Qian Ziyan and the others were cultivating in the pit that sheltered them from the wind and snow when they heard a boom, as though something had collapsed. The aftershock reached their pit, shaking it violently and sending chunks of snow tumbling down from above. From past experience, it was either an avalanche or another cave-in somewhere.
They exchanged looks. Qian Ziyan leaped out first, and Mu Sheng and the others poked their heads out after him. Not far away, where Qian Wanyu and Dongfang Minghui were, something as sharp as an awl had emerged.
Everyone held their breath and watched for a long while before Mu Sheng whispered, "That thing looks like a weapon, but why do its patterns look exactly like the ones on the Longevity Cauldron? Did Sister Wan Yu and Ming Hui find another treasure down there?"
"No, that is the Longevity Cauldron," Qian Ziyan interrupted his speculation.
The pointed object jabbed back and forth, then withdrew before they could investigate.
Qian Yiling looked anxious and uneasy. "Didn't the Longevity Cauldron go down with Yu'er and Little Ninth to find the inheritance? Now that it's come out, has something happened to Yu'er down there?"
Barely had she finished speaking when a pale hand emerged from the pit and caught its edge. Then two hands gripped the rim, trying to pull their owner up.
"A hand, hands-" Mu Sheng warned in a trembling voice.
"It's them."
Lien hurried over to the pit and saw Qian Wanyu, with Dongfang Minghui below her. He reached out to help them, but Qian Wanyu pushed lightly with both hands and vaulted up. After giving him a cold glance, she pulled Dongfang Minghui up behind her.
Under those icy eyes, Lien felt a flicker of fear. It lasted only an instant. When