The cave entrance that remained was surprisingly small—barely large enough for a child to squeeze through. Li Hua studied it thoughtfully, noting how the temperature seemed to fluctuate wildly around the opening. One moment, a blast of heated air would rush out, hot enough to make her step back; the next, a frigid wind would whisper past, carrying crystalline frost in its wake. All the while, Little Firefly's presence flickered with anticipation in her inner space, responding to the cave's strange energies.
"I could fit," she said slowly, already knowing how her brothers would react.
"Absolutely not," Li Wei started, but Li Hua was already shrugging off her outer training jacket.
"I'll be careful," she promised, adjusting her inner robes and checking that her daggers were secured to her waist. "Besides, I'm the only one small enough to fit, and we've already broken the seal. I could sense something important inside—we have to know what it is."
