The morning mist had not yet dispersed, and Ye Fan's boot soles were already stained with dew. He walked at the very front, the Demon-Breaking Pill in his palm pressed close to his heart through the fabric, still carrying the lingering warmth of the Heavenly Wood Bud dew that had soaked it just moments ago. Behind him, the footsteps of the four women were so light as to be nearly inaudible—as Lin Zhaoyue's sword tassel brushed against a rocky ridge, Chǔ Hóngzhūang's Silver Gu suddenly darted out from her sleeve, circled three times above everyone's heads, and then zipped right back into the young woman's cuff with a soft whish.
"There's a natural karst cave thirty paces ahead to the left." Qín Wǎnshuāng's voice was low, the divination symbols on her fingertips having just burned char marks into the beast blood. "The cave is seven zhang deep, with an underground river leading straight into the mountain's core. It's suitable for a temporary hideout."
Ye Fan turned his head slightly and saw that the jade crown in her hair was crooked by half an inch—when the blood-scaled beast had lashed its tail earlier, the formation flags had been tossed to the verge of being torn from her grip, and the Eldest Princess, disguised in men's clothing, still had tips of her ears flushed red. He said nothing, merely lifting his chin slightly, and the group followed Qín Wǎnshuāng's guidance right into the folds of the mountain cliff.
Chapter 322