Section 1249: The Fork in the Road

Near the mountain, confusion abounds; by the water, coldness augments.

When Shen Yue and Sakata Norio arrived behind the waterfall, they felt an endless chill invading their beings, piercing deep into their hearts.

Behind the waterfall indeed lay a cave entrance, dark and silent, like the gaping maw of a monstrous beast, simply waiting for you to walk into its trap.

This environment was inherently eerie, and given the recent scare-induced death of Fujiwara Inoshita, Sakata Norio was even more terrified inside—people often reveal their true natures only at the breaking point. Sakata Norio had always seemed more of a coward, but at such times, he paradoxically exhibited a semblance of a warrior's courage.

"Immortal, I have a lighter,"

With slight hesitation in his tone, Sakata Norio continued, "But I'm unsure of the extent of the labyrinth; is it appropriate to use it now? We could use it now, then presumably, there should be spares inside the cave."