Phoniex Requiem
Chapter 33: We Already Have!

Chapter 33: We Already Have!

"Suck!" Yun Ruoyan could only curse.

This network of caves was long and winding, and the further inward, the darker and dimmer it became.

He was already very careful to follow Pei Ziao up close, but he did not expect that a fork would suddenly appear behind the next corner.

Although Pei Ziao's shadow only momentarily left his sight, by the time he rushed two steps to catch up, there was already no trace of the group in front.

"Ruoyan, why did you stop moving?" Lin Qingxue, who was right behind Yun Ruoyan, asked.

Yun Ruoyan stepped aside in silence, letting Lin Qingxue see the fork in the road ahead.

"Where are they? Which route did they take?

"I don't know, they've dumped us!”

"What?! What a wicked group! We saved them, and they just left us? If I ever see them again.”.

Since he was desperate to get out of line, Yun Ruoyan took the risk of trusting Yun Ruoyao's group. Although he was very careful along the way, he still fell into their trap in the end.

"I'm the one who underestimated them." Yun Ruoyan slowly clenched her fists. In fact, he was also overestimating himself, thinking that he would be able to overcome their tricks.

Obviously, there is no perfect defense against people who are trying to hurt him.

Lin Qingchen and Zhuo Yifeng, who were walking behind the others, were also furious at the sight.

“Based on their familiarity with this area, it was clear that they had explored the entire cave network. But what's the point of them dumping us back here? Lin Qingchen pondered.

“There is definitely nothing good!” Lin Qingxue was confident in her own analysis. "Let's go back now."

"No, we can't!" Zhuo Yifeng disagreed with Lin Qingxue's suggestion.

“Lin'er says there's a very strong snake smell behind us, likely from the hordes of snakes that are still guarding the cave. The smell of these sharp-fanged tigers from fangs will not last forever, and when they react, they will definitely continue to attack us.”

“Not only that,” Zhuo Lin'er continued from Zhuo Yifeng's back, “I can hear them start moving again. I think they're starting to get up once again!"

Zhuo Lin'er's words made everyone anxious.

“Then, we can only keep moving forward,” concluded Lin Qingchen. “There are two paths ahead here, and Yun Ruoyao's group must have chosen one of them. In that case, we have a 50% chance of getting out safely, but which way should we take?”

Everyone's gazes were fixed once again on Yun Ruoyan.

If there was only one path ahead, then no matter how dangerous it was, they would pass through it. But this is a T-junction, a forked path, one leading to an exit, and the other heading for unknown danger. How should they choose?

Yun Ruoyan had no ideas in the heat of the moment.

"Qiuqiu," he asked mentally for help, "Are you able to discern which of these paths leads to salvation, and which are dangerous?"

“Mistress, I'm sorry, but I don't know anything. Apart from that, you have to choose quickly, because the snakes are approaching.” Qiuqiu's tone was somewhat embarrassed.

Zhuo Lin'er made the same warning.

“Ruoyan, you have to choose. We will all follow you willingly, ” said Lin Qingchen calmly. “If we can get out safely, then it's ideal, but if we end up on the wrong path, then I'm sure we'll be able to overcome it by working together as a group.”

“True, Sister Ruoyan! If you are even able to defeat an opponent as strong as a sharp-finged tiger, I need not fear if I am with you, ” added Lin Qingxue.

Yun Ruoyan returned to her companions, three bright eyes in the darkness. No, four pairs, Zhuo Lin'er peered over Zhuo Yifeng's shoulder, silently staring at Yun Ruoyan.

Yun Ruoyan opened her tightly clenched fists, a smile on her lips. In his past life, he was eventually exiled from those who truly loved him, entrusting his heart to a man worse than a savage beast, dying in despair.

This time, when he once again faced danger, he had friends and family who trusted him.

His agitated heart suddenly calmed down, and he felt as if he had entered a transcendent state of clarity. He could hear the slow, rhythmic beating of water dripping down from above, a faint gust of wind, and an ominous rustling from behind.

He looked up and pointed to the street on the left. "We'll take this one."

"All right!" Everyone said simultaneously from behind him.

"I won't let anything happen to you guys," Yun Ruoyan promised once more as she turned around and looked at her party.

At the same time, Yun Ruoyao, Yun Ruoyu, Yi Qianying, and Pei Ziao came out of the cave.

"Look, there's someone there." Yun Ruoyao pointed to a nearby river, where people lit bonfires and cooked. The night once again descended as they walked through the cave.

"This is Liu Sheng and Wang Kuang!" Pei Ziao's expression brightened. “I recognize them; they are disciples of the Yue kingdom who were looking for my father to make a sword half a month ago. Looks like we're out of line, everybody. ”

Pei Ziao glanced back at the cave, a complicated expression on his face. Before entering the real world, in order to ensure his safety, Pei Yingxiong specifically told him how to find a way out to the heresy array.

No matter how he tried to help her, he continued to ignore her.

As a result, when they were attacked by the sharp-fanged tiger, he only hesitated a little before escaping with Yun Ruoyao and the others, and they found a way out not long later.

However, in the middle of the cave, it suddenly occurred to him that if Yun Ruoyan and the others did not die, they would definitely reveal the details of the incident to everyone as soon as they left the imperial territory.

Escaping while discarding a teammate was clearly dishonorable, and even if he would not be punished by his family for doing so, it would tarnish his reputation for good. He would never be able to hold his head up high to anyone else of his generation.

Coincidentally, Yun Ruoyao thought the same thing. After a short discussion, the group decided to go back and confirm their death, if they died, it was best, otherwise, then they would find a way to get rid of it.

There was a secret exit that many people did not know about, so even though they found the exit, they might not be able to get out. This is the key to his plan.

He was initially a little hesitant, but when he revealed his plan to test the waters, he actually received unanimous approval from the rest of the group.

If you only give me a little hope, this is not your death, Pei Ziao sighed in his heart.

Seeing his expression, Yi Qianying thought he was worrying about Yun Ruoyao's group.

"Don't worry, Brother Ziao." Yi Qianying clutched Pei Ziao's hand tightly. "They won't have a chance to ruin your reputation."

Pei Ziao looked at the soft-looking Yi Qianying in front of him and nodded coldly, but his hand quietly crept to his waist.

“But they still have a 50% chance of getting out, right?” Yun Ruoyu added.

Yi Qianying smiled coldly, ferocious sparks appearing in her eyes. Even if they chose the right path, the snakes hiding within the cave would not let them go.

It turned out that Yi Qianying had a pent-up talent for taming ferocious beasts, which was partly why Yun placed so much attention on her even though she was from a branch family.

However, he was extremely lazy and sluggish in terms of cultivation, and he was stuck as a fourth rank blademaster for two whole years. This was why he could not begin training as a summoner.

Nevertheless, based on his talent and intuition, he could already make a powder that would attract all kinds of magical beasts. The reason why the sharp-fingered tiger had only attacked Yun Ruoyan was because he was spreading this kind of powder onto Yun Ruoyan's body.

He remembered him pretending to stumble as he sprinkled the powder onto Lin Qingxue's body, followed by an expression of disgust as Lin Qingxue shot at him. The memory left Yi Qianying with incomparable excitement. Don't blame me for not having a heart. You're the one who tried to steal my brother Ziao from me despite being so ugly, so you must die!

At this moment, Yun Ruoyan and the others had gone deeper and deeper into the cave network, but they were still far from the exit.

At first, there was still a little bit of sunlight inside the cave, but it grew darker as they continued their journey into complete darkness.

Lin Qingchen took out a sharp fanged tiger monster core from his bag and handed it to Yun Ruoyan. The golden yellow core emitted a dim white light, barely illuminating the path ahead.

The others all held the firehound core in their hands. The light emitting from the core was weaker than the tiger core, but it was better than nothing.

“How much longer do we have to walk? I hope this is not a bottomless cave, ”Lin Qingxue muttered, unable to resist shivering.

"Sir ..." A quieter voice sounded from Zhuo Yifeng's back.

"What's up, Lin'er?" Zhuo Yifeng turned around and looked at her sister.

He shook his head, saying nothing, and Zhuo Yifeng started to step forward once more.

Zhuo Lin'er's forehead shriveled slightly. He could smell the faint scent of the snake, but it was so faint that it seemed to disappear every time he tried to distinguish it more carefully.

There should be nothing wrong with his nose, so what's the problem?

While Zhuo Lin'er was still mired in his doubts, Lin Qingxue suddenly felt a slippery passage under her feet.

"Aah!" He called out as he tripped. "I think I stepped on something?"

Everyone stopped as Yun Ruoyan brought her core closer to her feet. All they saw was a small green snake, only as wide as a finger, its head was squashed by Lin Qingxue's soles.

“Oh, it's just a little snake! I'm so scared!” Lin Qingxue patted her chest in relief.

No one noticed this little interlude, but, after a few more steps, Lin Qingxue shouted once more. As he did so, he threw an object towards the person in front of him, Yun Ruoyan.

Yun Ruoyan immediately drew out her sword and sliced the small snake in the air in half.

“Why do these creatures keep chasing me?!”

Yun Ruoyan also felt a little strange, so she used the core in her hand to illuminate the surroundings. Suddenly, he discovered that the wall seemed to be embedded with many strange-shaped stones.

As he walked closer to inspect it more carefully, the fur on his neck stood up.

“Round pebbles” stacked around the cave wall was clearly snake eggs.

"Everyone, careful!" Yun Ruoyan shouted, and along with her screams came the sound of the rustling of egg shells that resounded throughout the cave.