Chapter 135 The Cave Passage (2/2)
”I concur,” said Qin Xinyan sharply, ”Brother Lu might have long escaped. He is skilled in the magic of conveyance. Staying here will only exhaust our True Energies. Heaven forfends if our powers were to run out and the magical barrier will no longer hold.”
With the vote against him, Liu Chengfeng could only respond with a defiant snort. But he said no more. The company began scuffling towards another side of a fork in the cave. But after 30 minutes of retreating, they began to realize that the number of bats that carried on attacking them had dwindled. Some distance later, the bats no longer pursued them.
At last, the company opted to stop for a brief respite. They broke off the magical force field and quickly meditated to replenish their True Energies. Minutes passed until Liu Chengfeng stormed towards Xiaoyue. ”Lady Xiaoyue,” he said to her, ”I still fail to understand how you had missed Lu Jianxing when you were acting as rearguard when the scouting party was retreating earlier.”
Xiaoyue's eyes opened slowly from her meditation. ”It was too dark,” she said blandly, ”and I was too pre-occupied with defending the party against the vampire bats. I really don't know how and when did he get missing.”
”Liu Chengfeng,” Qin Xinyan growled, ”What are you trying to imply? Are you accusing Lady Xiaoyue of treachery?” ”Do not be hasty, Brother Qin. I would like to ask you the same too,” Liu Chengfeng retorted, ”With Lu Jianxing's skills, it'd be impossible for him to be left behind, unless someone had willed it so.”
”Heh heh heh heh!” Qin Xinyan guffawed mockingly, ”So you're suggesting that I had betrayed him?”
”Could it be that Lu Jianxing had witnessed something that he shouldn't have when everyone was caught up in the illusions?” Liu Chengfeng began to grin coldly, his gaze shifting towards Xiaoyue. ”Would you agree with me, Lady Xiaoyue?”
”As I said earlier, the illusions were merely hallucinations fabricated by the secrets of our own hearts,” Xiaoyue responded, ”There is not an ounce of truth in it. Why the satirical and accusing tone, Brother Liu?”
Xu Gu interjected suddenly, muttering an ”Amitabha” again. ”We are still in danger, everyone. There is no need for strife among us,” he beseeched everyone and said, ”Please hear me out. Getting out of here is the most pressing matter for now. Please, no more quarrels until then.”
Xiao Chen had opted not to say anything. If Xiaoyue had truly murdered Lu Jianxing because the latter had witnessed her memory, he would have to be extraordinarily careful of the woman himself, in case she had discovered that he had also peered into her past as well.
Suddenly, Luo Shangyan tugged at his sleeves gently, interrupting his thoughts. ”Junior Brother Xiao,” she called him, ”Look! There seems to be a passage there.”
Everyone heard her and they channeled more True Energy into the radiance of light they conjured, directing the illumination towards the direction she was pointing at. Her discovery was true; there was indeed a passage deliberately hewed out of the rock, a tunnel that was as wide as three men abreast to each other.
”Perhaps Brother Lu had discovered this passage too, and he might already be waiting for us at the other side,” quipped one of the female disciples hopefully, despite everyone's dashed beliefs. It was highly improbable that Lu Jianxing would have survived, but just like the girl, everyone in the company only wanted to leave this place as quick as possible.
”It seems that this might just be our exit,” Xu Gu muttered, peering intently into the darkness of the tunnel, ”Would you walk with me at the front, Brother Xiao?”
”Very well,” Xiao Chen replied, nodding his head.
The two men led at the forefront with the rest following behind. The deeper they ventured, the more certain they were that the tunnel was cleaved by the skillful hands of stonemasons and smiths for some unknown purpose. But as they walked, the noxious malodor of rotting flesh stung in the nostrils of everyone in the company that many had to hold their breaths.
Xiao Chen had also realized that the ground beneath their feet was beginning to grow soft and lumpy, that he could almost feel the ground cracking whenever he stepped on it. He thought of the Skygale Sect in the Human World suddenly. During the time when he infiltrated the sect's sword grave at the back mountain with Xiao Han and Shangguan Yan, he had encountered the same feeling and perception when he walked in the passage leading to the grave. A passage where the remains of human sacrifices were left to rot and decay after their blood and soul had been harvested by the Skygale Sect.
Hence the dreadful chill now creeping up his spine, that the ground of the passage he now walked, was build up by the countless remains of dead people as well.