SES Chapter 154 Part 1

Chapter 154

Yan Hongsha jumped in surprise. “Did it hit you?!”

Of course, it hadn’t—but Luo Ren had been standing in a very unlucky spot. The rock had fallen fast, close enough to graze his clothes as he dodged out of the way.

So, in his opinion, Yan Hongsha didn’t look like an angel at all. If anything, with the rope tied around her waist and her arms flailing as she dangled in midair, she looked a lot more like a spider.

Mu Dai, however, was overjoyed. “Little angel, did you bring any food? I’m starving.”

Actually, she did. Yan Hongsha remembered the bag of snacks and quickly shone her flashlight upward. “Fatty Cao! The wedding candy! Throw down the candy!”

After a moment, the sweets came raining down.

When the trapdoor had flipped open earlier, Cao Yanhua had been holding it up the whole time, afraid it would snap shut. His hands were full, so he had asked his sister, Cao Jinhua, to help—and warned her, “Don’t just dump the whole bag! There are people down there! Toss it little by little!”

Cao Jinhua felt like she was dreaming. She’d never known there was a cave like this in the mountain—and not only that, there was a trapdoor, and there were people inside?!

Her mind blank, she did as she was told—grabbed a handful of candy and tossed it into the hole, then added a couple of wedding pastries. Nervously, she leaned over to look, but the hole was so dark she couldn’t see the bottom.

The candy fell like rain, clattering down. Luo Ren held up his flashlight—it really was wedding candy, wrapped in bright red paper, looking absurdly festive.

Yan Hongsha called out, “It’s Fatty Cao up there—he’s fine! And Wan San’s fine too, just a little blood loss. He’s resting in your car… Ah, but the rope’s too short. How am I supposed to get down?”

She frowned, twisting her body midair, tugging at the rope. “Luo Ren, maybe I should have Fatty Cao pull me up first? Then he can find another rope?”

Luo Ren didn’t answer right away. He just exhaled deeply, relief washing through him—his legs weak, his head spinning.

They were safe. All of them were safe.

Mu Dai must have felt the same. When he turned to look, she was already sitting on the ground, unwrapping a piece of candy and popping it in her mouth. Then she flopped onto her back, staring up at the cave ceiling.

That feeling—of being at death’s door one second, then suddenly seeing a way out—was dizzying. Her back pressed against the cool ground, limbs limp, she wanted to just scream from the rush of it all.

Luo Ren sat down too, looking up at Yan Hongsha. “You take charge.”

Meanwhile, Cao Yanhua was panicking. The cave was too dark; he couldn’t see Luo Ren or Mu Dai—only Yan Hongsha swinging high above. He shouted, “Murphy’s Law! Murphy’s Law! Get back up here!”

The job wasn’t done until everyone was out. Until then, they weren’t safe.
And the worst part— the three most capable fighters were still down there.

He checked his watch. The wedding banquet would be over by now.
In Caojia Village, celebrations lasted three days, but the bride and groom didn’t need to stay on duty the whole time. By now, Qingshan and Yafeng were probably free—and if they decided to come here…

The thought made him glance nervously at the cave mouth again and again.
Then—a soft clink. A small pebble at the cave’s edge had been nudged forward, rolling in.

Like someone had casually kicked it while walking past.

Cao Yanhua’s blood went cold. The next second, he bellowed, voice raw, “Murphy! Damn it all!”

It wasn’t really Murphy’s fault, of course.

Up above, Cao Jinhua was still holding the bag of candy when she saw Qingshan and Yafeng appear. The bag slipped lower in her hand. Her gut told her something was very wrong—the wedding was still going on. Why were they here? And that look on their faces… that murderous intent…

Before she could think more, Cao Yanhua yelled, “Cao Jinhua! Hold the trapdoor!”

Then he turned toward the cave and shouted, “They’re coming! Get up here, now!”

Cao Jinhua, dazed, rushed to take his place.
Cao Yanhua sprinted toward the opening, spreading his arms like a furious mother hen, eyes bloodshot.

Yafeng smiled faintly. “You? Really?”

Then chaos exploded.

Cao Yanhua and Yafeng collided, rolling on the ground. From where Cao Jinhua stood, it was clear who was losing—Cao Yanhua was screaming and thrashing, using every bit of strength he had, yet somehow, that delicate-looking woman had him overpowered with one hand gripping his wrist.

Qingshan started striding toward Cao Jinhua.

Her heart pounded wildly. “W-what are you doing?! Qingshan, d-don’t come any closer!”

He ignored her, crouching by the hole, grabbing the rope. Reaching behind his back for a weapon, he found nothing—his expression hardened. Then he started sawing the rope against the jagged rock.

The rope wasn’t thick, but it was strong—climbing-grade. Cao Jinhua didn’t know that. To her, it looked like it would snap any second. Her face went pale. “There are people on that rope! You’re going to kill them—Qingshan, stop!”

She couldn’t let go of the trapdoor to intervene, so she kicked at him instead. But he was just out of reach. Her foot swung uselessly in the air as she missed by a few inches.

Below, Yan Hongsha’s scream echoed up the shaft. Cao Jinhua turned just in time to see Yafeng recovering, stepping toward them—when suddenly, Cao Yanhua, half-conscious, swept his leg out in desperation, knocking Yafeng to the ground and pinning her down.

Cao Jinhua’s thoughts raced. If that rope snapped, that poor girl would fall to her death.

She screamed and, without thinking, did something insane—still clutching the trapdoor with both hands, she jumped and kicked out with all her strength.

Her foot caught Qingshan square in the forehead.

Cao Jinhua was a big woman, strong too. The kick sent Qingshan tumbling backward.
When she landed, her knees nearly buckled; her heart pounded with terror and adrenaline.

Down below, the tension was just as thick.

Cao Yanhua’s screams, the rope’s violent shaking, Yan Hongsha’s terrified cries—Luo Ren and Mu Dai immediately realized something had gone wrong. The fleeting calm from moments ago vanished completely.

Luo Ren turned to Mu Dai. “Can you climb the wall?”

He knew she was injured—but lives were at stake.

Her voice trembled. “Not fast enough. I won’t make it in time… Toss me the rope, Luo Ren! If we can tie it end to end, I can climb it!”