Chapter 214

Xichuan Commandery, the new Tea-Horse Road. Morning mist hung like a veil, shrouding the perilous canyon. Xia Huai'an stood on the newly built iron chain bridge, with a bottomless abyss beneath his feet. The rushing river roared at the bottom of the canyon, and the churning water mist dampened his robes, the icy feel seeping through the fabric into his skin. This iron chain bridge was secured by eight refined steel chains, each as thick as a man's arm and composed of hundreds of interlocking steel rings, gleaming with a cold metallic luster in the morning light. The bridge deck was laid with thick pine planks, each edged with iron plating and hammered with bowl-sized copper nails, wide enough for four horses to march abreast. The mountain wind swept across the canyon, causing the iron chains to sway slightly and emit a deep, humming sound, like a sleeping giant breathing.