When Jian Tongyao woke, the view before her had opened up completely. She froze for a moment, then quickly realized that the woods before her were gone. Not only was the area now empty, but the once-flat ground had become riddled with pits, as though it had suffered a devastating blow.
Yet she did not seem to have felt anything while cultivating?
"Ding Ding?"
"Little Lecher?"
She waded through the lake to the shore and called twice more. Only after a long while did she hear a muffled response. Calling as she went, she followed the sound.
"Ah..."
"Ding Ding?"
"Ah..."
Jian Tongyao crouched down, found a forked branch, and poked at the spot the sound came from. Fortunately, she did not use much force. That single poke struck something soft, and she immediately brushed the dirt aside with her hands, revealing two little feet splayed apart.
"How did you end up like this? Did someone come here?"
"Ah..."
Ding Ding was still upside down, head toward the ground, with their entire body buried in the dirt.
Jian Tongyao gasped and hurriedly grabbed Ding Ding's legs, pulling upward as though uprooting a radish. She tugged for ages, but Ding Ding did not budge. "Heavens, Ding Ding, who shoved you in there? Ah, don't tell me you ran into someone?"
"Ahem-"
A vine suddenly emerged from a nearby mound of dirt. With a light cough, a fair, delicate hand broke through the soil. "Ahem, ahem. There wasn't anyone."
Jian Tongyao rubbed her head, then reached out and pulled Little Lecher from the dirt first. "What exactly happened?"
Little Lecher pointed at Ding Ding, whose legs were still kicking. "Get Ding Ding out first. If you can't, go find Qian Wanyu. Otherwise, this is going to drag on."
Jian Tongyao did not