Yin Fan was already tall and strong, and the soil he was pressed against was too soft to grip, and his feet seemed to be sucked in like a suction cup, holding him in place no matter how hard he tried to pull himself out. Fortunately, You You had no other abilities, but he was strong enough.
Grabbing his arm, with a gentle pull, and with a soft "plop," like pulling a radish, Yin Fan was instantly pulled out of the mud. The soft mud burying him collapsed even more, and whether it was an illusion or not, it seemed as if something shimmered in the mud.
"Thank you, Miss You!" Yin Fan patted the mud off his body, his face flushed red. He was filled with shame. He had promised to protect her, but he was the one who was saved every time. He suddenly wondered if he was too useless.
"We're all teammates, no need to be so polite!" Youyou patted his shoulder generously.
"Young Master Yin!" Xun Rong greeted him.
Yin Fan then noticed Xun Rong beside him and blurted out, "What are you doing here?!"
"Just a coincidence." Xun Rong narrowed his eyes, looked the other person up and down, and said with concern, "Young Master Yin, are you alright? This earthquake came suddenly. Although Miss You and I are both unharmed, you should still be careful. It would be bad if you suffered any internal injuries."
Yin Fan felt a pang of sadness. These words made it sound like he was utterly useless, that he was the only one who could get hurt.
"What do you mean? I'm fine, I'm perfectly alright!" He glared at the other person and patted his chest as if to assure them.
The other party smiled even more broadly and said with a tolerant expression, "Yes, we also believe that Young Master Yin has his own understanding."
"..." I felt even more frustrated. He really didn't like this person!
A familiar feeling of frustration welled up in Yin Fan's heart again. He couldn't express it, nor could he swallow it, so he changed the subject and asked, "By the way, where is this?"
The group then began to look around. It seemed to be a very spacious stone chamber, pitch black except for a sliver of dim light shining from overhead. There was a passageway in front of them, its destination unknown, with occasional gusts of wind blowing through it.
"This seems to be an underground ruin," Xun Rong guessed. "It's likely that the earthquake just now broke some kind of restriction, causing us to fall here."
"What do we do now?" Yin Fan scratched his head, somewhat anxious. This place was so deep that there was no way to climb out.
"It seems we have no choice but to try this passage ahead," Xun Rong suggested, turning to You You. "Perhaps the way out is just ahead."
Youyou glanced at him, nodded without any objection, and said, "That's the only way. Let's go then!"
“Alright, I’ll go first! Miss You, be careful.” Yin Fan stepped forward and took the lead, cautiously observing the surroundings.
You You and Xun Rong followed.
Surprisingly, the path was clear all the way, but the further we went, the deeper it became. The overhead light disappeared, but the surroundings grew brighter and brighter. It seemed as if some special effect stones were specially embedded in the stone walls, emitting a faint glow as people walked over them, which clearly illuminated the passage.
The group walked for about ten minutes without encountering anything unusual. However, the road seemed to be getting deeper and the passage wider until a tightly closed stone door blocked their way.
"There's no way out!" Yin Fan took two steps forward, felt the stone door, and tried to push it with force, but the door didn't budge. His face darkened. "It seems this stone door is quite heavy. I wonder what's inside?"
"How about I push it?" Youyou stepped forward directly. "I'm strong."
Yin Fan instinctively wanted to refuse, but then he remembered the easily subdued Linshui beast and silently shut his mouth, stepping aside.
"..." I feel even more useless now!
Youyou braced one hand against the door and gently pushed, but sure enough, it wouldn't budge. Hmm, something's up!
She suddenly felt energized, using both hands, took a deep breath, and forcefully pushed it in.
A crisp snap was heard.
The door remained unmoved, but...
It cracked!!!
Σ(°△°|||)︴
A crack, about the thickness of a finger, appeared from the palm of Youyou's hand. With a few cracking sounds, sparks and lightning flashed along its path, like a fishing net being cast, spreading towards the entire door and the adjacent stone wall.
Yin Fan: "..."
Xun Rong: "..."
"Stop!" *2
For the first time, the two of them worked together so well that they pulled Youyou back from pushing so hard. They really couldn't push any further, or the whole passage would collapse!
(?Д?≡?Д?)
"I don't think this stone door can be opened by simply pushing it." Yin Fan glanced at the stone door, which was cracked into a tortoise shell, wiped away a cold sweat, and guessed, "There must be some kind of mechanism to open it."
"I think so too." Xun Rong nodded, glanced at the two of them, then fixed his gaze on You You, and said with a slight smile, "If you two trust me, why don't you let me give it a try?"
"You?" Yin Fan looked him up and down, his thin arms and legs scrutinized, and blurted out, "If neither of us can open it, what can you do?"
"Back in my day at home, I was well-versed in various anecdotes and secret histories, and I also have some knowledge of mechanisms, divination, and the art of formations," Xun Rong explained in a deep voice. After speaking, she glanced at Yin Fan, her eyes suddenly darkening, a hint of sorrow creeping onto her beautiful face. Her tone shifted abruptly, "I know I am frail and sickly, unlike Young Master Yin, who is strong and robust. No wonder you have such doubts, not even letting me try. But we are in dire straits now, and Xun Rong also wishes to lend a helping hand. I hope you will give me a chance, Young Master. If not, you can scold or beat me as you please!"
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