Hua Xianle

Chapter 79:

Zixuan lowered himself onto the ground, grimacing from the pain of his brand. Mianmian stood over him, looking more than a little shaken by everything. He gave her a weak smile, attempting to calm her down.

“It’s alright,” he assured her, even as he flinched a bit from the pain. “At least I can easily hide it under my robes.”

“A-lin,” Hua Ying called out, gaining the attention of his Ghost General. When his loyal shadow made himself known, the prince pressed one of the medicine bags into his hands. “Tend to Zixuan as best you can, along with anyone else who needs it.”

With a silent nod, Wei Ning took the bag and went to Zixuan’s side, applying some of the medicinal herbs to the wound. Mingjue brought Xichen over as well, setting the man down next to Zixuan so he could receive medical attention as well. As he rolled out his arms, he joined Hua Ying and Lan Wangji near the entrance of the small cave. 

Beyond the threshold, they could see the massive creature continuing to rampage, roaring and searching for its prey. Watching it, Hua Ying could see that its eyesight was poor, meaning it was relying on its other senses to try and find them. The prince nodded slightly as he made note of it.

‘’Do you have any plan on how to deal with that damn creature?” Mingjue asked, glancing between the two juniors. Despite being the eldest of the three, he knew from experience that when it came to making plans and plotting things out, it was better to rely on their brains rather than his own. “We can’t focus on escape with that thing just waiting for the chance to devour even more of us.”

“For now, we treat the wounded,” Hua Ying declared. “This thing is likely relying on its sense of smell, meaning it's drawn by the scent of blood. Meaning that if we want to escape, we’ll need to let A-lin take care of everyone.”

“Help?” Wangji asked, glancing at his zhiji.

“I’ve already tried messaging Huaisang, but that’s when I discovered something.” Hua Ying placed a hand on the cave wall, feeling a current of energy running through the stone. “This cave has been sealed with powerful spells and containment wards. No resentful energy can escape from this place.”

“And your wraith butterflies are made of resentment,” Mingjue muttered.

“Family?” Wangji tried again.

“My Yeye and Nainai have been watching us, but the wards on this place are strong. It is unlikely either of them can get in here to help us. But knowing them, they are securing our exit as we speak.”

“Can’t you just break the barrier?” Mingjue questioned. “I’ve seen you do the impossible before, so surely you have some idea of how to break it.”

“Mingjue, if I do break the seal, I would be unleashing the resentment of this cave out into the world, along with allowing that creature a chance to escape. Neither of those outcomes is ideal, so we will need another plan to get out of here.”

“Maple trees.”

This declaration made the other two blink, turning to the Second Jade of Lan. Wangji pointed out at the lake where some maple leaves could still be seen on the water’s surface. Hua Ying’s eyes went wide.

“Lan Zhan, you’re a genius!”

“How?” Mingjue questioned, feeling a headache growing. “How are leaves in the water going to help us?”

“Mingjue-ge, do you remember what type of tree was over the hole we used to climb down?”

“I’m guessing it was a maple--”

“Nope! It was an ancient willow tree! And since there are no trees down in this cave, those leaves had to come from somewhere!”

Now things were making sense. “You’re saying that there’s a path to the outside through the lake.”