Chapter 41: Rephrasing It!
Under Lu Bu's watchful gaze, Hai Bodong leaped lightly and slid into the cave entrance, his figure quickly disappearing down the steep slope.
Seeing this, Lu Bu hugged Qing Lin tightly and jumped in after him, sliding down the slope with a swishing sound.
As the three disappeared into the dark cave, the remaining members of the Sand Mercenary Group exchanged confused glances, unsure of what to do next.
"One team stays here with me to guard the entrance. The rest, return to the base. Team Two, come back to replace Team One in two hours," Rob ordered decisively.
"Yes, sir!" the men replied before a portion of them headed back to the base.
With only their own men remaining at the site, one of the mercenaries hesitated, glanced at the dark cave, then approached Rob cautiously. "Boss, maybe we should…"
The mercenary made a gesture, clearly implying they should take advantage of the situation to grab some benefits for themselves.
Rob's eyes widened, and he slapped the man hard. "Are you trying to get us all killed?" he roared.
"That's a Dou King and a Dou Spirit in there! Have you lost your damn mind?"
"Y Yes, boss, you're right!" The man nodded repeatedly, not daring to argue further.
Rob huffed angrily and turned his gaze outward, keeping watch. These people gave us what they promised without hesitation. I'm not going to throw away my life being greedy.
Inside the Cave
After sliding down for a few minutes, Lu Bu, Hai Bodong, and Qing Lin finally reached a flat, spacious, fan shaped area.
Before them lay dozens of branching tunnels, densely packed and extending in all directions like a labyrinth.
Holding moonlight stones for illumination, both Hai Bodong and Lu Bu looked at the myriad of tunnels, momentarily unsure of which one to take.
"Girl, it's up to you now," Lu Bu said with a smile.
"Understood, Young Master," Qing Lin replied softly. Her emerald eyes gleamed as she stepped forward, closing them to focus on sensing the densest lingering aura.
"Hai Lao, what's your take?" Lu Bu asked lightly.
"How should I know?" Hai Bodong retorted irritably. "I draw maps I don't specialize in tracking Heavenly Flames."
"Alright then, let me rephrase…" Lu Bu rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Which tunnel scares you the most?"
Hai Bodong: "…"
If I wasn't afraid of losing to you, I'd teach you a lesson about respect right now.
"Well, answer me!" Lu Bu urged.
"That one!" Hai Bodong grumbled, pointing to a tunnel slightly to the left after briefly sensing the area.
At that moment, Qing Lin opened her eyes and pointed to the same tunnel. "Young Master, while every tunnel has traces of that person's aura, this one is the strongest."
"…"
Hai Bodong's face darkened. I should've delayed my answer a bit.
"Haha, amazing as always, Qing Lin!" Lu Bu laughed, delighted as he picked her up by the waist and spun her around in joy.
"Ah! Young Master, put me down!" Qing Lin exclaimed, her porcelain cheeks turning crimson.
"Alright, let's go take a look," Lu Bu said, setting her down as promised.
Qing Lin felt a small twinge of disappointment. Actually… he didn't have to put me down so soon.
Nodding, Hai Bodong led the way into the chosen tunnel, placing a moonlight stone every couple of hundred meters for both marking and illumination.
"Hold on, Qing Lin," Lu Bu said, stopping her before they proceeded. He pulled out a thumb sized jade token and hung it around her neck.
"This is a protective array. It'll shield you if there's danger," Lu Bu explained, patting her head with a smile.
The small array inscribed on the token was designed primarily for defense and early warnings precautions against the Twin Headed Flame Spirit Serpent.
"Thank you, Young Master!" Qing Lin said with a bright smile, her emerald eyes forming happy crescents as she held the jade token tightly.
Lu Bu took her hand and quickly followed Hai Bodong. As they ventured deeper into the tunnel, the path began sloping downward again this time less steep but noticeably descending further into the earth.
The tunnel was long, and Hai Bodong moved quickly. In such a confined space, caution was almost pointless. There was no room to dodge if something went wrong it would be a direct clash.
Lu Bu held Qing Lin close as he followed Hai Bodong. He shared the same sense of urgency. The tunnel reminded him of the claustrophobic corridors from horror games the kind of places no one wanted to walk through.
As they moved swiftly, Hai Bodong's moonlight stones were gradually used up, but the surrounding temperature began to rise.
Thanks to his ice attribute Dou Qi, Hai Bodong immediately noticed the change. His face lit up with excitement. Could it really be a Heavenly Flame?
With that thought, his speed increased. Lu Bu also felt the rising heat and quickened his pace, holding Qing Lin tightly as they rushed forward.
Soon, the tunnel opened up into a large, protruding platform overlooking a vast sea of molten lava.
"By the heavens…" Hai Bodong gasped in awe at the sight, his voice filled with wonder. Even Qing Lin's eyes widened in amazement.
The lava bubbled and churned, releasing bursts of toxic fumes that wafted into the air.
Hai Bodong stared at the endless sea of lava, utterly bewildered. "So… what do we do now?"
Qing Lin scanned the molten landscape with her emerald eyes, as if sensing something unusual.
"I'll take a look," Lu Bu said. With a slight shake of his shoulders, his Purple Cloud Wings unfurled, and he took off, hovering over the lava sea.
Finding the Green Lotus Core Flame in such a vast expanse was impossible without the Twin Headed Flame Spirit Serpent. Lu Bu had no choice but to lure the serpent out.
Back at the tunnel exit, Hai Bodong slumped down on the ground, resting. "Looks like my part is done," he muttered. Without Dou Qi Wings, he had no way to help with what came next.
Qing Lin, however, ignored Hai Bodong and kept her gaze fixed on the lava, her eyes filled with concentration. She felt something… yet it was faint and hard to discern.
"What should I do? Should I tell Young Master?" Qing Lin thought to herself, her emerald eyes swirling faintly with three tiny floral patterns as she wrestled with indecision.
Suddenly, a loud bubbling noise echoed through the chamber, louder than any previous bursts.
Qing Lin's expression changed, and she screamed, "Young Master! Something is following you!"
Hai Bodong jolted upright, his ice attribute Dou Qi surging as he prepared for a fight.
On the other side, Lu Bu had already sensed the anomaly as soon as it appeared.
With a deafening boom, a massive pillar of molten lava shot out from the sea, surging straight toward Lu Bu.
"Jie… Finally, you've shown yourself!" Lu Bu's eyes glinted with excitement.