Chapter 95

Chapter 95

‘Compulsive Gambler’ Xuanyuan San Guang was concerned about Xiao Yu’er’s life and death, and he was worried that all the talk would delay opening the mountain, so he hurriedly told ‘Mad Lion’ Tie Zhan, “Luckily there’s a lot of people here, more hands make lighter work, maybe we’ll still be in time.”

Li Da Zui also chipped in, “There are tools here for opening the mountain, those who want to save Xiao Yu’er, better start working quickly.” He was the one who hid the shovels and axes, so naturally he found them quickly.

Everyone was rushing to grab an axe to chop the mountain, and even those young ladies who were in highly respected positions chipped in to help. On seeing that the axes and shovels are all taken, they used their own priceless daggers and short swords. In a while, deafening sounds of the rocks being chipped resonated throughout the mountains.

Du Jiao Jiao sighed and said with a bitter smile, “And I thought everyone wanted Xiao Yu’er dead, I did not expect that they all wanted him to live. Xiao Yu’er oh Xiao Yu’er, it seems that even if you’re dead, it’ll be worth it.”

Bai Kai Xin sighed as well and said, “That’s right, if it was me who was trapped in here, I’m afraid even wild dogs wouldn’t have come to save me.”

Li Da Zui laughed, “I didn’t expect that you’ll actually know it as well.”

Bai Kai Xin laughed coldly, “Stop being so smug. Even if these people can work continuously, they would need at least half a day to reach the belly of the mountain. By then I’m afraid Xiao Yu’er would have become salted fish.”

Hua Wu Que and Tie Xin Lan can’t help but feel hot tears in their eyes. On seeing such a scene, of course they felt happy, but they also know that hope is slim. Suddenly they saw Madam Bai quietly walking over, in her hands she carried an oily looking bag, and she said with her head lowered, “There’s fried chicken and glutinous rice balls in the bag, I secretly wrapped them up earlier. Eat it quickly, only when you’re full will you have the strength to save Xiao Yu’er.”

Tie Xin Lan suddenly felt her throat choking, and she stammered, “You… want to save him as well?” Madam Bai rubbed her eyes and forced out a smile, “I may not know what kind of a person he is, but I think… if he can live in this world, maybe everyone will be a lot happier.”

If not seen with one’s own eyes, no one in the martial arts realm would believe such a thing. The most famous wealthy and respected gentlemen would actually be rolling up their sleeves and moving rocks together with the disreputable ‘Ten Evils’. And the Murong sisters who would not have lifted a hand to work in the past, would actually use the dainty fingers they use for playing music to dig the soil. And all these, is because of a twenty odd year old lad, and this lad actually grew up in the Valley of Evil.

Suddenly they hear a sudden rumble, like loud thunder drumming through the sky, like a thousand horses and soldiers galloping here from afar. Everyone felt even more energized, and the broken stones flew up like rain. They have indeed created a miracle, in less than half a day, they managed to break through ten solid rock walls and entered the belly of the mountain. Hua Wu Que and Xuanyuan San Guang dashed in first, and although they are excited, they can’t help but feel worried as well, and afraid… that what they will find is Xiao Yu’er’s corpse!

Hua Wu Que wanted to call out, but his heart seemed to be stuck in his throat, and he can’t make a single sound. He saw that on the stone chair which was split into half, was a wine bottle, and on the floor there were some torn clothes and thread. Hua Wu Que recognized that these were torn from the clothes that Xiao Yu’er and the Floral Princesses were wearing. His expression immediately changed, and his hand shook so much that he can’t even pick up a piece of cloth.

Xuanyuan San Guang can’t help but ask, “This… this is their clothes?”

Hua Wu Que nodded his head absently, “Hmm.”

Xuanyuan San Guang’s heart sank as well. People like Xiao Yu’er and the rest, if not for some dire circumstances, they would not have tore the clothes on their body! They dare not step in further to look, they no longer have the courage to face that cruel truth.

Murong Shan Shan suddenly asked, “Is that wine in the bottle?”

Xuanyuan San Guang lifted up the bottle and sniffed at it, “Yes.”

Murong Shan Shan’s eyes gleamed and said with joy, “If it’s wine in the bottle, then there’s hope.”

Xuanyuan San Guang asked, “Wh…why?”

Murong Shan Shan replied, “Wine can be used to keep off hunger. If they have wine to drink, they’ll be able to last a few more days.”

Xuanyuan San Guang jumped at least two feet in the air and roared with joy, “Xiao Yu’er, Xiao Yu’er, where are you, your friends are all here to save you!” He dashed inside with joy.

The empty cave resonated with Xuanyuan San Guang’s echo, but there was no sound of anyone replying. Where is Xiao Yu’er? Is he so hungry that he can’t even talk anymore? The entrance to the underground tunnel was not sealed and they saw Wei Wu Ya’s corpse, and saw countless empty wine bottles, and also saw that stinking, marvelous ‘toilet’.

But they searched through the whole place and could not find a single living person. Where is Xiao Yu’er and the rest? Could their bones have dissolved and flown away, forever disappearing from this world!

Everyone looked at one another, and can only stand there in a daze. After a long while, Xuanyuan San Guang laughed, “Old Man Ge, I knew there’s no place in this world which can trap Xiao Yu’er, and there we were worrying about him but he has long gone.”

Li Da Zui replied, “He has not left.”

Xuanyuan San Guang exclaimed angrily, “You son of turtle just wished that he’ll be trapped to death, right?”

Li Da Zui sighed and said, “I hope that he has escaped as well, but I have searched through this place closely earlier, there’s no other exit.”

Xuanyuan San Guang replied, “I know there’s no exit as well, but there must be a way.”

Li Da Zui said, “What way would he have? Even if he can break through the wall and leave, there would at least be some traces of escape, unless he knows the seventy two changes of Sun Wu Kong and can turn into a fly and fly out of the air vent.”

Actually Xuanyuan San Guang knows that what he said was correct. The walls on all four sides were intact, with no trace of being tunneled through at all, and there is no way Xiao Yu’er could have gotten out. But if he can’t get out, then he should still be in this cave.

Xuanyuan San Guang said, “You son of turtle said they can’t get out, then where are they now? Why can’t we find even a single strand of their hair.”

Li Da Zui was silent for a moment and before he could speak, Bai Kai Xin suddenly exclaimed loudly, “Bone Dissolving Pill!” Once these three words were out, Xuanyuan San Guang and Hua Wu Que both felt a cold shiver run down their spines, and Tie Xin Lan was almost mad with worry.

Li Da Zui stared at Bai Kai Xin and said, “Do you mean to say that after Wei Wu Ya killed them, he used the bone dissolving pill to get rid of their bodies.” Bai Kai Xin grinned and said, “I didn’t say that, you did.”

Since it’s impossible for Xiao Yu’er to go out, and they are not in here, naturally it’s because their bodies have been destroyed. This is the only logical explanation.

Even Tie Zhan can’t help but shake his head and sigh, mumbling “And I had wanted to see what kind of a person he really is, to make my daughter like him so much/ Who would have expected that this lad did not even leave behind a bone.”

He patted Tie Xin Lan’s head and said, “Since this lad is not lucky enough to marry you, you need not be sad anymore. If you think that one husband is not enough, I’ll find another one for you in a few day’s time.” It would have been better if he did not say anything, because once he said these words, Tie Xin Lan’s heart broke. She did not even manage to cry out and fainted immediately.

Gui Tong Zi suddenly asked, “Were they trapped here by Wei Wu Ya?”

Li Da Zui sighed, “I’m afraid so.”

Gui Tong Zi asked, “Then, why is Wei Wu Ya dead in here as well?”

Du Jiao Jiao replied, “Maybe Wei Wu Ya wants to see them die with his own eyes, or else he won’t feel the kick.”

Gui Tong Zi replied, “That’s right, this is very reasonable. But if Wei Wu Ya can kill all of them, and destroy their bodies, then Wei Wu Ya won’t be dead. Or could it be that their spirits can come back for revenge and kill Wei Wu Ya?”

Du Jiao Jiao said, “Wei Wu Ya poisoned himself, can’t Elder tell?”

Gui Tong Zi asked, “Since he has killed everyone else, why does he need to take poison!”

Du Jiao Jiao was stunned for a moment and said, “This…” Gui Tong Zi smiled and said slowly, “Wei Wu Ya calculated that no one would dare to kill him, that’s why he dared to stay here to watch the fun.”

Li Da Zui replied, “That’s right, if Xiao Yu’er and the rest want to go out, they cannot kill him, because he’s the only one who knows the secrets here, but isn’t he afraid that they will force him to reveal the secret?”

Gui Tong Qi said, “He thought that he had kept himself well hidden, and thought that others will not be able to find him, but who would have expected that Xiao Yu’er and the rest were very much more capable then he had imagined and they managed to get him out. When he could not take the questioning any longer, he can only take the poison and commit suicide, because he knows that once he is dead, the rest will have to be trapped to death here, and it will be akin to taking revenge for himself.”

His guess is actually not that far off from the truth, but because Xuanyuan San Guang, Hua Wu Que, Li Da Zui and the rest were more or less worried for Xiao Yu’er, so they were unable to maintain a calm state of mind. But Gui Tong Zi and the rest do not know Xiao Yu’er at all, so as bystanders, naturally they could see a clearer picture.

Xuanyuan San Guang can’t help but reveal a look of joy on his face, “So this means that, Wei Wu Ya must have died earlier than Xiao Yu’er and the rest.”

Gui Tong Zi smiled and said, “No matter how capable Wei Wu Ya is, he’s unable to kill the Floral Princesses and Xiao Yu’er all at the same time, don’t you think so?”

Xuanyuan San Guang clasped his palms and chortled, “Don’t talk about one Wei Wu Ya, even a hundred Wei Wu Ya won’t be able to do it.”

Bai Kai Xin added, “As the saying goes, drinking poison to relieve thirst. When a person is extremely thirsty, he’ll drink the wine even if he knows it’s poisoned, don’t you think so?”

Du Jiao Jiao replied, “No.”

Bai Kai Xin stared at her, “What fart would you know.”

Du Jiao Jiao ignored him, and slowly continued, “There is definitely no poison in the wine, I’ve taken a sniff at all the bottles.”

Xuanyuan San Guang laughed loudly, “Having known you for decades, you’ve finally said something that sounds human, and did something good.”

Bai Kai Xin said slowly, “Since he can’t have possibly escaped, and he can’t have died here, then let me ask you people, where is he then?”

Once this question was asked, everyone was stunned. This matter is really unbelievable, no one would be able to guess.

Who in the world would know where Xiao Yu’er is right now? Who would know whether he’s alive? Or dead? Or even his corpse is gone? Or is he still alive and well? Everyone were full of questions, and wanted to ask them, but none of them know who they should ask. So they could only stand there in a daze. Yu Zi Ya, Mi Shi Ba, Xiao Nu Shi and the rest may not be concerned about matters of the world, but at this time they can’t help but furiously think of an answer. Because this matter is really too mysterious, they were curious as well.

Xuanyuan San Guang was the most anxious, Tie Xin Lan the most broken hearted, Bai Kai Xin kept smiling icily, but Ha Ha’er can’t even laugh. Only Du Sha still looked the same, and no one knows what he could be thinking. Suddenly Hua Wu Que exclaimed loudly, “The soles on everyone’s feet are wet, is that so!”

Everyone had problems on their mind, who would notice the soles of their feet? Whether the soles are wet or dry, is totally unrelated at all, but Hua Wu Que’s voice was filled with excitement, as if he’s found out something very important. No one knew why would he be so concerned over such a small matter, but they still unconsciously lifted their feet up for a look. At least half of the people’s soles are indeed wet.

Xuanyuan San Guang’s straw sandals were totally wet and he can’t help but ask, “Old Man Ge, is it such a big thing that the soles of the shoes are wet?”

Bai Kai Xin grinned, “I did not expect that there would actually be someone who would place more importance on a pair of shoes rather than his old friend’s life and death. Marvelous, marvelous.”

Hua Wu Que ignored him, and still with a look of joy on his face, said “Since there’s no water here, why would the shoes be wet? If Wei Wu Ya wants them to die of hunger and thirst, why would there be water on the ground?” Once these words were spoken, everyone realized that this is indeed very mysterious.

Xuanyuan San Guang said, “But how is this matter related to where Xiao Yu’er has gone?”

Hua Wu Que replied, “It is related. If my guess is correct, I can find where Xiao Yu’er is.”

Xuanyuan San Guang was ecstatic, “Speak quickly, where is he?”

Hua Wu Que did not have time to answer him, but has already ran towards the underground tunnel. In the dark and damp cave, the smell of the ‘toilet’ really makes one not want to come close, and the sight of Wei Wu Ya’s corpse makes one nauseous as well. If it was any other time, the Murong sisters would definitely not want to go down again. But when Hua Wu Que left, everyone fought to follow. As long as they can find out the whereabouts of Xiao Yu’er, or the truth to all these secrets, even if there’s a cesspool in the tunnel, they would still follow their way in.

There really was water in the tunnel, and it was getting deeper, and now it’s almost ankle deep. Obviously there is a place where water is continuously leaking. The force of the water may not be large, but it’s not too small either.

Xuanyuan San Guang said, “Old Man Ge, that’s so damn strange, water would actually be leaking from the cave. Could it be that there’s a small river in the belly of the mountain?”

No one could imagine where the water could have come from. Hua Wu Que stooped down and closely inspected the source of the water, and slowly walked into Wei Wu Ya’s secret room. This secret room is unbelievably stinking. When everyone saw that there’s no one alive in here earlier, they all hurriedly retreated, no one was willing to stay inside.

But now, everyone realized that the answer to the secret is right in this secret room, they can’t be bothered about the stink and all squeezed in. Hua Wu Que exclaimed hoarsely, “Indeed correct, it’s right here?” He stood in front of the two coffins that Xiao Yu’er used as a toilet, his face filled with a look of joy, but not a single living person can still be seen.

Bai Kai Xin sniggered, “You say that Xiao Yu’er is here? Could he be that he drowned in his own pee?” Before he could finish his words, Du Sha angrily roared, “What’s with all the nonsensical talk, get lost.”

As he roared, he hit Bai Kai Xin, who flew up and over everyone’s head and fell on the tunnel outside with a ‘bang’, and he started groaning.

But no one noticed this at all, because they all realized that the water is coming out from a hole on the ground next to the stone coffins. There was a stone slab on the ground originally but now the slab has been pried open. Because there was a messy pile of loose stones around the area, no one noticed it earlier.

Xuanyuan San Guang revealed a look of surprise and said, “Could it be, that Xiao Yu’er and the rest escaped from this hole?”

Hua Wu Que beamed, “Exactly. We were only taking note of the walls in the cave, that’s why we thought they can’t possibly have escaped, but we did not think that they’ll escape from the ground.”

Xuanyuan San Guang clapped, “That’s right. The walls of the mountain may be almost indestructible, but the ground is all soil, so naturally they’re a lot softer than stones.”

Suddenly he furrowed his brows and said, “But if they were thinking of digging a tunnel out of here, it won’t be easy as well.”

Hua Wu Que replied, “Of course that’s not easy, it’s just that they did not dig the tunnel themselves.”

Xuanyuan San Guang asked, “If they did not dig it, who did?”

Hua Wu Que replied, “From what I know, although most rivers are above land, but there are some rivers underground as well. Because of the movement and changes of the land, some of these rivers became buried underground. If they can find such a river, with their martial arts, it won’t be difficult to find a way out.”

Everyone can’t help but revealed looks of joy on their faces once they heard this. Xuanyuan San Guang jumped up and laughed, “Old Man Ge, you really know a damn lot of things.”

Hua Wu Que smiled and said, “Now I can also imagine why their clothes would be torn.”

Xuanyuan San Guang slapped his shoulder and said, “Say it quickly, what is that all about?”

Hua Wu Que replied, “Xiao Yu’er did not know that there would be a hidden river under the ground, and all the more he will not know where it’s located. Man may be the king of beasts, but we lack the mysterious ability of animals. For example, a dog can use its nose to track something thousands of miles away but a human can never do that. Maybe it’s not man that does not have such ability, but just that the ability has gradually eroded, because man no longer need such ability to survive.”

Xuanyuan San Guang said loudly, “Logical, logical!” He seems to be totally in awe of Hua Wu Que now, so no matter what Hua Wu Que said, he felt that it’s logical, but he may not necessarily understand the logic.

Hua Wu Que continued, “The natural ability of animals, are not all the same. For example, a dog’s nose is especially sharp, bats are especially sensitive to sound, birds are the first to know about changes in the weather, and some beasts with no defenses will be mysteriously tuned to signs of danger.”

Maybe a lot of people will know this logic now, but at that time it seems even more deeply profound than any internal energy manual.

Everyone was totally concentrating on his words.

Hua Wu Que suddenly smiled, “Do you know who is the best digger in the world?” Murong Shan Shan smiled as well and replied, “Rats.”

Hua Wu Que replied, “That’s right, it’s rats. No matter where you lock up a rat, it will have a way to dig a hole out and escape.”

Xuanyuan San Guang exclaimed hoarsely, “The turtle Wei Wu Ya is a huge rat himself, there must be a lot of rats here.”

Hua Wu Que continued, “Xiao Yu’er must have found a few live rats and he wants the rats to lead the way for him but yet he’s afraid they will run away. That’s why he tore his clothes and plaited them into ropes to tie to the rat’s tail before letting it out. Therefore the rat must have discovered the underground river. At that time Xiao Yu’er may not know why the rats would want to tunnel down, but by then they were at their wits end and had to try it no matter what.”

Xuanyuan San Guang laughed loudly, “I know Xiao Yu’er is the smartest person in the world, I didn’t expect that you’re just as good as him. It seems that the two of you should really become sworn brothers.”

Hua Wu Que can’t help but reveal a look of pain on his face, because Xuanyuan San Guang’s words have accidentally touched a raw nerve. Now, since Xiao Yu’er has escaped and still in the control of the Floral Princesses, then he cannot avoid the life and death duel between him and Xiao Yu’er. Their sad fate can never be changed.

Xuanyuan San Guang did not say anything else after that, and was thinking of wriggling himself through that hole.

Li Da Zui asked, “What are you doing”

Xuanyuan San Guang stared at him and said, “What am I doing? Of course it’s to look for Xiao Yu’er!”

Li Da Zui laughed, “They had no way out that’s why they had to go through the hole, but you don’t have to go through that hole with them!”

Xuanyuan San Guang exclaimed, “If I don’t go into the hole, how would I know where he has gone?”

Before Li Da Zui could answer, suddenly someone was heard yelling from the top, “Third Sister, Third Sister, where’s everyone?”

Murong Shan Shan furrowed her brows and said with a smile, “It’s Zhang Qing, why has this little imp arrive only at this time.”

She called out, and as she was calling out, Little Fairy has already rushed in, her face flushed and full of excitement. She dashed in and grabbed Murong Shan Shan’s hands and panted as she smiled and said, “I saw a person… I saw a person…” Murong Shan Shan smiled and said, “You need not be so excited upon seeing a person. I see tens and hundreds of people everyday.”

“But this person… this person…” She suddenly smiled mysteriously and rolled her eyes, “You will never guess who this person is.”

Murong Shan Shan can’t help but ask, “Who is it?” She had just finished asking the question, when her heart suddenly lurched and she was excited as well and asked, “Could it be that you’ve seen Xiao Yu’er!” Once these words were out, everyone became excited and all of them stared at Little Fairy.

Little Fairy smiled and said, “That’s right, it’s Xiao Yu’er. All of you came here to look for him, but he is already on our boat.”

Xuanyuan San Guang jumped up again and asked hoarsely, “Really.”

Little Fairy turned her eyes at him and continued, “The feast has never ended, because we were waiting for all of you to come back and eat. Who would have expected that by noon, you still have not returned but a few people suddenly emerged from under the water and jumped up the boat. Without saying anything at all, they started eating and drinking, and one of them didn’t even bother using chopsticks, and that is Xiao Yu’er.”

Xuanyuan San Guang laughed loudly, “Old Man Ge, I’m afraid he’s crazed with hunger.”

Hua Wu Que can’t help but ask, “Besides him, who else was there!”

Little Fairy smiled and said, “Naturally there’s the Floral Princesses, I really did not expect them to look so young? The material their clothes are made of are really strange as well. They jumped out from the water but it was not wet at all. Xiao Yu’er looked totally disheveled but the two of them still looked so regal, like fairies.”

Murong Shan Shan smiled and said, “So it seems that, your nickname should be given to them instead.”

Little Fairy blinked her eyes, and continued, “Together with them, was another girl, with a large head, not pretty at all but very close to Xiao Yu’er.”

Once these words were spoken, everyone can’t help but feel perplexed, and their eyes unconsciously drifted towards Tie Xin Lan. Tie Xin Lan chewed on her lips, not daring to lift her head at all.

However Tie Zhan fumed, “This lad has the audacity to be close with another woman, is my daughter not comparable to that large brained ugly woman?”

Little Fairy laughed, “At first I was secretly sniggering as well, after all that choosing, how did Xiao Yu’er end up with a person like that. But the more I see the girl, the more magical she seems to be, every look and every smile, every movement of hers, there’s no flaw in them at all and even my heart was fluttering.”

Tie Zhan was even more hopping mad and was shouting and screaming. Murong Shan Shan looked at Little Fairy, feeling a little perplexed. Only a woman will understand a woman, so Little Fairy’s feelings towards Xiao Yu’er, Murong Shan Shan totally understood.

She thought that when Little Fairy sees Xiao Yu’er being close to another woman, she will certainly feel uncomfortable, and will certainly say that woman is ugly.

But who would have expected that Little Fairy would actually describe that lady so well that she’s like a rarity. Murong Shan Shan looked at her, perplexed as to why she has suddenly changed.

She did not know that Little Fairy is now in love, it’s the sweetest, luckiest time for her now, and she is filled with warmth for everyone else, and doesn’t think of anyone as being hateful anymore.

The Eldest Murong Sister rolled her eyes, and looking at her husband, she said gently, “Since we have esteemed guests at our boat, we better return quickly?” She sought her husband’s approval for everything she does, because she knows that he will never object.

Tie Zhan jumped up as well and said, “That’s right, we’ll go now, we want to see how bold that lad is.”

Xiao Nu Shi said nonchalantly as well, “It is said that the Floral Princesses maintain their youth very well, we want to take a look as well.”

Mi Shi Ba added, “I don’t believe that their martial arts is unparalleled in the world.”

Xuanyuan San Guang smiled and wondered, “It’s been so long, I wonder if Xiao Yu’er is looking older now.”

Some of them wanted to see the Floral Princesses, some wanted to see Xiao Yu’er, and there are also some who wanted to take a look at that ‘big headed beauty’ and how she managed to mesmerize Xiao Yu’er. They may all have different reasons, but they’re all anxious to return to the boat.

Only Hua Wu Que, although he is even more anxious than the rest to see the Floral Princesses and Xiao Yu’er, but once he thought of the fact that when he sees Xiao Yu’er he will unavoidably have to fight, he wish again that he will never see Xiao Yu’er again.

Suddenly Little Fairy said, “I have not finished my words , don’t be in a hurry to go yet.”

Murong Shan Shan laughed, “Stop trying to be secretive, just tell us quickly.”

Little Fairy’s eyes gleamed and she said, “Besides the Floral Princesses, there’s another esteemed guest on our boat. This esteemed guest’s reputation is not below that of the Floral Princesses, do you know who he is?”

Before she could finish her words, everyone had already guessed who it is, because in the whole world, only one other person can have the same standing as the Floral Princesses. Everyone can’t help but cry out unanimously, “Yan Nan Tian! Hero Yan Nan Tian!”