Deeper in

By the time Chu Yunyun reached Firebone Cavern, it was almost noon.

She had been unlucky: the carriage she was riding in had broken an axle, delaying her on the road for nearly an hour.

Thinking of Chu Xisheng, whose fate remained unknown, Chu Yunyun felt as though a fire burned inside her, as though even her eyebrows were about to catch flame.

Yet her face remained as cool as ever, her steps calm and unhurried.

She wore a gray cloth robe with a loose hood over her head, using its shadow to conceal her face. She looked like an ordinary wanderer of the martial world.

Just as Chu Yunyun passed an alley entrance, she abruptly punched out, silently striking a burly man beside her in the temple and knocking him unconscious with a single blow.

This burly man also had a wolf totem and a Long mark on his arm. He was one of the Long Household's clan soldiers.

Four companions walked ahead of him, yet none noticed the sudden turn of events behind them.

Even after Chu Yunyun dragged the burly man deep into the alley, the four remained completely unaware. Few passersby noticed either.

Chu Yunyun found a secluded, deserted spot and slapped the burly man awake.

"Where is Chu Xisheng?"

The burly man looked around groggily before his gaze focused on Chu Yunyun's face. His face paled slightly, and he asked blankly, "Miss, who are you talking about? I don't know any Chu Xisheng-"

Before he could finish, a surge of excruciating pain shot from his hand.

This woman had actually snapped his finger outright!

The burly man wanted to scream, but Chu Yunyun clamped two fingers around his throat, preventing him from making a sound.

A few minutes later, covered in injuries and drenched in sweat, the burly man confessed, "Stop, stop, you lunatic! I'll talk, I'll talk! That Chu Xisheng fled into Firebone Cavern with a woman. His saber was fast, and he killed more than twenty of our men along the way. The eldest young master was furious. Apparently, he sent Eagle Sword Du Hong to hunt him down personally."

Chu Yunyun's eyes flickered slightly.

A woman?

Chu Xisheng had gone out alone. How had he ended up with a woman beside him?

This was good news. It meant Chu Xisheng was still safe and sound.

Yet Chu Yunyun's brows furrowed slightly, and an indescribable feeling rose within her.

Her gaze was icy as she continued questioning him. "Who is Eagle Sword Du Hong?"

"He's the eldest young master's senior fellow disciple, an inner disciple of the Xiushui Sword Sect. He specializes in the Divine Eagle Sword."

The burly man answered through gritted teeth, "They say his cultivation has already reached the seventh-rank realm. He also brought three men from the Hengmen Eighteen Riders. With their martial prowess and battle armor, their strength approaches the eighth rank-"

He never finished. Chu Yunyun jabbed a finger hard into his throat, and it abruptly caved in. He never made another sound.

Chu Yunyun put her cloak back on and returned to the main street.

By now, the street was in complete chaos. The Long Clan soldiers had finally realized their companion had vanished without cause. Carrying sabers and swords, they roared in the street, scrutinizing everyone around them like wolves.

Two of them had already fixed their eyes on Chu Yunyun, studying her intently.

Chu Yunyun glanced at them, then walked expressionlessly toward an entrance to Firebone Cavern ahead.

Firebone Cavern had formed from the remains of a giant god. This small hill was the giant god's head, with seven entrances formed by its mouth, nostrils, eyes, and ears.

Chu Yunyun had practiced martial arts in Xiushui Commandery as a child and had personally entered Firebone Cavern to search for medicinal herbs. She knew everything here like the palm of her hand.

The cavern entrance ahead of her had formed from the giant god's right eye.

Chu Yunyun's body was immensely powerful. Her steps seemed slow but were actually swift, so that in mere moments, the dozen or so Long Clan soldiers behind her fell more than two hundred feet behind.

Just as she stepped into the entrance, an angry shout came from ahead.

"Who goes there? Get out! Our eldest young master has ordered that for seven days, people may leave Firebone Cavern but may not enter-"

Chu Yunyun took a step like a fleeting shadow, plunging straight into the squad of Long Household soldiers ahead.

A series of cracks rang out. All five men had their throats shattered and crumpled to the ground.

Chu Yunyun did not spare the corpses on the ground so much as a glance. She kept walking, heading into the depths of Firebone Cavern.

Chu Xisheng had no idea Chu Yunyun had entered Firebone Cavern. He was running close behind Lu Luanli, following her every step.

At that moment, another small firework burst in his field of vision ahead.

Nothing had increased when Lu Luanli killed someone, but after they had run some distance, a Martial Dao Point suddenly arrived.

This had happened five times in succession. Lu Luanli had killed five leaders among the Long Clan soldiers along the way, bringing Chu Xisheng's Martial Dao Points to 31.

For now, however, he had no time to consider what was going on.

Chu Xisheng noticed something was wrong inside the cavern. Every intersection and corner they passed was guarded, with practically a checkpoint every hundred paces and a sentry post every two hundred.

These could not have been prepared for him.

Chu Xisheng knew his own worth. However much the Long Household hated him, they could not possibly have mobilized such forces for his sake.

Lu Luanli was still at ease, sweeping through like a whirlwind. Not one of the Long Clan soldiers along the way could withstand a single exchange with her.

But after they passed through five intersections, the edge of the Hundred-Forged Light Steel Saber in Lu Luanli's hand had curled.

Rapid footsteps also came from ahead, behind, and on either side of them from time to time.

Lu Luanli casually picked up an undamaged straight saber from the ground and tossed the light steel saber with its curled edge back to Chu Xisheng.

Though this straight saber was not as light and quick as the light steel saber, its quality was still quite good.

She swung it a few times to get used to it, then looked at the forks ahead with a headache. "What do we do? From the look of things, they're hunting someone. We've plunged headfirst into a wolf's den."

That was why the Long Household had so easily mustered large numbers of men to surround, pursue, and intercept them.

It was not that Lu Luanli lacked confidence in fighting her way out, but she could not ensure Chu Xisheng's safety in a melee against thirty to fifty men.

Chu Xisheng's brows were deeply furrowed too. After a moment's thought, he turned toward a passage on the left.

This passage sloped downward, and its interior was even darker, without light.

Lu Luanli's expression shifted slightly. Remaining where she was, she said disapprovingly, "You still want to hide deeper inside Firebone Cavern? Aren't you worried the Long Household will send more men here? We'll be trapped in here until we die."

But Chu Xisheng calmly lifted the bags in his hands and waved them before Lu Luanli's eyes.

Along the way, Lu Luanli had focused solely on killing, while he had collected the food and water carried by the Long Clan soldiers they passed.

These bags contained large amounts of dried meat and toasted flour.

"This food can keep us alive in here for at least ten days. I want to take a gamble that the Iron Banner Gang won't let this rest. The Long Household killed so many of their people. They can't possibly do nothing.

"And there are the herb gatherers. The Long Household is letting people out but not in right now, but those herb gatherers have to make a living. If they keep up this blockade, sooner or later they'll provoke everyone's anger."

The Iron Banner Gang had recently risen to prominence in Xiushui Commandery. Its influence was concentrated mainly in the docks district in the east of the city. It claimed to have three to five thousand members, including many skilled fighters, and possessed considerable strength.

But the outside help Chu Xisheng could truly rely on was actually Chu Yunyun.

As long as he stayed in this cavern for four days, Chu Yunyun would definitely notice something was wrong and come to rescue him.

That reason, however, Chu Xisheng could only bury deep in his heart.

"The Iron Banner Gang?"

Lu Luanli thought Chu Xisheng's plan was good, yet she grew conflicted. They had food and water, but what about washing?

There were a dozen or so hot springs beneath Firebone Cavern, but she had not brought a change of clothes. Her whole body would stink.

If I'd known this would happen, I would have learned the Body-Cleansing Incantation first.

She hesitated for a long while. Only when footsteps sounded behind them again did she grit her teeth hard and follow him.

Just as Lu Luanli stepped into the passage, a talisman slipped from her sleeve.

The talisman folded itself into the shape of a paper crane, then fluttered away into the distance.