"Pretty sure it's too late for that."

Lan Zhan has no further protests, despite still looking Loudly Disagreeable.

Wei Ying scoops her up. 

AAA????AAAAA

"Do not strain yourself," says Lan Zhan, sounding quite strained herself.

"I'm fine," she assures her. 

Is this carry cuddlier than it strictly needs to be? Nah, couldn't be. Right?

A a a a a. This feels infinitely more hazardous to Lan Zhan's health than walking on a broken leg, actually! 

At least Wei Ying isn't actively squishing her boobs on her. 

They keep walking for some time. If Wei Ying tires of carrying Lan Zhan, she doesn't show it; and of course Lan Zhan isn't using her bad leg, so there's no reason to ask Wen Qing to stop so she can rest it. 

They don't find the cave until the sky has begun to darken and somebody literally trips over the entrance. 

Well it's about fucking time! These disciples are so useless.

Wang Lingjiao pouts at Wen Chao and asks him if they have to search the whole cave today, can't they come back later? She's tired.

He chucks her under a chin and promises that they'll make all the useless disciples do all the actual work. 

They had Better. 

Lan Zhan insists on being put down before they enter the cave.

Fiiiiiine. Wei Ying will comply but she will also Pout about it. 

The cave is very dark. Torches are busted out. 

Eventually, they reach a seemingly dead-end cliff face. 

Yikes. Lan Zhan will aggravate at least one of her many injuries if she tries to go down there without a sword, assuming the cavern even has a bottom. Do they have rope?

"Do you seriously think we're going to be able to kill whatever's down there, without swords, after descending that cliff somehow, without swords?"

Wen Chao responds to this by shoving her down the cliff. 

"Wei Ying!"

She shoots a furious glare at Wen Chao and crouches down, painfully laying herself to the ground and preparing to slide down the cliff face as quickly as she can. Wei Ying, Wei Ying -- 

The soldiers get out rope. Wen Chao leers at her and offers to have one of the soldiers assist her down if she promises to be good.

Of course he'll even make eyes at that Lan whore when Lingjiao is right here. She huffs and flounces in front of him, pouting Loudly.  Shouldn't Wen-gongzi be making sure someone helps her get down safely instead? Not the prisoner of war.

He is so attentive about making sure she gets down safely!!! Super distracted from the prisoner of war. 

Lan Zhan grabs a robe and scrapes her own painful way down the cliffside, sliding the last few meters. Fresh blood stains the sleeve of her left arm by the time her feet touch the ground. Immediately she darts to Wei Ying's side and grips her shoulder, eyes wide. "Wei Ying."

"I'm fine," Wei Ying says a little breathlessly. She has some shiny new bruises, but there isn't any blood anywhere on her. Her gaze zeroes in on the blood on Lan Zhan's sleeve immediately. "What about you!?"

"Fine." She can still lift her arm if she needs to. That's what counts.

"You're bleeding!"

"A normal amount."