Chapter 53 is worthwhile
"So there was an accomplice," the leader said. "No problem, saves us the trouble of searching everywhere."
He waved his hand, and the Tantric sect members immediately rushed forward. The old man stood in front of Ye Wanning, pulled out a dagger from his robes, and began fighting with the Tantric sect members.
Taking advantage of the moment, Ye Wanning ran to Chun Tao's side and used a dagger to cut the ropes binding her: "Are you alright?"
"Miss, I'm alright," Chun Tao said, crying. "The book... I put the book under that rock over there."
"I'll tell you later, let's figure out how to get out first," Ye Wanning said to Chuntao.
The old man was highly skilled in martial arts, but there were too many people from the Tantric sect, and he gradually began to falter. Ye Wanning watched this with growing anxiety, but was powerless to help. Just then, Ye Wanning suddenly saw someone appear out of nowhere, rushing up from behind the stone tablet, wielding a sword and fighting with the Tantric sect members. Ye Wanning looked closely and recognized the person as none other than Pei Zhi!
"Lord Pei!" Ye Wanning exclaimed excitedly.
Pei Zhi was overjoyed to hear her shout: "I'm so glad you're alright!"
With Pei Zhi's arrival, the situation immediately reversed. The Tantric practitioners were no match for him and were quickly routed, fleeing in disarray.
"Why are you here?" Ye Wanning asked.
"I rushed here as soon as I received Chun Tao's message," Pei Zhi said. "I was so worried about you."
Ye Wanning felt a warm glow in her heart. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly heard the old man cry out "Oh dear!" and collapse.
"Grandpa!" Ye Wanning rushed over and helped the old man up. She saw a dagger stuck in his chest, and blood was flowing out.
"Quick...quickly go behind the stone tablet and get something...there...there is the way to defeat Tantric Buddhism..." The old man said weakly before passing away.
Ye Wanning looked at the old man lying on the ground, and tears streamed down her face. This complete stranger had given his life to help her.
"Let's bury him first," Pei Zhi said.
Ye Wanning nodded, and the three of them chose a place to bury the old man. They then stuck a stone on top of him as a marker.
"What do we do now?" Chuntao asked.
"Didn't you say there was something behind this stone tablet? Let's go see what the old man was talking about," Ye Wanning said.
The three of them went behind the stone tablet and searched carefully. Ye Wanning remembered her mother's diary and searched at the bottom of the stone tablet. Sure enough, she found a small protrusion behind the stone tablet. When she pressed it hard, the stone tablet slowly moved, revealing a dark hole.
"Found it!" Ye Wanning exclaimed in surprise.
The three men took torches and went inside. It was a narrow passage; after walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the space suddenly opened up into a spacious stone chamber. The chamber was filled with various books and weapons, resembling a secret treasure vault. On a stone platform at the far end of the chamber sat a sandalwood box, which was locked.
Ye Wanning stepped forward and pried open the box with her dagger. Inside were a map and a letter. The map marked the locations and troop strengths of various branches of the Secret Sect, clearly a confidential military intelligence document.
The letter was written by my mother. In it, she said that she knew the Tantric sect wanted to use the "Tantric Mind Method" to control the martial arts world and then the imperial court. So she collected this information and secretly placed it in Begonia Valley, hoping that one day someone would discover it and eradicate the Tantric sect.
"So my mother really did so much." Tears streamed down Ye Wanning's face.
Pei Zhi patted her shoulder: "We will definitely fulfill your mother's wish."
Just then, another commotion erupted outside. The three exchanged glances, their eyes filled with wariness—it was the Tantric practitioners; they had really come!
The Tantric practitioners followed the trail, only to find the cave entrance completely blocked. Agula's triumphant voice rang out from outside: "Ye Wanning, Pei Zhi, you'd better come out and surrender obediently. There's no way out of this stone chamber; you'll starve to death sooner or later."
Ye Wanning walked to the entrance of the stone chamber and looked out through the crack. She saw that the outside was filled with densely packed Tantric practitioners, all holding bows and arrows, seemingly ready for a strong attack.
"What should we do?" Chun Tao asked, her face turning deathly pale.
"Don't panic," Pei Zhi said. "This stone chamber looks very sturdy; they won't be able to break in anytime soon. Let's look for other exits first."
The three began a careful search of the stone chamber. The walls were solid rock, and there seemed to be no other exit. Ye Wanning's heart sank. Were they really going to be trapped here and die?
Just then, Ye Wanning suddenly noticed a pile of firewood in a corner of the stone chamber, and underneath it seemed that a stone slab was not properly placed. She went over, moved the firewood aside, and saw that it was indeed a square stone slab with an iron ring nailed to it.
"Come here quickly, look!" Ye Wanning shouted.
Pei Zhi and Chun Tao ran over quickly. Pei Zhi pulled the iron ring, and the stone slab slowly moved, revealing a dark hole underneath, along with a faint smell of earth.
"It's a secret passage!" Pei Zhi exclaimed in surprise.
Ye Wanning and Chun Tao also entered the secret passage. The passage was more spacious than expected, and it seemed to have been dug by man, with tool marks still visible on the walls.
"Where does this secret passage lead?" Chuntao asked.
“I don’t know,” Pei Zhi said. “Wherever it leads, it’s better than being stuck here.”
The three continued walking, and after about half an hour, they suddenly heard the sound of flowing water ahead. They quickened their pace and finally saw light ahead. It turned out that at the end of the secret passage was a small river, its water clear and flowing gently.
The three of them emerged from the secret passage and found themselves on the other side of Begonia Valley, some distance away from the stone chamber they had just left.
"Great! We escaped!" Chun Tao exclaimed excitedly.
Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, they heard footsteps behind them. Pei Zhi and Chun Tao turned around and saw Agula leading several members of the Tantric sect, who had apparently discovered the exit of the secret passage.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!" Agula grinned maliciously, raising his scimitar as he charged forward.
Pei Zhi stood in front of Ye Wanning and Chun Tao, drew his sword, and began fighting Agula. Ye Wanning pulled Chun Tao towards the riverbank, trying to find a boat. Sure enough, a small boat was moored on the riverbank, apparently left behind by a fisherman.
Ye Wanning and Chun Tao jumped onto the boat and untied the mooring ropes. "Pei Zhi, hurry up!" Ye Wanning shouted.
Hearing the shouts, Pei Zhi feigned an attack to shake off Agula and leaped onto the small boat. Ye Wanning quickly grabbed the oars and rowed hard, slowly pulling the boat away from the shore.
Agula stood on the shore, cursing angrily, but there was nothing he could do.
As Ye Wanning watched the Begonia Valley recede into the distance, she silently repeated "It was worth it" countless times in her heart. This trip to Begonia Valley had been fraught with difficulties, but at least she had found what her mother had left behind, so it wasn't a wasted trip.
"Where do we go next?" Chuntao asked.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com