bookrandom Chapter 263 Willing to Follow Until Death
Chapter 263 Willing to Follow Until Death
The old man smiled slightly, and there was a hint of kindness in his smile. He slowly said: "Child, there are some things that you should not know now. When the time is right, I will tell you one by one."
Shen Yiran wanted to ask more, but the old man waved his hand, signaling her not to be anxious.
Then, the old man and Shen Yiran sat down at the stone table. The old man looked at her and said slowly:
"Children, if you want to return to Beijing now, you have two options. One is to leave the cave now, but it will take three days to get to Beijing.
The other road leads directly to the imperial study in the palace, but this road is very dangerous. If you are not careful, you will all die here."
Shen Yiran was shocked when she heard this. She frowned and asked, "What kind of danger could it be?"
The old man said solemnly: "The road to the lower palace requires passing through a river of fire that is about a hundred meters long. It is extremely hot and seems to be able to swallow everything. After passing through the fire and reaching the other side, you need to find the mechanism and open it before you can lower the bridge and everyone can cross the bridge.
The key is whether anyone can pass through the 100-meter flame. This mechanism has been set up for hundreds of years, but no one has succeeded so far, and many people have died because of it. "
Shen Yiran couldn't help but gasp when she heard this. She was very hesitant. On the one hand, if she didn't take a shortcut and didn't stop Yu Gongchen's behavior in time, the emperor, the imperial concubine, and the entire Northern Tang Kingdom would be destroyed in his hands.
But this shortcut is so dangerous that if you are not careful, you will be doomed. She thought for a moment and said to the old man, "Let me go out and discuss it with my husband before making a decision."
After saying that, Shen Yiran stood up and walked outside. After passing through the stone gate, she looked around and after making sure that there was no one around, she quickly entered the mysterious space.
She was extremely anxious and hurried towards the pasture, shouting as she ran: "Yanlang, Huihu, come out."
Not long after, there was a shaking in the grass on the farm. First, a pair of eyes flashing with faint light appeared, and then the tall and mighty figure of the Flame Wolf slowly walked out.
Its fur is like burning flames, which looks particularly dazzling in this mysterious space. Its eyes are sharp and alert, as if it is always ready to deal with any danger.
Then, the brilliant tiger also walked out slowly. It was huge in size, and the stripes on its body were as shining as the stars in the night sky.
There was a hint of laziness in its eyes, yet it remained majestic. It shook its fur and yawned, as if it had just woken up.
When Shen Yiran saw them come out, she hurriedly told them what the old man had just said, and then asked them expectantly if they could help her get through the difficult times.
After hearing this, Huihu shook his head and said in a muffled voice: "I can't do it. I'm afraid of fire. This flame is no joke. I don't want to be burned to a crisp." As he spoke, he took a few steps back, as if the flame was right in front of him and it was scared.
The Flame Wolf raised its head slightly, with a hint of determination in its eyes. Its firm look seemed to say that it was not afraid of any challenge.
It said, "You can give it a try, but it's very risky. Although I'm not afraid of fire, it would take a lot of my energy to carry you across.
If we fail, we can return to this mysterious space, but we will never be able to get out again. And the other people in the cave will also be burned to death by the fire because we cannot activate the mechanism. This is a heavy responsibility. "
After hearing this, Shen Yiran became even more hesitant. She knew the seriousness of the matter and she really had to discuss it with Ren Jingzhi.
She instructed Yanlang and Huihu, "Be prepared. I will summon you when I need you."
After saying this, she flashed out of the mysterious space again. Shen Yiran hurried towards the cave with a heavy heart.
As soon as they entered the cave, the originally quiet atmosphere was instantly broken and everyone cast concerned glances at them.
Shen Yiran took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and then told Ren Jingzhi, Yu Gongyu and others everything the old man had said.
After hearing this, Ren Jingzhi frowned, his eyes full of worry and confusion. He paced back and forth, his heart was like a turmoil.
On one hand, his parents were in danger in the palace. As a son, how could he just watch them fall into trouble?
But on the other hand, there was the safety of Shen Yiran, whom he deeply loved, and everyone else. If he let her take the risk, if something went wrong, he simply couldn't imagine what would happen to him.
He said in a hoarse voice: "What should we do? Although taking the route through the cave can ensure temporary safety, the situation in the capital is critical. If we delay, the consequences will be disastrous. But the road leading to the palace is so dangerous. If we are not careful..." He could not continue, but just clenched his fists tightly.
Yu Gongyu also looked solemn. He looked at Ren Jingzhi and said slowly, "Brother, I also know the dilemma. But if I let my sister-in-law take the risk, I would feel bad. But if we don't choose this path, the Northern Tang Kingdom will be in danger."
Ren Jingzhi gritted his teeth, a trace of determination flashed in his eyes, and said: "Forget it, I can't watch my parents and the entire Northern Tang Kingdom fall into despair. Yu'er, let's choose the road leading to the palace. Even if it means risking our lives, we have to give it a try!"
Yu Gongyu nodded slightly. Although he was also nervous, there was nothing he could do at the moment.
Ren Jingzhi turned to Shen Yiran again, "Ranran, what do you think?"
Shen Yiran pretended to be sleepy and smiled, "I have no problem. I will listen to you."
Ren Jingzhi said with mixed feelings: "Thank you, Ranran!"
Then, Ren Jingzhi turned to face the two hundred elite soldiers and told them the truth with a serious look:
"Brothers, we are now faced with a difficult decision. There are two ways to the capital. One way can lead us out of the cave immediately, but it will take another three days to reach the capital. I am afraid that by then it will be too late to stop Yu Gongchen's evil deeds. By then, the Northern Tang capital will be doomed.
Another road leads directly to the palace, but on the way we have to pass through an extremely dangerous river of fire. If we are not careful, all of us may die here.
At this moment, if any brothers are willing to give up accompanying us, they can leave the cave and return to Beijing on their own. If you are willing to continue to follow us, you must be prepared to be buried in the river of fire. "
After the words fell, the elite soldiers looked at each other. After a moment of silence, one of them stood up first and said loudly:
"General, since we have followed you, we have already put life and death aside. Now that the country is in trouble, it is time for us to serve. Even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire, we are willing to follow you until death!"
His words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up ripples. The other elite soldiers responded one after another, shouting in unison: "We are willing to follow you until death!" The passionate voice echoed in the cave for a long time.
After everyone reached a consensus, Shen Yiran led them in the direction of the old man. Not long after, they saw the old man again.
Shen Yiran stepped forward and told him the decision. After hearing this, the old man nodded slightly, stroked his long beard, and then turned and walked towards the secret door on the right.