After hearing this, Bai Dafu’s face darkened immediately. Liu Yun had always been disrespectful to elders, and he disliked the child.
But he never expected Liu Yun, despite her young age, to have such a wicked heart—actually pushing Little Tiger Girl off a cliff!
However, now was not the time to blame Liu Yun; finding Da Keng and Hu Niu was the priority!
After a moment of contemplation, Bai Dafu said solemnly, “Don’t panic. I’ll send someone to inform Renyi and the others right away and organize all the able-bodied men in the village to search for Hu Niu and Da Keng!”
Bai Dafu held high prestige in the village; a single word from him could mobilize everyone.
Moreover, the incident involved the Bai family, who had a good reputation in the village. Not long ago, the Bai men had carried the bodies of the four Li family members down from the mountain. The villagers respected the Bai men as true men, and upon hearing of their misfortune, they all volunteered to help search for Da Keng and Hu Niu!
Li Zhenzhu’s brother, however, did not come because Xu Cui forbade it. She thought it was just fine for the Bai family to have two fewer mouths to feed.
When Liu Tiezhu heard that the disaster was caused by his own Liu Yun, he was so angry that he didn’t even bother to blame Zhang Cuihua and insisted on joining the search team.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Cuihua grabbed him and said, “Don’t go! We need to find our Liu Yun first!”
“Get lost! Liu Yun pushed Hu Niu off a cliff—it’d be better if she were dead!” Liu Tiezhu broke free from her grasp.
But Zhang Cuihua clung to his clothes and refused to let go, “Whose father are you anyway? Why are you so protective of someone else’s daughter? Let me tell you, Hu Niu is a little fairy. Her being alive is the real disaster! Our daughter was eliminating a scourge for the people!”
Liu Tiezhu turned and slapped Zhang Cuihua across the face!
“One more nonsense word and I’ll tear your mouth apart! If it weren’t for you indulging Liu Yun’s reckless behavior all the time, this would never have happened! Just wait—I’ll find Hu Niu first, then deal with you and Liu Yun when I return!”
With that, Liu Tiezhu forcefully walked out the door!
Led by Si Keng and Wu Keng, the villagers followed closely behind, arriving at the cliff in a grand procession.
Er Keng and San Keng had been guarding the edge of the cliff. When they saw Bai Dafu bringing people over, they immediately ran to him. Er Keng cried, “Grandpa, my aunt and eldest brother fell from right here. Please save them!”
Bai Dafu patted his head and said, “Don’t worry, Grandpa is thinking of a way.”Bai Dafu surveyed the terrain. The cliff was extremely steep, covered with thorny bushes below, and the bottom was not visible at a glance. Anyone falling from here would likely not survive.
After a moment of thought, he assigned tasks to everyone: “Zhang Hu, take twenty men and circle down from the south. Zhang Bao, you take twenty men and circle down from the north. Once you’re down, search carefully and make sure not to miss any area!”