Chapter 142: Pouring Out the Heart

"Hoo... hoo." Li Sanjian half-knelt on the ground, panting heavily. A deep sense of nausea and aversion welled up in his chest, making him want to vomit.

The distance between the two peaks was actually only about a hundred paces, but crossing this precipitous cliff felt to Li Sanjian as if he had traversed thousands of mountains and rivers, leaving him feeling profoundly wretched.

"Are... are you alright?" Seeing this, Cai Rongxue hurried over to support him and asked.

Cai Rongxue, by contrast, seemed far less distressed, acting almost as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. This made Li Sanjian secretly admire the seemingly delicate and timid young woman.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, your brother is quite all right." With Cai Rongxue supporting him, Li Sanjian stood up and smiled.

Having shared such perilous trials together, a slight sense of intimacy now felt entirely natural between them, making them much less reserved, though neither of them consciously realized it.

"Are you truly alright?" Cai Rongxue asked with concern.

"Truly fine, don't worry." Li Sanjian glanced at Cai Rongxue and suddenly couldn't help but chuckle.

Cai Rongxue was currently wearing only a long dress, the hem below her knees having been torn away by Li Sanjian, while the rest of her garments remained on the other side of the cliff. Yet, she was still wearing her veil, which looked rather comical.

Li Sanjian could not understand her persistence; could she possibly wear a veil for the rest of her life?

"What are you laughing at?" Feeling completely ill at ease under his gaze, Cai Rongxue gave Li Sanjian a playful shove and rebuked him softly.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Li Sanjian struggled to suppress his laughter and said, "Let's hurry along. If those scoundrels catch up to us, we'll be in grave danger."

*Does she wear her veil even when she is in bed?* The thought suddenly popped into Li Sanjian's mind, making him feel exceptionally vulgar...

"Mm." Cai Rongxue nodded and asked, "What are your plans? How are we supposed to get down the mountain?"

"What plans could I possibly have?" Li Sanjian shook his head. "We can only take it one step at a time and see if there's a path down ahead."

Although Li Sanjian and the others had temporarily shaken off their pursuers and escaped immediate danger, he had no idea what lay ahead. Perhaps the terrain further down was even more perilous; everything ahead remained completely unknown.

The most crucial task right now was to find something to eat.

Li Sanjian and Cai Rongxue had been through turmoil for the better part of a day without a single grain of food or drop of water entering their stomachs, leaving both of them desperately hungry and thirsty. At the same time, if they couldn't quickly find a way down the mountain, they had to prepare themselves for the possibility of being trapped here, in which case a lack of food and water would be fatal.

"Are you cold?" As a mountain breeze swept past, Li Sanjian noticed Cai Rongxue shiver and asked.

"Cold, how could I not be cold?" Cai Rongxue covered her mouth with a soft chuckle at his words. "Yet... yet do you have any way to find some clothes for me?"

Without realizing it, Cai Rongxue was laughing again. She had laughed more in Li Sanjian's company than she had in her entire life, though she remained completely oblivious to it.

"Yes, the young lady is right. I am completely helpless at the moment. Let's move quickly; once we find a path down the mountain, we'll find a solution," Li Sanjian nodded and said.

If Li Sanjian had more clothing to spare, he could have taken off an outer layer and draped it over Cai Rongxue, but at this point, he was left in only his undergarments. Surely he couldn't strip down to nothing in front of Cai Rongxue? Li Sanjian thought to himself.

After passing the "Ghost-Fear Cliff," the mountain path became relatively flat and spacious, making it much easier to travel. However, both sides of the path remained towering abysses flanked by sheer precipices. Looking out, it seemed as though they were walking across a series of knife-blade mountains, with no apparent path for the two of them to descend. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and push forward.

"There's a cave entrance ahead." Walking hand in hand, Li Sanjian and Cai Rongxue soon arrived in front of a mountain cavern. Seeing it, Li Sanjian said with a joyful tone.

Was there actually a way down inside the cave? What were the conditions like within? Li Sanjian had no idea about any of this. Still, the cavern represented a shred of hope for them because the rock walls on both sides were sheer and steep, leaving them with nowhere else to go.

Yet, as Li Sanjian and Cai Rongxue drew closer to the cavern, they exchanged glances, their faces turning pale with dismay.

The cave entrance was extremely narrow and flat, wide enough for only a third of a person's body; anyone wishing to enter would have to crawl. Moreover, water constantly dripped from the top of the opening, pattering down near the mouth to form a curtain of water that cascaded below, pooling into a small stream.

The interior of the cave was pitch black. Peering inside from the entrance, Li Sanjian could not catch a single glimmer of light.

Human beings were naturally afraid of the dark, and Li Sanjian and Cai Rongxue were no exception.

With a look of apprehension on his face, Li Sanjian exchanged a glance with Cai Rongxue and asked, "Shall we go in?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Sanjian felt it was a rather foolish question. Things had reached this pass; what else could they do? They had only to grit their teeth and venture inside... As for the outcome, it would be entirely left to the mercy of heaven, Li Sanjian thought to himself.

"Wherever you go, I go." Cai Rongxue was surprisingly resolute, pressing her lips together and answering in a low voice.

Li Sanjian nodded, reached out to feel inside his tunic, and looked around to see if there was anything that could be used to spark a fire.

Entering the cave required a guiding light; otherwise, in total darkness, who knew where they might crawl?

However, the surroundings were covered in damp trees and wild grass, without even a patch of dry leaves to be found. Where could they possibly obtain tinder? Fortunately, the flint and steel striker tucked inside Li Sanjian's tunic were still there and hadn't been lost, which meant they would at least have a tiny spark of light.

"Is your small knife still on you?" Li Sanjian then asked Cai Rongxue.

Hearing this, Cai Rongxue nodded, retrieved the small knife she kept concealed next to her body, and handed it to Li Sanjian.

It was an exquisite little blade of exceptionally elegant design. The scabbard was handcrafted from silver, while the hilt was carved from wild boxwood. The scabbard and hilt were adorned with motifs of golden toads, ribbon ribbons, and osmanthus branches, crafted with extraordinary delicacy and featuring smooth, graceful patterns.

The moment Li Sanjian removed the scabbard, he felt a piercing chill emanate from the blade, sending a shudder through his body.

"A fine blade! What is its name?" Li Sanjian asked, turning the small knife over in his hands.

"It is called 'Jade-Breaker'. It was left to me by my... my mother," Cai Rongxue whispered.

"Truly a blade that cuts gold and jade as if they were mud." As soon as Li Sanjian brought "Jade-Breaker" close to the hem of his garment, it seemed the edge didn't even need to touch the fabric for a piece to be cleanly severed.

"Miss Cai, you are the descendant of a noble and prominent family. Why do you carry such a sharp blade on your person?" Li Sanjian asked casually as he used the scrap of fabric cut by "Jade-Breaker" to wrap up the flint and steel before tucking them back into his tunic.

Cai Rongxue shook her head, lowering her gaze in silence.

"Hehe." Seeing that Cai Rongxue was unwilling to answer, Li Sanjian knew better than to press further. He stood up, patted the flint and steel hidden in his tunic, and smiled at Cai Rongxue. "I will go ahead to scout the way first. You must only enter when I tell you to. Otherwise, do not act rashly under any circumstances. If... if things truly come to the worst..."

Li Sanjian trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Could he possibly ask her to return and face the humiliation of those villains once more?

Cai Rongxue nodded.

*If anything happens to you, I will certainly not live alone,* Cai Rongxue thought to herself.

Li Sanjian nodded, then dropped down in front of the water curtain and reached a hand inside. It seemed the entrance had only a thin veil of water, while the interior of the cave was free of dripping water and appeared rather dry.

Li Sanjian cast a glance at Cai Rongxue, took a deep breath, and crawled into the cave through the ceaseless patter of water droplets.

Cai Rongxue watched with wide eyes as Li Sanjian crawled into the opening, her heart leaping into her throat. Then, she heard Li Sanjian let out a cry of alarm, immediately followed by a muffled thud from deep within the cave before all fell silent, without the slightest sound remaining.

"You... Li... Master Li... Young Master Li, what... what has happened to you?" Terrified out of her wits, Cai Rongxue pressed herself against the cave entrance and called out with a tearful voice.

Yet no matter how frantically Cai Rongxue called out at the mouth of the cave, there was no response from within, not a single sound. At that moment, the only noise inside and outside the cavern was the sound of Cai Rongxue's own weeping.

"Young Master Li, Young Master Li, what is wrong with you? Speak to me, please! Sob... Young Master Li, won't you say something? This humble girl... this humble girl... Young Master Li, sob, sob..." Cai Rongxue continued to cry out.

Still, there was not the slightest movement from inside the cave.

"Young Master Li, if something happens to you, how am I to face Second Aunt? You... you must not meet with harm! No, I won't allow it..." The more she cried, the more heartbroken Cai Rongxue became, her voice growing louder and louder, yet she still received no reply from the darkness.

Outside, the mountain wind howled, rustling the surrounding leaves and sending a flurry of fallen foliage dancing around the solitary, weeping figure of Cai Rongxue, lending the scene an air of profound desolation.

"Young Master Li, do you know? Ever since we parted ways at the Cai Garden Lantern Festival, I have kept you constantly in my thoughts, yearning for you and hoping against hope that I might be with you... Young Master Li, the person your father arranged for you to marry since childhood is none other than this humble girl. I have always hoped that I might entwine with you like the dodder clinging to the towering tree, hoping to spend our lives together... But you... yet you... Young Master Li, sob, sob..." Believing by now that Li Sanjian had perished, feeling entirely alone in the world, and overwhelmed by heartbreak, Cai Rongxue finally poured out her innermost secrets.

She poured out her sorrowful confession, but the only response she received was the howling mountain wind and the pattering trickle of water at the cave entrance.

"Young Master Li, do you know? This humble girl has already made up her mind in her heart. If anything happens to you, I will never live alone..." After a long while, Cai Rongxue stood up, looked around her, and offered a desolate, bitter smile.

"I would exhaust the splendor of the world, simply to win a single smile from my love! Drunk through a thousand dreams, my whole life dances for you alone!" As Cai Rongxue turned around, she sang softly, while beginning to dance gracefully.

Her graceful, slender silhouette spun in a dance, her raven-black hair swaying as her singing sounded like a weeping, pleading lament—heavenly music that captivated the soul, yet was laced with a profound and heavy sorrow.

"Young Master Li, do you see this? Your concubine dances only for you in this lifetime." With those words, Cai Rongxue flung herself forward into the cave.

The moment Cai Rongxue leaped into the cavern, a cry of shock echoed down from the precipice above, and a white shadow lunged toward the cave entrance, but Cai Rongxue had already vanished into the depths of the cave...