novelraw Chapter 147 All in
Chapter 147 All in
“They all went into that cave? Didn’t it collapse? And with guards everywhere, how did they even get inside?”
I fired off questions one after another.
The boy shushed me, his expression tightening again. “I can’t stay out too long. Today I only managed to bump into you. Tomorrow… tomorrow everyone in the camp is being sent to dig out the collapsed cave. I have to go too. If you’re there, maybe we can talk.”
There was a quick flash in his eyes—almost urgent.
Something tugged hard in my chest. Before I could think it through, I said, “Fine. I’ll find a way to be there tomorrow.”
He nodded, then gave me a smile—odd, faintly unsettling. A chill crept up my spine. By the time I blinked, he had already slipped away into the grass like a wisp of night fog.
On my way back, I lifted the curtain of the camp tent with care. The two guards in gold armor were still posted outside, arms folded over their halberds, the torchlight painting their helmets a cold, dull bronze.
“No Moon-God Herb anywhere,” I said with a put-upon sigh. “Once Eunuch Wang wakes up, I’ll get scolded for sure.”
The two guards exchanged a look. They didn’t speak, but I clearly heard a muffled chuckle behind me.
Fine. Laugh while you can. Wait until I’m gone and see if you’re still laughing.
Before dawn the next day, the horn blared through the camp. Eunuch Wang was dragged out of bed early by orders from above, his face a thundercloud. As expected, everyone in the tent was summoned to keep digging out the cave.
I cleared my throat and stepped forward. “Eunuch, I may be clumsy, but I’m willing to assist with supervision.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, more amused than surprised. “A diligent one, aren’t you.”
I forced a laugh. “It’s my honor to ease your burdens.”
He said nothing further—just waved his hand. That was all I needed to follow openly.
The cave mouth was still collapsed. Heat pulsed from the scorched earth below. Several golden-armored guards were patrolling the edge, while inside the pit a mass of workers hacked away at stone, the clang of pickaxes echoing in bursts.
The boy was there too, wearing his usual “village idiot” face—hair a nest, clutching a tiny hoe, digging at the dirt like it was the most important work in the world, with a goofy grin that flickered on and off.
When a guard walked by, they would kick him in the backside for sport. He would stumble forward and laugh harder, as if he truly didn’t understand pain.
But I saw it—the brief flicker underneath that grin. The faintest edge of killing intent.
A cold prickle went down my spine. I stepped forward at once and flashed Eunuch Wang’s gilt token. “Brothers, the Eunuch sent me to inspect. You’ve worked hard—take a breather.”
The guards didn’t dare argue. They saluted and stepped aside.
I did a slow, theatrical circuit around the pit, pretending to check the work, then crouched beside the boy and murmured, “Well? How do we get into the cave?”
His eyes twitched, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he scooped up a handful of wet mud and slapped it across my face. “Pretty! Pretty!”
I just sat there, stunned, before the anger caught up with me. “You little—”
Before I finished, he leaned in, mouth practically at my ear, and whispered, “Hit me.”
“What?” I barely had time to react before he smacked me across the face and shouted, “Make smell good! Make smell good!”
My brain blanked for half a second. Then heat surged up my neck, and I hurled a wad of mud right back at him.
The boy shrieked theatrically and tackled me into the dirt. The two of us rolled and slapped at each other, mud flying everywhere like we were a pair of feral boars.
“This idiot’s gone wild!” I hissed under my breath as he yanked at my collar.
“Keep going,” he growled softly.
I still didn’t know his plan, but already people around us had stopped working to stare.
From the guards came loud laughter. “Look! The new overseer’s getting bullied by the idiot!”
The whole pit erupted in jeers.
Seeing his chance, the boy shoved me hard and dragged me toward the cave entrance. We tumbled and wrestled our way out of the pit, until he suddenly pushed me aside and bolted backward, yelling, “Don’t hit me! Don’t chase me! I’m scared!”
I blinked, then caught on immediately and shouted back, “Get back here! I’ll beat you to death!”
So we chased each other, loud and ridiculous, farther and farther from the digging site. Behind us, laughter rolled on, and no one bothered to follow.
Only when we ducked behind a pile of boulders and the world fell quiet did the boy finally stop. His silly grin vanished; his eyes were clear and sharp.
“Come with me.”
Rubbing my stinging cheek, I muttered, “You didn’t hold back at all.”
He flashed his teeth. “If it’s not real, they’d never buy it.”
“Fair enough,” I sighed. The brat could act, that was certain.
He led me through a maze of fences, twisting and doubling back, until we emerged beside the hot spring. Steam coiled upward in soft, milky plumes.
I stared at the scene. “Don’t tell me you dragged me here for a bath.”
“Bath your head.” He rolled his eyes. “The entrance is below.”
“Huh?”
He crouched and pointed to the far right edge of the spring. “It’s shallow on the east side and deep on the west. There’s an outflow tunnel on the right—just wide enough for one person to slip through. That’s the entrance to the formation.”
Peering into the water, I could indeed make out a faint shadow beneath the surface.
“Good. Then let’s get down there.” I started to roll up my sleeves, but he held both palms out.
‘“We’? I only bring you here. The rest is on you.”
I blinked. “Why?”
He stepped back, profile dimmed in the steam, voice dropping to something almost ominous. “If I go in, I won’t come out.”
A cold jolt hit my chest. His side profile flickered in the drifting mist, unsettlingly pale.
“Then will I come out?” I asked.
“Maybe.” He curled his lips into a thin, chilly smile. “The other three asked the same thing when they went in.”
I stood there, feeling as if someone had nudged me toward a cliff edge.
“Well… fine.” I drew a long breath, rolled up my pants, and steeled myself. It wasn’t like I’d ever walked a clean, straightforward path anyway.
But just as I reached for the water, a commotion erupted outside.
“The Eighth Prince approaches—!”
…Him again.
The shout reverberated across the stone walls. Even the spring’s surface trembled.
The boy’s face drained. “Damn. Don’t move!”
I froze. His eyes were sharp with panic, almost gleaming.
Outside, footsteps thundered closer. Armor clattered. Weapons clanged.
My heart thudded painfully. I hissed, “Why is the Eighth Prince here?”
“If he finds us—no one leaves alive.”
The boy clenched his teeth and suddenly shoved me straight into the spring.
Blistering heat closed over my head. I barely had time to gasp before I heard him say urgently above, “Hold your breath. Don’t make a sound.”
I pinched my nose just as he plunged into the water beside me with a splash.
He turned underwater and gestured sharply: follow.
Resentment burned at the back of my throat—if you’re so capable, you get us out—but this was hardly the moment to complain. I paddled after him, the two of us scrambling awkwardly like startled turtles, bubbles popping around our faces.
The world blurred into wavering light until a dark opening appeared ahead. The boy pointed toward it, posture crisp and decisive.
My stomach twisted.
If I go in and never come out… what then?
He ducked in before I could finish panicking.
I gritted my teeth and shoved myself after him, only to be caught at once by a violent surge of current that spun me end over end. My skull buzzed so loudly it felt like my ears would split. I clawed forward, trying to seize the boy’s hand—my fingers brushed the edge of his silhouette, and then the current slammed me away and hurled me forward.
A sharp clang. I hit something solid.
Darkness crashed down. In the last flicker of consciousness, one muddled thought drifted through my head:
—System, for the love of all gods, could you stop giving me underwater quests next time?