From cute to empress

Chapter 221 The Way of Survival Revealed by the Mural

"Cough cough..."

Who is it? Who is calling me? I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead.

"Mengmeng! You finally woke up!"

The familiar voice was trembling and surprising. I opened my eyes suddenly, and everything in front of me was blurry, with only a faint light.

"Talented..." I spoke weakly, my voice terribly hoarse.

"It's me, I'm here!" Zhen Youcai's voice was right next to his ear, with a bit of relief at surviving the disaster.

I struggled to adjust to the darkness, and gradually, I could see my surroundings more clearly. We seemed to be in a small, cramped space, with heavy rock overhead. Only a few faint rays of light filtered through the cracks, illuminating the devastation around us.

"Where is this?" I struggled to sit up, but found that my whole body was sore and weak.

"I don't know either. Maybe it's the space formed by the cave collapse." Zhen Youcai's voice was a little low. "Are you okay? Are you injured anywhere?"

I shook my head and tried to speak, but my throat was so dry that I could only utter a few unclear syllables.

"Don't talk for now, save your energy." Zhen Youcai helped me lean against the wall, his tone worried, "We have to find a way to get out."

I looked around and found that this space was terribly closed. Apart from a few tiny gaps above my head, there was no other exit.

"It seems we are trapped." I said softly, trying to suppress the fear in my heart.

"Don't be afraid, we will definitely find a way out." Zhen Youcai held my hand with a firm tone.

We began to grope around in the small space, hoping to find a glimmer of hope for escape, but we found nothing but cold rock and stifling darkness.

As time passed, the flame of hope gradually grew dimmer.

"Are... we going to die here?" I murmured to myself, with a hint of despair in my voice.

Zhen Youcai didn't say anything, but just held my hand even tighter. His silence was heavier than any words.

Just when we were about to give up hope, I suddenly felt a cold touch on the back of my hand.

"What is this?" I exclaimed, looking down, only to see a line of strange words appear on the back of my hand...

The cold feeling on the back of my hand became increasingly clear. The strange words seemed to carry a magical power, emitting a faint glow. I tried hard to decipher them, but found that these words were something I had never seen before. They seemed like some ancient symbol, filled with a mysterious aura.

"What is this?" Zhen Youcai also noticed the strangeness on the back of my hand. He took a closer look, his brows furrowed. "It looks like some kind of ancient writing, but I don't recognize it either."

Just when we were puzzled, an old and low voice suddenly sounded in our ears, with a somewhat ethereal voice, as if coming from the distant sky.

"Children, don't give up, believe in your own abilities."

This voice? I suddenly remembered that this voice was actually Master Mo Yin! But, Master is not...

"Master?" I asked tentatively, with a slight tremor in my voice.

"It's me." Elder Mo Yin's voice sounded again, with a bit of comfort, "You are in danger now, but don't be afraid, and don't give up hope. You must believe that everything you have is enough to overcome the difficulties before you."

Although Master’s voice was ethereal, it was like a ray of hope, illuminating the flame of hope that was about to go out in our hearts.

"Master, what do you mean? What should we do?" I asked anxiously, as if I had grasped at a life-saving straw.

"Feel with your heart, use your strength to search, the answer is right beside you." Old Man Mo Yin's voice gradually faded away and finally disappeared in silence.

Although Master’s words were brief, they gave us great encouragement and confidence.

"Mengmeng, did you hear that? Master said we can do it!" Zhen Youcai held my hand tightly, his eyes gleaming with determination, "We will definitely find a way out!"

"Yes!" I nodded heavily and squeezed his hand. Master's words echoed in my ears. I looked at the man I loved so deeply, and an unprecedented strength surged in my heart. "Together, we can do this!"

We stood up again and began to search this small space more carefully, not missing any corner or any glimmer of hope.

Suddenly, I felt the ground beneath my feet seemed a little loose, so I quickly squatted down and tapped it gently a few times with the gravel in my hand.

"Dong dong..."

A hollow sound came from underground. I was delighted and quickly called Zhen Youcai over.

"Youcai, come quickly! Something seems strange here!"

We worked together to move some rubble, and a dark cave entrance appeared in front of us, and a cold and damp breath hit us in the face.

Could it be... this is our hope of escape?

Zhen Youcai and I exchanged a glance, each seeing hope in the other's eyes, but also a hint of fear, because neither of us knew where this hole led to, whether it would be a new life or...

"Let's go. We have no choice." I took a deep breath and took the lead, stepping into the unknown darkness. Zhen Youcai followed closely behind, and the darkness instantly swallowed us...

The cave entrance was narrower and damper than I had imagined, and the air was filled with a rotten smell that made me sick. I groped the wall, and the cold and rough touch made me realize that this must be a man-made passage.

"Be careful, Mengmeng." Zhen Youcai's voice sounded behind me. The faint light of the fire starter in his hand was our only illumination, illuminating a small part of the road behind us and making the darkness in front of us even more unfathomable.

We advanced slowly and cautiously, and after some time, the road ahead suddenly opened up. However, before I could rejoice, there was a sudden "crack" beneath my feet. I looked down and my face turned pale.

"Youcai, be careful!" I exclaimed, only to see that what we were standing on was not solid ground, but wooden boards connected by thin ropes. Under the wooden boards was a bottomless abyss.

Zhen Youcai reacted very quickly, grabbed my hand, and said in a deep voice: "Don't panic, let's retreat slowly."

However, as we retreated, we heard the same "crackling" sound from behind. We were surrounded!

My heart was beating wildly and cold sweat was running down my forehead.

"Don't be afraid, Mengmeng, I'm here." Zhen Youcai protected me behind him and looked around vigilantly.

In the dim light of the fire, I saw what seemed to be some patterns carved on the wall. I tried hard to identify them and found that they were murals, and the content of the murals was exactly how to pass through this trap area.

"That's brilliant! Look!" I said excitedly, pointing at the mural. "Here's the clue!"

We followed the instructions on the murals and carefully avoided the deadly traps. Finally, after escaping death, we saw a ray of light.

"Exit, we found the exit!" I shouted excitedly and quickened my pace.

However, just as we were about to step out of the cave, a huge rock fell from the top of the cave, completely blocking the entrance.

"No..." I looked at the huge rock in front of me in despair, and the light of hope was extinguished in an instant.

"Don't worry, we must have other ways to get out." Zhen Youcai hugged me in his arms and comforted me softly.

But apart from this huge rock, what else can we do now that we are trapped in this dark cave?

At this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came from outside the boulder, "Is that Mengmeng and Youcai?"

It’s…it’s Master’s voice!