Volume One, Chapter Twenty-One: Whose Tears

The plump girl bit her lip, then strode forward, with Meiniang and Hanyu hastening after her. The moment they entered the cave, a cold wind and swirling snow assaulted their faces, the chill biting as if it were the depths of winter. All three felt uneasy and quickly drew their swords. The tunnel grew ever narrower, so tight it threatened to suffocate. As the plump girl squeezed through a passage barely wider than a crack in the stone, Hanyu anxiously grabbed her, but she simply smiled and continued to force her way ahead. Only a few steps further, just as she felt unable to advance or retreat, the tunnel abruptly widened; the cold wind stopped, the snow disappeared, and even the air grew warm.

“I wonder if Brother Mu can make it through,” the plump girl couldn’t help but glance at Hanyu.

“We’ll talk about that later…” Hanyu thought, “If you made it, he should have no trouble at all!”

After another dozen steps, a misty rain began to fall inside the cave, and from afar, a heady fragrance of flowers drifted in. The three quickened their pace, and after three sharp turns, the scene before them suddenly brightened—a spacious, radiant hall appeared. This hall was far larger than the last, with half its floor taken up by a deep, emerald pool. Aside from a familiar stone table near the pool, the hall was empty, and there was no visible exit.

“Oh dear…” Meiniang dropped to the floor with a sigh. Hanyu, face drawn, walked to the edge of the pool, peering into the bottomless green water. The plump girl stubbornly searched the surroundings, afraid to overlook any hidden mechanism or secret passage.

“Stop searching…” Hanyu sat down beside Meiniang.

“That can’t be! There must be an exit here—otherwise, how did those who came before us leave?” the plump girl argued.

“Maybe…” Hanyu suddenly remembered something and immediately sat cross-legged to cast a spell, but nothing happened.

“No luck?” Meiniang asked knowingly.

“No earth escape here! None of my magic works!” Hanyu shook her head in dismay.

“So what now? Should we go back?” Meiniang was the first to break the silence.

“Maybe we chose the wrong entrance again. Let’s go back and try another!” Hanyu looked up at the plump girl.

“You might be right! But… I still feel there’s a hidden mechanism here…” The plump girl glanced around with lingering unwillingness.

“Oh, let’s just go back! It’s safer for us to stay together!” Meiniang urged anxiously.

“Yes! Brother Mu is still waiting for us! Hurry, before we can’t return!” The plump girl sprang to her feet.

The journey back was the same: rain and snow, just as before. When the three burst into another bright, spacious hall, their hearts leapt into their throats. Looking up, they saw Yibing napping atop the stone table and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

“How did it go?” Yibing asked, drooling with anticipation.

“You have some nerve, sleeping at a time like this!” Hanyu glared, making Yibing lower his head in embarrassment, muttering to himself, “No food or water, and you won’t even let me sleep…”

“We made it through! It was another hall, bigger than this one, with a deep pool—but no exit… We searched everywhere for a hidden passage, but found nothing, so we had to come back!” the plump girl explained hurriedly.

“What now?” Yibing rubbed his stomach as he spoke.

“Get down and try again!” Meiniang gestured with her mouth. Though confused, Yibing obediently leapt down and then back up. After a dizzying spin, he finally stopped, facing the door of life.

“The entrance changed—the other side might have changed too!” Meiniang’s words sent a chill through everyone.

“Let’s go!” The plump girl rushed ahead.

Sure enough, entering the cave felt different. The tunnel was clearly sloping upward. They hadn’t gone a hundred meters before a torrential rain poured down, drenching them completely. The ground grew slick and slippery, and with the uphill climb, every step was a struggle. Helpless, they resorted to crawling, inching their way upward.

“Careful!” Hanyu cautioned the plump girl leading the way, worried that if she slipped, she and Meiniang would be in grave trouble.

Just as they crossed the peak, a downhill path, strewn with fresh flowers, appeared before them, and the rain abruptly ceased. The intoxicating fragrance revived their spirits, and they quickly slid toward the distant cave entrance. But as they entered the hall, everyone cried out in unison, “Oh no!”

Emerald pool, stone table—the hall was the same as before! And again, there was no exit!

“Is it really the same place?” Meiniang asked, unwilling to accept it. Hanyu nodded, frowning.

“Let’s keep searching. There must be an exit!” The plump girl muttered quietly.

“It’s useless…” Hanyu looked gloomily at the cave they’d come from.

“Why…” The plump girl began, but immediately understood Hanyu’s meaning.

“How can the plump guy get through? As soon as he leaves the stone table, the exit changes. If he doesn’t leave, how can he follow us?”

“Yes… this stone table…” The plump girl’s eyes suddenly brightened, and Hanyu shivered with realization. Both rushed toward the stone table at the same time.

The plump girl reached out to touch it, and sure enough, beneath the thick layer of dust was a shallow imprint.

“We guessed it right!” The plump girl glanced at Hanyu, who immediately smiled and carefully approached. Meiniang hurried over as well.

Brushing away the dust, they revealed a familiar imprint of a backside. After a moment’s silence, the three inspected each other’s behinds.

“Miss Zhao… you should sit… it fits…” Han