The Empress and Her Servants (7)
There were many vines on Zhong Xiaoying's head, but only the bottom vine wrapped around her head. The other vines were coiled around her head, making it look like she was wearing a tall hat.
Jian Tanxi asked, "Sister Zhong, what's going on?"
Zhong Xiaoying: "This morning, Cassia was covered in vines, and I couldn't get them off. So I used my 'Transfer' ability, which can transfer the bindings from one person to another, and I can choose the location myself. I transferred all the vines from Cassia to my head."
I tried many methods, but I couldn't shake off or cut these vines, so I'll just have to leave it like this for now. These vines are quite heavy, but luckily I can hold them up.
Jian Tanxi tried to pull the vines off Zhong Xiaoying's head, but the vines wouldn't budge, and Jian Tanxi's hands became very sore.
She gave up and took out the magic carpet, letting Zhong Xiaoying and Cassia ride it to the northeast gate of the palace.
Then, Jian Tanxi rode the black tiger back to Qinman Palace.
At this moment, the time for 2D capture was up, the black tiger disappeared, and returned to the floor tiles.
After the magic carpet dropped Zhong Xiaoying and Cassia off at the northeast gate, it came back to pick up the others.
The magic carpet couldn't accommodate too many people at once, so everyone split into several groups and finally arrived at the northeast gate of the palace.
At this moment, referee Aaron appeared and asked, "Jian Tanxi, Qu Chen, Pan Xian, Zhong Xiaoying, are you sure you want to leave with four teammates who have become useless? I'm giving you one last chance. Once the Northeast Gate opens, there will be no turning back."
Jian Tanxi and others all said, "We're sure."
Then, the northeast gate opened. The referee announced, "All players, proceed with the challenge; Hard mode activated."
To everyone's surprise, what lay beyond was not a road, but a cliff. The cliff's slope was nearly 90 degrees, stretching endlessly forward. Thick clouds and mist obscured the cliff's width.
The referee said, "Next, you will have to pass three more checkpoints before you can leave. The first checkpoint: walk across the cliff. The cliff is one hundred meters wide, and you need to walk across it to unlock the second checkpoint."
After saying that, the referee disappeared.
Everyone watched with bated breath.
Even healthy people who exercise regularly would find it difficult to cross this precipice. Let alone those who are disabled, exhausted, and in poor condition.
Although Zhong Xiaoying is a fitness instructor, she has never tried cliff climbing before, and she is not confident that she can make it.
The others were not as physically fit as her, let alone her.
Previously, players' bodies had been enhanced, so they might have been able to give it a try. But in this dungeon, everyone's bodies have been reset to the level of ordinary people, and almost no one dares to take the first step outside.
No one had any protective gear; if they fell, they would be smashed to pieces.
Qu Chen had already hidden behind Professor Pan, not daring to even peek out.
Although Qin Man could walk, she was still entangled in vines, and her hands were also trapped within them. Therefore, she couldn't cross the cliff on her own.
The other "concubines" were completely immobile, from head to toe, and their condition was even worse than Qin Man's.
Cassia said, "I have a few 'Fearless Pills' on me. Taking them will greatly increase your courage. You able-bodied people can take them and share them. With increased courage, the chances of getting through will be much higher."
Zhong Xiaoying said, "The Fearless Pill isn't very effective. Even if we're not afraid at all, the danger is still there, and the probability of falling is still very high."
Professor Pan said, "Don't rush, let's observe further. The referee didn't set a time limit just now."
Qin Man: "Although there is no set time, given our current physical condition, we will get hungry and tired in an hour or two, and then we will be even less able to pass."
"That's true, we need to hurry... But if we're not prepared, going out is just suicide."
Jian Tanxi had been calmly watching the outside world since the beginning.
The cliff outside, like other cliffs, is somewhat uneven, and there are some scattered plants growing on it.
The rocks before my eyes and the clouds in the distance are all so real.
Jian Tanxi wondered, how did this cliff appear? Why is it that when you open the palace gates, there's no road outside, but a cliff?
This can certainly be explained by the omnipotence of aliens, but Jian Tanxi believes that many things can actually be analyzed using logic.
This cliff looks very real; perhaps it's not an illusion created by aliens.
So, this cliff may actually exist somewhere, and aliens used their "three-dimensional folding" ability to fold the cliff's space to the palace gate.
The fact that they could give Jian Tanxi this ability shows that they themselves must be more comfortable using the "three-dimensional folding" ability.
If my guess is true, is there a time limit to the aliens' "three-dimensional folding" ability?
If so, once the time is up, the cliff will return to its original position, and players will no longer be able to complete the first task.
Jian Tanxi shared her guess with everyone, which made them even more nervous.
Cassia asked, "How long will this three-dimensional folding ability last?"
Jian Tanxi: "I used this ability, and it lasts for 20 minutes. It's also possible that the aliens used a higher-level version of the ability, which lasts longer. 20 minutes is not enough to cross the cliff. I don't think the aliens would make things difficult for us like that."
Ouyang Ling said, "But even if this cliff stays here, we still can't get across... How about this, the rest of you go over... those of us who can't move can stay here..."
Professor Pan said, “No, if I leave you here, you will surely die. I used my ability to communicate with the vines before, and they said that they need to eat people to survive. If you are wrapped in vines for too long, they will eat you up.”
Jian Tanxi felt a lingering fear and said, "No wonder I saw the corpses of servants from the previous rounds in the palace, but not the corpses of the empresses from the previous rounds. Perhaps many players who played the empresses were eaten by the vines, so there were no corpses left..."
Ouyang Ling was somewhat desperate, but still said, "There's nothing we can do... It's better for the few of you to get out than for us all to be wiped out..."
Cassia then said to Zhong Xiaoying, "Zhong Xiaoying, give those vines back to me... The vines can eat people, it's dangerous for you to have them wrapped around you..."
Zhong Xiaoying said, "I only know how to transfer the vines to myself, not how to transfer them back. Don't worry, the vines should disappear if we clear the level."
Zhong Xiaoying's nonchalant attitude touched Cassia and boosted her confidence.
Jian Tanxi said to everyone, "Don't be pessimistic, we will definitely get out of here."
At this moment, Jian Tanxi saw a ibex climbing on a cliff in the distance.
The blue sheep is an animal that is extremely good at climbing and often moves among cliffs.
The presence of blue sheep on this cliff indicates that the cliff itself is real, but it has been moved entirely.
Jian Tanxi suddenly remembered that she had another prop—the Lost Man's Cane.
She had previously visited Diamond Hill, where she met an old man.
The old man, who called himself the Lost One, gave Jian Tanxi a walking stick. This walking stick could help people walk on cliffs without falling off; it could also allow people to ride on the backs of animals so that the animals couldn't throw them off.
As long as Jian Tanxi uses this crutch, whether she uses it to climb rocks or to control the argali sheep so that the sheep can carry her away, she can pass the test.
However, this way only she can pass the test; the others still cannot.
Jian Tanxi looked at the argali sheep, then at her companions, and came up with another idea.
She took out the Lost Man's cane and walked to Qin Man's side.
Then, she placed the cane beside Qin Man, letting it rest against the vines on Qin Man's body.
Qin Man asked, "Tanxi, what are you doing? What's the use of this cane?"
Jian Tanxi didn't explain, but said directly, "Ability activated—script modification. 'The vines on Qin Man's body are touching the Lost One's cane.' Change 'touching' to 'entwined,' 'The vines on Qin Man's body are entwined with the Lost One's cane.'"
As soon as she finished speaking, a vine sprouted from Qin Man's body and wrapped around her cane.
Jian Tanxi tried to pull on the cane, but the vines were too strong and she couldn't budge them at all.
Jian Tanxi tried to kick the cane again, but the cane remained motionless.
Now Jian Tanxi was relieved. She said to Qin Man, "Sister Qin Man, do you trust me?"
Qin Man: "Of course I believe it."
"Alright, are you going to walk across the cliff now?"
"Ah? My...my hands are all tangled..."
"This cane will help you get through. Trust me, don't be afraid."
Qin Man was skeptical, but she still stepped outside.
At this moment, Ouyang Ling shouted, "Wait! Don't go out!"
Qin Man turned around and asked, "Why?"
Ouyang Ling: "This... there's no need to ask why... You're wrapped in vines, and you have no strength; you can barely walk with your feet. In this state, you can't climb mountains, let alone rock climb..."
Then, Ouyang Ling looked at Jian Tanxi: "Jian Tanxi, I don't doubt you, but... but if you let Qin Man go out like this, she will definitely die."
Jian Tanxi said, "I know you mean well, but that cane is a powerful tool. With it, Qin Man won't fall."
"With such great props, why don't you use them yourself?"
"Because I want to save everyone, do you believe that reason?"
Ouyang Ling hesitated, half believing and half doubting.
Jian Tanxi didn't explain too much, because if she explained the effects of the Lost One's Cane clearly, some players might covet it. That way, Qin Man might not be able to use the cane, since other players would also want to use it.
Although everyone seems like a good person, in such an extreme situation, it's not surprising that everyone would consider their own survival if given a chance to live.
Jian Tanxi chose to let Qin Man use the cane for two reasons: firstly, she had a good relationship with Qin Man, and secondly, Qin Man was one of the four players who had lost their strength. Once Qin Man got there, Jian Tanxi and the others would only have three players to carry, which would reduce the pressure.
Qin Man was fortunate enough to be able to walk, so sending Qin Man there first became Jian Tanxi's first choice.
As for how the others would pass the level, Jian Tanxi already had a plan in mind.
It's understandable that Ouyang Ling would suspect Jian Tanxi's motives since she had never met Jian Tanxi before.
Her speaking up to Qin Man proves that she is a kind girl.
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