Through a thick layer of soil, one could faintly hear light footsteps coming from above, followed by the sound of constant tapping on the floorboards at the entrance.
The people in the cave exchanged glances, their eyes filled with undisguised surprise.
Huang Shian stood up and exclaimed joyfully, "They've come to save us!"
"Is anyone here?" The question echoed through the passageway.
"Yes! Sir, we're inside!" Huang Shian shouted excitedly.
He was about to rush over to help when You Su him and asked in a low voice:
"Uncle Huang! Your cellar is so winding and twisting, how did they find it?"
Huang Shian said blankly, "When I went out to find food yesterday, I deliberately left many notes asking for help outside. They must have come looking for those notes."
Hearing this, You Su felt a little relieved. If that was the case, then it shouldn't be aimed at him and Ji Lingruo. However, he was still very careful to hide his junior sister in the shadows and not blend into the crowd of people welcoming them at the door.
A bright flame gradually shone through the passageway, its light contrasting sharply with the faint candlelight in the cave, making it seem like the only hope.
Bathed in the firelight, three tall cultivators emerged. Each held a torch to dispel the darkness around them, and the one leading them was none other than Zhou Li.
"My lord! My lord!" Liu Nengwu called out loudly.
"Silence!" Zhou Li interrupted coldly.
His shout silenced the cave instantly.
Zhou Li, holding a torch, scanned the faces of the crowd and asked, "Did you put up the notes on the street?"
"Exactly." Huang Shian dared not raise his voice.
"Hmm, you have some courage." Zhou Li's tone softened slightly, then he added, "Are there only fourteen of you in this cave?"
Huang Shian paused for a moment, then said, "Reporting to you, sir, there are sixteen people, including You Su and his junior sister."
As soon as he finished speaking, You Su, hiding in the shadows, gripped the hilt of the Ink Pine Sword tightly. He would not hesitate to act at the slightest sign of trouble.
The fact that ordinary people like Huang and Liu were unaware of their junior sister's possession only shows that their information was too limited, and does not necessarily mean that Qi Daodong did not reveal it. People like Zhou Li, representing the core forces in the city, may already know about this.
"You Su?"
Zhou Li's voice, however, was not cold; on the contrary, it was filled with extreme surprise. He hurriedly pushed through the crowd and went into the cave. When the torch shone on him, he indeed saw a handsome and resolute young man.
"You Su! You're still alive!" Zhou Li made no attempt to hide his joy and went to You Su.
You Su loosened the hilt of his sword, slightly straightened his body to shield Ji Lingruo, and said:
"They survived by sheer luck."
Seeing the icy-faced girl behind You Su, Zhou Li understood and stopped, saying:
"It's good that you're alright. Four days ago, many cultivators in the west of the city were devoured by evil spirits, and I was worried that you wouldn't escape the same fate. I didn't expect you to be hiding here."
"Is this true? My junior sister and I sensed something was wrong and hid in the sect's secret passages. We knew nothing about what happened on the ground. Do you know who died?"
"Most of them are from the Xuanxiao Sect. It's said that Sect Master Qi and Wu Cheng also disappeared together. Sigh..."
You Su frowned slightly, not noticing. Zhou Li didn't seem like a skilled actor. He and Liu were on the same page, which meant that Qi Daodong really hadn't told anyone that his junior sister was possessed?
Based on the information available, You Su deduced what had happened that day. The servant who tested his junior sister called out to City Lord Qi, indicating that he was acting on Qi Daodong's orders. After learning that his junior sister was possessed, Qi Daodong did not inform everyone first, but immediately brought his trusted men to exorcise the evil spirit. He was injured by the Sword Qi left behind by his Mistress, which gave him the opportunity to escape with his junior sister by falling into a well. Afterwards, they encountered an extremely powerful evil spirit in the west of the city, which led to their deaths without any chance to return and report the news.
You Su examined it again and found it riddled with flaws, but there seemed to be no better explanation.
Seeing that You Su silent, Zhou Li assumed that his words had frightened her, so he composed himself and comforted her:
"Don't be alarmed by me, things aren't hopeless yet. The sect leaders are still here, and the Auspicious Cave beneath the City Lord's Mansion, used for refuge, is very large and has plenty of food, enough for us to hide for a long time. As long as the fog can't get in, the evil spirits can't do anything to us for the time being."
"Sir, may we go to the Auspicious Cave?" Liu Nengwu asked with concern as he approached.
"Naturally, our purpose in coming out is to bring the scattered people over there."
"Oh, that's wonderful! Even though we had You Su protecting us while we hid here, we were still on tenterhooks. Going to Auspicious Cave with so many people will put our minds at ease!"
In the eyes of these people, while You Su was indeed formidable, he was certainly far inferior to an organized refuge.
In the face of crisis, they were all people who lacked the ability to protect themselves, so they naturally tended to stick together for warmth.
"Yes, let's get through this together." Zhou Li nodded. "There's no time to lose, so take your things and leave now."
Everyone immediately began packing their things upon receiving the order, but You Su remained standing still. Zhou Li, somewhat puzzled, asked:
"Don't you need to tidy up?"
You Su shook his head. "My junior sister and I won't be going."
Zhou Li was surprised by this answer and asked in confusion:
"What's the reason for this? Do you intend to hide here with your junior sister forever?"
The people around, who had been blessed by You Su for the night, echoed this sentiment:
"That's right, You Su, this isn't a place to stay forever. Come with us."
You Su remained unmoved. Although the matter of his junior sister being possessed by an evil spirit should not have been revealed yet, there were many people and cultivators in the Auspicious Cave, which would inevitably increase the risk of exposure.
You Su appeared grief-stricken and was about to refuse Zhou Li's invitation on the grounds that his Mistress's fate was unknown Ji Lingruo, tugged at his sleeve.
"Is there enough food?"
Ji Lingruo suddenly asked the same question as last time.
You Su was puzzled. Even with the food they had received yesterday, it would have been enough for the two of them to eat for two or three days. Why was his junior sister so insistent on asking this question?
It seemed to him that the food was just an excuse, and his junior sister's real purpose... was simply to blend into the crowd?
But he had clearly warned his junior sister before that, given Qi Daodong's example, she must be cautious in the future and preferably stay away from cultivators. His junior sister shouldn't be so foolish as to not even understand this...
"Eating until I'm half full every day shouldn't be a problem," Zhou Li replied frankly.
"Okay, then we'll go with you," Ji Lingruo agreed.
You Su's expression darkened, and he turned to Ji Lingruo, saying, "Junior Sister, Mistress is still missing. Shouldn't we continue searching for Mistress?"
Ji Lingruo accidentally touched You Su's hand:
"Senior brother, Mistress is so powerful, she'll definitely be alright. We don't need to look for her, she... will come to find us."
You Su felt the touch on the back of his hand, which meant the girl clearly understood the implication in his words. So why was she still so determined to go? Was she so confident that no one would notice she was possessed?
Unless... she has a compelling reason to go!
The Mistress will come looking for us...
Was her statement perhaps also an implication?