A thin layer of sweat appeared on Meng Yuxiu's forehead. Although these silver needles were not very powerful, the dense arrangement of them on his body was still unbearably painful.
“No,” he said confidently. “Since it’s a trap array, the test will only focus on trap skills, not on using poisons to make things difficult.”
Chang Lili nodded, looking so adorable that it broke one's heart.
With each needle she pulled out, she could feel Meng Yuxiu trembling slightly.
Although they were just thin silver needles, each one penetrated half an inch into the flesh, and Chang Lili could see bloodstains with every needle that was pulled out.
Meng Yuxiu's forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and her palms were also sweaty. She hesitated to continue pulling the cloth halfway through.
"It's nothing, just a superficial injury," Meng Yuxiu reached out and took her hand, forcing a smile as he said softly, "Don't be afraid, we'll be out of here soon."
"It's all my fault. If it weren't for you, I probably would have died at the first checkpoint. Even if we had passed the traps, it would have been an unfair victory," Chang Lili said with shame. "And I even caused you to get hurt."
"I don't think so. We're stuck here now, and my martial arts skills are no match for that peerless master. If you hadn't led me out, I might have been trapped to death..."
Meng Yuxiu was interrupted rudely by Chang Lili before he could finish speaking: "Don't talk nonsense, we can get out!"
As she spoke, her expression hardened. From the moment she entered this maze of mechanisms, she had become timid and hesitant, which was unlike her usual self.
Now that she's facing the same fate, whether she sticks her neck out or not, and Meng Yu's cultivation level has been injured for her sake, she needs to find a way to break this formation as soon as possible and leave this place.
A slight warmth spread across his cheek as Meng Yuxiu gently touched Chang Lili's cheek with one hand.
As Chang Lili looked on in surprise, a look of heartache appeared in his eyes: "Does it hurt?"
"ah?"
Chang Lili looked puzzled, but she hadn't noticed it until Meng Yuxiu asked her. She felt a slight stinging pain on her left cheek and reached out to touch it, but Meng Yuxiu stopped her.
"Don't move. You've been pricked by the needle. After we get out, we'll go to the palace to ask the imperial physician for help. It won't leave a scar," Meng Yuxiu said earnestly.
Chang Lili couldn't help but laugh: "It's just a scratch, what does it matter? It's you who got hurt."
The needles on Meng Yuxiu's body were finally removed. She wiped the sweat from his forehead with her sleeve and then casually wiped her own sweat.
"Let me check it out. Once I break this mechanism, we can get through." Chang Lili finally showed the confidence she used when forging weapons.
"Be careful," Meng Yuxiu warned solemnly.
As Chang Lili approached the passageway, she realized that the silver needles shot out from the dragon heads' mouths in a radiating pattern. This meant that even if one was not standing between the two rows of dragon heads, one would still be pricked like a hedgehog once the mechanism was triggered.
Fortunately, Meng Yuxiu was skilled in martial arts and was able to escape in time without sustaining any serious injuries.
But how is the mechanism triggered?
Chang Lili carefully recalled what had just happened; Meng Yuxiu had triggered the mechanism before he even finished his third step.
However, he had already walked between the two rows of opposing dragon heads. In other words, walking between the dragon heads would trigger the mechanism?
Holding the tinderbox she had taken from Meng Yuxiu, she exhaled, her expression resolute, and tentatively took a step forward, her nerves taut.
"Li Li!" Meng Yuxiu shouted urgently, "What are you doing?"
"Don't worry, if I'm not mistaken, taking a little step forward shouldn't trigger the mechanism," Chang Lili said, taking another small step forward.
Meng Yuxiu, whose voice was just a few meters away, heard it from behind: "Don't do anything so risky. I'll take care of whatever you need."
This was the first time Meng Yuxiu had spoken to her in such a harsh voice. Chang Lili turned around and saw him with beads of sweat on his forehead, his face pale, and his expression anxious. He reached out as if he wanted to grab her back.
Her heart softened, and she turned around with a smile, saying, "Alright, don't rush. I won't go any further. I'll just stand here and take a look. See, I didn't trigger any mechanisms, did I?"
Meng Yuxiu quickly scanned his surroundings before relaxing and letting out a soft breath, saying, "Be careful."
Chang Lili nodded and turned to look ahead.
Directly in front of her was a dragon head embedded in the wall, and she used a tinderbox to light the wick on the dragon head.
In an instant, the pitch-black world was illuminated, and the light made the stone-carved dragon head appear in all its detail.
Chang Lili looked at the dragon head. The craftsmanship was beyond question. The small dragon head was sculpted to be lifelike. However, the majestic and noble dragon head also appeared somewhat sinister and terrifying.
“The law originates from the technique, and the mechanism arises from the mind,” Chang Lili murmured. “The so-called mechanical art is just a small part of the machine. That part is the core of the mechanical art. If this small part is damaged, the machine will not be able to work.”
Meng Yuxiu, however, could not concentrate on listening to her or give her a reply. He nervously observed the sounds around him.
Chang Lili observed the dragon head intently, feeling that the mechanism was on it, though the smooth wall didn't reveal anything.
After looking for a long time, she still couldn't figure it out, so she moved closer and became a little impatient.
At that moment, she suddenly noticed a small spring on the tiny scales between the dragon's neck, which was completely hidden by the dragon's flying horns.
The tiny spring connects the faucet to the wall, but what lies behind the wall remains unknown.
Chang Lili's intuition told her that this spring was the key.
She nervously reached out and slowly extended her hand toward the spring, wanting to confirm whether moving the spring would trigger the mechanism.
Just as her hand was about to touch the spring, Meng Yuxiu's voice rang out from behind: "Lili? What are you doing?"
Chang Lili then withdrew her hand, realizing that she had taken too much risk. She quickly retreated.
Meng Yuxiu, who had been tense like a sharp sword, finally relaxed and grabbed Chang Lili as if afraid she would run away in a flash.
"I think I've found the mechanism!" Chang Lili exclaimed in surprise.
Seeing her beaming smile, Meng Yuxiu also became happy: "Where are you?"
Chang Lili pulled Meng Yuxiu closer to the dragon head and pointed to its neck, saying, "I suspect this is the core of this mechanism."
Meng Yuxiu instinctively reached out to touch it, but Chang Lili quickly pulled him back: "You can't just touch it. If you trigger the mechanism, we'll both be in trouble again. We need to find a long weapon. Why didn't you bring a sword?"
As Chang Lili spoke, she groped Meng Yuxiu's body. Meng Yuxiu's slightly pale face flushed instantly. He grabbed Chang Lili's wandering hand and said, "It's okay, I have a way."
As he spoke, he bent down and picked up a silver needle. With his well-defined bones, he held the slender silver needle between two fingers and threw it out suddenly.
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