Chapter 170: Getting Out

The catacomb spanned across the entire middle of the mountain. With this, one could imagine how massive the tomb was.

As soon as all the people entered the tomb, they saw that the cave roof was richly ornamented with innumerable luminous pearls, which made the tomb magnificently illuminate with light.

The ground was paved with white jade, and there were a splendid hall and an arch bridge in front of carved fences. A boiling river wound its way under the bridge, making the tomb misty. It looked like a fairyland.

“Holy sh*t…” Zhao Xiong widened his eyes. He was astounded by what was in front of him, and he gaped at everything with joy and amazement.

There had to be countless treasures in this tomb. The old man didn’t lie to him. It was a high-ranking official’s tomb.

He was barely able to see that many people seemed to be fighting in front of the hall, as faint screams came from opposite the river.

“Chang Huan!”

“Brother!”

Su Jiu and Nangong Bi yelled at the same time and ran towards the stone bridge.

“Ah Jiu!” Xiao Lie shouted and followed up.

When Su Jiu and Nangong Bi ran to the bridge, Su Jiu suddenly stopped Nangong Bi, who was about to step on the bridge. “Wait, this bridge is strange.”

“Ah?” Nangong Bi gawked at her in surprise.

Su Jiu bent down, took off the dagger she had tied to her leg, and threw it towards the bridge. However, she didn’t hear the dagger falling on the bridge. Instead, the dagger fell directly through the stone bridge and into the river. It melted as it was engulfed by the boiling river.

Nangong Bi’s eyes widened, and her face turned pale.

If they had gone on the bridge, they would have been melted by the boiling river water.

Su Jiu slowly pushed Nangong Bi backward.

Xiao Lie hurried over and held Su Jiu’s wrist. “Only the front of this bridge is real. The rest of it is an illusion caused by the mist. Be careful!”

What a clever trick! How could the owner create such a lifelike stone bridge? Su Jiu was filled with admiration for the tomb owner, despite thinking that the tomb owner was also treacherous.

Looking at the boiling river under the bridge, everyone behind Su Jiu couldn’t help but sigh. If they fell, there would be no bones left.

Afraid, Hu Dapao took Nangong Bi’s hand. “Get behind me.”

Nangong Bi blushed a little and nodded while holding the man’s hand.

The boiling river surrounded the hall in the center, and there was a stone bridge every 30 meters. In the mist, they couldn’t see whether the stone bridges were real or not.

Xiao Lie and Su Jiu walked along the river until they suddenly stopped at a bridge. Xiao Lie took out his knife and threw it over. He only heard a ‘bang’, and the knife made a clear sound on the stone bridge.

Su Jiu raised an eyebrow. This bridge was real.

“I’ll go first. Tell me if everything is okay!” Xiao Lie looked at Su Jiu.

Hu Dapao immediately stepped forward and stopped him. “Your Highness, let me do this for you.”

“No need to fight for this. Take care of Su Jiu and Nangong Bi,” Xiao Lie said, striding toward the bridge.

Su Jiu took ropes from Zhao Xiong and tied the ropes around Xiao Lie’s waist. She seized the ropes tightly and looked nervously at Xiao Lie. If anything happened to him, she would rush to rescue him immediately.

Xiao Lie’s body disappeared in the thick mist. He walked to the middle of the bridge and seemed to stop for a while, before moving on.

Everyone stared at his direction without blinking. Their heartbeats kept racing till Xiao Lie got off the bridge, and they finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Su Jiu’s eyes lit up. She glanced at Xiao Lie, who was opposite the river, and then she stepped onto the bridge.

The people behind her followed her with Hu Dapao’s help, heading towards the opposite side.

As Ah Shu brought Luo Sheng across the bridge, Luo Sheng began to act strangely again. He grinned, looked under the bridge, and lifted his legs as if he was going to jump off the bridge.

Ah Shu hurriedly grabbed him and shouted, “What the hell are you doing?!”

“Fish! There are fish in the water! My baby is hungry! My baby wants to eat fish!” Luo Sheng took Ah Shu’s hand and shook it as if he was pleading with him.

Disgusted, Ah Shu slapped the back of Luo Sheng’s head. “Stop! If you ever do that again, I’m going to kick you off the bridge!”

If Prince Rui had not asked him to keep Luo Sheng, Ah Shu wouldn’t care about him at all.

Ah Shu then carried him down the bridge.

Luo Sheng cried with his mouth wide open, wailing, “I want to eat fish! I want to eat fish!”

The Daliang soldiers gaped at Luo Sheng in shock. Ah Shu’s face was livid with anger, and he was about to collapse.

When they reached the opposite side, they found that the flowers and trees were all made of jadeite and were so lifelike. Zhao Xiong’s eyes widened, but Su Jiu stopped him when he wanted to grab a piece.

“This tomb is very peculiar. Don’t touch that.”

Zhao Xiong was so convinced by Su Jiu that he nodded and gave the same order to his people.

Everyone crossed the bridge. After making a mark on the bridge, Xiao Lie hurried toward the hall.

The fight in front of the hall had come to an end. The corpses of Qiang Clan soldiers were littered everywhere. Daliang soldiers crossed the dead bodies and saw that the gate of the hall was open. It seemed that part of the Qiang Army went into the hall, so Nangong Shu also led his people in.

Su Jiu and the others rushed in immediately.

“Brother!” Nangong Bi was astonished to see Nangong Shu in the middle of the hall, and she rushed over.

Nangong Shu whipped his body around and saw Xiao Lie, Su Jiu, and other people with them, which stunned him. Chang Huan, who was beside him, hurried over and shouted in amazement, “Boss!”

Chang Huan and Su Jiu hugged each other. Chang Huan said with excitement, “Boss, you’re finally here!”

Xiao Lie frowned slightly. However, looking at Su Jiu’s excited expression, he didn’t stop them.

Hu Dapao and Ah Shu stepped forward and embraced Chang Huan together.

“Why did you come here?” Hu Dapao asked.

Chang Huan embraced Su Jiu, looked at everyone excitedly, and chuckled. “Let’s get out of here first!”

Nangong Bi was also eager to hold Nangong Shu, crying, “Brother, you scare the sh*t out of me! I can finally see you here!”

Nangong Shu looked at Su Jiu and the others and smiled, patting Nangong Bi’s shoulder. “I’m okay. I didn’t expect you to come here!”

“I was so worried about you when I couldn’t find you!” Nangong Bi shed tears.

The Daliang Army immediately joined the battle against the Qiang Army, and they waved their swords at the enemy.

Su Jiu and the others carefully observed the hall, which was 30 meters tall. Its walls were painted with magnificent murals. Even after hundreds of years, the color of the murals had not faded. These murals were mainly displaying flying dragons and gods.

There were 66 towering stone pillars, which were carved with dragons that looked ominous.

There were side halls on both sides of the main hall, which were filled with stone horses, delicate pots, gold and silver, and other funerary items. Placed in the center of the hall was a huge wooden coffin, with ancient runes written on its surface.

At that moment, a lofty man with a beard and in brown armor was standing on the wooden coffin, screaming and commanding the Qiang soldiers to fight. It seemed that he was the commander of the Qiang Army.

After many days of suffering in the tomb, Commander Hage looked haggard but still fierce. He continued to wield his long sword to attack the Daliang soldiers, who wanted to step on the coffin and grab him.

Su Jiu clenched her fists and jumped onto the coffin. Behind her, Hu Dapao, Ah Shu, and Chang Huan followed.

The four had robust physiques, and they moved swiftly. They landed themselves on the top of the wooden coffin, slashing their swords towards Hage.

Xiao Lie peered closely at the wooden coffin.

Hage was tall and sturdy, and he was also extremely dexterous and swift in action. He dodged Su Jiu’s quick attack of her sword, then turned around, wielded his long sword, and swooped at Hu Dapao.

After several rounds, although Hage looked exhausted, he did not give up. Instead, he held his breath and continued to deal with Su Jiu.

The Qiang Army’s deputy general saw the commander besieged, and he immediately jumped in to join the battle.

Su Jiu stretched her arm to dodge the deputy general’s large sword. She then stood up, grabbed his arm, and threw the deputy general as he shrieked.

The deputy general was thrown into the air. His eyes were incandescent with anger as he gnashed his teeth and came up again.

Su Jiu took a step back and suddenly felt the wooden coffin under her feet tremble.

Almost at the same time, she heard Xiao Lie shouting at her, “Ah Jiu, come down!”

Before his voice fell, he leaped and grabbed Su Jiu in his arms.

The moment she got off the wooden coffin, Su Jiu saw something in front of it. With no time to think about it, she pulled it off the coffin and grabbed it in her hand.

Xiao Lie held her tightly in his arms. He grabbed the bottom of a hanging palace lantern and jumped far away from the coffin.

There was a horrified cry from the crowd. Su Jiu turned around and looked at the crowd in surprise. She saw that Hu Dapao, Ah Shu, and Chang Huan had also jumped off the wooden coffin, which was sinking into the ground.

Hage seemed to want to leave the coffin, but his left foot was stuck. The deputy general next to him fell into a gap in the ground and was smashed into a meat pie by the heavy wooden coffin.

Anxious, Hage screamed and desperately grabbed the Qiang soldiers who came to rescue him. He dragged the soldiers down, but he still could not leave the coffin.

Half of the wooden coffin fell under the ground and was about to sink under the ground entirely. Hage had a dangerous gleam in his eyes, and he lifted his sword and cut off his leg.

“Argh!” The entire tomb could hear Hage’s blood-curdling scream. He had severed his left foot. Blood was gushing out, and his foot remained in the coffin. He dragged his broken thigh and climbed up desperately.

The Qiang Army stood there, watching him in horror.

Before he could climb up, however, a huge rock fell and landed straight onto the pit where he was in, smashing him down. This time, there was no scream.

The hall was silent for a moment. Even the two armies had stopped fighting with one another and watched the unexpected scene unfold.

The place where the wooden coffin had been originally placed was now occupied by the large rock that had fallen. The wooden coffin disappeared, and the ground became flat again.

Everyone didn’t have time to think about this, and the soldiers near the big stone panicked and retreated. Cracks suddenly appeared around the filled pit, spreading to the surroundings.

Xiao Lie frowned and said anxiously, “Let’s get out of here! This hall is going to collapse!”

Everyone gaped with terror and began to run.

The cracks on the ground were getting bigger and wider, the stone pillars were shaking, and the palace lights and wooden beams on the roof of the hall slammed down and killed many soldiers. The hall was suddenly in chaos.

Nangong Shu pushed Nangong Bi to Hu Dapao, and shouted at him, “Get her out!”

“Brother, where are you going?” Nangong Bi shouted in horror.

Without hesitation, Hu Dapao immediately carried Nangong Bi and darted out. He then turned back after making sure that Nangong Bi was in a safe place.

He knew that Nangong Shu had to stay to protect his soldiers, and he was also a general himself.

Nangong Bi fell to the ground, watching the man running into the collapsing hall. Her eyes were filled with fear as she cried, “Dapao!”

Su Jiu and Xiao Lie kicked open the side door beside the gate to allow more people to come out.

Boom! The stone pillars and the entire hall collapsed.

“Brother! Dapao!” Nangong Bi cried and got up.

The moment the hall collapsed, Su Jiu, Xiao Lie, Ah Shu, and Chang Huan grabbed several Daliang soldiers who were too horrified to get up from the ground, and dashed out of the hall. Almost at the same time, Nangong Shu and Hu Dapao threw themselves out of the hall.

Boom! The hall collapsed, and in a flash, rocks flew and the mountain shook.

Nangong Bi stumbled into Nangong Shu’s arms, bawling.

Su Jiu hurriedly looked around and saw Chang Huan, Ah Shu, Hu Dapao, and Xiao Lie behind her. Zhao Xiong was also not far away.

She inhaled deeply, then fell to the ground while gasping.

The Daliang soldiers were all out. The remaining Qiang soldiers, at that time, were sitting on the ground quivering.

Xiao Lie looked at Nangong Shu and hurriedly said, “We must leave this place immediately! The ground is shaking, and the tomb is going to collapse!”

“Yes!” Nangong Shu tried to placate himself and commanded the Daliang Army to leave the tomb.

The Qiang soldiers followed up and claimed a surrender.

However, the Daliang Army had no time to deal with them, let alone kill them. Everyone ran quickly and returned via the bridge they had come from.

After a while, Ah Shu suddenly thought of someone who did not keep up with them. He turned back to see Luo Sheng standing under an emerald tree, sticking out his tongue and licking the fruit on it.

“Son of a b*tch!” Ah Shu chided. He ran over, took Luo Sheng, and ran out quickly.

While crossing the bridge, Su Jiu glanced under the bridge and saw that the water in the river was boiling violently. Her face changed, and she urged everyone to leave quickly.

After running out of the tomb, they could still feel the ground trembling. Nangong Shu said coldly, “This catacomb is probably going to collapse. Let’s find the exit quickly!”

The people suddenly panicked at his words.

They had been trapped here for a few days and had not found the way out. How could it be possible for them to find the exit in such a short time?

Xiao Lie and Nangong Shu discussed this and decided to stay together. Although the chance of finding an exit in this way was not as big as splitting up, it was a safe choice.

They made their decision and quickly asked all the soldiers to rejoin the main unit and leave the tomb via the catacomb.

The remaining Qiang soldiers looked at each other blankly and followed the Daliang Army out.

As long as they could get out, they cared about nothing else.

The shaking under their feet became more conspicuous, and even the lights on the walls began to flicker. Xiao Lie looked pale as he gripped Su Jiu’s hand tightly.

“Ah!” A Qiang soldier screamed from behind, and everyone turned around to see that the water in the river was slowly rising and flooding part of the tomb. The Qiang soldier’s feet were soaked by the boiling river water. They were immediately corroded, and only bones were left. He shrieked in agony and fell backward, causing his whole body to start sizzling and bubbling, before finally turning into a puddle of blood and disappearing.

Everyone retreated in horror, looking at the slowly rising river as if they were looking at a ghost.

“Hurry up!” Nangong Shu hollered, and everyone hurried to follow.

The flooding grew, and more people screamed and fell to the ground.

Xiao Lie held Su Jiu’s hand and suddenly asked, “What do you have in your hand?”

Su Jiu suddenly remembered the object that she had taken from the front of the wooden coffin.

Su Jiu kept running while unfolding the object in her hands. It was a map made of sheepskin. She inspected it quickly and found an exit.

She looked up with elation. “Guys! We are saved!”

Astounded, Xiao Lie took the sheepskin map and quickly analyzed their location on the map. After a while, he looked up at Nangong Shu and said, “There is an intersection ahead! Turn left!”

“Yes!” Nangong Shu responded.

Everyone learned that there was a way out. Ignited with hope, they quickened their steps. However, although the flood could not catch them at the moment, the tomb was shaking wildly. Broken stones fell from the stone walls along the way as they ran.

They followed the directions on the map and ran towards the nearest exit. Perhaps because of the soldiers’ movements, the stones shook more violently, and the stone walls began to crack. The rocks above were also quaking. It seemed that they could fall at any time.

“Quick! Run faster!” Hu Dapao howled at the soldiers behind him.

Just then, a gigantic rock dropped. Everyone retreated and looked in trepidation.

“Don’t stop! Hurry up and follow me!” Nangong Shu said calmly.

Everyone wiped the sweat on the forehead, crossed the rock pieces, and continued to sprint.

Ah Shu ran with a frightened Luo Sheng and heard water bickering behind. He turned around and saw that the river flooded an intersection behind.

“Run! Everybody, run!” He shouted.

Boom!

The wind was roaring. Somewhere in the catacomb collapsed. Part of the mountain began to tremble violently, and the sound of the collapse was inching closer and closer.

Xiao Lie had the map in his mind. His deep eyes didn’t show any emotions. He held Su Jiu’s hand tightly and whispered, “Hold on, we are nearly there.”

Su Jiu’s clear eyes didn’t express her emotions as well. She noticed that the catacomb behind her had collapsed, and the corrosive river was already overflowing the banks. All of a sudden, she seemed to hear an eerie voice in her mind.

Su Jiu turned her head and firmly looked straight ahead.

Suddenly, there was a faint light in front of her, not the dim yellow light of the wall lamps in the catacomb, but the moonlight reflected by the snow!

Su Jiu and Xiao Lie looked at each other, and their eyes brimmed with jubilation.

The exit was not far away!

“Come on, the exit is in front of us! We need to jump!” Su Jiu yelled.

The sound of rumbling footsteps was mixed with screams, and everyone’s eyes were fixed on the moonlight reflected through the exit. They fervently ran towards the light.

The whole mountain began to shake, and the sound of the catacomb collapsing grew louder. Cracking lines began to appear on the ground where they were standing. Everyone could not care whether outside the exit was a cliff or a safe place, as they tried their best to reach the exit.

Outside the exit was a hillside covered with snow. Seeing the sky full of stars, Su Jiu finally drew a deep breath of relief.

Everyone jumped out of the cave through the exit and rolled down the hillside. Xiao Lie grabbed Su Jiu and held her tightly in his arms.

Just as the last soldier jumped out, Su Jiu heard a huge ‘bang’. The mountain shook violently, and the catacomb completely collapsed.

Xiao Lie clutched Su Jiu in his arms, and they quickly rolled down the mountain. The sound of the landslide was deafening, and the snow was splashing on people’s faces. Su Jiu was covered with snow all over her face, and her mind was in a chaotic state. She had the giddy feeling of her head being protected in Xiao Lie’s arms, before losing consciousness.

…

When Su Jiu woke up, she had a terrible headache, feeling like her head was going to split apart. She opened her eyes slightly and saw a dim fire shining. She was confused. Why was there a fire? Hadn’t they escaped from the catacomb?

“Ah Jiu!”

There came Xiao Lie’s deep voice.

Su Jiu opened her eyes and spotted a vague figure before her. “Xiao Lie?”

She felt that her lips were wet. It seemed that Xiao Lie was feeding her water. Su Jiu opened her mouth wide and gulped down the rest of it.

“Slow down, no hurry!” The man’s voice was gentle.

Su Jiu drank the water and finally regained some energy. She stood up and leaned against the mountain, and found that she was in a cave. There was a fire before her, and Nangong Bi and Luo Sheng were lying opposite the fire. Both of them seemed to be in a coma.

“…Where are we?” Su Jiu asked.

“Still in the mountain. Part of the mountain collapsed. When I woke up, Hu Dapao and Ah Shu were next to me, and I didn’t know where the others were,” Xiao Lie explained slowly.

When they rolled down the slope, Xiao Lie held Su Jiu closely in his arms. As a result, Su Jiu didn’t get hurt, while Xiao Lie had bruises all over his arms and face.

Su Jiu looked at a bruise on his face, which stretched from the corner of his eye to the bottom of his ear. Her pupils shrunk as she asked, “Does this hurt?”

“I’m okay.” The man smiled faintly, still as good-looking as before even with his facial bruises.

“What about Hu Dapao and Ah Shu?” Su Jiu looked around.

“The two of them went out to pick up firewood. Nangong Bi is still in a coma. It’s getting cold at night in the mountains, so they’re afraid that she will get frostbites.”

There was a crock on the fire, and something was boiling inside. It was probably melted snow.

Two figures flashed at the entrance of the cave. Hu Dapao and Ah Shu walked in, and they were surprised and happy to see Su Jiu awake. “Chief!”

Su Jiu grinned. “I’m fine!”

Ah Shu held firewood in one hand and raised his other hand with a smile. He said, “Chief, I found a bag of food!”

It was probably left by a soldier.

They were hungry at that time, and they didn’t know when they could get out of the mountain. They took out a pie and shared it, and didn’t touch the bag afterward.

As long as there was water, they wouldn’t die.

Nangong Bi was still in a coma. She used to be a spoiled princess, so those days in the mountains were a tough challenge to her. She was hungry and frightened, and her face looked so haggard.

Hu Dapao gave her some water. He suddenly remembered the injury on her foot, so he took off her shoes and socks.

When he saw her feet, Hu Dapao frowned.

Nangong Bi had blisters on her feet from when she had ascended the mountain. He had helped her needle the blisters and had dressed them with medicine. Because of the constant running and walking these days, the blisters were festering, and there were signs of frostbite on the surface of her feet too.

Su Jiu came over and squatted. “Why do they look so bad?”

Hu Dapao held Nangong Bi’s ankle, his hand trembling slightly. He said with a pale look, “She was injured before entering the tomb, but she wouldn’t let me tell you.”

Su Jiu thought that during those days in the tomb, Nangong Bi must have suffered a lot, but she never said a word. She was a very resilient person.

Su Jiu carefully cleaned the wounds on Nangong Bi’s feet with warm water. Although she was still unconscious, Nangong Bi frowned and groaned.

Fortunately, Hu Dapao didn’t lose the medicine. After applying it on her wounds, he bandaged Nangong Bi’s feet. He held and warmed Nangong Bi’s feet in his arms.

“Don’t let her walk again!” Su Jiu frowned.

Hu Dapao nodded. “I’ll carry her on my back tomorrow.”

“Huh?” Next to Hu Dapao, Ah Shu suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“What’s wrong?” Su Jiu asked.

“Chief, you may want to see this. What’s wrong with Luo Sheng’s mouth?” Ah Shu hurriedly replied.

Su Jiu, Xiao Lie, and Hu Dapao went over and saw that Luo Sheng was still in a coma. His lips were black, and a thick liquid was dripping from the corners of his mouth.

Ah Shu opened his mouth, and everyone was horrified.

Luo Sheng’s tongue had already rotted, and his mouth was full of thick liquid, emanating a foul smell.

Ah Shu quickly stepped back and looked at unconscious Luo Sheng with disgust. He had goosebumps all over his body.

“How did he become like this?” Hu Dapao asked with confusion.

Ah Shu suddenly remembered the scene when they were leaving the tomb. He immediately said, “It’s the emerald tree in the tomb. Luo Sheng licked the fruit with his tongue, so his tongue became like this.”

This news rendered everyone speechless from shock.

Who was the owner of the tomb? How did he build so many cunning devices in his tomb?

Xiao Lie’s face grew solemn as he kept silent.

Su Jiu turned around and asked in a low voice, “Is Luo Sheng useful to you?”

Xiao Lie nodded slightly, but then a sneer appeared on his lips. “…He’s useless now.”

Although the devices in the tomb didn’t kill Luo Sheng, he could no longer talk.

They left the tomb by its exit at night. They had no idea how long they had been unconscious for, and what time it was now. Everyone had run out of energy. At that moment, they felt slightly sleepy after a short conversation.

Xiao Lie took off his robe and gave it to Su Jiu. They snuggled against each other, waiting for the sun to come out.

When they woke up again, there was a roaring wind. Su Jiu opened her eyes and saw that the sun had come out, and the morning sunshine shone on the snow, reflecting bright light.

Su Jiu suddenly felt like she had been cut off from the outside world for ages.

She didn’t know how many days had passed since the day she had entered the catacomb. Finally, she could see the sun again.

Su Jiu grinned, but her smile stiffened on her face in the next instant.

In the cave, Hu Dapao held Nangong Bi in his arms, and Ah Shu leaned against the stone wall. Next to her was Xiao Lie. However, there was no sight of Luo Sheng. Luo Sheng was gone.

Su Jiu immediately got up and strode out of the cave. She saw a clear row of footprints on the snow ground outside the cave.

A little further away, the wind had swept the footprints away, and she didn’t know where Luo Sheng went.

It was a snow-white world, and there were no other people in her sight.

Ah Shu also woke up at this time. He ran over, frowning. “Did Luo Sheng run away?”

Xiao Lie also got up. He heard Ah Shu’s voice, looked around, and said softly, “He also took away our food.”

Last night, they were very tired. On the other hand, Luo Sheng, who was carried by Ah Shu on his back, saved his energy. He stole their food and ran away while everyone was asleep.

Hu Dapao opened his eyes and looked at the woman who was still sleeping in his arms. He remarked, “I thought he had forgotten who he is.”

“I think he had remembered everything halfway, but he was still pretending to be a lunatic,” Su Jiu analyzed.

After Luo Sheng had recovered his memories, he must have thought about his situation. Xiao Lie asked Ah Shu to take him with them all the way. Luo Sheng knew that he was not important to them, so the only reason Xiao Lie needed him was that he knew the ‘mastermind’ behind him.

So he had to run away.

Wherever he went, he must escape from these people before they woke up.

There was only limited food, and he didn’t know when he could go out of the mountain. As a result, he took the entire food bag. That way, it would be more likely for him to escape from the snowy mountain.

Ah Shu punched hard on the stone wall and scolded, “Son of a b*tch! If I ever see him again, I will strip off his skin and pull out his tendons!”

Su Jiu suddenly remembered Luo Sheng’s rotten tongue. How did the food taste to him?

Was it possible for him to eat cold and dry pies?

Nangong Bi was still in a coma, and they decided to wait for her to wake up, before looking for the way out of the mountain.

Ah Shu went out again to collect firewood, reignited the extinguished fire, and heated the snow. Everyone drank snow water.

“Brother…” Nangong Bi shook her head and said in her coma, “Brother, I’m so cold.”

Hu Dapao immediately hugged her in his arms, and comforted her in a low voice, “We are about to go out of the mountain, and there’s a warm world waiting for us.”

“Hu Dapao…” The girl murmured with her eyes closed.

Thinking she was awake, Su Jiu walked over to whisper, “Nangong Bi?”

Nangong Bi’s eyes were still closed. Her brows creased as she kept whispering, “Hu Dapao, Dapao…”

Su Jiu’s eyes lit up. She raised an eyebrow at Hu Dapao.

Hu Dapao flushed crimson, and soft lights flashed in his deep eyes. He held the girl’s body tightly.

Su Jiu smiled and left the two of them alone. She then went to sit beside the fire and added firewood to it.

Xiao Lie walked over. He wore a black military robe that was covered with dust. He looked slightly abashed, but this wouldn’t impair his noble and elegant temperament. He sat beside Su Jiu. In the fire’s light, his beautiful features looked like a sculpture. He smiled softly and muttered, “This seems to be a favorable adventure for Hu Dapao.”

Su Jiu raised her eyebrows, glanced at the two who were hugging each other against the mountain, and shook her head.

“Under such circumstances, even enemies may shake hands and rely on each other. After we get out, Nangong Bi may still be the same as before.”

Xiao Lie didn’t agree with her. “Ah Jiu, sometimes people don’t know their own heart. If I was in a coma, I would be calling your name! Nangong Bi has feelings for Hu Dapao.”

Su Jiu turned around and gaped at him with surprise, and saw that the man turned to look at her as well.

Su Jiu threw the firewood to the fire and gazed at the growing flames. Su Jiu said calmly, “Xiao Lie, I have considered what you said… and I can’t.”

Xiao Lie’s eyes sank slightly, and he asked blankly, “Why?”

“I used to be the Young Mistress of the Ji Manor. You can’t forget this. Both your mother and the grandmother have seen me before. Your mother won’t agree with us being together unless we keep it a secret forever,” Su Jiu said seriously.

“Ah Jiu!” Xiao Lie suddenly took Su Jiu’s hands and said sternly, “If you are with me, I must let the world know about it. I want you to be my wife! I want you to be Princess Rui, and for everyone in the world to know you.”

“Xiao Lie?”

Su Jiu pulled back, but Xiao Lie didn’t let her. “As for my mother and grandmother, I will explain to them, so you don’t have to worry about it. My father promised me to let me choose my wife. No one can stop us!”

Su Jiu looked at him calmly and said, “Xiao Lie, Ji Yuxian had told me that I don’t know how the world works and that I don’t understand men and women. Chang Huan and Ah Shu are my friends. You see how playful I am with men, so it may cause some misunderstanding to you. So I want to be honest with you. I always see you as a close friend like Chang Huan, and I have no other feelings for you.”

“I know.” Xiao Lie’s long eyelashes twitched, and a faint shadow fell under his eyes. “This has nothing to do with you. I like you. I said that I will change how you think about me one day, but even if I can’t change you, I’m just happy to be with you.”

Xiao Lie’s voice was deep and firm. Su Jiu looked at him in amazement.

“If you want to forget Ji Yuxian, then let me help you forget him. I am willing to be used by you.”

Su Jiu looked down and shook her head. “This isn’t fair to you.”

“No, it’s fair! You’ll get what you want, and I’ll get what I want. How do you know that you won’t love me after you forget Ji Yuxian?” Xiao Lie gazed at her, and his eyes were deep and sincere.

“Xiao Lie…”

“Don’t reject me now. Just stay where you are. Let me work hard to make you love me.” Xiao Lie chuckled. However, his smile was bitter and tough.

He raised his hand to touch Su Jiu’s face. His eyebrows were full of gentleness as he continued, “Don’t think too much. Stay with me. At least it won’t make you hate me, right?”

Su Jiu raised her head and smiled gently. Her eyes glistened like stars.

Just then, Ah Shu ran in with a large bundle of firewood. He shook the snow on his clothes and shouted, “D*mn! The wind nearly brought me to heaven!”

The wind was raging outside the cave, and the snow was blowing. The world outside was cloaked in white.

Even if Nangong Bi woke up, they might not be able to go out because of such bad weather.

Hu Dapao opened his eyes and grinned. “It’s lucky for us to be able to get out of that catacomb.”

Ah Shu sat by the fire and warmed himself. He nodded and said, “Yes, you’re right.”

“Ah Shu, after we return to Shengjing, you and Zhao Shan can get married,” Su Jiu suddenly said.

Ah Shu was astounded. With a look of embarrassment on his face, he said awkwardly, “Don’t worry about me.”

“Who is Zhao Shan?” Hu Dapao asked hurriedly.

Su Jiu briefly told Hu Dapao about Zhao Shan. Hu Dapao chuckled and said, “Well, this is a good thing. Ah Shu is going to be the first married man of the Dragon Conqueror Gang!”

Ah Shu glanced at him and said, “It’s hard to say who will be the first. You or me…”

The smile on Hu Dapao’s face turned stiff. “Don’t worry about me. When you get married, I may not be in Shengjing. Let the Chief drink my share of the wedding wine.”

Su Jiu and Ah Shu suddenly fell silent. Hu Dapao was right. When they left the mountain, they would probably go back to Shengjing, and they would have to say goodbye to Hu Dapao.

They might not be able to see him anymore.

Nangong Bi suddenly frowned and shook her head. Her eyes were still closed, but she looked to be in pain as if she had a terrible nightmare.

“Nangong Bi…” Hu Dapao whispered to her.

Nangong Bi slowly opened her eyes. She blankly looked at Hu Dapao and suddenly got up, hugging him tightly. “Hu Dapao, are we dead? I’m so scared, I don’t want to die!”

Hu Dapao suddenly froze. He glanced at Su Jiu, Ah Shu, and Xiao Lie, and he suddenly blushed. He then said with an awkward laugh, “Don’t be afraid.”

Ah Shu smirked and said loudly, “Yes, we are all dead! We are now chatting in the Palace of Hell!”

Nangong Bi heard him and turned around. She saw Su Jiu and Xiao Lie behind her. A bright smile appeared on her face as she exclaimed, “Su Jiu!”

She was about to hug Su Jiu, but as soon as she stood up, she fell back on the ground, jabbing Hu Dapao’s waist with her arms.

Hu Dapao clenched his teeth, and his face turned pale due to the pain.

He realized that he ultimately had no luck with this woman.

Su Jiu and Ah Shu chortled loudly. Nangong Bi also blushed, and she turned away with an innocent look.