Love is hard to hide
The warning in Amenhotep's eyes was like a poisoned blade, cold and sharp, but he ultimately underestimated Ding Wei's determination.
It was not a momentary impulse, but a primitive search for her own destiny lurking deep in her soul.
She could stay in this ancient country for Ramses, but she could not be like a rootless duckweed, never knowing where she came from and why she came.
Unraveling the mystery of time travel is her destiny.
She stopped paying attention to Amenhotep's shadow and devoted her energy to silent investigation.
There are always some old people in the palace who are like living fossils, and their memories are like dusty history books.
Ding Wei used her unique affinity and some exquisite gadgets from later times as gifts, and soon pried out a crucial clue from the mouth of an old priest who had served in the temple for many years.
Outside the city of Thebes, deep in the desert on the west bank of the Nile River, lies an ancient temple that has long been abandoned.
It does not enshrine any main god known to the Egyptians. Legend has it that it is the realm of the gods belonging to "time, space and destiny", and only the oldest and most mysterious branch of the pharaoh's bloodline knows of its existence.
Awe and fear flashed in the old priest's turbid eyes. He warned Ding Wei that it was a forbidden place. Anyone who trespassed there without permission would be deprived of the gift of time by the gods and would be lost in nothingness forever.
This warning not only failed to scare Ding Wei away, but instead was like a key that accurately inserted into the keyhole of her heart.
Time, space and destiny!
Isn't this the answer she has been looking for?
Her heart was more determined than ever.
One morning, when the mist had not yet dissipated, Ding Wei changed into a simple linen dress that was easy to move in, avoided everyone's eyes and ears, and quietly left the palace alone.
She knew that bringing guards would only attract unwanted attention, especially from Ramses.
She didn't want him to worry about her unconfirmed suspicions.
The road leading to the west bank desert is rarely traveled, with withered sedges and low sand dunes on both sides.
The sun gradually rose higher, the air became hot and dry, and there was deathly silence all around. Only the sound of the wind blowing past my ears brought the whisper of sand.
Ding Wei searched for the path vigilantly based on the vague description of the old priest in her memory.
Just as she turned around a rugged rocky area, a feeling of being watched suddenly rose from her spine, like the tongue of a poisonous snake licking her skin.
Almost as an instinctive reaction, she rolled to the side!
A short and sharp bone arrow brushed past the place where she had just stood and was deeply embedded in the sand behind her. The feathers at the tail of the arrow were still trembling slightly.
Ding Wei's heart instantly rose to her throat.
She quickly turned over, half-knelt on the ground, and scanned the surroundings with her eyes like lightning.
Five figures slowly walked out from the shadow of the rocks.
They were also dressed in inconspicuous coarse cloth, but their actions revealed a well-trained ruthlessness.
Their faces were covered with black scarves, revealing only a pair of emotionless eyes, like wild beasts staring at their prey.
These are no ordinary bandits.
The robbers' target was property, but these people's target was her life!
A name flashed through Ding Wei's mind like lightning - Amenhotep.
Who else but him would be so eager to make her disappear from this world?
This is no longer a warning, but a naked elimination!
The conflict between her and the high priest completely escalated into a stalemate to the death at this moment.
Anger and chill surged in my heart at the same time.
Ding Wei slowly stood up and assumed a defensive posture of modern fighting techniques.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
She knew that outnumbering five, a head-on fight would be a dead end, and her only chance of survival lay in taking the enemy by surprise.
"Who sent you?" she asked in a deep voice, trying to delay time and observe the other party's weaknesses.
The leading man did not answer, but just made a simple gesture.
The five people instantly dispersed, forming a semicircular encirclement and slowly approaching her.
In their hands they held bronze daggers that gleamed with deadly cold light in the sunlight.
There is no way back!
The moment the attacker on the far left stepped into her attack range, Ding Wei moved!
Instead of retreating, she rushed forward like an enraged cheetah.
The man was obviously not expecting that a seemingly weak woman like her would dare to attack him, and was slightly stunned.
It’s this moment!
Ding Wei ducked her body to avoid the dagger he was stabbing at her with, and her elbow hit his ribs hard at an extremely tricky angle!
"Ugh!" The man groaned, his body stiffening in pain.
Ding Wei had no intention of fighting, she used the force to turn around and delivered a swift side kick that hit his wrist holding the knife.
With a "clang" sound, the dagger flew out of his hand.
However, she is not a battle-hardened warrior after all.
She could handle one with her skills, but she couldn't handle five at once.
While she was knocking down one person, two other daggers stabbed at her from the left and right directions with a sharp sound of wind.
Ding Wei's pupils suddenly shrank, and her body could no longer make any more evasive movements.
She could only lean back as far as she could to try to avoid the vital parts.
At the critical moment, a burst of rapid and heavy horse hoof sounds came from far away, like the beating of war drums, shaking the dead silent desert!
"stop!"
A thunderous roar was heard, filled with boundless majesty and rage.
The attackers paused, looked in the direction of the sound, and their faces changed drastically in an instant.
In the distance, smoke and dust billowed, and a team of elite royal guards were rushing towards them like lightning.
Leading the group was none other than Ramses, riding a tall warhorse and wearing golden armor!
The bow in his hand was fully drawn, and the arrow flashing with a cold light locked onto them from a distance.
The look in his eyes was no longer the gentle and doting one he usually had towards Ding Wei, but the cold murderous intent of a pharaoh that was enough to freeze everything.
"Protect her!" Ramses' voice sounded again, with an unquestionable order.
The soldiers behind him rushed forward with roars and immediately engaged in a battle with the attackers.
Although these killers were ferocious, they were no match for the well-equipped and well-trained royal guards and were quickly subdued.
Ramses jumped off his horse and strode towards Ding Wei.
He looked at her slightly pale cheek, messy clothes, and the shallow bloody scratch on her arm, and his golden eyes instantly ignited with rage.
The next second, he suddenly pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly with all his strength, as if he wanted to rub her into his bones and blood.
His chest rose and fell violently, and his warm breath sprayed on her ears, with a hint of uncontrollable trembling.
"Fortunately... fortunately I arrived..." His voice was hoarse and full of fear.
Wrapped in his broad and solid chest and smelling the familiar scent of sunshine and grass on him, Ding Wei's tense nerves finally relaxed.
The fear and coldness of facing death just now were replaced by endless warmth and a sense of security at this moment.
She buried her face in his arms, feeling his strong heartbeat, her eyes warmed and tears silently rolled down.
This is not weakness, but the peace of mind of letting down all defenses in front of the person you trust the most.
Ramses felt her trembling and held her tighter.
He lowered his head and gently kissed away the tears on her cheeks, his movements as gentle as if he was treating a rare treasure.
The feelings between the two, in this life-and-death test, were like real gold tempered by fire, bursting out in an instant, hot and pure.
"Amenhotep!"
Ramses raised his head, anger rekindled in his eyes, and squeezed out the name from between his teeth.
He was almost certain that in all of Egypt, the only person who dared to be so bold as to attack his people was the high priest who thought he was in control of everything.
Without delay, he placed Ding Wei on his warhorse, led the horse himself, and returned to Thebes with his guards and the prisoners like a whirlwind.
In the square in front of the temple, Amenhotep seemed to have anticipated Ramses' arrival.
He was still wearing a white priest robe, standing there solemnly, as if everything had nothing to do with him.
"Give me an explanation!" Ramses' voice was as cold as winter ice, and he pointed at the killers who were pinned to the ground.
"Why did you send someone to assassinate my woman?"
Amenhotep's gaze passed over the furious Ramses and fell on Ding Wei behind him, his eyes cold.
"Pharaoh, I am not trying to kill her, but rather to prevent a blasphemy against the gods."
He stepped forward, his voice booming, filled with sacred and inviolable authority: "This woman from a foreign land ignored the oracle's warning and insisted on going to the cursed 'Temple of Time and Space'. Her actions will bring disaster to all of Egypt! Everything I do is to defend the dignity of the gods and protect the peace of this land!"
These words were righteous and instantly transformed a despicable murder into a sacred religious act.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding soldiers and priests looked at Ding Wei with a strange look in their eyes.
Although Ramses was full of doubts, he knew Amenhotep too well. He was a man who could make lies sound truer than the truth.
However, in Egypt, where the religious atmosphere is strong, it is extremely unwise to openly question the high priest's act of "defending the gods."
However, when he looked back and saw Ding Wei's clear and determined eyes, all his considerations and worries disappeared in an instant.
He turned around suddenly and stood in front of Ding Wei, like a solid wall, blocking out all questioning gazes.
"That's enough, Amenhotep." His voice was deep and powerful.
"No matter where she goes or what she does, she is someone I, Ramses, will protect. From now on, if she loses even a hair, I will not ask any more questions. I will make you and your temple disappear from Thebes."
These words were tantamount to announcing publicly that he was willing to become the enemy of the entire theocracy for Ding Wei.
Ding Wei stood behind him, looking at his tall and majestic figure, feeling an indescribable warmth in her heart.
This man, no matter what kind of pressure he faced, chose to stand on her side without hesitation.
This unconditional trust and preference is more touching than any oath.
Her love for him at this moment was like a river bursting its banks, surging and reaching an unprecedented peak.
The storm subsided temporarily, but Ding Wei knew that she could not retreat.
The more Amenhotep tried to stop him, the more it proved that the temple was hiding a shocking secret.
With Ramses' tacit consent and secret protection, she finally stepped into the ancient temple forgotten by the world.
The interior of the temple is spacious and deep, with huge stone pillars supporting the towering dome. Sunlight casts beams of light through the gaps at the top, and countless dust particles dance in the beams of light like particles of time.
The air was thick with the scent of ancient rocks and dried spices.
Her eyes were quickly drawn to the huge murals on the walls of the main hall.
The style of these murals was completely different from anything she had seen in Egypt.
There are no scenes praising the achievements of the pharaoh, nor are there any images depicting the gods judging the dead.
The mural depicts a brilliant "river" composed of countless stars, and one blurry human figure after another is falling from this river of stars.
They were wearing all kinds of strange clothes, and some even held square "slates" that looked like mobile phones and were very familiar to her.
In the corner of one of the paintings, a woman's figure, which is 70% similar to herself, is standing confusedly on the land of ancient Egypt, gazing up at the stars.
This... this is clearly telling one story after another about traveling through time and space!
Ding Wei's heart started beating wildly, she found it!
The truth is right in front of you!
She reached out her hand, wanting to touch the mural depicting the galaxy, trying to decipher a deeper message.
However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the cold stone wall, an invisible and terrifying force suddenly erupted from the mural!
“Buzz!”
Ding Wei's head seemed to be hit hard by an invisible sledgehammer, and a tearing pain instantly swept through her entire consciousness.
Countless chaotic, noisy images and sounds flooded into her mind frantically: the exploding stars, the collapse of time, the desperate wails of countless people... A cold, emotionless will echoed in her mind: "Outsiders... prying into the taboo... erase..."
This force tried to tear her spirit apart and completely destroy her consciousness!
Ding Wei groaned in pain, staggered back a few steps, and her face instantly turned as pale as paper.
She supported herself against the wall with her hands, breathing heavily, cold sweat soaking her clothes.
She understood that the murals were protected by a mysterious unknown force, and anyone who tried to decipher the secrets would suffer a devastating mental attack.
Give up?
Just back off and bury this secret forever?
Ding Wei gritted her teeth. The truth was just around the corner, and she would never give up!
She endured the excruciating pain that almost tore her soul apart, and relied on her unyielding willpower to resist the mental impact.
Her vision became blurred due to the pain, but she still stubbornly refocused her gaze on the mysterious mural inch by inch.
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