Chapter 1132: The same location (2/2)

“Gu Qishao, head up!” Long Feiye urged.

Gu Qishao didn’t dawdle as he flew straight up. Gu Beiyue followed closely behind, with Tang LI in the center and Long Feiye and Han Yunxi bringing up the rear. It was possible Bai Yanqing was still moving about in the maze below them. He wouldn’t have expected them to discover this direct passage up. As long as they made it to Ning Jing before him, it’d be a cinch to rescue her.

The group of five headed up posthaste, their hearts filled with hope. Tang Li was grinning so hard he even forgot to feel nervous. It’ll be okay as long as we find Ning Jing. As long as I see her!

There wasn’t much talk as Gu Qishao flew ever upwards, hoping to get there just a little faster. After all, his speed determined the speed of the group. Tang LI was actually the slowest of the bunch, so Gu Beiyue waited for him to catch up before hauling him after him. Han Yunxi allowed Long Feiye to hold her as they soon reached another stone room. They came out from its right wall and saw that the inside was empty. However, there was another hole on its left side which also led to a straight, vertical shaft. Without a doubt, more Amplifying Rocks were buried in the shaft. Their guesses had been right: Ning Jing and little Yu’er had been together the entire time. They hadn’t heard their real screams, but the sound of their screams amplified and released in different directions.

Once again, Tang Li was disappointed. Still, he didn’t need Long Feiye or Han Yunxi to console him. Seeing the door to the stone room still open, he rushed out and saw a single tunnel before him. Before Han Yunxi could shout at him to hold on, he backtracked into the room. Without a peep, he began to inspect the entire stone room again.

His final conclusion was, “This stone room only has three exits. Two of them are ordinary tunnels and one is a door. They could have ran out through the door or used the other amplifying shaft to escape.”

“Which one do you pick?” Long Feiye asked.

Tang LI looked at the group seriously, his expression hesitantly. After a while, he said, “The amplifying shaft.”

Long Feiye rapped his knuckles against Tang Li’s head and said, “Impossible! We’ll search for them outside the door, quick!”

Tang Li seemed calm, but he was actually panicking inside. In truth, the amplifying shafts were the least secure means of travel. If their captors couldn’t keep 100 percent control over little Yu’er or Ning Jing, any shouts by them inside would be spread throughout the maze. Tang Li hadn’t realized this, nor was he inclined to puzzle further. Anything his big brother decided wouldn’t be wrong, after all!

Without hesitation, the group headed out of the room and into the sole tunnel outside.

--

Han Yunxi’s group had chosen the right path. Currently, Ning Jing and little Yu’er were being marched towards an exit. The tunnel they were walking through wasn’t part of the maze, but still had its share of twists and turns. Many smaller paths broke off into different directions. Although a wrong turn wouldn’t get them far beyond a dead end, it still wasted time to double back. What bewildered one most was the lack of rhyme or reason in the tunnels. Even the most experienced maze traveler would end up making a few mistakes here or there. If they wanted to choose the right path, there were only two possibilities: 1) they knew the path beforehand or 2) they were extremely lucky.

Han Yunxi’s group had to rely on luck, while Ning Jing and Su Xiaoyu’s captors were black-robed men who knew the route well. They had just received orders from their master to get the hostages out as soon as possible. They had no idea what had happened, but knew their master wanted to flee far away with his prey.

Ning Jing and little Yu’er’s hands were both tied up. They walked in between the two captors on their sides. Su Xiaoyu had already bumped into Ning Jing multiple times on purpose during the trip. Ning Jing knew what she was trying to imply. Although neither of them had any clue what Bai Yanqing was up to, they could guess that their rescuers had arrived. Otherwise, Bai Yanqing wouldn’t force them to shout and scream like that. With no sign of the mastermind and only two guards watching them, this was the perfect time to escape.

Ning Jing didn’t have much strength left and her martial arts were weak. She had no choice but to pin all her hopes on Su Xiaoyu. As Su Xiaoyu walked, she suddenly stopped and cried, “Ah, my…”

“You? Your stomach hurts? Heheh, stop pretending! Walk!” one of the guards snapped.

“It’s not stomach, it’s my gut!” Su Xiaoyu simply fell on her knees and refused to budge.

The guards couldn’t care less where she hurt as long as she wasn’t dead. One hauled her to her feet and pressed a hand against her shoulder, while the other pushed Ning Jing forward. “Hurry up and walk!”

Su Xiaoyu fell back against the guard as her eyes flashed slyly. Unnoticed, a small needle emerged from between her lips. If Bai Yanqing was here, she’d never try something so stupid, but two guards were worth the gamble!

She suddenly spat out the needle. It didn’t hit her guard, but the neck of the guard holding Ning Jing.

“What was that?!” the guard cried in alarm as he groped for the object. At this moment, Ning Jing suddenly turned around and knocked the guard aside before running for her life. The guard was left heaving for breath--not because of Ning Jing’s attack, but the poison effects of Su Xiaoyu’s needle. Without an antidote, he’d die soon. Of course, he was a poisons expert too, but Su Xiaoyu had gotten this needle from Han Yunxi herself and hidden it all this time. Even Bai Yanqing would be hard-pressed to cure the poison.

The guard holding Su Xiaoyu was no fool. Afraid that she’d attack again, he threw her ahead and ran after Ning Jing, shooting out a dozen or so poison needles of his own!