Chapter 181: Being Trapped
Wu Shuan peered upward. "They haven’t seen us yet. If we move quickly and stick to the shadows, we might be able to climb out without being noticed."
"And if we’re noticed?"
Han Yu gave a wry smile. "Then we pray they’re allergic to thunder."
They began their ascent immediately, wrapping the sword carefully and dousing their torches to avoid giving away their position. The climb was grueling even without the added pressure of being hunted—but they moved with urgency, using smaller paths and avoiding the main route.
Once, a stone slipped under Fatty Kui’s foot and clattered down the ravine—but the noise was masked by another loud call from further off, where the Mist Eye Sect disciples had descended a different path to investigate.
"They’re searching the salamander’s nest," Wu Shuan muttered as they paused behind a rocky outcropping. "That buys us time. Let’s go."
Step by step, they made their way upward, breath quiet, bodies low. The air grew colder the higher they climbed, and mist had begun to settle in patches—curling around stones and catching the moonlight like ghostly ribbons.
After hours of careful climbing, scraping, and praying, the three finally hauled themselves over the top edge of the ravine and collapsed into the moss.
"We made it," Han Yu whispered, chest heaving.
Fatty Kui spread out on the ground like a dropped dumpling. "Next time... let’s just send a spirit crane with a letter asking the Mist Eye Sect to return the sword. Maybe offer them a fruit basket."
Wu Shuan sat upright, already scanning the area. "We need to keep moving. They’ll realize we’re gone soon."