Early the next day they put their escape plan into action. Silang asked his sister if she wanted to double check Kun Shang's condition one last time before they departed, but she shook her head. She's going to let him be stubborn. The big tough guy gotta walk by himself, no one's gonna carry him in and out of the mountain.
First, they rescued Chun Yi from the dungeons which was easily done when the guards weren't suspecting Yu Yue to be the one to knock them out. Chun Yi had told Kun Shang to leave her in this place, but he couldn't do such a thing to her.
All six of them: Kun Shang, Xiu'er, Silang, Chun Yi, Xiaogua, Yu Yue, then including A'Li, made their way to the cave that Xiaogua had found by accident. Yu Yue told them that the secret passageway was through a camouflaged door in the cave. The entrance was very well hidden; there were few who could pinpoint its location.
Once founded, it needed to be open and closed using this circular dial from the outside. That meant they needed to find out who's going to stay behind and close the door. That person must be fast and agile to enter the passageway before the door fully closes on them. Yu Yue felt her fingers along the walls of the cave until she felt the lining of the dial. Before turning it, she paused to clarify once more.
"The door can only be open once a day. Whoever is staying behind must be quick and cross over before the door fully closes. Your hand has to be on the dial at all times just until the last second."
Xiu'er immediately raised her hand to volunteer as the person to close the door. Kun Shang turned to her and was going to open his mouth but her brother put her hand down.
"I'm not letting you do that, stupid idiot," Silang said flicking her on the forehead. "I'm afraid our parent's ghosts won't be happy if they know I don't take good care of you. I'll do it. I'll close the door. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you."
Xiu'er rolled her shoulders in hesitation but quickly agreed because they didn't have much time. Soon enough, the guards will find Chun Yi missing and be on their tail. When Yu Yue turned the dial, a slab in the wall that was in the shape of a door protruded out and rose up with a deep rumbling sound, exposing the opening of the secret passageway.
Silang had watched closely how Yu Yue turned the dial to open the door. He gathered everyone inside the passageway with haste, then stepped back and placed his hand on the dial with a deep inhale. The corner of his lips pulled up into a reassuring smirk as he winked at them. He turned the dial and the door slid down at moderate speed.
Just when the door was at the minimum space for his body to roll under, Silang dropped to his belly and rolled. With his body halfway in at a slanted motion, his head went first and his feet last. All of a sudden, a hand clamped onto one of his ankles, unabling him to move forward. The door was now two inches above his body. Within time, it would crush his back completely if he didn't get himself released from whoever caught him.
Silang closed his eyes and yelled to get everyone's attention that he's been caught. Xiaogua and Kun Shang hurriedly returned to lift the door with all their might before it could crush his body. He kicked and pounded his fists and screamed at the top of his lungs. The door touched his back and the pressure cracked one of his back bones but then Kun Shang and Xiaogua realized that the door had stopped and was rising up again.
Silang felt the hand from the other side release his foot. The door opened all the way, he got up and dusted himself off. His sister ran to him and frantically asked if he was ok.
"I'm fine, just cracked my back is all." Silang lifted his elbows to the side then twisted his upper body around.
On the other side of the door stood Master Quan.
They were all surprised to see her here, especially Yu Yue, who looked apologetic. Standing before her Master, she was feeling guilty. It was never in her nature to sneak out of the Sect, thus disobeying one of their most important rules: Do not leave White Mountain without authorization.
"Master..." Yu Yue couldn't even finish her sentence before her eyes were already apologizing in their own way.
"Did you think this through?" Master Quan asked. "Do you really think you're going to get away with this?" Yu Yue looked up to meet the eyes of her Master, then turned around to see each individual face that she was going to be leaving with. She doesn't know any of them, but if they were the only ones who could set her free right now, she was willing to take the risk.
You won't regret it?"
Yu Yue regained her courage and lifted her chin slightly higher. "Master, this is the only thing I've ever wanted more than anything. More than becoming a Grandmaster. 17 years in the isolated Western Sect is a very lonely life for a young girl like me. I want to be more like… more like you. I want to see and experience the world before committing my entire life to the barren White Mountain. Please, will you let us go?"
Master Quan's eyes slowly widened, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her face was both blank and shocked. And then as if a miracle, her eyes contained happiness.
"If you have the chance to find a man who loves you more than anything, I am more than happy to bear the consequences. Love is a very delicate thing to behold, promise me you must never let it go when you have it in your hands."
The student and teacher gave each other a warm embrace while the rest looked at them with confusion on their faces. As they peeled away, Master Quan scolded Silang for screaming so loud. Anyone would've heard him from the bottom of the mountain.
Silang gave a rough laugh and rubbed his back. He commented that since the door had reopened again, what are they going to do now?
"I'll take care of that." Master Quan looked at all of them.
"Master, what do you mean?" Yu Yue asked.
"Go! I will stall them." Master Quan held the trust in her eyes. "Take care of yourself and meet back with us at the Pugilistic of Martial Arts Conference. That is the least I can do for you."
She urged them to hurry down the mountain. If any guards arrive, she would misguide them to give them as much time as possible to escape.
Silang was the last person to leave as he turned his head back to Master Quan with two serious, unblinking eyes.
"If this means anything to you," he said with a heavy heart. "The person you were asking me of is well and healthy."
Master Quan covered her gasp with large teary eyes, a droplet rolled down her pale cheek. She nodded her head.