"Was that an explosion?"Yingyue queried rhetorically.
Of course it was an explosion, which had come from a long way ahead of them. Normally,Haoran would be saying something sarcastic in response, but he was currently too busy staring ahead in deep concentration.
"He's there"he said.
"A-Chao? How can you tell?".
"I just know. Let's go".
That was not very convincing, but then Haoran was being so serious about it, and besides it was not like they had many options anyway.
They broke into a run, neither outpacing the other,as they raced for the location of the explosion.
Yingyue's chest was beginning to feel rather funny, and anxiety was a bitter taste in her mouth.
"What if he isn't there?"she asked.
"He is. I'm sure of it".
Yingyue wished she could have that certainty.
And that her mind would kindly stop conjuring all sorts of worst case scenarios in her head, especially since this direction was not looking so promising.
It was quite some time before they came to a bunch of thick trees packed so tightly together as though arranged on purpose to deter anyone from going that way.
"There's no way through or around them"Yingyue said,as if that much was not already obvious.
"Damn trees"Haoran growled, drawing his sword.
With a single swing,he completely obliterated the trees from their path, reducing them into chunks of wood.
Yingyue thought she heard a sharp gasp and a thud.
"Is someone there?"she called out.
"Someone?"Haoran retorted "what are you...".
He froze. Because the dust cleared to reveal none other than Chao, half buried beneath the rubble.
"A-Chao!"Haoran was by his side in seconds, tossing the pieces of wood away from him.
Chao slowly opened his eyes a little.
"A-Han?"he mumbled.
"It's me. I'm here".
Suddenly, his eyes widened and he grabbed Haoran's hand.
"You have to save him. Hurry!".
"Save who?"Yingyue asked, even though she was pretty sure who "he" was.
"A-Ling. If you don't hurry, he's going to die".
Without another word, Yingyue turned and sprinted off.
Haoran, however, proceeded to help Chao to his feet.
"You should go too"Chao said.
"I'm not going anywhere when you're like this".
"I'm not in any danger, but A-Ling is".
"Not in any danger? Look at you. You look like you might drop dead if I as much as look away".
"He needs help more than I do".
"I'm not going anywhere. Don't ask me again".
There was a note of finality in his voice that made Chao hold his tongue. He knew it would be pointless to protest any further.
Haoran led him to a tree and made him sit, leaning on it. Now that he was safe, exhaustion crashed into Chao with full force, weakening his limbs and making his eyelids heavy.
He barely took notice of Haoran looking him over critically.
The more he looked, the angrier he got.
Chao was a really sorry sight. He had obtained a few more cuts and bruises, and the hideous injury on his leg was already infected.
"How could you let yourself get this hurt?"he scolded.
"Sorry..."Chao mumbled, already half asleep.
Luckily, the disciples of the Pan sect were always encouraged to have basic first aid supplies on them at all times, so Haoran could quickly start doing something about the other boy's injuries. He was so focused on this task that he barely even notice that Chao's hair had been let down and his hairpin was missing.
*
*
*
Yingyue was not surprised that Haoran did not come with her. In his shoes, she would have done the same, after all. She continued on her way, her heart slamming against her ribs.
"Please let me make it in time"she mumbled over and over.
Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet trembled again, so violently this time that she was nearly thrown off her feet.
"What in the world...".
She froze as her eyes caught sight of a rather massive hole in the ground.
"This is...".
She drew closer and peered in. Inside was so dark she could barely make out vague shapes she couldn't identify. But the tremors were coming from down there. Something was definitely going on down there.
"Okay..."she exhaled"here goes...".
Quickly, so as not to give herself the luxury of hesitating, she leapt into the hole.
Seeing things became much easier now that she was inside the ground itself. But before she could even celebrate this small triumph, someone came flying towards her.
Well. No one told Yingyue to see that coming.
Only after said person had crashed into the rocks behind her did it actually click.
Wait... wasn't that A-Ling just now?
Yingyue turned sharply.
"A-Ling...".
A deep,throaty growl interrupted her. Her heart flipped in a dance of terror as she turned back to face the now all-too-familiar beast, looking ready to pounce despite the arrow stuck in its side and the blood gushing freely from the wound.
"Oh no...".
The beast charged. No, it practically launched its massive bulk at her. Yingyue had only her quick mind to thank for her prompt response: grabbing Xinying and shoving it- sheath and all- between the monster's jaws. Like a mutt,it bit on, and Yingyue was able to hold it at a literal arms' length.
Brilliant, but Yingyue was human,a young girl at that, and this was a beast. The implication of this was that she couldn't hold on for long. The beast was bearing down on her as it tried to snap her sword with its huge teeth, and her arms were crying in protest already.
Sweat coated her like a second skin, trickling uncomfortably down her face and back.
Then it happened.
The beast swung its large head, tossing Yingyue away like a ragdoll.
The poor girl's meeting with the ground was not gentle at all. The impact of it flooded her head with destabilizing pain, even as it seared agony into the rest of her body.
Having failed to break Xinying, the beast opened its mouth and let it fall.
But perhaps it shouldn't have opened its mouth in the first place, because that was when Meilian appeared, marking her entrance with a very brutal slash across that poor mouth.
She kicked Xinying across the ground to Yingyue, tossing a curt "get out of here" over her shoulder.
Yingyue did not need to be told twice. Without a word, she grabbed her sword and hurried over to Ling.
When she got close enough, she nearly choked on thin air. Ling was so bloodied that she couldn't even tell where the injuries were exactly.
"A-Ling... let's get out of here".
It was good that she was not expecting an answer, because it would have been pretty hard for a totally knocked out person to give her one.
But how were they supposed to "get out of here" when Meilian's battle with the beast was taking place right underneath the only exit?
Said exit being the massive hole.
And the battle itself was, for some reason, not looking good for the Guangchang successor.
*
*
*
The damn monster had gotten faster, and stronger... and even bolder.
Meilian cursed silently as she hacked at its neck, only to hear again the clang that told her it was too tough for her to slash.
She hated this. She had received enough ridicule last time, not only from her parents, but even from those lazy, good-for-nothing clan elders who would not even know a battle if they ever saw one. If she ended up breaking her sword this time, she just might unravel her sash and hang herself with it.
As for why this... abomination... seemed different, there were telltale smears of blood on its muzzle. This thing... had sunken its fangs into her brother.
Rage exploded inside Meilian at that realization. How dare it?!!
The next swing of her sword was so violent, all the bones in her arm would have broken if she had not been a cultivator.
But maybe she shouldn't have bothered with the rage in the first place, because intense emotion always left her wide open in battle.
The beast ducked,its rows of terrifying teeth aiming for her flat tummy. It was an attack that promised to end Meilian's life instantly.
But Guangchang Meilian was not a member of the A-list for nothing. A slight sidestep was all it took for her to throw its aim off,then her right elbow came down in full force on the top of its head, slamming its mouth shut.
Unfortunately, though, the beast was not the only one that suffered.
As soon as her elbow met its hard head,an agonizing jolt flared up her arm, rendering it more or less numb. And since it failed to chew a chunk off her, the beast settled for a headbutt on her stomach that sent her flying several feet away and falling hard on her side.
Undaunted, Meilian was up to her knees in seconds, clutching her stomach and spitting out blood.
She had never felt anything like the indescribable pain that currently sat in her stomach like a heavy meal, but Meilian was brave.
She reached for her sword, but her numb fingers would not curl around the hilt no matter how hard she tried.
And her opponent was relentlessly making a beeline for her.
This was bad.
This was really really bad.
She struggled to rise to her feet, but her aching stomach protested vehemently, dragging her back down to her knees.
Meilian wanted to fight, to run, to do something... anything!
But her body bluntly refused to listen to her.
Yingyue was on her feet, her sword drawn, but Meilian knew she would not make it in time.
Was this it? The day of her death?
The Guangchang successor did not want to accept that. She did not want to die on her knees like some weakling. If she had to die here, then she would rather go down fighting.
She would rather take this thing down with her.
As it turned out, though, she did not need to. Because at that moment, she felt a rush of wind.
A flash of silver, and the creature lay decapitated before her. Its carcass was not all that was before her, though. Meilian looked up slowly to meet Xinyue's concerned eyes.
"Are you alright, A-Lian?".