A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 20 Map Guidance and a New Journey

Wanru, Huanmo, and the man in white stared at the enormous map that had suddenly appeared on the stone chamber wall, their eyes filled with surprise and confusion. The few shimmering dots seemed to possess a mysterious magic, especially the exceptionally bright one, which seemed to be urgently beckoning them.

The stone chamber still exuded an ancient aura. Strange objects placed around it emitted intermittent light in the dim light, and a buzzing sound occasionally rose, adding to the eeriness of the mysterious atmosphere. Huanmo gripped his sword tightly, his gaze sweeping across the map, pondering to himself, "What does this map mean? Could those bright dots be the key to leaving this place?" He turned to look at Wanru, who stared at the map with a weary yet curious expression. A pang of pity rose in his heart, and he silently vowed to protect her and find a way out.

The man in white frowned slightly, tapping his jade flute lightly against his palm as if pondering a solution. After a moment, he slowly spoke, "The appearance of this map is no accident; it must be related to this stone tower and our current predicament. Those bright spots are very likely guiding us to safety or helping us find an exit from this hellish place."

Wanru nodded gently. Although she was still a little weak, the map had piqued her curiosity. "Let's follow the direction it points. It's better than waiting here." Her voice trembled slightly, but it was firm.

So, the three of them followed the direction indicated by the dots on the map, heading towards one side of the stone chamber. The passage became increasingly narrow, and the light grew dimmer, making it difficult to see the path even with the faint glow emitted by the strange artifacts. Wanru followed closely behind Huanmo, her hand unconsciously gripping the hem of his clothes, her heart filled with both fear and anticipation. She was afraid of what dangers lay ahead, but she hoped that perhaps they could find a way out, return to the world with modern civilization, or at least escape this endless predicament.

As they walked, the sound of flowing water suddenly came from ahead, exceptionally clear in the silent passage. Huanmo stopped warily, signaling Wanru and the man in white to remain silent. He slowly drew his sword and cautiously moved forward. Rounding a bend, an underground river appeared before them, its water gleaming with a cold, eerie light in the darkness, flowing slowly and making a clear, melodious sound.

Wanru stared in surprise at the dark river before her, a strange unease rising in her heart. "This river... how are we going to cross it?" she asked softly.

Huanmo frowned as he looked at the underground river. The water appeared deep and the current was strong; wading across recklessly was clearly not a good idea. The man in white also stepped forward, examining the river. He crouched down, reached out to touch the water, and immediately frowned. "This water is icy cold, and there seems to be some kind of undercurrent. It's too dangerous to cross directly."

Just as they were at a loss, Wanru suddenly noticed a small, glittering dot on the opposite bank of the river. The location of that dot seemed to correspond exactly to the exceptionally bright spot on the map. "Look, there's a glittering dot on the other side. Could this be the place we're looking for?" she exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the opposite bank.

Huanmo and the man in white looked in the direction she pointed and saw the glittering spot. Huanmo gritted her teeth and said, "No matter what, we have to find a way to get there."

The man in white stood up, looked around, and tried to find a tool or method to cross the river. Suddenly, he saw several planks floating on the river. Although they were somewhat worn, they seemed usable. "Look at those planks," he said, "we might be able to piece them together and make a simple raft."

Without further ado, the three worked together to dredge up the floating planks one by one, then tied them together with some vines they found in the stone chamber. After some effort, a simple raft was finally completed.

Huanmo was the first to step onto the raft, then reached out and pulled Wanru up. The man in white was the last to board the raft, holding a jade flute and vigilantly watching his surroundings in case of any unexpected events.

The raft drifted slowly on the dark river, the water splashing up from time to time, wetting their clothes. The cold water made Wanru shiver. Huanmo held Wanru tightly, trying to give her some warmth.

However, just as the raft drifted to the middle of the river, a powerful undercurrent suddenly surged up from the bottom, causing the raft to rock violently. Wanru screamed in terror and clung tightly to Huanmo. Huanmo's expression also changed drastically. He tried to steady himself and attempted to use his sword to pierce the riverbed to stabilize the raft, but the force of the undercurrent was too great, and the raft was still uncontrollably swept downstream.

Seeing this, the man in white hurriedly began to play his jade flute. The melodious flute music echoed in the dark river, as if he were praying to the water for something. Miraculously, as the flute music began, the raft's rocking gradually subsided, and the force of the undercurrent seemed to weaken.

After a thrilling ordeal, the raft finally slowly made its way to the opposite bank. Wanru breathed a sigh of relief; her legs felt weak. Huanmo helped her off the raft and asked with concern, "Wanru, are you alright?" Wanru shook her head and said, "I'm fine, it was just so scary."

They followed the direction of the flashing light and discovered it originated from a cave. A thin mist filled the cave, obscuring its interior. Huanmo led the way, cautiously entering the cave.

As soon as you enter the cave, a warm breeze hits you, a stark contrast to the cold outside. Inside, there are stone benches and tables, suggesting that someone once lived there.

Wanru looked around curiously, wondering, "How come there are these things here? Could it be that someone was trapped here before and then found a way out?"

Just as they were wondering, a deep roar came from the depths of the cave. The roar wasn't as ferocious as the giant beasts they had encountered before, but it still carried a sense of majesty. Huanmo immediately gripped his sword and warily watched the depths of the cave.

The man in white also raised his jade flute, ready to respond. Wanru hid behind Huanmo, her heart pounding; she was afraid of encountering another terrifying monster.

As the roar grew closer, a gigantic figure slowly emerged from the depths of the cave. When they recognized the figure, all three widened their eyes in astonishment. It was a massive white tiger, its snow-white fur gleaming brilliantly in the cave, its blue eyes gleaming with intelligence as it silently watched them.

Huanmo felt a surge of tension. He didn't know if the white tiger was friend or foe, but for now, he could only prepare for battle. The man in white was equally tense, gripping his jade flute even tighter.

However, to their surprise, the white tiger did not attack. Instead, it slowly walked up to them, then squatted down, as if signaling them to follow.

Wanru looked at the white tiger in surprise, puzzled: "Where is this white tiger taking us? What's going on with it?"

Huanmo and the man in white exchanged a glance. Although they were filled with doubt, they felt that following the white tiger might be the only option at the moment. So, they followed the white tiger deeper into the cave.

Along the way, the white tiger led them through several narrow passages, finally arriving at a vast underground palace. The palace was resplendent in gold, its walls inlaid with various gemstones that shimmered with dazzling light. In the center of the palace stood a massive stone platform, upon which rested a golden box, engraved with strange symbols that gleamed with a mysterious light.

Wanru, Huanmo, and the man in white were stunned by the sight before them. They walked to the stone platform and carefully examined the golden box.

"What's in this box?" Wanru asked curiously.

Huanmo shook his head. He didn't know what was in the box either, but he could sense that it was definitely not a simple box.

Just as they were about to explore the box further, the underground palace suddenly shook violently, and the gems on the walls fell down with a crisp sound.

"What's going on?" the man in white exclaimed.

Huanmo quickly shielded Wanru behind him, warily watching their surroundings.

The white tiger also stood up and roared at them a few times, as if urging them to do something quickly.

At this moment, they face a new crisis, while the golden box still emits a mysterious light, as if waiting for them to uncover its secrets.