After hearing his idea, everyone was stunned, looking at each other, a little at a loss. It could be said that this idea completely surpassed their understanding.
Perhaps they had never seen such a way to throw a rope to the opposite side.
After a brief silence, Da Lao Hei was the first to lead the cheers.
"This idea is good, let's do as Brother Xiao Bei suggested."
With the boss's support, the rest of the matter was much easier. Soon someone found a long, flat stone.
The stone was about two feet long.
A stone this heavy was enough to pull a thumb-thick rope, and its length would be securely lodged in a crevice.
Carefully tying the rope to the stone, Da Lao Hei solemnly handed it to Hou Liu.
Hou Liu climbed to the top of the tree with the stone, found a triangular fork, and placed the stone there.
Then, about three feet below the stone on the trunk, another rope was tied. This rope was for pulling the trunk back. After reconfirming that the rope was in place, Hou Liu slid down the tree.
Da Lao Hei was the first to grab the rope.
The rest of the people lined up in order. With a shout, more than a dozen people pulled back with all their might, and soon the treetop was bent into a huge arc.
"Brother Xiao Bei, is this strength enough?" Da Lao Hei had no confidence, so he could only ask Chen Xiao Bei.
Actually, Chen Xiao Bei was even less confident. He could only apologize and say, "Big Chief, I don't have any confidence either. Why don't we try it first."
"Okay, let's give it a try then."
Da Lao Hei turned to the crowd and shouted, "I'll count one, two, three, and everyone let go together."
"One!"
"Two!"
"Three..."
As he finished the three counts, everyone let go, and the stone on the treetop shot out.
Under this immense force, the stone, weighing dozens of pounds, flew rapidly towards the opposite side as if it were a small pebble thrown by someone. The rope coiled on the ground made whizzing sounds. Everyone looked at the rope, then at the stone in mid-air, with anticipation.
"It's here, it's here, it's reached the other side." Hou Liu was the first to get excited.
Yes, judging by the distance, the stone should have reached the other side, but it was still flying in the air.
Chen Xiao Bei sighed inwardly, "Oh no, I was too hasty, I used too much force."
The stone could continue to fly, but the rope was finite. On this end, the rope was tied to the tree trunk. Seeing the rope pulled taut, everyone let out a gasp.
As the rope was pulled tighter, the stone's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. Then, it began to fall rapidly and fly back.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao Bei's heart sank. "May it not fall into the canyon."
Fortunately, the terrain on the other side was high. The stone flew back a short distance and then landed on the ground with a dull thud.
Seeing this, everyone let out a cheer.
However, Chen Xiao Bei's heart was still in his throat. The recoil force from being pulled taut was very strong. Landing did not mean success.
After waiting for about a dozen more blinks of an eye, the rope began to shake violently.
"Oh no," Da Lao Hei exclaimed.
Chen Xiao Bei, however, breathed a sigh of relief. This, on the contrary, indicated that the stone on the rope was stuck.
"Great, a success on the first try."
But they couldn't see where it was stuck, because the terrain on the other side was too high, and Chen Xiao Bei couldn't see clearly.
Everyone watched with anticipation. After the rope stopped shaking, Yang Chun stepped forward and pulled the rope a few times. Seeing that it wouldn't budge, he immediately beamed with joy, "Great, it's stuck over there."
Da Lao Hei also walked over and pulled with Yang Chun. Still, it wouldn't budge. He then nodded slightly.
Then he turned to Hou Liu beside him.
Hou Liu was quite brave this time. He patted his chest and pledged to Da Lao Hei, "Brother, just watch."
Da Lao Hei beckoned, and someone brought another spool of rope. One end was tied to the tree, and the other was tied to Hou Liu's waist.
Da Lao Hei patted Hou Liu's shoulder again, "Don't rush, and don't overexert yourself. Come back if you can't make it."
Seeing this, Chen Xiao Bei was very moved.
Although these bandits occupied the mountain and lived off of it, their brotherhood was something most people couldn't truly understand.
As expected, Hou Liu lived up to his surname. He lightly leaped onto the rope like a monkey.
He extended his arms, maintaining his balance, and slowly walked forward.
This display left Chen Xiao Bei somewhat dumbfounded.
In his previous life, he had seen some tightrope walkers who carried long bamboo poles to adjust their balance.
But this Hou Liu, without anything, walked steadily on the rope.
After walking about half the distance, the rope began to sway violently. It was clear that the wind in the canyon was still quite strong. Da Lao Hei cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted to Hou Liu, "Brother, be careful." Su Dan Novel Network
Hou Liu, on the rope, raised his hands and waved them at the sky.
"What courage," Chen Xiao Bei admired him sincerely.
Then Hou Liu walked a few more steps, and then slowly squatted down.
The next moment, he flipped over and hung upside down beneath the rope.
Then, using his hands and feet, Hou Liu quickly crawled towards the other side.
Seeing this, Chen Xiao Bei sighed again. On such a thin rope, if it were him, let alone using his hands and feet, even if he had a few more pairs, he wouldn't be able to match half of Hou Liu's speed.
In less than half an incense stick's time, Hou Liu covered the distance of a dozen yards, a speed that was astounding.
Seeing Hou Liu step onto the opposite bank, the bandits let out a sky-shattering cheer.
Hou Liu then secured the rope tied to his waist on the other side and let out a loud whistle towards this side.
The distance between the two ropes was about two feet. Chen Xiao Bei couldn't understand what the bandits' design was.
Hearing Hou Liu's whistle, Yang Chun immediately stepped forward and checked the rope again.
After a thorough inspection, Yang Chun turned to Da Lao Hei and clasped his fist, "Brother, it's ready."
Da Lao Hei looked at everyone present. "Yang Chun, you go first to help Brother Hou Liu. Next is Brother Xiao Bei, then everyone else, and I'll stay till the end."
Looking at the swaying two ropes, Chen Xiao Bei secretly grumbled. He really didn't have Hou Liu's skill.
Obviously, Da Lao Hei noticed his hesitation. He laughed and beckoned to a subordinate in the distance.
The subordinate immediately came forward and handed him a section of rope.
"Brother Xiao Bei, you can crawl over upside down like Hou Liu, with this rope tied to your waist and the other end tied to that one."
Following the direction of Da Lao Hei's finger, Chen Xiao Bei noticed that the rope tied to Hou Liu's waist had more than a dozen iron rings on it.
Looking at these thumb-thick iron rings, Chen Xiao Bei secretly sighed. "Indeed, these bandits are quite thoughtful. Climbing one rope, with another for safety protection."