Chapter 458: How to get out?

Tuan Tuan also heard it: "Big brother, is there another river ahead?"

Xiao Ningyuan felt startled and uncertain, good heavens, nothing can be seen here; if he were to step into empty space……

"I don't know either, be good, you must hold on tight to me."

"Mm-hmm." Tuan Tuan clenched her brother's collar.

Xiao Ningyuan's steps grew ever more cautious; as they walked on, the sound of water ahead became clearer.

He suddenly realized: "Tuan Tuan, the water noise is so loud, why do I feel my feet aren't wet at all?"

He felt the stone walls on both sides: "The walls aren't wet either."

Tuan Tuan stamped her little foot: "Mine too, big brother—where is the water?"

Xiao Ningyuan shook his head, walked on a while longer, and suddenly the cave became higher and more spacious.

He finally could straighten his waist: "Ah, at last I can stand upright—how comfortable!"

Tuan Tuan hurriedly raised her two little fists and lightly pounded his waist: "Big brother, does it hurt?"

Xiao Ningyuan felt warm in his heart; his sister was truly kind!

"Brother's fine." He took his sister's little hand: "Come, let's walk together."

"That mark only appears at forks; brother feels this side, you feel that side—if there's no fork ahead, we don't need to look for the mark anymore."

They walked on for about another half an hour.

"Big brother!" Tuan Tuan raised her hand and pointed forward; a long‑absent light flickered at the cave mouth: "It's bright ahead!"

Xiao Ningyuan exhaled a long breath: "Finally we've finished this Jiang Yong."

The two hurried forward, but as they reached the cave mouth they both stopped in their tracks.

There really was a river right in front of them!

In the rock walls on both banks of the riverbed were embedded large stretches of glowing stone; the river water, illuminated by the surrounding glow, shimmered rippling and was exceptionally beautiful.

Tuan Tuan loved shiny things: "Big brother, look—those are the little glowing stones we saw in the tomb, right? There are lots of them here!"

"Yes," Xiao Ningyuan pulled his sister back a bit, "but we can't get out."

Their feet were nearly two zhang above the riverbank—this cave mouth was actually suspended in midair!

After great effort they had walked out, only to find themselves hanging in empty space!

Tuan Tuan sighed: "If Second Uncle and Seventh Uncle were here, they'd know lightness skill and could swoop down in an instant."

Xiao Ningyuan had never liked martial arts since childhood, so he had no lightness skill at all; hearing this, his face fell a little: "Cough, Tuan Tuan, it's so high here that even if they were here it wouldn't help."

"Really?" Tuan Tuan tilted her head, "It seems possible."

Xiao Ningyuan pretended not to hear, crouched and peered downward; the stone walls were almost vertical, with no place to set a foot.

He examined both sides more carefully—same result—and couldn't help sighing: "Even if there were a tree or a vine, being able to climb down would be nice."

He pulled his sister into his arms, leaned against the stone wall and sat down: "Forget it, we might as well rest a while."

"All right," Tuan Tuan nestled comfortably in her brother's embrace: "Big brother, is it day or night outside now?"

Xiao Ningyuan shook his head: "I don't know either; we arrived here in the early morning, then lingered outside a while before coming in, so it should be dark by now."

Tuan Tuan gazed at the sparkling glowstones: "Big brother, those little stones are so pretty—can we take some when we leave? I want to bring them back to give to Xiao Yueyue."

"Sure, take as many as you like, but we first need to figure out how to get down."

Tuan Tuan looked around: "But there's nothing here at all, big brother."

Xiao Ningyuan held his sister, gently patting her back: "Yeah, don't think about it now—are you tired?"

"I'm tired, my legs are sore!"

"Come, let brother rub it for you." Xiao Ningyuan adjusted his posture, placed his big hand on Tuan Tuan's knee and pressed gently: "If you're tired, close your eyes for a bit and rest well—since we can't get out anyway."

"Big brother will tell you about the fun things I encountered on my trading trips over the years—okay?"

"Sure."

"Once, I went to Jiangnan to buy a batch of silk…" He recounted his interesting experiences as he spoke, recalling them while telling his sister.

Xiao Ningyuan spoke while keeping an eye on the little dumpling in his arms.

Tuan Tuan replied intermittently, her voice growing softer and softer.

Xiao Ningyuan felt a pang of sympathy; he knew his sister was actually quite exhausted, yet she was pushing herself to keep him company—truly sensible and thoughtful.

His voice grew even softer: "Go to sleep for a while, brother is here."

"I still want to listen," Tuan Tuan shook her head, but her little head kept nodding; eventually she tilted her head and fell asleep against his chest.

All along the way Xiao Ningyuan had also become very weary, and his sister, like a big sleepy bug, lay sweetly asleep in his arms; not long after, he could no longer hold out, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

After who knows how long, a little hand slapped his face: "Big brother, look! Water! The water is climbing up!"

Xiao Ningyuan jerked his eyes open and turned his head—only to see the river water already right before his eyes!

He shook his head, for a moment still thinking he was dreaming,

Tuan Tuan cheered: "Big brother, the river water has come to fetch us!"

Xiao Ningyuan sprang up, shook off his daze, overjoyed: "It must be the tide rising! Only then would the river come this close!"

"Tuan Tuan, do you have any way to cross the water?"

Tuan Tuan thought for a moment, lowered her head to untie the embroidered pouch, rummaged inside, and pulled out a broken piece of wood.

She cried out: "Whatever you are in the river, take us out!"

Having said that, she let go of her little hand; a faint light flashed, and the wood vanished.

The next moment.

"Whoosh!"

The river surface rippled in a circle; a wholly translucent white little fish leapt out lightly, with a "plop" fell back into the water, scattering fine droplets.

Immediately after, a second, third fish… more and more little fish rose from the deep water.

They swam lightly on the water surface, their silver-white scales flashing in the dim glow of the fluorite, like a flowing galaxy of stars in the night.

"Little fish!" Tuan Tuan's eyes lit up instantly, she waved at the fish in the river, "It's you guys!"

A fish leapt upward, almost touching the cave rim, and in the air it playfully flicked its tail at Tuan Tuan, as if happily responding to her.

Xiao Ningyuan stared wide-eyed; it turned out these fish were the ones that had entered via the Jade River's waters here.

But aren't fish supposed to be stupid? Could it be that they actually still remember Tuan Tuan?

Tuan Tuan tilted her head: "Little fish, little fish, we want to get out; can you help us?"

As her words fell, the fish began to gather in the same direction, their bodies pressing together, head to tail, once again forming that shimmering floating bridge in the water.

This time, however, it wasn't reaching the opposite shore, but was formed in the water.

But the fish were few in number, so that floating bridge extended only a short segment before stopping abruptly; ahead remained the deep, flowing river.

"This... this..." Xiao Ningyuan gazed at that solitary stretch of fish bridge in the water, brows furrowed, "Only this segment—how are we supposed to cross?"