Chapter 57

In the deep, dark tunnel, the couple brought a large pile of trees to Yu Qing.

Sun Ping asked, "What do we do next?"

Yu Qing gestured for them to put the things down and turned to leave, "Just leave them here, follow me."

The three of them didn't understand what he meant, but they could only follow.

Yu Qing added, "The body, take it away, and throw it into the molten lake to destroy all traces. Clean up the blood on the ground as well. When those people can't find the body, it will confuse them and buy us more time. As long as the people from Jianyuan Hall don't know that Cheng Shanping is dead, if they chase us later, we can use the way Cheng Shanping left markers to mislead them."

Destroy Cheng Shanping's body? The couple exchanged glances, hesitating. Tie Miaqing firmly refused, "No!"

Yu Qing stopped, slowly turned around, and faced the three, staring at Tie Miaqing, "I've already done the dirty work and taken the blame. Miss, what exactly do you want?"

Tie Miaqing was silent for a moment and explained, "If they don't know Cheng Shanping is dead, his disappearance will be seen as an escape. Jianyuan Hall, in their anger, will not let his mother go. If they know he was killed and died for Jianyuan Hall, it will lose its meaning to trouble an old, useless lady. They might just let her go... Leave the body, please, I beg you!"

The couple were moved by her reasoning and looked at Yu Qing. Sun Ping sighed, "Miss, you make a good point. Ashi Heng, he has been our friend for many years, and we have some feelings for him. His betrayal had internal reasons; he was dragged into it and forced. If it's not absolutely necessary, let's do as the miss suggests. If we can give his mother a chance to live, even if he dies at your hands, his spirit will not resent you."

Yu Qing, a Xuan-level cultivator, pursed his lips and said nothing more. He lit a new torch and continued deeper into the tunnel.

Tie Miaqing and the others sighed with relief and followed.

They hadn't gone far when they saw Xu Bo and Chong'er, who had been waiting in one place with their torches long extinguished.

Seeing the light and people again, the two felt a great relief. Staying in the silent darkness for a long time was not a pleasant experience.

Tie Miaqing recognized the place and immediately identified it by the incense sticks stuck in the cave wall. She picked up the metal can on the ground to check.

The two fire crickets inside, which had stopped colliding, started colliding again when the can was moved.

Sun Ping and his wife both heard the unusual collision sounds and learned that there were two. They were surprised.

Yu Qing ignored their looks, asked Xu Bo and Chong'er if they were okay, and then lit three more incense sticks, observing the movement of the smoke.

Now that escaping was the priority, Sun Ping urged, "What do we do next?"

Yu Qing pointed at Tie Miaqing, surprising everyone.

Tie Miaqing was also puzzled and was about to speak when Yu Qing gestured, "Don't block it, step aside. There's a crack in the cave wall, feel it with your hand."

Tie Miaqing immediately turned around, and Sun Ping and Zhu Shangbiao held the torches close to illuminate the details of the cave wall.

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, they found several cracks of varying sizes, which were hard to notice in the dark tunnel.

The three of them almost simultaneously reached out to feel and immediately detected a faint, weak airflow seeping through the cracks, especially noticeable on the back of their hands.

They then quickly pressed their palms against the cave wall and used their powers to investigate. Zhu Shangbiao was the first to turn back to Yu Qing, surprised, "There's another space behind this?"

Tie Miaqing and Sun Ping also confirmed it. The cave wall was only about a foot thick, and there was indeed a void behind it.

Yu Qing said, "There's a passage leading to the outside. Breaking through the wall should allow us to escape."

Zhu Shangbiao was skeptical, "Are you sure it's a passage and not a sealed space?"

Yu Qing rolled his eyes, "You're really something. Show me a sealed space with an airflow." His confidence was evident now that he was in a safe position.

"..." Zhu Shangbiao was speechless, understanding something.

Sun Ping pulled him aside and asked, "Should we break through directly?"

Yu Qing sighed, "We have no choice but to break through. Let's do it and get out of here as soon as possible."

Sun Ping immediately pressed his palm against the cave wall, used his power, and pushed hard, causing the wall to collapse with controlled noise.

Dust and smoke immediately blew toward everyone from the dark side. Xu Bo and Chong'er, who couldn't use their powers to resist, were covered in dust.

The airflow coming through was now a gentle breeze.

Zhu Shangbiao jumped to the other side, holding a torch to look around, and said with a hint of joy, "It's a passage, there's definitely a passage here!"

Yu Qing was not surprised at all. He had discovered this passage by chance, which was why he had taken his time dealing with Cheng Shanping. The people outside would be dealt with by Miaqing Hall, and he had a way out.

"There are obvious signs of digging, it was made by someone. I never thought there would be another passage just a wall away. We've been here several times and never noticed it. The people who dug it probably didn't know either."

Zhu Shangbiao was excitedly talking on the other side.

Sun Ping and Tie Miaqing exchanged glances, finally understanding why Yu Qing had asked them to bring a tree into the tunnel—to buy more time for their escape.

Yu Qing gestured for Xu Bo and Chong'er to come over, always remembering to take them along. The group immediately switched to the underground passage...

A band of evening clouds stretched across half the sky, the dark clouds vivid and beautiful.

Beside the official road that crossed the mountains, a large post station was bustling with the arrival of the examination team from Lizhou. People and horses were settling in, and items were being moved, creating a lively scene.

The soldiers were still setting up, and the candidates, who had found their rooms, were coming out in groups to enjoy the scenery.

It had to be said that the scenery along the ancient tomb and wasteland was quite beautiful.

When the team was attacked, the candidates were so frightened that they didn't dare to go out anywhere. It took several days for them to calm down, and with the reassurance of the officials sent by the court, they finally felt alive again.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing burning paper by the stables? What if you set the hay on fire? Do you want to burn down the whole post station?"

A group of candidates was burning paper by the stables. The post station staff were terrified, suspecting the candidates had gone mad, and rushed over to scold them.

The fire was quickly put out, and the candidates were covered in soot. Some officials also came to ask what was happening and questioned why the candidates were setting fires.

The candidates quickly explained that they were not setting fires but mourning the dead candidates.

In the past few days, as everyone calmed down, Su Yingtao, Fang Wenxian, Zhang Manqu, and Pan Wenqing had a sudden idea and pushed for Zhan Mochun to lead the effort, calling on the candidates to write eulogies for the dead. The four became Zhan Mochun's assistants in this matter.

So, during the day, the candidates would think of poems to mourn, and at night, they would write them down and give them to the five led by Zhan Mochun, who would then burn them as offerings to the spirits.

This had been quite meaningful over the past few days, but the rough staff of the post station, not understanding the sentiment, shouted and disrupted the scene, making everyone feel embarrassed and disgraced.

The officials who came to inquire thought it was a refined activity and did not criticize them. They only said that the group had been negligent and should have stopped the burning of the eulogies, suggesting they do it in a more appropriate place and asking the post station staff to show them a suitable spot.

So, the group moved to a fence near the main gate, and the post station staff brought them a fire basin.

"Brother Zhan, look, this is another eulogy for Brother Xu Bo. The sorrow in the words is truly touching."

Pan Wenqing handed the eulogy he had read to Zhan Mochun for his evaluation.

Since the eulogies started, there were more expressions of remembrance for Xu Bo.

Not all of them were genuine. With so many candidates, it was impossible to know everyone well. Xu Bo had stood out, and everyone had noticed him, making it easier to write about him. How could they write about the others who left no impression?

Moreover, he was the top candidate chosen by the Prefect. If they wanted to pursue a career in government, they had to show respect for the Prefect's judgment.

Of course, many also genuinely felt that Xu Bo's death was a pity. He had a promising future, but it was cut short, making people sigh at the cruelty of fate.

Among the candidates, Zhan Mochun had the most complex feelings about Xu Bo. Xu Bo had outshone him in a word puzzle, and the Prefect's favor had clearly shifted to Xu Bo, which was not a pleasant feeling.

Now that Xu Bo was dead, all the unpleasantness had become a thing of the past, and he had the grace to nod and sigh as he read the eulogy, "Heaven did not grant him a long life, heaven did not grant him a long life!"

"Brother Xu... Xu... Xu..."

Su Yingtao, with a bandage on his head from a stone injury, was about to agree when he heard the sound of hooves outside. He glanced out and his eyes widened, his words faltering.

Five riders galloped in, none other than Yu Qing and Tie Miaqing's group, arriving with the dust of the journey.

After crossing the ancient tomb and wasteland to the official road, they found a post station, paid a large sum for horses, and rode non-stop, changing horses at each station, finally arriving just before the examination team left the wasteland.

It wasn't just about catching up with the examination team; Tie Miaqing and the others were also eager to escape. By now, Jianyuan Hall must have discovered that Cheng Shanping was dead.

Outside the post station gate, the five riders pulled to a stop. Chong'er and Yu Qing were on the same horse, with Chong'er holding onto Yu Qing's back during the bumpy ride.

There was a reason for this. Chong'er couldn't ride, and it was inappropriate for Sun Ping and Tie Miaqing to ride with her. The people from Miaqing Hall had no reason to ride with her either. Logically, Xu Bo's servant should have been Xu Bo's responsibility, but Xu Bo was large, and the horses were already struggling with his weight, let alone an additional person.

To save time and avoid accidents, Yu Qing unhesitatingly took Chong'er with him.

Chong'er felt that Master Shiheng was a good person and didn't find the bumpy ride tiring.