The group quickened their pace and left the forest.
After walking for a while, they came to a dilapidated ancient temple.
By the moonlight, one could see that the temple's outer archway had long since collapsed into a pile of rubble amidst the weeds.
The temple gate was crooked, half-open and half-closed.
Upon entering the temple gate, one is greeted by a dilapidated hall with leaky tiles and sparse beams. Although the hall appears broken, it still hints at its former grandeur.
There are several dilapidated houses and broken walls on the left and right sides of the main hall, but they are all so desolate and dilapidated that they are beyond recognition.
Chen Qingqing followed the others into the main hall, where a musty smell of decaying wood filled the air.
Apart from a dusty statue of a deity enshrined in the very center, the entire hall was empty.
"Everyone, split up and check for any dangers," Chu Jiuqing shouted.
The Wind Chaser and the Moon Chaser immediately dispersed and carefully inspected every corner of the main hall.
Chen Qingqing was already so exhausted that her body felt weak. She admitted that her fighting skills were insufficient, and her stamina was also lacking. If she continued walking like this, she would definitely die of exhaustion.
Seeing that Zhui Feng and Zhu Yue were looking around, she found a dry spot to sit down without thinking.
Chu Jiuqing looked around and, seeing no danger, sat down next to Chen Qingqing. "This place is relatively dry. Let's make do here for the night, eat something, and get some rest. We three will take turns keeping watch while we chase the wind and moon."
"Yes, Your Highness!" Zhui Feng and Zhu Yue accepted the order and sat down opposite the two.
Just as they finished eating and were about to rest, a loud bang was heard, and the ground suddenly collapsed without warning.
Caught off guard, everyone lost their balance and plummeted down with screams of alarm.
Chen Qingqing was startled at first, feeling her body plummeting rapidly. Instinctively, she reached out and grabbed wildly.
In her panic, her hand touched a protruding rock and she grabbed it tightly.
Chu Jiuqing reacted extremely quickly. Just as he was about to take flight, he saw Chen Qingqing falling and, without thinking, leaped over to her.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here to save you." Chu Jiuqing shouted, and at the same time reached out and grabbed Chen Qingqing's waist, landing steadily on the ground.
Chasing the wind and the moon wasn't so lucky; it fell heavily to the ground.
Fortunately, they had practiced martial arts for many years and were in excellent physical condition. Although they fell in a sorry state, they were not seriously injured.
It was pitch black all around, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
"Is everyone alright?" Chu Jiuqing asked loudly.
"Your Highness, rest assured, we are fine." Zhui Feng and Zhu Yue patted their bottoms and stood up.
Chen Qingqing quickly took out several torches from her spatial storage, lit them, and handed them to Chu Jiuqing and the others, not forgetting to remind them, "Everyone be careful, quickly look around and see where we are?"
Chu Jiuqing took the torch from the girl. She was quite well-prepared, even including a torch. Though puzzled, he didn't dwell on it. Using the torchlight, he looked around and discovered it was an underground passage.
He looked cautious. "This secret passage is eerie and must not be taken in. We have to find a way to climb out."
As they were speaking, a loud rumbling sound rang out, and the huge stone slab above began to move.
In a short while, the stone slab was restored to its original state; without a mechanism, it would have been impossible to open it.
There was no way to get out from above; the only way to survive was to follow the secret passage forward.
How careless of me! I've fallen for Zi You's trick again.
Chu Jiuqing's expression was solemn. "Don't rush. Everyone, spread out and search to see if you can find the mechanism that controls the stone slab."
Ziyou's voice came softly from above, "Your Highness Prince Ning, save your energy. If you want to come out alive, kill that village girl, then promise to return to the Western Regions with me, forget everything about the Great Ning Dynasty, and I will definitely take good care of you then, okay?"
Chen Qingqing sighed and said sarcastically, "Little Fish, I didn't expect you to be so popular, to have a drug king so interested in you."
Chu Jiuqing's face immediately darkened, and his gaze towards Chen Qingqing was as cold as ice.
Chen Qingqing wisely shut her mouth.
Chu Jiuqing's tone was icy and ruthless, "Zi You, put away your filthy thoughts. I will not die; the one who should die is you!"
"Hahaha..." Zi You let out a series of coquettish laughs, "Since that's the case, then you can enjoy the surprise I've prepared for you!"
Chen Qingqing calmed down from the panic, "Alright, Your Highness is right, none of us will die. The one who should die is that Zi You. Everyone, quickly split up and check if there are any traps or anything like that."
“Yes, Miss Chen.” Zhui Feng and Zhu Yue nodded and began to feel around, hoping that the switch for the stone slab was inside the secret passage.
Chen Qingqing also held a torch and searched around, but the stone wall was smooth and the joints were tightly sealed, with no hidden mechanisms or locks at all.
After an incense stick had burned, everyone lost patience.
Zhu Yue's eyes immediately filled with vigilance. "Your Highness, what should we do now?"
Chu Jiuqing's gaze fell upon the deep, dark passage, where dangers lay hidden.
If you don't leave, staying in the same place will only lead to your death.
He frowned slightly. "Take the secret passage; there's no other way out."
“Yes, the secret passage was dug out by man, so there must be more than one way out.” Chen Qingqing nodded in agreement.
Holding torches, the group cautiously made their way deeper into the dark passage.
Before they had walked for half an incense stick's time, they discovered that the walls on both sides of the secret passage were covered with strange symbols and patterns.
"What is this crooked and twisted carving? It's kind of creepy to look at," Zhu Yue said, frowning.
Chu Jiuqing's expression gradually became somewhat solemn. "These symbols should be mysterious ancient Western Region script."
"What, ancient Western Region script?" Chen Qingqing asked curiously. "What does it say?"
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