Chapter 619 I'm going to be trapped here for the rest of my life!

Cui Qilang was indeed skilled in martial arts, and Baza did not want to make a big fuss, so he claimed that he had drunk too much and apologized.

Even though Cui Qilang was so angry that his veins were bulging and he wished he could kill the bazaar himself to vent his anger, he ultimately held back for the sake of the bigger picture.

However, Liu Li appeared the next day.

He was from the Central Plains and had lived in Yingcheng for over a decade. He also claimed that he could successfully lead them out of Yingcheng.

They had barely left the city when the bazaar people maliciously accused them, the people of Daliang, of theft.

They also ordered the arrest of all the more than one hundred people who accompanied them!

This was intolerable! The people of Daliang were furious and vowed to resist to the death.

However, in a moment of impulse, he killed more than a dozen people sent by the bazaar.

Liu Li quickly led them into a grotto.

They had barely managed to hide and hadn't even had a chance to catch their breath when they discovered that a large number of soldiers were chasing after them.

Finally, Liu Li took Nanping and the others to the back mountain...

"That Liu Li is a liar!"

“We had barely entered the cave when he revealed his true colors, saying that being able to offer sacrifices to some Shatuo Buddha was a blessing we had all accumulated in our past lives.”

"After saying that, those who had been lying in ambush rushed out and killed everyone... catching everyone completely off guard."

"Cui Qilang led me inside, across the iron chain bridge, and we saw a dark statue."

“There was something strange there, and we both started hallucinating at the same time. I saw my father and mother rushing towards me covered in blood, while he saw all the members of the Cui family climbing up from the bottom of the cliff.”

“I almost went bewitched and stepped off the cliff. If he hadn’t come to his senses in time and pulled me back, I would have been smashed to pieces.”

"Fortunately, Cui Qilang had a rope with him, so we simply slid down the cliff using the rope. There was a difficult path below, and I accidentally slipped and fell into the river."

"When I got up again, before I could even tidy myself up, I accidentally pressed on something and fell into this place."

"For the past ten days or so, Cui Qilang and I have tried everything we could, but we just can't get out of here."

"He even tried to climb up through the tunnel, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break through the opening at the top."

"I thought we were going to be trapped here forever!"

"However, it's wishful thinking to stay here forever, because we've run out of food."

"If we stay any longer, we'll starve to death soon too."

"Sister Luo'er, have you seen anyone else on your way here?"

"I wonder what happened to my personal maids and nannies... as well as the other guards, civil officials, and servants?"

"I hope they are all still alive."

Although the hope was slim, Nanping still held onto a sliver of hope in her heart.

Li Qinglu shook her head: "We only saw a body submerged in water."

"The rest, indeed, have not been found, but I think... they are probably all dead."

Given Liu Li's level of madness, these people have inevitably become sacrifices.

Nanping looked very unwell.

But we have no choice but to face the facts.

"I, Nanping, am probably the most miserable and useless princess in history who was sent to a foreign land for political reasons. I couldn't even protect one of my own people."

She bit her lip hard, and it soon broke and bled.

Li Qinglu gently pried open her lips with one hand.

"Don't hurt yourself anymore."

"This didn't happen because you wanted it to happen; it was the evildoers who had malicious intentions, and you couldn't guard against them."

"Thank goodness you're still alive."

"Oh, right, we also brought some food with us. Have some first."

Li Qingluo quickly called over Zheng Mama.

As expected, Granny Zheng carried two sesame cakes and some dried meat in her arms.

Nanping wolfed down his food.

Zheng Mama originally wanted her to leave some for her young lady, but seeing a princess living like this, she couldn't bear it and didn't say anything.

On the other side, Cui Qilang said to Zhuiyu, "At first there were some fruits on the trees. Later, we were able to catch some fish in this pond."

"However, there is less and less food available these days."

After eating one pancake, Nanping didn't forget to stuff another one into Cui Qilang's hand.

"Eat up!"

Her kindness was met with a cold response from Cui Qilang: "This subordinate is not hungry, thank you Your Highness."

Nanping was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting Cui Qilang to change his expression.

With a gloomy face, she turned and walked towards Li Qingluo.

"Sister Luo'er, why are people's hearts so fickle?"

After saying that, she sighed again, as if she had already figured something out, and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"This is so boring."

Li Qingluo asked her, "Why would he escort you here for a political marriage?"

Nanping: "He's sick! He volunteered to come here himself."

As she spoke, Nanping's eyes reddened again.

Perhaps fearing that Li Qingluo might misunderstand something, Nanping quickly explained, "Sister Luo'er, you know how I felt about him back then."

"But since Xia Miao, I haven't been so shameless in clinging to him. On the contrary, he seems a little unaccustomed to being suddenly abandoned by me, and occasionally he will look at me."

"I originally thought he was just bound by his family, so he still had a sliver of infatuation in his heart."

"However, ever since my mother took power, he has become even more distant from me."

"I suspected he had ulterior motives in approaching me. He was sometimes cold and sometimes warm... Later, I got too tired to guess and asked my mother to arrange a marriage for me so that I could give up all hope."

"Unexpectedly, my mother had already seen through my thoughts. She originally wanted to grant my wish and simply let me marry into the Cui family... but before the marriage was even settled, the issue of a political marriage arose."

"I was also helpless, and all my heartbreak and struggle were in vain."

"My mother even threatened me with her life in the end... What else could I do?"

"I never expected that Cui Qilang would become the general escorting me when I left."

"We've been stuck in this secret realm, relying on each other for survival. We've been through thick and thin together, but look at the way he was just now?"

"The gentleness and thoughtfulness I've shown these past few days were all just my illusions!"

Nanping angrily tore the pancake in her hand in half and took a big bite.

Seeing how she treated the cake, Granny Zheng clutched her chest in distress.

"Young lady, do you think this water... could it be the water from a corpse?"

Granny Zheng came over and asked deliberately.

Nanping's face turned pale instantly: "What corpse water?"

Granny Zheng quickly explained, "Your Highness... oh no, I mean Your Highness, don't you know? The pool inside that grotto you visited earlier has been filled with countless corpses."

"That side is connected to this side. So I wonder if the water here flows from that side..."

Upon hearing this, Nanping turned around and vomited.

Cui Qilang's face also turned very ugly.

Nanping quickly threw away the pancake in his hand; he had no appetite left to eat.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Granny Zheng took the item and carefully put it away.

Zhui Yu frowned deeply: "Why are they all vomiting?"

"Could it be that there's really something wrong with the soil and water here?"

Everyone started looking for an exit.

The places that Cui Qilang had already carefully searched were all ruled out, leaving very few places to search.

However, half an hour passed and not a single useful clue was found.

This place is like an iron cage, completely sealed off from all sides.

Both Kill One and Kill Three climbed back up through the tunnel, but even with their internal strength, they couldn't push open the previous entrance.

Just when everyone was at a loss, Li Qingluo looked at the pool of water.

Seeing her gaze, Zhuiyu immediately understood: "Does the young lady think... this might be the exit?"

Li Qingluo: "If the water sources are indeed connected, perhaps the underwater area is the only exit from here."

Cui Qilang: "I had thought of this method before, but I was really worried about leaving the princess alone here."

"Furthermore, the princess is afraid of water, so taking her with us is not an option."

"Now that you, the county magistrate, have arrived, I'll go scout ahead."

After saying that, Cui Qilang plunged into the pool.

Nanping stood up instantly, her face serious and tense as she stared at the water's surface, watching Cui Qilang plunge into the pool. Although she didn't say a word, the worry in her eyes was unmistakable.

Li Qingluo gently took her hand.

"Don't worry, I won't let him risk his life alone."

The one who was best at swimming, Shisan, followed suit and went into the water.

About half an incense stick's time later, Sha Shisan and Cui Qilang returned together.

Both of them had a look of joy on their faces: "There's an exit!"

However, Nanping was in a dilemma.

"I...I dare not..."

She once fell into the water at the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence.

It was during that time that Li Qingluo saved her, which led to their acquaintance.

In his previous life, Nanping became an idiot because of that drowning incident.

Becoming a princess sent for a political marriage in this lifetime is certainly a difficult fate.

Li Qingluo held her hand: "Don't be afraid. I'll stay here with you. Once they find the exit, they'll use another method to save us."

Nanping looked at Li Qingluo with shock and emotion: "Really? Sister Luo'er, you are so kind!"

At least there are still people in this world who won't force her to do things she doesn't want to do.

This is one of them.

Both Sha Shisan and Cui Qilang agreed to this.

“Girls, the entrance is blocked by corpses and bones. You might as well stay here.”

"We'll come to pick you up from the entrance after we get out."

Upon hearing this, Nanping turned around and vomited again.

The last few women stayed behind, along with Zhuiyu, Xuancang, Qinling, and Sha San, Sha Yi, Sha Ershi, and others.

The others followed suit and went into the water.

They thought there would be no more surprises, but about an hour later, blood suddenly gushed out of the water.

Li Qingluo, who had been staring at the water, quickly stood up and strode over.

"Something happened to them!"

Zhuiyu and Shayi also rushed over, and their expressions changed when they saw the color of the water.

"how so?"

Li Qingluo: "No, I have to go and see for myself!"