It wouldn't take much longer to find a cave where she could hide and begin cultivating—but what would she do afterward?
"I have nowhere to go. I'd have to find food on my own, and I can't live in this forest forever. It's not only extremely dangerous, but I'm just a small child right now. I can't hunt anything, and even if I wanted to, I could only eat fish—but I can't survive on that alone."
Lin Wuyue thought about it. No matter how tough she had been in her past life, or how strong she truly was inside, right now she desperately wanted to cry.
They had already put a great distance between themselves and that old man. Chen Xi had said that the gas and the liquid would put someone to sleep for an hour—but she had only used the liquid. She had no idea how long it would last.
If I don't hurry, I'll be in serious trouble this time.
"Don't think too much, little one… we're here," the serpent's voice sounded in her mind.
Lin Wuyue looked up. Sure enough, a large cave stood before her. She had nothing to block the entrance, but at least she could rest inside. That would be enough for now.
At last, she let out a sigh of relief and walked into the cave. Thanks to the moonlight, she could vaguely see the interior. The cave was cool and quiet, with a small pool of water inside. It was peaceful—so peaceful she could hear the echo of her own ragged breathing.
She walked over to the small pool and drank until she was satisfied. She felt much better now, but the pain from her broken ribs was still intense. She was just about to remove her clothes to examine her injuries when the serpent suddenly warned her:
"I sense people nearby—many of them. Go deeper into the cave. If you stay there, they won't see you."
Lin Wuyue was immediately irritated. Being dragged from place to place while injured was exhausting, and she was in a terrible mood. Still, she forced herself to move and hurried deeper into the cave.
Just as the serpent had said, voices rang out outside as soon as she reached the back.
"Little Xiao Yue—damn it, where is she? Why did she abandon us like this?"
Lin Wuyue's eyes widened in shock.
Feng Wu?!
"I don't know. According to what Chen Xi told us, he asked her to betray us in exchange for training her—to make her his wife," someone said.
Lin Wuyue rolled her eyes.
When did I ever agree to be his wife? As if I would! Hmph. The only reason I even considered betraying them was for that resurrection liquid.
Of course, she didn't have the courage to say that out loud.
"Xiao Yue would never agree to that," Feng Wu said firmly. "She didn't hesitate to betray him for us. Instead, she ran away. She was supposed to steal the resurrection liquid from us, but she didn't. We don't even have it."
Lin Wuyue silently applauded Feng Wu in her mind.
"Either way, we have to find her," Lin Yuan said coldly. "Whether she betrayed us or not doesn't matter. We can't leave her behind."
Lin Wuyue's body stiffened.
Why do these people keep coming after me again and again? Can't they just leave me alone for a moment?
As she was complaining internally, she didn't notice the ground beneath her feet beginning to crack.
The voices of Feng Wu and Lin Yuan grew closer and closer. Her heart began to pound violently. She had nothing to do with them anymore—and there was nowhere left to run.
Just as that thought crossed her mind, the ground collapsed beneath her feet.
She fell.
"Eh? Lin Yuan, look—this cave. Could Little Yue be inside?"
Lin Yuan frowned and used his spiritual energy to form a glowing sphere. The orb shone brightly. He flicked it into the cave like a boomerang, illuminating the interior as it flew through.
When it returned, revealing nothing, Lin Yuan said coldly, "She's not here. Let's keep searching. She must be nearby."
Feng Wu nodded in disappointment. He missed Lin Wuyue deeply—he had already begun to see her as his little sister.
Below them, Lin Wuyue rolled across the ground and slammed into a large rock, letting out a sharp cry of pain. She could no longer hold back her tears and began to sob bitterly.
After calming down a little, she shakily stood up and looked around.
Her pupils dilated.
It was a high-grade spiritual stone mine.
NT/A:Spiritual stones are resources that allow cultivators to rapidly advance their cultivation. They are extremely valuable in the martial world.
There was also a small river flowing through the cavern. She didn't know where it led, but there was enough water—and even small fish swimming inside. For now, she didn't need to worry too much about food.
The mine was overflowing with spiritual energy.
Lin Wuyue couldn't have been happier. She almost started dancing from joy—but the throbbing pain in her ribs quickly snapped her back to reality.
She swiftly removed her clothes to check her injuries. Sure enough, three ribs were broken.
She clicked her tongue, then took out the cloth strips from her bag—fabric that had been with her the entire time. She stared at them for a moment before folding them and wrapping them tightly around her torso.
"This should be enough," she muttered, encouraging herself.
She sat down in a lotus position and reminded the serpent, "Keep watch up there. If they find this mine, they'll kill me and take it. I'm going to cultivate—protect me."
The serpent didn't respond.
Lin Wuyue didn't pay it any mind. She closed her eyes and focused. Slowly, her thoughts faded away. Spiritual energy began to gather around her, surging like a tide.
She could feel her energy channels unlocking one by one, her spiritual energy flowing downward and gathering in her lower abdomen
forming a dantian.