"So we need two people to go," Snow Empress said. "You go in front, and I'll stay behind. In case anything happens, I can keep an eye on what's behind you."
Yin Wujou didn't insist any further. He took out a bundle of thin, resilient silver threads from his storage ring, tied one end to a protruding rock on the edge of the platform, and wrapped the other end around his waist twice to make a slipknot. Then he handed another identical silver thread to Snow Empress Snow Empress, who took it and did the same. The two of them went one after the other, with Yin Wujou squeezing into the crevice first, followed closely by Snow Empress.
The crevice was more spacious than I had imagined. At first, I could only squeeze through sideways, but after about a dozen steps, the space suddenly opened up, becoming a natural passageway wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The passageway sloped downwards, the rocks underfoot were wet and slippery, and the ceiling and walls were covered with a dark green, sticky substance that shone with Youyou, eerie light from the glowing pearls. The deeper I went, the stronger the fishy smell became, and the temperature slowly rose. A heavy, oppressive feeling permeated the passageway, making it hard to breathe.
Yin Wujou walked slowly ahead, testing the ground with his toes before each step. Snow Empress followed behind him, her ears perked up to catch any subtle sounds from the depths of the tunnel. Besides their own footsteps and breathing, they could faintly hear a very light, rhythmic throbbing sound, like the beating of some enormous organ.
"Did you hear that?" Snow Empress asked in a low voice.
"Hmm," Yin Wujou said very softly, "Ahead."
The pulsating sound grew clearer. After another bend, the passageway suddenly opened up into a natural cave. The ceiling was very high; the light from the luminous pearl couldn't reach the top, leaving only a large patch of darkness overhead. The bottom of the cave was an uneven rocky floor, with a depression about half a meter wide in the center. Inside the depression was a pool of dark red liquid, viscous like blood but without the smell of blood. The pulsating sound was coming from beneath this liquid.
Yin Wujou stopped at the edge of the cave and held up the luminous pearl to shine it around. The cave walls were covered with a dark green, slimy substance, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the substance was slowly wriggling, like a living skin. He squatted down and reached out to touch the pool of dark red liquid, but Snow Empress grabbed his wrist.
"Wait." Snow Empress also squatted down, pulled a silver hairpin from her hair, and dipped it into the liquid. When the tip of the hairpin was pulled out, it had a strand of dark red sticky thread with it. Snow Empress brought the hairpin to her nose and sniffed it, her expression changing slightly.
"This isn't blood," she said. "It's the essence of demonic veins, but it's been tainted by the bodily fluids of some living creature."
Yin Wujou stared at the pool of liquid for a moment, then suddenly took out a short knife from his storage ring. The blade gleamed in the light of the luminous pearl. He flipped the hilt so the tip was pointing downwards and gently probed the surface of the liquid. The moment the tip touched the dark red liquid, the entire surface suddenly rippled as if it had been stirred, the pulsating sound quickened abruptly, and the dark green substances on the cave walls visibly increased their writhing speed.
Immediately afterwards, a bubble rose from the center of the liquid with a "glug". As the bubble burst, something came up from below the surface - a tentacle about the thickness of a finger, covered with dark green scales, trembling as it probed above the surface before retracting.
Yin Wujou and Snow Empress exchanged a glance. Neither of them spoke, but the same thought was written in their eyes: the thing below was alive.
Yin Wujou sheathed his short sword and wiped the tip clean on his robe. He stood up, his gaze sweeping over the pool of liquid and the wriggling material on the walls before finally settling on Snow Empress's face. The faint light from the moss on the rock platform could no longer reach this depth; the only illumination now came from the luminous pearl in his palm. The pearl's light stretched the shadow on his brow bone long, making his eyes appear even brighter.
"Let's go back first," he said. "I can't be sure about this on my own; I need to find someone to take a look."
Snow Empress nodded. The two of them retraced their steps out of the cave and squeezed back into the crevice through the passageway. They both breathed Yin Wujou untied the silver silk rope from his waist and then untied the one from Snow Empress's waist as well. Daoist Yun, who had been waiting anxiously at the top of the canyon, finally relaxed when he saw the two of them appear unharmed at the edge of the cliff. He leaned down and called out, "How was it?"
It took some effort to go up and come down. After the three of them returned to level ground, Yin Wujou handed the short sword to Daoist Yun. Daoist Yun leaned in and smelled the dark red, sticky residue remaining on the tip of the sword, and his expression changed. "Demonic vein essence? Could there be a leak of demonic veins down there?"
"It's not just a leak." Yin Wujou briefly explained the situation below the rock platform. The more Daoist Yun listened, the more solemn he became. Finally, he rubbed his temples and sighed, "I originally thought it was just a normal disturbance of the demonic veins and didn't think much of it. After hearing what you said, that thing might be an old thing that has been dormant for a long time stirring up again."
Yin Wujou mounted his horse and glanced back at Snow Empress. She was gathering her disheveled hair, and the setting sun slanted through the gaps in the clouds, casting a warm golden glow on her face. She looked up to meet his gaze, her lips curving slightly. She didn't say anything, but there was something reassuring in that smile—she was there for him, she had seen those things with him, and she would work with him to figure out what they were.
Yin Wujou withdrew his gaze and spurred his horse toward the main city. The horse's hooves kicked up fine dust on the ochre-red earth. The Soul-Severing Gorge gradually receded behind them, the wind's howl changing from a whistle to a distant murmur. Daoist Yun behind them, watching the two horses galloping side-by-side, watching the two figures huddled close together on horseback. He suppressed the teasing thought that crossed his mind—some scenes shouldn't be disturbed by noisy conversation; he understood this principle after living for so many years.
It was already dark when they returned to the Wujou Hall. The kitchen staff heated up the food and brought it to them, and the three of them ate in the front hall. After finishing his meal, Daoist Yun put down his chopsticks and took his leave to rest in the guest courtyard, saying that they would discuss important matters again early the next morning. Only Yin Wujou and Snow Empress remained in the front hall. New oil had been added to the lamp, and the flame burned steadily, casting their shadows on the ground.
Yin Wujou sat in a chair, flipping through an old notebook he had found at the bottom of the bookshelf—a record of the Demon Domain Realm's ley lines. Snow Empress sat opposite him, polishing her sword, the blade Dao Yi warmly under the lamplight. The two were doing their own things, quietly, their gazes occasionally meeting between the pages or the blade, and a slight smile would appear on their lips.
After a long while, Yin Wujou suddenly put down his notes and called out to her, " Snow Empress."
"Um?"
He looked at her, his gaze calm and warm under the lamplight, like the surface of a deep pool illuminated by moonlight. "Today, in the crack, when you grabbed my wrist, I suddenly thought—"
He paused, seemingly considering his words.