Chapter 88: Soft Earth
Silence pressed in from all sides, their breathing coming out a bit too loud in the stillness. Yexue stood at the edge of it, eyes scanning the darkness, forcing herself to stay alert.
But the longer they remained without a clear path, the tighter something ugly and unnamed curled up in her chest.
She hated this.
Not knowing.
Not having control.
Not having Qingyue to figure everything out. She’d depended on her sisters for so long that she didn’t know what to do now that she was without them.
Her jaw clenched.
She could feel it creeping in again—that edge of panic she refused to name.
"Wait." Ru Yi’s voice cut through the growing haze in her head. It was soft but certain.
Yexue turned in her direction. "What?"
Ru Yi tilted her head slightly, brows knitting together. "I heard the sound of water dripping in the distance before." She tried to listen in again. "It’s almost faint...can you hear it?"
Yexue tried to listen.
At first there was nothing.
Then that quiet Drip—
Drip—
The sound echoed softly against the stone walls.
Something shifted in Ru Yi’s expression. "It means there is a body of water close by." Many thoughts were beginning to race through her head. "Maybe a stream...I can’t be too sure."
Yexue frowned. "So? What does that have to do with anything?"
Ru Yi shook her head, stepping forward. "No...listen carefully," she said. "It’s not random. The sound is consistent."
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
"It has to be coming from somewhere above the cave," Ru Yi continued, her voice gaining strength. "A source."
Yexue watched her carefully. Ru Yi wasn’t panicking, wasn’t shrinking herself. Instead, she was thinking of a way to get them all out. And somehow...that steadied something inside of Yexue, gave her reassurance that they would make it out.
"If there’s a source," Ru Yi added, glancing back at Yexue, "that means there’s an opening where the water is passing through. A connection to the outside."
Yexue’s gaze sharpened. "A way out."
Ru Yi nodded.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Yexue had the ghost of a smile on her face, while Ru Yi’s mirrored uncertainty. What if she was wrong? Three lives were solely dependent on her to stay alive.
Yexue let out a quiet breath. "Alright, we’ll follow the sound of the water."
Ru Yi blinked slightly, like she hadn’t expected to be taken seriously so quickly. Then she nodded. "Okay."
Yexue turned back to Madam Lin. "Can you stand?" she asked.
Madam Lin gave a weak shake of her head. "I...can’t..."
Yexue clicked her tongue softly. "Then we’ll get you out first."
Ru Yi immediately moved closer to the chains, her fingers hovering uncertainly over the iron shackles digging into Madam Lin’s wrists.
"They’re too tight..." she murmured.
The metal was thick. Old but not weak enough to break easily.
Ru Yi looked at Yexue. "Can you break it?"
Yexue stepped forward without hesitation. "Move."
Ru Yi moved aside.
Yexue grabbed the chain, testing it once. Twice. Her grip tightened. "This might hurt," she warned Madam Lin.
Madam Lin nodded weakly. "Do it."
Yexue exhaled then closed her eyes, gathering all the energy she could inside of her and channeled it to the rusted chain in her hands.
She pulled with all her might.
The chain groaned under the force, metal straining with a sharp, grating sound that echoed through the cave.
Once.
Twice.
The first shackle broke loose.
Madam Lin gasped, her body sagging forward as the tension released.
Ru Yi caught her immediately. "Careful!"
"I’ve got her," Yexue said. She didn’t waste time on the second shackle, it came off easier than the first.
They helped Madam Lin sit on the floor before turning to her daughter. Up close, she looked even smaller.
Fragile.
Too light.
Ru Yi’s chest tightened as she knelt beside her. "It’s okay," she whispered gently. "We’re going to get you out of here."
The girl didn’t respond, just a faint breath that was barely there.
Yexue stepped in again. This time she was more careful. More controlled. The chains snapped faster. Cleaner.
And when the last one broke, the girl slumped forward...right into Ru Yi’s arms.
Ru Yi held her instinctively, her expression softening despite everything. "She’s so light," she whispered. Even Xiao Yi weighed more than her even though they seemed to be around the same age.
Yexue looked away briefly. There was something about the way Ru Yi was holding onto the girl like delicate glass that she didn’t like.
"We don’t have time," Yexue mumbled, forcing her focus back. "We need to move now before he comes back."
Ru Yi nodded quickly. "Yes, right!"
Yexue lifted Madam Lin onto her back with practiced ease, adjusting her weight without complaint.
Meanwhile, Ru Yi shifted the girl carefully in her arms, holding her close.
Then Ru Yi continued to listen, following the sound of dripping water further into the cave. "This way."
Yexue, who wasn’t used to taking others from others, listened. "Lead the way."
And Ru Yi did.
Step by step, they moved deeper into the cave, guided only by the faint, persistent sound. The air grew cooler as they walked. Damp.
The ground sloped slightly downward, uneven beneath their feet. It was a few minutes of walking before they finally saw it—a narrow opening in the rock.
Water trickled down from above, slipping through the crack in the stone and pooling faintly at the base.
There was light. Faint, but real.
Ru Yi’s eyes widened in relief. "There..."
Yexue’s eyes locked onto it.
The space wasn’t large, barely wide enough for one person at a time. But it was something. At the very least...hope.
Yexue stepped forward, testing the edges with her free hand. "It leads outside," she said.
Ru Yi let out a shaky breath. Relief coated her entire body. "We’ll definitely make it through."
Yexue glanced back at her. At the girl in her arms. At Madam Lin on her own back. Then nodded once while looking at Ru Yi with something that bordered on admiration.
-
-
The opening was much smaller than it had looked from a distance. Up close it felt almost impossible to pass through.
Jagged stone pressed in on all sides, slick with moisture, the steady trickle of water carving a narrow path through the rock. Light filtered through in thin strands, just enough to promise freedom, but not without effort.
Ru Yi adjusted her hold on the girl, her arms aching but unwilling to loosen. "I can go first," she said quietly.
Yexue shook her head immediately. "No, I’ll go."
Ru Yi frowned. "But you’re carrying—"
"I’ll pass her through," Yexue cut in. "If anything happens on the other side, I’ll be able to deal with it first."
Ru Yi hesitated, then nodded.
Yexue was the more skilled of the two.
Yexue crouched slightly, guiding Madam Lin down from her back just long enough to reposition her. "Stay close," she told them.
Then, without another word, she stepped into the narrow opening.
The rock scraped against her shoulders as she forced her way through, muscles tensing with every inch. The sound of water grew louder...clearer...until finally, her footing found something different.
Not stone.
Soft.
Earth.
Yexue pushed forward one last time and broke through. Cool air hit her instantly. Fresh. Alive.
She inhaled sharply, grounding herself as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light after being in the dark for so long.
They had made it.
Behind her, she reached back into the opening. "Ru Yi. pass her."
Carefully, Ru Yi guided the small girl forward. Yexue took her with surprising gentleness, lifting her fully out before turning to help Madam Lin next.
Finally—
Ru Yi emerged last. The moment she stepped out, she froze. "We made it...we’re outside!"
Time hadn’t passed much since they tumbled into the cave. The sun still hung brightly in the sky, making it easier for them to find their way.
A small stream ran beside them, the source of the dripping water winding its way through the earth, glistening under the daylight.
The trees around them swayed faintly, leaves whispering in the breeze like nothing had ever been wrong. Like that darkness hadn’t existed just beneath their feet.
Ru Yi let out a long sigh she didn’t realize she had been holding in. "I can’t believe we’re actually outside."
Yexue nodded once but her attention had already shifted. Something wasn’t right. Her gaze swept the area slowly, and then she saw it.
"Ru Yi..."
Something in her tone made Ru Yi turn immediately. Yexue was staring toward the edge of the stream. She followed her gaze...
And her stomach dropped.
There were tracks in the ground. They didn’t belong to animals, and weren’t random either. Clear wheel marks pressed into the damp earth, deep and recent, leading away from the hidden opening.
Beside them were scraps, rough rope fibers...frayed and cut hastily. A piece of cloth, torn and dirty laid beside it.
Ru Yi looked at Yexue. It looked like Madam Lin wasn’t telling the entire truth.
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