Chapter 30: Terror in the Forbidden Grounds (2)

How did it get destroyed like this?

“It’s nothing.” Yi Chenlan answered lightly, trying to pull his hand back. He didn’t want Shu Wan to see him so weak and helpless.

But there was no way Shu Wan would let him retreat. She held his hand tightly, tears falling in large, heavy drops as she desperately scrawled on his skin, over and over again:

“Was it him? Was it him?”

Her writing came fast and frantic, repeating again and again. Yi Chenlan had long since understood. He hesitated for a moment before placing his broad hand gently on her frail back, slowly stroking to comfort her.

“Wan Wan, don’t cry… don’t cry… Your throat is still injured, don’t cry like this.” Yi Chenlan said with helpless tenderness as he wiped away the ever-increasing stream of tears from Shu Wan’s face. His voice was soft and patient, coaxing: “Actually, it might be a good thing. He’s helped me quite a bit.”

He wasn’t lying. The first thing Shu Qi had done after capturing him was to cripple his Blazing Sun True Qi. But along with that, the burning, searing pain he had endured also disappeared. Though his dantian now lay empty, it wasn’t as unbearable as before.

Of course, Shu Wan didn’t believe a word of it. She thought he was simply trying to soothe her. She clutched Yi Chenlan’s hands tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, tears falling harder and harder, overwhelmed by grief and guilt.

He had lost all his martial skills, suffered serious internal injuries, and must be in terrible pain… These past days had finally shown signs of hope, and she had watched him become more radiant, like a pearl brushed clean of dust. And now, in an instant, he had lost everything. If even she felt this heartbroken, then how devastated must Senior Brother Ah Lan be…

Shu Wan wept even more sorrowfully, gasping for breath. Her injury flared up from the strain, and she began coughing violently, her fragile body trembling pitifully.

Yi Chenlan’s brows knit slightly. He felt as though the helplessness of two lifetimes had all surged up at this very moment. He gently wrapped an arm around Shu Wan, and seeing that she did not resist, only then did he slowly tighten his embrace, patting her back as though coaxing a child. “What’s wrong? Why are you so upset? Wan Wan, don’t cry anymore. I really am completely fine…”

Shu Wan pressed her forehead against Yi Chenlan’s shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. The gentler Yi Chenlan was, the sadder she felt in her heart. Ever since entering the forbidden ground, she had secretly resolved to give Yi Chenlan whatever it was that Jiang Yang obtained here in the book. But now, she realized it was far from enough. She would not only give Yi Chenlan the treasures hidden in this place—she wanted to give him everything she knew, everything she had.

Fair distribution? She no longer cared about that in the slightest. Senior Brother Ah Lan was the very best person, the brightest among all. No treasure in this world could compare to him. Yet she had no other power, no other means—only the ability to offer him all of this.

Thinking this way, Shu Wan finally felt a bit better. She grasped Yi Chenlan’s hand, hiccuping between sobs as she earnestly wrote: “It will be fine, it will be fine. Senior Brother Ah Lan, I promise to heal you…”

Yi Chenlan understood his own condition, but still, her childish vow warmed his heart. “Alright. Then don’t cry anymore, alright?”

Shu Wan finally realized she had been crying in his arms this whole time. She immediately felt both embarrassed and apologetic, and lightly tried to pull away. Yi Chenlan instantly let go.

He seemed to sigh softly, then chuckled lightly. “Little crybaby, finally done crying.”

Shu Wan rubbed her eyes, her cheeks already flushed red. Remembering that his wounds had yet to be tended, she quickly tapped Yi Chenlan’s palm, then wrote: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, your injuries can’t be delayed any longer. There’s no medicine here—let me do a simple dressing first, stop the bleeding.”

Once she finished writing, she tore a strip from the hem of her skirt. Yi Chenlan had taken a flogging; his limbs were still alright, but the wounds on his back were far too severe. If he lost too much blood, it could still cost him his life.

Fortunately, she had studied a few days of basic trauma treatment under Uncle-Master Zhou. It hadn’t been in vain.

Holding the cloth strip in one hand, Shu Wan gently patted Yi Chenlan’s shoulder with the other, signaling for him to lean forward a little. But she didn’t know whether he hadn’t understood or something else—he remained stiffly still.

She had no choice but to lean forward herself. In order to wrap the cloth around Yi Chenlan’s back, she had to hug him, doing her best to thread the strip through.

The girl’s warm fragrance suddenly came close, so near—Yi Chenlan instinctively drew a shallow breath, lifting a hand slightly to push Shu Wan’s arm. “Wan Wan, I… I’ll do it myself.”

How could you do it yourself? Shu Wan couldn’t speak, so she simply pulled Yi Chenlan’s hand down, placing it on his leg, and gently patted it—Be good, don’t move.

As she wrapped the second loop around Yi Chenlan, Shu Wan leaned in again. The strong, iron scent of blood lingering at her nose made her forget her embarrassment. Her hands grew more and more gentle, full of heartache.

“…” Yi Chenlan softly inhaled, as if he had turned his head aside.

Shu Wan’s hands paused, feeling a little guilty. She had been so cautious—had she still hurt him? It was pitch black here, and she couldn’t see anything. Perhaps she had accidentally touched his wound.

She wrote on Yi Chenlan’s shoulder nearby: “I…”

But before Shu Wan could even finish a single word, Yi Chenlan suddenly grabbed her hand.

“Wan Wan…” His breathing grew somewhat heavy, and his voice carried a trace of restraint. “Step back a little. I’ll do it myself.”

Oh… Shu Wan let go with a touch of grievance. So she had indeed hurt Senior Brother Ah Lan. Judging from his tone, he would not tolerate refusal—and he truly seemed displeased.

In the darkness, only the soft rustling of cloth strips could be heard. Shu Wan frowned repeatedly as she listened. When she had been wrapping his wound, she had moved extremely gently, not making a sound. Senior Brother Ah Lan had never known how to cherish his body. Judging by the noise, it was clear how rough he was being with himself.

Shu Wan reached out and stopped Yi Chenlan, worriedly writing on his hand: “Be gentler.” It would’ve been better to let me do it.

“Mm.” Yi Chenlan smiled slightly. “It’s already taken care of. Wan Wan, we can’t get out through that door—then we can only go forward.”

He propped himself up from the ground and, groping in the dark, pulled Shu Wan up as well. “Let’s hurry and find a way out, then get a doctor to look at your throat.”

Shu Wan nodded quickly, tugging on Yi Chenlan’s hand in agreement. She was also very frightened. She had no idea how heavy Shu Qi’s strike had been. What if she really became mute and could never speak again for the rest of her life?

Besides, Yi Chenlan’s injuries were serious as well—he urgently needed medical attention.

Just as she was about to withdraw her hand after signaling agreement, Yi Chenlan tightened his grip around her fingers and did not let her pull away. He hesitated for a moment, then softly said: “It’s so dark here—we’d best hold hands, so we don’t lose each other.”

Although it was hard to tell directions in the darkness, Shu Wan remembered that the passageway she had described shouldn’t be very wide—enough to allow three or four people to walk side by side. Since it was only the two of them, it really shouldn’t be easy to get separated, should it?

Still, Senior Brother Ah Lan was holding on so tightly, as though afraid she might refuse. Could it be that he was afraid of the dark? It was certainly possible. Everyone had their own fears. There were all kinds of phobias in the world, and fear of darkness was a very common one.

Shu Wan sweetly returned the grip on Yi Chenlan’s hand. She wasn’t afraid of the dark, so she could protect him. Holding Yi Chenlan’s hand, she slowly led the way forward. Out of concern for his injuries, she didn’t walk quickly.

In the pitch-black darkness, Yi Chenlan’s lips slowly curved into a smile.

On this night, when all paths had seemed like a deadend, hope had returned. In the end, he had gotten what he wished for.

…

The passageway was extremely long, as Shu Wan had already expected. They walked for a very long time before Shu Wan paused and wrote a few words on Yi Chenlan’s hand, asking if he wanted to take a rest.

“It’s fine, we shouldn’t linger here too long.” Yi Chenlan immediately refused. “Wan Wan, let’s move quickly, the sooner we get out the better.”

He couldn’t see, and had no way of knowing how badly Shu Wan was truly injured. His heart had long since been filled with anxious worry. And yet, Wan Wan was walking extremely slowly—despite his repeated urging, she simply wouldn’t listen.

Shu Wan smiled faintly, sensing that Yi Chenlan’s spirits had improved a little compared to before, and her own heart felt more at ease as well. As they walked, she even found the mood to tease him, writing: “Senior Brother Ah Lan, are you really that afraid of the dark? You’re injured, we shouldn’t walk too fast. I’m here, no need to be afraid.”

Yi Chenlan felt the strokes traced on his hand and couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused. After a moment’s thought, he didn’t bother to explain and simply replied: “I really am afraid of the dark.”

Sure enough, Shu Wan obediently tightened her grip a little. She was just about to write again and tell him not to be afraid, when she suddenly froze.

In that instant, Shu Wan felt a strand of her hair lift slightly, brushing across her cheek with a faint tickle. But at the same time, a sudden chill ran straight up her back.

In terror, Shu Wan gripped Yi Chenlan’s hand tightly, while her other hand fumbled to write something—but in her panic, she couldn’t even complete a single character. Yi Chenlan drew her closer, so close they were nearly pressed together, and whispered near her ear: “I know. I felt it too.”

His confirmation only made Shu Wan more alarmed. She hadn’t imagined it—just now, someone had truly brushed past her in an instant.

That person’s martial skill was unfathomably deep, and their breath control was flawless. If not for the faint breeze stirred by their movement, she would never have noticed.

But how could this be… Shu Wan’s heart was pounding furiously. Just moments ago she had boldly claimed not to be afraid of the dark, yet now, facing this pitch-black passage where not even one’s own hand could be seen, her scalp tingled with dread.

She had no idea how far they had already walked, or how far they still were from the first mechanism…

Sensing that Shu Wan was trembling slightly, Yi Chenlan felt a surge of compassion. He patted her back gently and spoke in a soft voice: “Don’t be afraid. Let’s keep moving forward.”

…

The two of them continued to move forward for a long time. Yet, they no longer heard any sounds. Shu Wan’s spine tingled with every step, but she forced herself to maintain a composed demeanor, unwilling to show fear again. After all, if she was this frightened, wouldn’t Senior Brother Ah Lan, who was already afraid of the dark, be even more terrified?

She had to hold herself together.

However, as much as she tried to reassure herself, the further they went, the more hopeless Shu Wan felt. The reason this tunnel was so long was entirely because of her own design. She had cursed herself silently a thousand times over, and just as her despair began to grow, they finally reached a wall.

When they touched the obstruction, her relief almost brought her to tears. They had finally reached the first layer of the mechanism. This meant that not long from now, they would reach the central chamber, where lights and candles burned continuously, and it wouldn’t be as dark as it was here.

Shu Wan fumbled around and finally found a rotating disc above her head. In the book, Jiang Yang and the others had tried many times to decipher this mechanism, spending a great deal of effort before breaking it open. But since she knew the method, she had no doubt they wouldn’t waste much time. The only problem with this mechanism was that it required both hands to operate simultaneously. She couldn’t speak, so she couldn’t explain the complicated process to Yi Chenlan and would have to do it herself.

But now, Shu Wan felt on edge, as though every sound and movement were a potential threat. If she let go of Yi Chenlan’s hand, even though he was still by her side, she would feel a sense of unease—something was missing.

“Senior Brother Ah Lan.” Shu Wan wrote on his hand: “I’m going to activate the mechanism. You need to… let go.”

Yi Chenlan sensed her intentions and was about to release his grip when Shu Wan hurriedly grasped his hand again and wrote: “But I’m scared. Please don’t leave me.”

Yi Chenlan’s voice was soft but reassuring. “I won’t leave. I’ll stay by your side.”

Still uneasy, Shu Wan hesitated and wrote: “Then, why don’t you hold me? Hold my waist.”

“…” Yi Chenlan fell silent for a moment, and then, in a hoarse voice, he lightly reprimanded: “Nonsense.”

Shu Wan also realized that her request wasn’t entirely reasonable. With some lingering unease, she wrote one last sentence: “But please, don’t leave me.” before finally letting go of Yi Chenlan’s hand and reaching up to feel the mechanism’s rotating disc.

The disc was made of wood, hard and stiff, covered in dust. She first ran her hand over the entire disc, mentally sketching its shape. The outer perimeter was circular, with eight wooden slats crisscrossing in the center, each slat featuring a small raised bump. Shu Wan understood the layout now. She didn’t rush to activate the mechanism but instead reached back to touch Yi Chenlan.

It had been too long since she had touched another person, and she felt a bit uneasy.

Yi Chenlan immediately grasped her hand and whispered: “I’m here, don’t be afraid.”

Shu Wan felt slightly reassured and patted his hand to signal that she was about to activate the mechanism.

She pressed down the raised bumps on the north and southeast directions simultaneously, then turned the disc to the left. The ancient, creaky mechanism emitted a loud “creak-creak” sound. Shu Wan held onto the disc and pressed the bump in the southwest direction, turning the disc to the right.

“Boom—”

The deafening sound of the massive stone door shifting echoed loudly, its continuous rumbling shaking the entire passage. The ground trembled, making Shu Wan feel dizzy. She waved her hand toward the front, only to find that the wall had disappeared, and sure enough, the stone door had opened.

“Wan Wan—”

The “rumbling” sound still persisted, and Shu Wan vaguely heard Yi Chenlan calling her name. His voice seemed anxious, but it was swallowed by the clattering of the mechanism, making it hard to distinguish clearly.

Shu Wan hurriedly grabbed Yi Chenlan’s hand, and he immediately grasped her fingers tightly, silently leading her forward.

It seemed like Senior Brother Ah Lan might have been scared by the noise, Shu Wan thought. The stone door had opened so suddenly, and the noise was so loud that she had also been startled.

Thankfully, after walking just a little further, they would reach the well-lit central chamber. Shu Wan wrote this piece of good news on the back of Yi Chenlan’s hand, reassuring him not to worry—they would soon be out of here.

Not only would they get out, but there was also something good waiting for him.

However, Shu Wan didn’t write this last part down. She wanted to surprise Yi Chenlan.

“What are you scribbling all over my hand, little mute? I can’t understand any of it.”

A strange and unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out beside her ear.