SES Chapter 87 Part 1

Chapter 87

Luo Ren thought through several plans and finally decided to use fire.

Hurting the target wasn’t the goal—drawing the wild woman out came first. The three of them split roles: Yan Hongsha would provoke, Mu Dai would flank, and Luo Ren would stay hidden for tailing later.

The cave mouth was pitch black, its depth impossible to see. Yan Hongsha piled up leaves, separating the dry from the damp. She lit a bundle of dry sticks with a torch, then once the fire grew, tossed damp leaves inside. The wet leaves smoked heavily, soon choking her into a coughing fit.

Watching from a nearby tree, Mu Dai grew anxious. Fortunately, Yan Hongsha quickly figured out a trick: she grabbed her outer coat, fanned with it, and directed the smoke deeper into the cave.

Luo Ren judged that the woman was likely still inside. Her pale skin and hair, the look of someone who hadn’t seen the sun in years, suggested she rarely left except when necessary.

He gestured to Yan Hongsha: Keep going.

She pressed her lips tight and kept at it—fan, add leaves, fan, add leaves.

Fifteen minutes passed. Smoke rolled thick around the cave mouth, yet there was no sound from within. Yan Hongsha hesitated, stopping her hand.

Maybe the woman really wasn’t there.

She pulled a torch from the fire pile, glanced back at Mu Dai, silently asking: Should we go in and check?

That was Plan B. If the woman wasn’t home, they’d enter to search her nest for clues. Two would go in together, while the third stood watch outside.

Mu Dai signaled Luo Ren that she’d go with Hongsha, then dropped lightly from the tree.

The smoke was suffocating; it clung low to the ground and burned their eyes. Yan Hongsha muttered, “This is like setting a snare and catching yourself first. Didn’t smoke her out, just blinded me instead.”

Those words—

Mu Dai’s heart skipped. She suddenly reached forward and caught Yan Hongsha’s arm.

Hongsha turned, puzzled. Mu Dai said nothing, only gave her a look and pulled her back, retreating all the way out of the cave mouth.

Then she whispered, “What if she isn’t afraid of smoke?”

Animals and people feared smoke—scientifically, it choked the airways and starved the body of oxygen. But that woman… did she even have airways anymore? Did she need oxygen?

Maybe right now, she was crouched inside the smoky cave, like a predator waiting to pounce.

Yan Hongsha’s eyes widened, then she whispered back: “So what do we do?”

Mu Dai replied, “She might not fear smoke, but she’ll definitely fear fire.”

They hurried back to the fire pit, grabbed about a dozen burning torches. Hongsha picked the thickest one and hurled it hard into the cave mouth.

The darkness flickered—flames danced low against the ground, opening a patch of light amid the smoke.

As they moved closer, they tossed more torches inside. Each step was careful: stop, check left, check right, then move again.

After several steps, Yan Hongsha suddenly stiffened and squeezed Mu Dai’s hand hard.

“Mu Dai… did you hear that?”

Faintly—yes. A scraping sound, metal against stone. Mu Dai’s heart thudded, but she forced herself to be calm, tossing her last two sticks farther inside.

This time, they saw it.

At the edge of darkness, clinging to the stone wall ahead and to the right, the woman crouched above them. Her white hair hung down, her eyes slitted.

Thanks to Luo Ren’s earlier description, both women, though chilled to the bone, managed not to panic. They stepped back in unison.

Yan Hongsha whispered, “What now? Attack?”

Mu Dai nodded. “I’ll go high. You go low.”

They’d sandwich her. Hongsha tensed, then said, “Better alert Luo Ren.”

Mu Dai made a quiet affirmative, edging sideways with slow steps, slipping a whistle into her mouth.

The three formed a triangle—the woman perched above, Mu Dai, and Hongsha spreading out below.

As Mu Dai shifted, the woman’s head turned stiffly, her body sliding slightly along the stone. Each move scraped metal against rock.

What is that? Mu Dai frowned, but didn’t dare ease up. Time seemed to stretch taut, a bowstring drawn to breaking.

Then—suddenly—the stalemate snapped. A sharp whistle cut through the air, followed by a rush of wind overhead. The woman lunged first—straight at Yan Hongsha.

Hongsha gritted her teeth and rolled hard. She landed beside a fallen torch, snatched it up without thinking—one in each hand—and flipped to her feet, slamming them at the woman’s head.

The woman flinched at the fire, dropping flat and skidding back fast.

Despite the rough cave floor, her body slid like it was on ice, powered from her core. In seconds, she scuttled up the wall again, clinging there as if she had grown extra limbs.

Mu Dai studied her closely. No weapons. Just razor-sharp fingers and teeth—her fighting style pure pouncing and clawing. Not martial arts, just raw speed, likely honed by years underground.

With that realization, Mu Dai’s fear cleared. Unknowns bred terror, but once you saw the shape of your enemy, even if they had fangs or fire-breath, it was just another opponent.

Yeah. Nothing to be scared of anymore.

Mu Dai barked a sharp shout, scrambled up the wall. “Light her for me!” she ordered.

Hongsha responded fast, holding torches high, even kicking another off the floor to catch it midair.

The cave lit in a wavering orange glow. The woman outpaced Mu Dai in speed, but Mu Dai’s mind worked quickly. She flung, throwing darts, not aiming to hit but to cut off escape—every time the woman climbed higher, Mu Dai aimed above her, forcing her down.

Soon, she had the woman cornered below her.

That was the moment. Mu Dai shot Hongsha a look, then suddenly let go of the wall, hurling herself down.

She slammed into the woman full force, driving her to the ground. Before the creature could react, Mu Dai crashed atop her, knee pinning her down. The woman tried to lift her head, but Mu Dai shoved her face into the dirt, not even hesitating.