Confirming that there were definitely people inside, Ling Hao used a stick to pry open the door lock, shining his flashlight inside to reveal a rather tidy space with sparse furniture and an empty house.
They searched both upstairs and downstairs but found no one.
"Where did the sound come from?" Zhiyi couldn't understand and looked around without spotting any overlooked spots.
Ling Hao suddenly looked at the spot under Zhiyi's feet, covered by wooden planks. In old rural houses, a subterranean storage was often dug to store sweet potatoes and prevent spoilage, keeping provisions preserved.
Zhiyi followed his gaze down to her feet.
The two of them lifted the wooden planks, and as the flashlight shone inside, Zhiyi saw the person inside and was horrified.
...
Returning overnight to Jiang City, they reached home by the morning of the next day.