"Han Xin!" Xiang Yu shook him urgently, but Han Xin remained unresponsive. He sighed, realising he had fainted. With a grunt, he pushed Han Xin up and propped him against the wall. He inspected the injury on the man’s temple. It wasn’t too severe, but it still needed attention. He tore a strip from his outer robe and tied it around Han Xin’s head to stop the bleeding.
As he worked, Xiang Yu noticed Han Xin’s arm was at an odd angle. "Damn it," he muttered, looking around for anything that could help but there was nothing. The rocks blocking their entrance meant they couldn’t go back the way they came. The cave was too damp to stay in. They had to get out of here. Xiang Yu grabbed his good arm, hoisted him onto his back, and ventured deeper into the cave, searching for a dry spot.
In his mind, he called out to the Divine Emperor, "This is really an emergency, old man."
The Divine Emperor, who was still moping, heard him and answered. This was the first time he felt urgency in Xiang Yu’s voice. His voice echoed in Xiang Yu’s mind, and when he saw where they were, this old father panicked.
Seeing Han Xin’s condition, he wanted to ask what had happened but he decided to watch for himself later. For now, he needed to find a safe place for them to rest. "Turn left here," he instructed anxiously. When Xiang Yu nearly lost his footing, the Divine Emperor’s worry intensified, and he almost broke the rule that was not to interfere directly. Han Xin was his only son, and if anything happened to him, his wife would never forgive him.
They soon reached a spacious, dry cave with a fresh stream flowing at the other end before disappearing in between the gaps in the boulders. Xiang Yu gently laid Han Xin down and asked the Divine Emperor, "Are there any medicinal plants here to stop the bleeding and ease the pain in his arm?"
The Divine Emperor, worried half to death, scanned the entire tunnel system for anything useful. He provided Xiang Yu with a memory of where to find the plants but warned him, "Be careful. There are large snakes lurking in the dark."
Xiang Yu wasn’t worried about that at all. He was more worried about leaving Han Xin alone. "Is it safe to leave him here alone?" he asked while taking off his now torn outer robe.
"It is safe," the Divine Emperor assured him, "Just go and find the medicinal herbs. He will be fine."
Xiang Yu made Han Xin lie down and used his torn outer robe as a makeshift pillow. "I will be right back. Don’t move," he said to the unconscious Han Xin as he took the man’s sword before disappearing into the tunnels. He didn’t expect a response but he just felt like telling him he would be right back.
The Divine Emperor brightened the moon outside, allowing its light to seep through the cracks in the tunnels, guiding Xiang Yu as he walked with vigilance, following the path in the memories the Divine Emperor had given him.
"How am I supposed to know?" came back an incredulous reply tinged with annoyance. To him, it looked like a tiny snake, which is why he scaled it up and called it large. Who would have thought to the half-demon it looked like it was the size of a dragon?
"Never mind, don’t distract me," he muttered under his breath while evading yet another vicious attack aimed squarely where he had stood moments before.
The Divine Emperor, "..." Who exactly was distracting who? He was the one who started talking to him first.
Xiang Yu turned and ran along the walls lined with stalagmites, their jagged forms offering temporary refuge against the wrathful creature above him. Each heartbeat thrummed louder than thunder in his ears as determination surged through his veins. Defeat was never an option for him, not when bloodlust tinged every breath he took.
His gaze darted upward toward the stalactites clinging precariously overhead like fangs waiting to strike their prey below. A devilish smile crept onto his lips. Perhaps there was a way to turn this fight into something far more advantageous for himself.
With deft movements powered by years spent honing both body and spirit under harsh mountain winds, Xiang Yu sliced cleanly through several stalactites while urging them downward towards their intended target. The serpent below thrashed wildly beneath them in rage at being toyed with so mercilessly.
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