Chapter 1398 — Sudden Attack
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Feeling Elder Rain's somewhat hostile gaze upon him, Wei Zhao sneered inwardly. So the old bastard had finally run out of patience and was preparing to make his move—but was Wei Zhao not nursing exactly the same thought?
Now that a way out had appeared, none of them insisted on sending Wei Zhao ahead; they all seemed to reckon the path held no danger. Old Black and Elder Rain took the lead, while Wei Zhao and the rest followed behind. The passage was long and narrow, the ground beneath their feet uneven, giving one that stumbling, now-high-now-low feeling with every step.
They had assumed that once out by this route they would soon see daylight again. Yet after walking for nearly an hour, they had still not reached the end, as though the corridor were without limit; and since it did not run straight but curved, no one could see what lay ahead.
After another two hours or so, Elder Rain began to grow anxious. "What's going on? So long, and we still haven't reached the exit—is this path even the right one?"
"It should be, shouldn't it?" Old Black was doubtful too. True, it had taken them a long while to get into the tomb, but the way out was plainly not the way in; by rights they ought to have emerged easily enough. So why, after walking so long, was there still no sign of the exit?
"There doesn't seem to be any danger for the moment. Let's keep going." Wei Zhao had felt no warning from the jade pendant, so his face stayed perfectly placid, and he did not slow his steps.
Hearing this, Elder Rain felt a good deal steadier. After all, Wei Zhao's predictions had always proven sound; and recalling how long it had taken them to enter the ancient tomb, he reflected that getting out—even without the hindrance of traps along the way—was not something an hour or two would settle.
The group pressed on swiftly. After nearly a full day of walking, as evening drew near, Wei Zhao suggested they rest.
He himself did not care one way or the other, but Yu Xiaoke was far too weak. She had not even reached the Yellow Rank; the true qi within her was pitifully thin, and her endurance was naturally limited. Seeing how exhausted she had grown, Wei Zhao proposed they stop.
"What's with all this trouble? Sleep? You're a Mystic Rank cultivator—what do you need sleep for?" Old Black did not mind, but Elder Rain was nearly driven to distraction by the suggestion. A little more walking and they would be out; if they wanted to rest, they could rest once outside—why rest in here?
"If you want to go, then go by yourself. We're practically at the exit anyway; you don't need anyone else." Wei Zhao glanced at Elder Rain and spoke mildly, then paid him no further heed and sat down cross-legged where he was.
"You—hmph!" Elder Rain had meant to go on alone, but then he thought of what Wei Zhao carried, the thing he wanted, and knew he could not leave. So with a cold snort he halted as well, found himself a spot, and sat down—all the while turning over in his mind whether tonight should be the night he struck at Wei Zhao.
Who knew how much farther this exit ran? With Wei Zhao stopping and starting like this, when would it ever end? In truth Elder Rain had also noticed that the one Wei Zhao was looking after was not Old Black but Yu Xiaoke, and it rankled him. Lecher, that was what he was—the moment he saw a pretty girl he had to play the gallant protector. Who knew what the Female Thief was thinking, to ask nothing and say nothing?
Old Black breathed a sigh of relief as well and hastily found a place to lie down, not daring to waste a single moment. He had to seize every instant to rest; among them all, his endurance was the worst—to put it bluntly, not even fit to match a dog.
Looking at that Vigorous General, so lively and bouncing about, Old Black felt a pang of sorrow. Was he himself really that weak?
Yu Xiaoke, too, hurried to take her rest. After a few bites of the compressed biscuit she carried, she drifted off to sleep early.