Chapter 68: Escaping the Cave, a Mesmerizing Kiss

Love is the most unpredictable of all—sometimes painful, sometimes sweet, sometimes joyful, and sometimes sorrowful. (Gu Long)
……
Time passed slowly, and the food in the room dwindled bit by bit. Death was gradually approaching the two of them.
Liu Yi stared at the giant statue, seemingly lost in thought, while July watched Liu Yi, also deep in thought. The entire room was eerily quiet!
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Liu Yi’s mind: “Since the owner of this room hid the divine sword here, he must have left a way out. Otherwise, even if someone gets the sword, what’s the use if they can’t escape?”
Liu Yi exclaimed, “That’s not right. There must be a way out of this room.”
July was surprised and asked, “Why? I’ve searched everywhere. There’s nothing strange here, no traps either.”
Liu Yi shook his head. “That can’t be. Since he hid the sword here, he surely wouldn’t let the person destined to find it die of hunger. There must be a way out.”
Hope seemed to appear in July’s eyes as she nodded. “That makes sense. But where is that way out?”
Liu Yi stood up and examined the torches around them—nothing unusual. With so few items in the room, the most mysterious part was probably the statue.
He walked to the table beneath the statue and stopped, observing carefully…
The statue appeared to depict an old man, his right hand stretched out normally, but what about his left hand? It was hidden behind his back… Liu Yi quickly checked behind the statue and indeed found the left hand there, with a dark red jade piece on it. He was shocked—how could there be a fourth jade piece here?
He reached out and took the jade piece, then without hesitation, removed the three jade pieces already fused around his neck. Upon closer comparison, it matched exactly the one he had on him.
But Liu Yi didn’t rush to fuse them together. Perhaps this fan-shaped red jade could be the key to some mechanism. If fused, even if there was a way out, escaping would be difficult.
Liu Yi stepped out from behind the statue, holding the last red jade piece, and said to July, “I found it behind. Let’s search more carefully—maybe there’s a hole or something of this size nearby.”
July looked at the dark red jade in Liu Yi’s hand and said, “You mean… this red jade might be the key to a way out?”
Liu Yi nodded. “It’s possible. I’m just guessing. Let’s keep looking.”
Thus, driven by hope, the two began searching for survival…
Days passed, and the food ran out. Only some wine remained. Liu Yi and July sat weakly against the wall. July said helplessly, “We’ve searched everywhere. There’s nothing. Maybe we’re doomed to die here.”
Liu Yi shook his head. “That’s not true. There must be a way out. Otherwise, why would he hide the divine sword here?”

Liu Yi stared intently at the statue. Suddenly, he noticed that the statue’s right hand was still raised horizontally, an action that seemed inherently awkward. The more he watched, the more strange it appeared. Liu Yi stepped closer. Though extremely hungry, his survival instinct made him refuse to give up any chance to escape.

Standing on the table, he looked at the palm of the statue’s right hand. Because the statue was very tall, Liu Yi had to lift his foot to see. In his haste, his foot slipped, and he nearly fell. He quickly grabbed the palm of the right hand, hearing a “crack” — seemingly the sound of stone rubbing against stone.

Managing to steady himself, Liu Yi observed that the statue’s right hand was beginning to sink downward. An idea struck him: perhaps the arm of the statue was the mechanism here. So, he used all his strength to pull down the statue’s right hand… With another “crack,” the hand indeed moved. Gradually, Liu Yi pulled the statue’s right hand down until it was perpendicular to the body.

At that moment, the ground trembled violently, as if it might collapse. Liu Yi jumped off the stone table quickly to maintain his balance and avoid falling. Meanwhile, July also stood up and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Liu Yi shook his head and said, “I don’t know. Maybe I triggered some mechanism.”

Just then, the shaking stopped. Next to the statue, a door two zhang wide and one zhang high appeared. Liu Yi exclaimed in delight, “Look! Look! There’s a door!”

July nodded and said, “Let’s go in and take a look. It might be another secret chamber.” With that, he picked up “Dance Moon” and headed inside.

Liu Yi also turned and walked toward the door…

However, this door didn’t lead to any secret chamber. It seemed to be a cave. The deeper they went, the darker it became. Suddenly, a breeze blew in, carrying the scent of flowers.

Liu Yi said quickly, “This is the exit. The wind just now came from outside.” Logically, he deduced that this cave was likely the exit.

July nodded after hearing this.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, suddenly everything went dark. Then, they emerged into a vast expanse. The two finally left the cave. The mountain was still towering, the wind was still gentle, and the moon still hung high in the sky…

Liu Yi looked around, his emotions surging so intensely that he couldn’t speak. After being trapped in that hellish stone chamber for so many days, he was finally free — feeling as relieved as a canary set free.

July looked at Liu Yi and said excitedly, “We’re not dead! We’ve actually made it out alive. There really is an exit.”

Liu Yi nodded eagerly and said, “But we fell so deep. Why are we still here when we get out?”

July replied, “Maybe it was some kind of formation. Falling down was just an illusion.”

Suddenly, Liu Yi shouted, “Don’t move!”

July froze and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Liu Yi carefully walked over, crouched down beside July, and reached out with both hands. But it was still too late. The green light suddenly flew up, and as Liu Yi reached out, countless green lights on the ground were startled into flying up as well…

July turned around, widened her eyes, and exclaimed in surprise, “What is this? So many! It’s so beautiful.”
Liu Yi also looked up and said, “Yes, it must be fireflies. So many, so beautiful.”
The two were silently captivated by the countless fireflies. Without knowing which one, one flew into Liu Yi’s field of vision and also into July’s eyes. As the firefly flew by, their eyes met tightly…
July slowly stepped forward and said softly, “I think we should part ways here.”
Liu Yi nodded and said, “Mm-hm. You have your own things to do, and I need to go find my friends and Jili.”
At that moment, July heard footsteps—urgent voices, seemingly from four or five people. Perhaps they were her friends, waiting for her outside. Her eyes shifted slightly, and an idea of revenge crossed her mind.
Liu Yi seemed to notice nothing amiss, but July spoke up, “I think you should promise me one thing.”
Liu Yi nodded and asked, “What is it? Just say it.”
July calmly said, “I want you to kiss me. Is that okay?”
Liu Yi stepped back abruptly…
At that moment, July stepped forward… The two embraced, their lips pressing tightly together. Liu Yi’s eyes seemed to widen to the greatest extent in his life. The feeling… was indescribable.
In that instant, it seemed as if the world had stopped. That moment became eternal for the two—a gentle kiss, forever.
The countless green lights surrounding the embracing couple gave off a dreamy sensation…
Just then, Liu Yi heard a familiar voice, “No…”
Liu Yi pushed July away violently and turned around. Behind him stood King of the Great Sword, One of the Ten Heroes, Wolf King, Ah Jiu, and another figure gradually running away. Although it was dark, Liu Yi was sure it was Jili, the one who had made the sound.
Without hesitation, Liu Yi turned and chased after Jili…
King of the Great Sword and the others still seemed dazed, staring at July standing amidst the countless green lights.
July watched Liu Yi run away and disappear, then said softly, “Why didn’t you tell me that falling in love is this painful!”
Part 1, Volume 5: Ambition Amidst Sorrow