Chapter 217 - The Scum Is A Menace

"It seems that we were separated from the others." Sun Yi said as he smiled while he looked at the dark surroundings.

"Hmph! Only you two were separated. I am alone in the first place!" Kang Ce told them.

Sun Yi. "…" his smiling lips twitched. His two 'teammates' are uncooperative. One is a sleepaholic, the other one is ill-tempered. The communication was left on him. "Do you have any idea where we might be?" he asked as he took out a night pearl and looked around them.

The marbled floor is beneath their feet, but they don't see any objects – for example, a pillar, near them. The marbled floor goes on, and the light of the night pearl can't reach its end.

"You should worry how were you separated from your friends." Kang Ce said. "We've all entered the underground palace from the same place at the same time. Yet, in the end, we were still separated." He said.

Sun Yi nodded.

"I can't sense anything." Gong Xian spoke. "Living things, aside from us." He added.

Sun Yi and Kang Ce turned to him.

"It seems like…" Gong Xian said as his voice slowed down. "… we're in a different space." He said and looked onwards, yet there's only the endless floor beneath them, and darkness above them.

Their figures reflected on the floor were illuminated by the night pearl.

…

Jing Cheng and Jing Bai slowly and carefully treaded the narrow and winding corridor with the help of the night pearl.

"Da ge, look at that." Jing Bai said and pointed a stone step that was separated from the corridor.

"It's floating!" Jing Cheng exclaimed when they saw the stone step floating alone.

"We have reached the dead end." Jing Bai said as he looked at the stone wall before them. "We can go back, but if we want to move forward, we have to walk on that stone step." He said and pointed the stone step. He raised his hand holding the night pearl, and he had guessed right. There were other stone steps floating around. "We can't use our sword, and neither we can fly since this place is too small." He frowned.

"Looks like we were being led to use the floating stone steps." Jing Cheng said.

"Should we?" Jing Bai asked.

"We went back earlier, but found that that way is a dead end. Then, this way is also a dead end." Jing Cheng said and touched the stone wall that looked like the other stone wall earlier. "We have also checked the other rooms, and found nothing. There were no secret passages. But we can't just sit here and give up. We can't give up." He looked at Jing Bai. "We have to find Jing Hei, Jing Kang and Qian Lin, and go back to Zhongyang together!"

Jing Bai smiled as he nodded. "En." He answered. Then, they looked at the floating stone steps winding in the middle.

Where it started, where it leads to, they can't tell, since it seemed infinite.

…

"Tsk! Another one coming!" Feng Mo yelled at Jing Kang when he saw a ball of fire flying towards them.

"En." Jing Kang said as he gave Feng Mo an unlit torch to catch the fireball.

Earlier, they were separated from their fellow disciples. Then, they worked together to find the others. After walking for some time, they saw a light flickering in the distance. Their initial reaction was to head towards the light, only to immediately run back when they saw they were balls of fire floating in the air; the flicks of their flame made the air crackle.

It seems as if these balls of fire have an intelligence. When they sensed Jing Kang and Feng Mo's presence coming their way, the balls of fire suddenly flew towards the two of them. Since then, these balls of fire followed the two of them, while the two of them ran away from these menace. The two of them tried to use their sword to deflect the fireballs, but it was ineffective. 

Just when they were almost exhausted, they found a passageway. They immediately headed straight in this newly-discovered place without looking back. Then, they saw torches hang by the walls. They took one each and used it as a weapon to defend themselves.

When the group of the balls of fire found their hiding place, they rushed in. Feng Mo raised his guard and swung when a ball of fire, one of the leads, head straight at him. Feng Mo thought, either the handle of the torch would burn and he would burn his palms that are holding it, or that the torch would break. He didn't have any hope on the torch, since he had regarded the flying balls of fire, these menacing and strange creatures, as beyond his common sense.

However, the ball of fire didn't burn his torch nor his hands, nor the torch broke. Instead, the ball of fire went to the head of the torch and stayed there.

Jing Kang and Feng Mo were shocked. That is possible?! So these balls of fire, their purpose is to light these torches?! As if discovering something new, Jing Kang and Feng Mo crazily took all the unlit torches and catch a fireball to lit the torches.

Their idea is beautiful, but the process is –

A vein popped in Feng Mo's forehead when he saw three more fireballs were coming. "… just when will. They. End?!" he asked through his gritted teeth.

Not only do they have to find torches all over the underground palace, but they also have to catch these fireballs! Not only that, but these fireballs are also troublesome. They keep dodging when they try to catch them! Truly a menace! And they don't know how many are the fireballs, so they won't know how many torches should they find. And… it's not as if it is easy to find torches! If they can't find one, they have to continue running as they were chased by the fireballs from behind, until they could find a torch!

Their task is menacing!

…

Xi Ming and Xi Xing walked down the silent hallway. The pillars are tall and the walls are wide. The floor beneath their feet they tread on is completely flat. Because of the darkness, they can't see the ceiling.

Xi Ming was tightly holding Xi Xing's hand while Xi Xing was pulling Xi Ming's sleeve so that they won't lose each other. After some time walking, they still can't see any exit, nor they can't see the entrance where they came from. Their sight is filled with pillars and empty walls, and the vacant floor.

Xi Xing tugged Xi Ming's sleeve. "Xi Ming." He called.

Xi Ming stopped and turned, then gently smiled at Xi Xing. His eyes are soft. "What's wrong? Are you hungry?" he asked as he rubbed Xi Xing's head with his wide and rough palms.

Xi Xing shook his head. "No." he answered.

"Hm?"

Xi Xing pressed his lips tight as he raised his head to look at Xi Ming's handsome face gently smiling at him. "… ge." He called.

"Hm? Are you worried about Gong Xian and the others?" Xi Ming asked.

"Ge." Xi Xing called again.

Xi Ming's eyes turned into crescents as he smiled brightly, as if he heard a pleasing answer. "I knew xiao Xing is a kind person." He said and cupped Xi Xing's face, then squished his cheeks. "I am glad, xiao Xing grew up to be a kind person. Keep it up!" he told him and chuckled as he held Xi Xing's hand again and they resumed walking.

Xi Xing followed behind Xi Ming as Xi Ming led him. He looked at Xi Ming's broad back before he lowered his head. "Ge…" he called.

Yet, Xi Ming can't hear him.

The moment Xi Ming turned his back, his smile faded and was replaced by a serious expression. He can't hear Xi Xing's voice, and he was just guessing Xi Xing's words based from Xi Xing's actions and lip movements. He knew, even though Xi Xing's personality is dull, but his mind isn't. Xi Xing definitely has an idea now what is going on to them.

He sighed, then held Xi Xing's hand tighter. He doesn't want to worry the child. Ever since they were separated from the others, his sense of hearing was blocked. He can't hear Xi Xing's voice, nor can he hear anything. And it greatly worries him. What if he can't hear Xi Xing's cries for help?

His brows knitted. He doesn't want that to happen. And to prevent it from happening, he wanted to tie Xi Xing to his waist. Gong Xian is one thing, since he knows Gong Xian can protect himself, thus he isn't worried about Gong Xian.

But Xi Xing is different. He is an introvert, and he lacks awareness to his surroundings. Xi Ming is greatly worried for Xi Xing, and Xi Xing's future.