Volume One, Chapter Twenty-One: Whose Tears

Plump Girl bit her lip and strode forward, with Meiniang and Hanyu quickly following behind. As soon as they entered the cave, a chill wind swept over them, snowflakes whirled about, and the cold was as biting as the deep winter. The three immediately felt uneasy, hastily drawing their swords. The tunnel grew ever narrower, so tight that it was nearly suffocating. When Plump Girl squeezed through a passage that was practically a crack in the stone, Hanyu worriedly pulled her back, but Plump Girl simply smiled and pressed on. Just a few more steps, and when she was nearly stuck, the tunnel suddenly widened. The cold wind ceased, the snowflakes vanished, and even the air became pleasantly warm.

“I wonder if Brother Mu can get through,” Plump Girl glanced at Hanyu.

“We’ll talk about that later…” Hanyu thought, “If you can get through, I doubt he’ll have any trouble!”

After another dozen steps, a fine misty rain began to fall inside the cave, and the intoxicating scent of flowers drifted from afar. The three quickened their pace, and after three sharp turns, their eyes were suddenly dazzled—they found themselves peering into another spacious, brightly lit hall. This hall was far larger than the previous one, and half of it was occupied by a deep azure pool. Aside from a stone table identical to the last, the hall was empty, and there was no sign of an exit.

“Oh dear…” Meiniang plopped down onto the ground. Hanyu, face drawn and tense, walked to the edge of the pool; the water was emerald green, bottomless. Plump Girl stubbornly searched every corner, afraid to miss any hidden mechanism or secret passage.

“Stop searching…” Hanyu sat down beside Meiniang.

“That’s impossible! There must be an exit here! Otherwise, how did our predecessors leave?” Plump Girl protested.

“Perhaps…” Suddenly struck by an idea, Hanyu sat cross-legged to try a spell, but nothing happened.

“No luck?” Meiniang asked, though she already knew the answer.

“No earth escape! No magic works here!” Hanyu shook her head in disappointment.

“So what now? Go back?” Meiniang broke the silence first.

“Maybe we entered the wrong cave again? Let’s go back and try another!” Hanyu looked up at Plump Girl.

“You’re probably right, but... I still feel there’s a hidden mechanism here…” Plump Girl kept glancing around, unwilling to give up.

“Oh, let’s just go back. It’s safer for us all to stick together!” Meiniang urged nervously.

“Yes! Brother Mu is still back there! Hurry, we mustn’t get trapped!” Plump Girl jumped to her feet.

They retraced their steps through the same mist and snow. When they burst into a wide, bright hall once more, their hearts were pounding in their chests. Looking up, they saw Yi Bing dozing atop the stone table, and everyone breathed a long sigh of relief.

“How did it go?” Yi Bing asked eagerly, drooling.

“You’re so carefree, able to sleep at a time like this!” Hanyu scolded, glaring. Yi Bing hung his head, muttering to himself, “No food, no drink, and not even allowed to sleep…”

“We made it through! There was another hall, even bigger, half of it was a deep pool, but no exit… After searching for ages, we couldn’t find any mechanism or secret passage, so we had to come back,” Plump Girl explained hurriedly.

“So what now?” Yi Bing asked, rubbing his belly.

“Why don’t you climb down and up again, just to try?” Meiniang suggested, pursing her lips. Though confused, Yi Bing obediently hopped down and then back up, spinning wildly once more. When he finally stopped, he was facing the same cave entrance as before.

“Still the same entrance, so it seems we’re not mistaken. But…” Hanyu glanced at everyone. Their faces were a mix of joy and gloom—joy because the other side seemed to lead out, gloom because there was no exit there.

“The entrance may be unchanged, but the other side might not be!” Meiniang’s words sent a chill through them all.

“You stay here. I’ll go with Fox Spirit for another look!” Hanyu said, pulling Meiniang and rushing into the cave, faintly hearing Meiniang shout, “Don’t call me Fox Spirit, I’m Meiniang!”

After half a stick of incense’s time, Hanyu hurried back.

“Was it still the same place?” Plump Girl asked anxiously. Hanyu nodded, frowning.

“And Meiniang?” Seeing Hanyu alone, Plump Girl couldn’t help but ask.

“She’s still searching for an exit over there!” Hanyu looked worriedly at Yi Bing. “Even if she finds it, it won’t help…”

“Why…” Plump Girl began, then understood what Hanyu meant.

“How can this fat guy get through? If he leaves the stone table, the exit shifts; if he stays, how can he leave with us?” Hanyu rubbed her forehead in frustration.

“Yes… this stone table…” Plump Girl’s eyes suddenly lit up, and Hanyu snapped to attention. They exchanged a glance and rushed into the cave together.

Meiniang, having given up, was sitting by the pool washing her feet, lost in thought. Plump Girl went straight to the stone table, brushing away the thick layer of dust to reveal a shallow imprint.

“We guessed right!” Plump Girl called to Hanyu, who cautiously approached, joy on her face. Meiniang stood up, curious.

Sweeping away the dust, they found a similar butt print. After a moment of silence, all three glanced at each other’s backsides.

“Sister Zhao… why don’t you sit… up there…” Hanyu stammered. Plump Girl’s face flushed deep red; such a large print really only fit her. Without hesitation, she jumped up and sat down—it fit perfectly! The stone table spun wildly, and when it stopped, Plump Girl was facing the entrance they’d come through.

Without a word, Hanyu rushed back, charging into the hall and clenching her fist upon seeing Yi Bing.

“You can climb down now!” Seeing Yi Bing’s puzzled look, she urged, “It’s fine, Sister Zhao… Oh, just hurry! You’ll understand once you get through!” Yi Bing quickly hopped down and followed Hanyu.

Seeing Yi Bing, Meiniang rushed over, and if Hanyu hadn’t stopped her, she would have jumped into Yi Bing’s arms. Plump Girl quickly hopped off the stone table. The reunion was warm, and Hanyu and Meiniang couldn’t help but feel grateful that Yi Bing and Plump Girl, and their wide backsides, were with them—otherwise, the two of them alone would never have gotten out.

After greetings, they were soon troubled again—they’d gotten through, but still had no way out. They searched the hall thoroughly, up and down, left and right, even beneath the stone table, but found nothing, not a single clue. No secret mechanisms, only Yi Bing drenched in sweat, his stomach empty and now both hungry and thirsty. Plump Girl had run out of food as well. Yi Bing, desperate, went to the pool to drink.

“Hey, I just washed my feet there!” Meiniang called out, reaching to pull him back. But her tug only made things worse, sending Yi Bing tumbling into the water with a loud splash that shook the entire hall.

“Brother Mu?” Plump Girl rushed to the poolside, but waves surged toward her, forcing her to leap back to avoid getting drenched. When the waters settled, Yi Bing was nowhere to be seen.

“What were you thinking?” Hanyu shoved Meiniang in frustration. Soaked and bewildered, Meiniang stammered, “I meant well! How could I have known…”

Yi Bing, like a stone, plunged to the bottom of the pool, head first, panicking and struggling. Suddenly, he found himself standing in the water, and when he looked down, there was nothing beneath his feet. He probed cautiously—though he couldn’t see, he clearly felt stairs beneath him. He followed the invisible steps downward, becoming more frightened as he descended. Just as he was about to turn back, a glimmer in the water below caught his eye.

After a dozen steps, Yi Bing seemed to reach the bottom of the staircase. He tested the area to his left and right—it was a hidden platform. In front of him, something transparent drifted in the water, sparkling like a tear. Unable to resist, he reached for it, but the tear dodged away as if alive. Grab, dodge, grab, dodge—the tear darted about, and Yi Bing, nearly out of breath, grew increasingly anxious, silently pleading, “Tear, tear, please don’t run…”

To his surprise, the tear seemed to hear him and suddenly stopped before him. Yi Bing hesitated, then reached out and snatched it.

The tear quivered in his palm, making Yi Bing feel ticklish. Just as he was about to turn back, he noticed the water receding around him, creating a space where he could breathe freely. He tried inhaling, and to his amazement, he could breathe underwater. He moved forward, and the water parted before him as if he were walking on land. Yi Bing clenched his fist, afraid the tear might slip away, and abandoned thoughts of returning, deciding to press onward. He crossed the platform, ascended another staircase, and after several dozen steps, saw what looked like a cave entrance wavering in the water ahead.

Filled with joy, Yi Bing wanted to hurry, but he still couldn’t see the stairs beneath him, so he moved cautiously. When he finally reached the entrance, his heart was in his throat. It really was an exit! He peeked out and found his head above water, his plump body still submerged. The tunnel ahead was completely dry, the pool water stopped like a wall at the entrance.

Yi Bing considered stepping out, but decided it was best to return and tell Plump Girl and the others.

As his head broke the surface, he heard Plump Girl’s shriek from the poolside. Startled, Yi Bing turned and saw Plump Girl crouched by the water, her face streaked with tears, while Hanyu squatted beside her, torn between joy and sorrow. Before he could speak, water splashed behind him, and he felt a slap on the back of his head.

“You scoundrel! I… thought you…” Meiniang, who had been searching for him in the pool for ages, swam over in an instant. Her sheer gown, soaked through, clung to her like a second skin, and Yi Bing’s face flushed crimson.

“Have you no shame…” Seeing Yi Bing’s red face, Hanyu cursed, though it wasn’t clear if her words were for Yi Bing or Meiniang.

Meiniang, to everyone’s surprise, ignored the remark, her face lit up in astonishment as she stared at the water. “You can walk underwater?” Hearing this, Plump Girl and Hanyu immediately checked Yi Bing’s feet—sure enough, he stood in the water, with nothing beneath him.

“No, there are stairs!” To prove his point, Yi Bing even bounced a couple of times. Meiniang frowned and dove beneath Yi Bing.

“What are you doing?” Hanyu nearly jumped in after her.

“What am I doing?” Meiniang surfaced, touching Yi Bing’s feet, and immediately questioned Hanyu, making her blush bright red.

“There really are steps, completely invisible!” Meiniang said as she climbed ashore. Yi Bing hurried up as well, showing his clenched fist to the others. “There’s something like a tear inside, holding it is like casting a water-repelling spell—you can breathe and walk underwater! And there’s a cave entrance in the pool! Amazing, the entrance is dry, the water just… seems to stop there! I just…”

The others listened half in disbelief as Yi Bing excitedly recounted his adventure, spittle flying, and only after some time did they finally piece together the whole story.