Su Lingyi stood beside Chen Jing, looking a bit dusty at the moment, and the hem of her white dress inevitably stained with subterranean mud.
She glanced toward Chen Jing, pressed her lips together, said a soft "farewell," and then flashed away to leap down the high cliff.
Beneath the brilliant moonlight, that fluttering white dress resembled an immortal from Gushe Mountain.
Chen Jing took a deep breath and distinguished the direction.
With a leap, he also headed down the mountain.
The most important thing right now was for Chen Jing to figure out just how long they had been trapped underground.
Chen Jing spent half a day descending the mountain to find the nearest market town.
Only then did he discover that they had been missing for a full half-month and more.
He spent another day's time, hurrying without stopping to return to Quicksand Bazaar, and vaulted into Yellow Sheep Inn under the cover of night.
The moment his feet touched the ground, Zhou Qing'an's voice had already reached his ears.
"Oh, still alive, are you?"
Chen Jing turned his head to take a look.
Zhou Qing'an was sitting in a rocking chair drinking tea, squinting over at him.
"I almost died, but it could also be considered a blessing in disguise."
Chen Jing was covered in dust and road-worn, without even a chance to wash up, and he looked to have suffered a great deal.
Yet he did not go into details, for after all he still held an official standing, and experiencing an underground adventure with Underworld Mansion Ghost Envoys was, after all, not something easily brought out to discuss.
Fortunately, Zhou Qing'an was not one to press for details.
Chen Jing asked again about the whereabouts of the Black Whirlwind.
Learning that it had already returned,