Jiang Huaian's bravado lasted about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn before he wilted again.
He collapsed onto the ground like a corpse, lacking even the strength to shake his head. With a voice as thin as a thread, he wheezed, "I can't... I really can't go on..."
Bai Sinan gave him a nudge with her foot. "We have to finish climbing the mountain at least; we still have to head back down later." As she spoke, she unfastened the iron plates from his body and strapped them onto her own. "Get up. You don't expect me to carry you down, do you?"
Chapter 147