The water in the pool was icy cold, and Wang Xiuxiu's heavy wedding dress was soaked through, dragging her down like an iron block.
Wang Xiuxiu gritted her teeth and ripped open the complicated sash.
During the struggle, Wang Xiuxiu choked on some water and finally managed to surface.
She breathed a sigh of relief and, no longer caring about herself, immediately looked around—where was Lu Jingze?
"Lu Jingze!" she cried out hoarsely, her voice echoing in the darkness.
There was no response.
Her heart sank, and she had no choice but to dive back into the water.
In the darkness, a figure in dark robes could be vaguely seen floating in the water—it was Lu Jingze!
She swam to him with all her might.
Her fingertips finally touched a corner of his clothes, and she immediately grabbed it tightly. In the dim light, she could see Lu Jingze's pale face.
His eyes were closed, and the blood seeping from the corners of his lips spread out in the water; his chest barely rose or fell.
Wang Xiuxiu tried her best to pull him upstream, but the cold pool was extremely deep and the current was rapid, and she couldn't move an unconscious adult man at all.
Her lungs were almost empty, and her vision was blurring. Just as she was about to give up, she suddenly noticed a faint stream of water flowing from her side.
It's an air chamber!
Wang Xiuxiu clung tightly to Lu Jingze, swimming desperately with the current. Finally, at the last moment before suffocating, she broke through the water and crashed into a narrow stone cave.
"Cough—!" Wang Xiuxiu coughed violently as she dragged Lu Jingze onto the slippery stone platform.
Lu Jingze was ice cold all over. His back was mangled and bloody from the gunpowder explosion, and his right arm was cut by a deep, bone-revealing wound from the rubble.
"Lu Jingze! Wake up!" She slapped his face, her voice trembling.
Wang Xiuxiu forced herself to calm down and performed artificial respiration on Lu Jingze.
After several attempts, Lu Jingze finally coughed up some water and resumed breathing.
Wang Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief, tore off some fabric from her clothes, and used it to bandage his wound and stop the bleeding.
Even though his hands were trembling, his movements were swift and efficient. Only after he finished did he collapse to the ground, panting heavily.
What place is this?
A locked room?
"Something's not right here," she murmured.
The chamber wasn't large, but strangely, the surrounding rock walls looked like they had been carved by hand, and there were even several protruding stone platforms.
Wang Xiuxiu leaned against the wall to stand up, groping forward in the dim light. After taking only a few steps, she suddenly froze in place—
The entire stone wall in front of us was densely covered with memorial tablets!
Wang Xiuxiu gasped.
Just then, a weak cough came from behind, and Lu Jingze had woken up at some point.
"Xiuxiu..." His voice was extremely weak.
"Don't move!" Wang Xiuxiu pressed him down, "You're badly injured."
Lu Jingze struggled to sit up, his gaze sweeping around before his eyes suddenly fixed on the depths of the air chamber.
"This is..." His pupils contracted slightly, "...the ancestral hall of the traitor Da Yong."
Wang Xiuxiu's heart skipped a beat: "An ancestral hall? How could it be built in a place like this?"
Lu Jingze said in a low voice, "The Dayong rebels believe in 'water burial,' thinking that if their souls return to a cold pool after death, they can be guaranteed immortality in the next life... This place is probably their secret burial site for worshipping their ancestors."
Wang Xiuxiu was secretly alarmed, but she didn't have time to think too much at the moment. She just whispered, "Let's rest for a while and think of a way to get out once your injuries have stabilized a bit."
Wang Xiuxiu immediately returned to his side and helped him sit up: "How are you?"
Lu Jingze's face was deathly pale, but he still forced a shake of his head: "Thank goodness... Where's Zhou Yun'an?"
"I don't know, it might already be—"
Before the words were finished, a soft "click" suddenly came from deep within the stone chamber.
The two turned their heads at the same time and saw that the stone wall full of memorial tablets was slowly cracking open, revealing a narrow passage.
Wang Xiuxiu and Lu Jingze both tensed up at the same time.
Who would come out of a place like this?
The next moment, two figures staggered into the air chamber.
Xiao Cheng helped Zhou Yun'an, who was covered in blood!
The air froze the moment their eyes met.
Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help but curse inwardly—why is Zhou Yun'an, this scourge, so hard to kill?!
Xiao Cheng was covered in blood and was obviously injured, but as soon as he saw Wang Xiuxiu and Lu Jingze, his eyes immediately ignited with a murderous intent!
"Wang, Xiu, Xiu—!" Xiao Cheng's eyes were bloodshot as he drew his longsword. "I'll make you pay with your lives!"
Lu Jingze gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand up, gripping his long sword tightly, and stood in front of Wang Xiuxiu: "Xiao Cheng, you have nowhere to run. Surrender."
Xiao Cheng sneered: "Surrender? I'll kill you all first, then take my master away!"
Having said that, he drew his sword and charged forward!
It’s over!
Wang Xiuxiu's heart sank—Lu Jingze was still seriously injured, and she was no match for Xiao Cheng. In this battle, they were doomed to die!
In a flash, Wang Xiuxiu suddenly shouted, "Your master is dying! I can save him!"
The sword stopped abruptly three inches from her throat.
Xiao Cheng's hands trembled, his eyes fierce yet struggling: "You... what did you say?"
Wang Xiuxiu looked directly at him, her voice calm: "Zhou Yun'an has lost too much blood; if he doesn't receive treatment soon, he will surely die. As for me—" She pointed to her wet sleeves, "Nan Wei taught me medicine."
Xiao Cheng's eyes flickered, clearly hesitant.
Looking back at the dying Zhou Yun'an, Xiao Cheng raised his head to look at Wang Xiuxiu, his eyes still filled with murderous intent: "Why should I trust you?"
"You have no choice now," Wang Xiuxiu said calmly. "This place is isolated from the world. You won't be able to find a doctor. I've left clues; Lu Jingze's reinforcements could arrive at any time. You're carrying a dying man; you can't escape."
The stone chamber was deathly silent, with only Zhou Yun'an's faint groans echoing through it.
Finally, he slowly lowered his sword and said coldly, "Save him. If he dies, none of you will live!"
Wang Xiuxiu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately went forward to check on Zhou Yun'an's injuries.
For the next half hour, the atmosphere inside the stone chamber was extremely tense.
Wang Xiuxiu knelt beside Zhou Yun'an and skillfully cleaned his wounds.
This once arrogant madman was now as pale as paper, his breathing so weak it was almost imperceptible.
"You'd better not try anything funny." Xiao Cheng's sword remained pointed at her back, his voice chilling.
Without looking up, Wang Xiuxiu tore open Zhou Yun'an's blood-soaked clothes, revealing a hideous wound on his chest—a wound caused by flying debris during the explosion.
"Hold him down." she commanded curtly.
Xiao Cheng hesitated for a moment, but still stepped forward and pressed down on Zhou Yun'an's shoulder.
Wang Xiuxiu took a silver hairpin from her hair, heated it over a candle flame, and plunged it deep into the wound without hesitation!
"Ah—!" Zhou Yun'an, who was unconscious, suddenly arched his body, but Xiao Cheng pressed him back down hard.
Wang Xiuxiu was completely focused, using the tip of her hairpin to pick out the pebbles embedded in her flesh with quick and precise movements.
Blood gushed out, and she immediately pressed the ripped strips of cloth against the wound to stop the bleeding. Without looking up, she ordered, "There's a red moss stalk in the corner; gather it all."
Xiao Cheng frowned: "That is..."
"Someone to stop the bleeding, go quick!"
Perhaps it was because her tone was too certain that Xiao Cheng actually did as she said.
Wang Xiuxiu took the opportunity to quickly glance at Lu Jingze and saw that he was staring intently at Xiao Cheng's back, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.
She shook her head almost imperceptibly.
—It's not the right time yet.
When the red moss was crushed and applied to the wound, miraculously, the bleeding gradually stopped.
Zhou Yun'an's breathing became more stable. Although he was still unconscious, he was at least temporarily out of danger.
"Now, fulfill your promise." Wang Xiuxiu stood up, looked directly at Xiao Cheng, and said, "Let us go."
Xiao Cheng sneered: "I only promise not to kill you for now."
"You think reinforcements won't find this place?" Lu Jingze suddenly spoke, his voice weak yet sharp. "This ancestral hall must have other exits; it's only a matter of time before my personal guards find it."
Xiao Cheng's expression changed, clearly weighing the pros and cons.
Just then, the memorial tablets on the stone wall suddenly began to shake violently!
"What's going on?" Xiao Cheng looked up alertly.
Wang Xiuxiu's expression changed drastically: "It's gunpowder! There's going to be a second explosion!"
As if to confirm her words, the entire stone chamber began to shake, and gravel fell down in a flurry.
"Let's go!" Lu Jingze grabbed Wang Xiuxiu and rushed towards the waterway they had come from.
Xiao Cheng hesitated for a moment, but in the end he carried the unconscious Zhou Yun'an on his back and followed.
Just as the four jumped into the water, the stone chamber behind them collapsed with a loud crash!
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