Chapter 749: Arrival

Chapter 749: Arrival

Time flew inside the cave.

During the day, Xingxing would head to the grove in the central courtyard to dig for wild vegetables, gather mushrooms, or search for other edible or useful items. She even managed to unearth several wild yams in the forest.

Meanwhile, Wei Shiyan fished by the icy pool.

Xingxing came up with various ways to cook the fish. The flesh of the icy pool fish was tender and delicious, and after eating it for several days, she swore her skin had become noticeably softer.

Through careful observation, Xingxing noticed that Wei Shiyan’s injured leg was healing unusually fast. Besides his natural resilience, it was probably also due to the high nutritional value of the fish.

So, Xingxing and Wei Shiyan spent their days beside the icy pool, catching fish together.

The icy pool had remained untouched by humans for generations, allowing the fish population to flourish.

Xingxing crushed wild herbs and plants collected from the woods to make bait, tossing large amounts into the water to attract swarms of fish. Armed with sharpened sticks, she and Wei Shiyan skillfully skewered them, easily catching dozens in a short time.

Using dry branches gathered from the forest, Xingxing lit a smoky fire to cure the fish without salt, preserving them as smoked fish for future consumption.

They continued this routine for several days. When there was just one tally mark left to complete the second "正" character on the wall, their luck finally turned.

At that moment, Xingxing was chatting with Wei Shiyan by the icy pool when he suddenly frowned, pulling her behind him. They hid behind a large boulder, Wei Shiyan drawing his sword and cautiously staring toward the cave’s ceiling entrance.

Xingxing saw a rope slowly descending from the opening above.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Had they been followed?

The question was—were they friend or foe?

Her hand instinctively moved to her waist.

She still had some knockout powder wrapped in oiled paper, kept dry and ready for use.

Inside the cave, wind direction wasn’t an issue. A well-thrown handful of the powder could easily incapacitate a group of people.

As Xingxing braced herself, shuffling sounds came from above, and a figure slid down the rope.

Before the person even landed, Xingxing’s eyes widened in recognition.

The man was unshaven, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly exhausted and worn out.

He had lost weight, his clothes hanging loosely on his thin frame.

Yet, Xingxing recognized him immediately.

“It’s my fourth brother!”

She whispered excitedly to Wei Shiyan.

Wei Shiyan gave a slight nod.

Overcome with joy, Xingxing rushed out. “Fourth Brother!”

...

Yu Yonggui didn’t want to think about how he had endured the past few days. Draining his last reserves, he had mobilized every available Chaoyang Tower agent in the southwest region, relentlessly tracking Xingxing’s whereabouts.

They painstakingly carved out footholds along the cliff face, then lowered ropes to continue descending further.

The task was enormous, and due to the treacherous terrain, progress crawled at a snail's pace.

After many days, Yu Yonggui and his team finally made their way down to this area.

When he discovered the cave entrance, Yu Yonggui, who had been on the verge of despair, felt the faintest spark of hope.

He personally tied the rope, had his team anchor it above, and descended into the cave.

Having just come from the bright sunlight outside, Yu Yonggui’s vision hadn’t yet adjusted to the darkness of the cave when he heard a familiar, sweet voice—echoing yet angelic—through the cavern: "Fourth Brother!"

Yu Yonggui’s heart hammered in his chest!

He feared it might be a hallucination!

Still dangling from the rope, he frantically looked around.

Afraid he wouldn’t see her, Xingxing bounced on her toes, waving her small hands. "Fourth Brother! I’m down here! Here, here!"

Finally, Yu Yonggui spotted her—his little sister, alive and well, jumping and waving at him from below!

Forgetting all caution, he shimmied recklessly down the rope, leaping off before he even reached the ground.

"Xingxing!" Yu Yonggui rushed to her, clutching her shoulders as he examined her from head to toe, laughing through tears. "You’re unharmed! You’re really unharmed!"

His eyes burned with unshed tears of relief.

Xingxing was safe!

Xingxing was alive!

He had finally found her!

Xingxing’s eyes also welled up. "Fourth Brother! Are you sick or something? You look like death warmed over!"

She reached to check his pulse, but Yu Yonggui chuckled. "I’m fine—just worried! Thank goodness you’re safe. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to face the family. They’d probably have my hide!"

As Xingxing and Yu Yonggui talked, Wei Shiyan slowly materialized from the shadows.

Seeing a figure approach, Yu Yonggui instinctively went for the flexible blade at his waist.

But when the face registered, he froze.

He had met Wei Shiyan as a child. Though years had passed, Wei Shiyan’s distinctive features were burned into his memory, and Yu Yonggui still recognized him.

He hesitated, glancing at Xingxing.

Xingxing beamed, nodding vigorously. "Yes, it’s Brother Yan! He’s here too!"

Yu Yonggui’s brain short-circuited with a thousand questions, leaving him momentarily speechless.

He already knew that "Young Master Shi" from his childhood—that one who lived deep in the mountains—turned out to be the Second Prince of Great Xia, Wei Shiyan.

No way could he still call him "Brother Shi" like he did back then.

…And another thing—had His Highness been holed up alone with their Xingxing in this cave all these days? Had he tried anything with her?!

Yu Yonggui’s mind was reeling.

After a moment's consideration, Yu Yonggui first gave a respectful fist-and-palm salute to Wei Shiyan: "Second Prince."

Wei Shiyan returned the gesture: "Young Master Yu."

Yu Yonggui was genuinely taken aback—Wei Shiyan, who had seemed aloof and unapproachable even as a child, had actually returned his greeting. This startled him greatly.

"Second Prince is too kind," Yu Yonggui said, stepping aside to avoid accepting Wei Shiyan's courtesy.

Meanwhile, a voice floated down from above: "Young Master, is it safe down there?"

In great spirits, Yu Yonggui replied loudly, "Safe. We've found her. Prepare to pull us up."

"Got it!"

Yu Yonggui turned to Xingxing and Wei Shiyan. "This isn't the place to talk. My men are waiting outside—they'll pull us up soon."

Finally able to leave, Xingxing nodded cheerfully. "Alright... but wait, Brother Yu. I need to take some things with me."

Yu Yonggui was momentarily puzzled, unable to think of anything worth taking from the cave.

But having just found Xingxing, if she asked to take something, he'd agree without hesitation—even if she suddenly declared she wanted to sit on the imperial throne, he'd move heaven and earth to figure out how to make it happen.

Yu Yonggui immediately agreed, "Of course," he said.