Reincarnation to the Past

Chapter 25

(Hello readers, sorry for the long wait, I was super busy with school and exams so didn't find time to update.)

Bai Zou's POV

Ever since I first met this girl, I couldn't help but be repeatedly impressed. Everything she does astounds me. She seemed to have a solution for each and every problem; she wasn't impatient when faced with a challenge, and instead, she got all the facts before making a decision. She seemed to be so experienced in many areas (some much more than us), which is not something you'd expect from a thirteen- to fourteen-year-old. Sometimes, I even forget the fact that she is only that young, especially when she looks so much like an adult.

And it was a bit amusing how she knew just where to poke Bai Ze and annoy him. He may not have noticed it yet, but he's become pretty comfortable with her. Had it been an actual person he dislikes or distrusts, he wouldn't be so open and, well, himself... around them. The very fact that he talks to her like he does to us shows how he doesn't think of her as an enemy.

From the second we stepped into this place, I had the sneaking suspicion that she was much more powerful and dangerous than she let on, it also caught my attention how she was pretending to be weak; the air bubbles, her speed in water, controlling the same to her will (something only those at higher levels could do, definitely not a beginner), every single little assistance she provided all added together showed just how strong she was. She didn't even seem tired from any of it...

I couldn't guess why she was pretending to be weak, but since she seemed to use her powers to help us, I didn't see her as a threat yet. Not to mention, it was pretty obvious that Master could see exactly what I saw about her, if not more.

Although Bai Ze was the best when it came to strategizing and recon, he's never been good at reading people, even the smallest of their actions. After all the time in the war, both I and Master, however, could, though, master more so than me. This was the reason why, even though everything about the girl screamed 'suspicious', I made no move against her. It wasn't because I trusted her but because I had absolute faith in Master's judgment...

I watched as she stared at the door for a few minutes before her face brightened as she seemed to have thought of something. I watched as she squeezed past Bai Ze and started knocking here and there on the wall. "What are you doing?", I inquired curiously.

Yǔ (not looking away from the wall): Looking for something...

Bai Ze: What??

Yǔ: I'm not sure as to what it is... It should be anything that seems out of place, like a differently shaped stone, a hidden lever, some button, or something. The door works on a mechanism, and if you can find its trigger and activate it, it should open up.

"Here's what we do... Bai Ze, you look for anything out of place on the door; Lì take the right wall; Bai Zou take the left wall and I'll take all these creepy statues... Anything weird or out of place, let me know,", she ordered, as we all nodded and got to work (a certain someone with a lot of grumbling).

I went to the right wall and started looking carefully at each stone brick, tapping each of them to see if any were hollow, feeling each of them, and looking carefully for any irregularities (I was a perfectionist). While I did, I couldn't help but wonder about the ease with which she gave orders, as though she'd done it before. There was a subtle tone of finality (which I don't think she realized) that I recognized... It was the same tone that Master used when giving out commands. The type of tone that says, 'Do what you are asked to do, no questions asked'...

I subconsciously moved from the opposite end of the wall (opposite the door) to the adjacent part when I noticed an upward arrow marking one of the stone bricks. I stared at it more carefully and looked at the other adjacent bricks, only to find them missing the same. I tried pushing and pulling but nothing worked. "Umm... Madam??? I think I found something.", I informed her in a monotone voice and gave way as all of the others came to see what I found...

Yǔ (wrinkling her nose in disgust): Madam... Makes me sound so old...

Me (smiling faintly at her comment): I tried moving it but it wouldn't budge...

Yǔ (touching the arrow mark): Hmm... I don't think this is the right brick... If my hunch is correct...

She touched the brick right above the one I had found and pulled at it but there was no movement, then when she pushed it. It creaked and moved a bit. I guess that's what the arrow was for; it pointed to the right brick... She pushed even harder and the stone moved inward, leaving a rectangular hole in its place.

The door creaked and slowly opened to reveal another narrow path, but much darker than the previous. The girl walked right in, without any fear or worry, while the rest of us three glanced at each other before following after her. Unfortunately, the order changed because right after the girl went through, the master was the first to follow, then my brother, and finally myself. Since we couldn't go back to the previous order, Master handed the torch over to Brother and followed the girl...

Bai Ze's POV

We had walked a while when I happened to flash the torch around and came across a candle, which I thought I'd light up so that we could see much more clearly. It was at this moment that the girl turned around and opened her mouth and started, "Be careful for..." but noticed me bringing the torch near the candle and froze... "NO! Don't!!!", she exclaimed just as I lit the candle...

Her head whizzed to the right, just as an arrow zipped in my direction. She reached out, grabbed hold of the wooden shaft with clear accuracy, and snapped it into two. "Get down on the ground, now!!!", she yelled loudly, her voice echoing all over the path as she let herself fall face-first to the ground, and the rest of us followed suit. All three of them caught themselves on the hands, while I, on the other hand, fell flat on my face (ouch), and that was where we lay until the volley of arrows finally stopped...

Yǔ (glaring): What were you thinking?

Me: That we could have some extra light... How was I to know that it was a trap?!

Yǔ (sarcastically): Oh, I don't know... maybe from the fact that we hadn't come across a single candle since we entered this place!

Me (feeling guilty): I should have thought of that, I guess...

Lì (sympathetically): It's fine... Nobody was hurt and we'll just be careful for more traps...

Yǔ (sighing (while cautiously sitting up)): I'm afraid not... Usually, once one trap is triggered, the others follow... Just like a domino...

Bai Zou (confused): But previously, there weren't any follow-up traps that we encountered...

Yǔ: That's because the trap we triggered coincidentally happened to be the last one... Out of pure luck, we had not triggered any of the previous ones...

It was at that moment that we heard a loud bang from behind. "What was that??", I asked while snapping my head back, completely creeped out. I couldn't see anything at all, which only made things even scarier. "That should be the door. I guess when you trigger any trap, the door will close to prevent anyone from escaping. Oh joy!", she remarked grimly, which only made me gulp, more terrified.

Lì (worried): What now???

The girl got up and started tapping the dust off her clothes. "We continue on..." she said as though she were stating the obvious. She led the way for a short while before stopping short and staring ahead of her. "What's wrong?", I gulped, stricken with fear. 

Yǔ (looking to the right and the left): Motion detectors...

Lì (confused): What???

Yǔ (staring straight at a small cubic item that appeared stuck to the wall): Motion detectors... They're used to monitor movements of any kind. If there were to be any movement, it would trigger the next trap...

Me: What should we do???

Yǔ (dubiously): I suppose we could throw something past and see what trap appears...

We all nod in agreement, having no better idea as we try to contemplate what trap we are about to face. I couldn't seem to decide whether I was more grateful that this girl had tagged along or more regretful that I had agreed to tag along!