Little Pink Starfish

The Sleeping Beauty Syndrome

Xiao Wei still shook his head at Yu Xiaoxiao. He had no idea when Gu Xinglang had arrived, let alone if anyone else had come afterward.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at Gu Xinglang’s hands, stained black-red with blood. Could it be that her Xiao Gu killed all the monsters in the chamber by himself? She’d seen him practice with the spear—the Gu family’s technique was invincible on the battlefield. But these humanoid monsters parasitized by threadworms weren’t ordinary enemies. She had heard their roars just moments ago beyond the stone wall. Even if her Xiao Gu had the ability to kill them all, how could he have done it in such a short time?

Xiao Wei tugged at her sleeve, his expression uneasy. “When I came in, this place was full of those creatures we saw at Huguo Temple. Where’d they all go now?” With so many monsters, if they had escaped, would the gang still at Bodhi Temple even survive?

Yu Xiaoxiao glanced at the waterlogged stone chamber and replied, “They’re all dead.”

Xiao Wei’s eyes widened. “Did you kill them?”

“Nope.” Yu Xiaoxiao turned to Xiao Wei and asked, “Xiao Wei, who do you think would secretly help us and have that high level of martial skill?”

“Why would they help secretly?” Xiao Wei asked. “It’s not like we’re shady people. If they want to help, just help openly. What’s the point of being sneaky?”

“Could it be a spy in Yongsheng Temple? Uh—I mean a kind-hearted monk?”

“Who?” Xiao Wei asked.

“I don’t know,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied, shaking her head.

The two stared at each other in confusion.

“There’s a conspiracy,” Yu Xiaoxiao finally muttered, squinting her eyes.

Xiao Wei wobbled to his feet. “I’ll go save General Jiang.”

He jumped onto the iron cage holding Jiang Zhuojun. Yu Xiaoxiao looked down at her Xiao Gu again. This was the second time—just like back at Huguo Temple—that he had no visible injuries but was covered in blood and unconscious. What kind of “Sleeping Beauty” syndrome was this? Yu Xiaoxiao grew agitated. If she’d known she’d be so helpless one day, she would’ve studied medicine like crazy during the apocalypse. She would’ve turned herself into a full-fledged doctor!

Xiao Wei’s blade was long lost. He tried prying open the cage lock with his bare hands but couldn’t manage it, breaking into a sweat in the process. Finally, he had to call on his princess for help.

Yu Xiaoxiao walked over with Gu Xinglang in her arms. Without bothering with the iron lock, she reached out and simply bent the iron bars open.

Watching her peel the bars apart like noodles when he’d been straining in vain moments ago, Xiao Wei was left speechless.

“Xiao Wei, you carry Xiao Jiang. Let’s get out of here,” Yu Xiaoxiao said.

Xiao Wei looked at the underground river now flooding the floor. The water had risen over the steps and was now flowing along the corridor in the direction they had come from. “Princess, are we swimming out?” he asked. The water looked to be over two meters deep.

Yu Xiaoxiao reached into the water—it was ice cold now. She didn’t mind it, but Gu Xinglang, Xiao Wei, and Jiang Zhuojun were all normal humans. “Forget it. If you three freeze swimming in this weather, that’d be bad. I’ll carry you up.”

“Up? Up where?” Xiao Wei asked.

“There’s a tunnel,” Yu Xiaoxiao replied. “I came down from the cliff above.”

Cliff? Xiao Wei was still confused.

Yu Xiaoxiao stood on the cage, holding Gu Xinglang in her arms. “Strap Xiao Jiang to yourself and hold onto me. I’ll take you all up.”

Xiao Wei stared. “Princess, you’re carrying all three of us?”

Yu Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow. “What, you think I’d just leave one of you down here?”

“M-maybe one at a time?” Xiao Wei suggested. None of them were fat, but each weighed at least a hundred fifty pounds. Together, they were around 450 pounds!

“If I do it one by one, I’d have to come back five times. That’s a hassle. Let’s do it in one trip,” Yu Xiaoxiao said.

“You can carry that much?” Xiao Wei asked.

Yu Xiaoxiao gave him a look. “Not just you three—add three more, and I could still do it.”

Xiao Wei… How did the Empress ever give birth to someone like this?

—

Back in the cliffside cave, Tian Xingzi and Ergouzi stared at Jingshi, who had just woken up.

Ergouzi whispered to the old Taoist, “His eyes aren’t moving. Think he got scared stupid when he saw the big Buddha was gone?”

Tian Xingzi gave Jingshi a kick. “You’re awake. Speak.”

Jingshi looked at the cave entrance and said quietly, “Yu Linglong went down?”

Ergouzi answered, “She did. You think my princess can’t do what you can?”

Jingshi chuckled.

The old Taoist asked sharply, “What are you laughing at?”

Jingshi replied, “Then she won’t be coming back.” No one who blindly entered those underground stone chambers had ever made it out alive.

Ergouzi panicked at that and raised a fist to punch the monk.

The old Taoist blocked him. “What’s down there?”

Jingshi laughed again. “Untie me. Without me, you’ll starve in this mountain cave.”

His words made the old Taoist nervous. Had that little monster actually gone to a place of no return?

“Tien Xingzi,” Jingshi said, staring at him. “Who’d have thought you’d ally with Yu Linglong?”

Ergouzi said, “Hey Taoist, he knows you!”

“Step aside,” the old Taoist muttered, pushing Ergouzi away. The Tianji Sect had once been famous too, alright? The old Taoist walked to the edge of the hole and peered down.

Jingshi sneered. “I told you, Yu Linglong won’t come back.”

Just then, Yu Xiaoxiao shot out of the hole with Gu Xinglang on her back.

The old Taoist was so shocked he fell flat on his butt.

“Princess?!” Ergouzi cried and ran over.

Yu Xiaoxiao handed the unconscious Gu Xinglang to him. “There’s still someone below. Watch over Xiao Gu for me.”

By the time the old Taoist came back to his senses, the princess had already jumped back into the hole.

Next, she brought up the still-unconscious Jiang Zhuojun. Xiao Wei didn’t need her help and climbed out himself.

After confirming Xiao Wei had made it safely, Yu Xiaoxiao turned to the stunned Jingshi and said, “Why not just build this tunnel bigger?”

Xiao Wei glanced at Ergouzi and the old Taoist, thinking maybe it’s better this way. If people saw the princess carrying three grown men like they were nothing, it would really hurt their pride.

Jingshi stared, dumbfounded. “You—you’re still alive?!”