Time ticked by, and the sky was nearly dark, yet there was no sign of the cave being dug open.
Moreover, the stones in this cave seemed loose; as they dug at the base, stones from above would tumble down.
It was incredibly frustrating.
Just as everyone was deeply worried, Liu Baixue arrived. She had brought bodyguards from their Lingjian Villa, and accompanying her was Zhao Yue. He, having observed the slow progress with the cave and recalling the might of Lingjian Villa, had rushed to the villa to ask Liu Baixue for assistance.
As soon as Liu Baixue arrived, she asked worriedly, "How is the situation now?"
The Sun Clan members had all met Liu Baixue before, so they recognized her as Zhao Zhitong's good friend and quickly updated her.
Liu Baixue nodded; the situation was much as Zhao Yue had described to her earlier.
Without hesitation, she ordered her subordinates to fully cooperate with any instructions from Song Renying.
She then comforted Sun Kang, "Uncle, please don't worry. I'm sure everything will be fine."
Sun Kang, his face full of gratitude, said, "Miss Liu, thank you for coming to help. We've really troubled you by calling you here."
Liu Baixue replied, "Uncle, you're too kind. It's no trouble at all. Tongtong is my best friend. When she's in danger, how could I possibly stand by idly? You should have sent Zhao Yue to Lingjian Villa to find me immediately. With more hands, we can rescue Tongtong sooner."
「 」
The addition of Lingjian Villa's forces was a great help.
At this, Zhao Yu, who had been on edge all day, finally breathed a small sigh of relief with Liu Baixue's arrival.
Zhao Yu said, "Miss Liu, thank you for coming to help."
Liu Baixue was, as always, dressed in a simple, elegant gown. She was tall and graceful, her demeanor exuding a cool aloofness, yet her smile was filled with gentleness.
This was the beauty Zhao Zhitong often spoke of, praising her to the skies.
Her beauty possessed a greater sense of cool detachment and distance than Ding Xiang's. She was like a flower on a high peak—to be admired from afar, but not to be profaned.
Ding Xiang's beauty, in contrast, had more impact; it was stunning and captivating.
This was, in fact, only the second time Zhao Yu had formally met Liu Baixue.
The first time was when he had received a mission from his sect to infiltrate the Liu Clan to investigate something. He was accidentally discovered and, by a stroke of luck, blundered into Liu Baixue's room to hide.
At that moment, she was embroidering. When she looked up, their eyes met.
The panic and screams he had imagined a woman would exhibit upon a strange man bursting in did not occur with Liu Baixue.
She merely looked stunned for a moment, then offered a gentle smile, asked him to close the door properly, and resumed her embroidery.
Zhao Yu stood awkwardly in the room, stammering that he wasn't a bad person.
Liu Baixue, however, didn't ask why he had broken into the Liu Clan or why he was being pursued by its servants. Instead, she even helped him send away the servants who came looking.
Afterward, she pointed to the wild goose she was embroidering and asked him what he thought of it.
That counted as their first formal meeting. They had actually seen each other as children, but only glimpses of her back from afar, leaving no particularly strong impression.
Liu Baixue bringing people to rescue Zhao Zhitong this time marked their second formal meeting.
Liu Baixue nodded lightly. "There's no need for such politeness. Tongtong is my friend. Also, you can just call me Bai Xue, and I'll call you Zhao Yu. How about that?"
Zhao Yu often roamed all corners of the country and wasn't one for excessive formalities, so he readily agreed, "Alright. Then just call me by my name."
...
Liu Baixue had mobilized a large group of her subordinates when she left the Liu Mansion. Others in the Liu Clan naturally noticed this, and the first to become aware was Liu Baixue's elder brother, Liu Yian.
After inquiring with Liu Baixue's personal maid, he learned the details. Hearing that his younger sister had actually rushed into the mountains, he grew worried and came as well.
Upon arrival, he saw his sister speaking with a young man. He couldn't help but glance at the man a few more times before calling out, "Bai Xue."
Liu Baixue turned and saw her elder brother. "Huh? Brother, what are you doing here?"
Liu Yian approached and said reproachfully, "You're well aware of your health. Why did you rush into the mountains by yourself? You could have told me, and I would have brought people. Did you absolutely have to come yourself?"
Liu Baixue replied, "Brother, you're being overly cautious. I'm perfectly fine now; I can go out. Besides, Tongtong is in danger. How could I possibly sit still?"
Liu Yian sighed helplessly. He knew Zhao Zhitong was his sister's friend and was also aware of his sister's temperament—gentle on the surface, but incredibly stubborn underneath. Thus, he didn't press further.
Instead, he surveyed the surroundings and then exclaimed in surprise, "Is this the cave?"
Liu Baixue nodded. "Mm-hmm, this is it. It's already dark now. I wonder how Tongtong and the others are doing, whether they're hungry or thirsty."
Liu Yian, however, suddenly burst out laughing. "Hey, if it's this cave, why are you all going to such lengths to dig? This cave has a secret passage that leads directly to the other side of the mountain! While you're all toiling away here, who knows? Maybe those two have already found the exit and gotten out."
At these words, everyone present was first stunned, then overcome with delighted surprise.
Liu Baixue was particularly astonished. "Brother, how do you know this?"
She knew her brother well; he wasn't the type to enjoy leisurely excursions, so it was unlikely he'd know about this cave.
Liu Yian, however, replied nonchalantly, "Little sister, you wouldn't know. This cave was originally dug by the ancestors of our Lingjian Villa to evade enemies. It's just been abandoned for a long time and hasn't been used. I also only heard about it recently from our uncle."
Zhao Yu, standing nearby, became entirely thrilled and said repeatedly, "That's wonderful! Young Master, do you know the way to the other exit? Might I trouble you to lead the way?"
Liu Yian replied magnanimously, "Naturally! My younger sister's friend is my friend too!"
With Liu Yian's agreement to lead the way, the matter was settled.
Because it was now dark and the mountain paths were treacherous, Song Renying was persuaded by Magistrate Han and Zhao Yue to return. Sun Kang also went home, supported by Sun Daji, to wait.
Liu Yian was reluctant for Liu Baixue to go, but she insisted. She needed to see Zhao Zhitong safe with her own eyes to be at ease.
Helpless, Liu Yian could only drape the cloak he had brought with him over Liu Baixue before saying, "Fine, you can go. But you must be careful. Don't use your internal energy rashly, understand?"
With the instructions given, Magistrate Han led the Yamen clerks, and Liu Yian led the Liu Mansion's servants. The group set off towards the exit on the far side of the mountain.
Zhao Yu and Zhao Yue naturally followed.
Uncle Sun Youli and cousin Sun Daqing also accompanied them. Seeing this, Ding Xiang also said she wanted to go. As she was a delicate woman, they had intended for her to wait at home.
However, she said she was worried for the safety of Zhao Zhitong and her companion, so they allowed her to accompany them.
By the time the group entered the mountain forest, the sky had completely darkened. Fortunately, the moonlight was bright that night, and they all carried torches. Most of them were martial artists, so traversing the terrain wouldn't be too problematic.