As if holding back tears, Shen Li patted him on the shoulder. "Stop pretending. Hurry up and take out something good for lighting."
Xuan Yuan Jue immediately composed himself and took out from his bosom a night - pearl slightly larger than an eyeball. It was even brighter than the torch they had used before.
Shen Li looked at the pearl. "If you had such a good thing, why didn't you take it out earlier?"
Unexpectedly, Xuan Yuan Jue could be so silly at times. He scratched his head. "I just forgot. And you didn't say anything either."
Naturally, Shen Li didn't want to quarrel with him. The two continued to make their way through the cave with difficulty. After passing several similar traps, there were no more strange things. For a moment, they both let their guards down.
But the next second, just as Xuan Yuan Jue put his left foot down, the left - hand wall suddenly collapsed. Before they knew it, Shen Li quickly pulled Xuan Yuan Jue back. They both fell to the ground, but Xuan Yuan Jue's left foot was buried in the pile of dirt.
The dust filled the air. Shen Li picked up the night - pearl and shone it on Xuan Yuan Jue. "Are you okay? It seems we triggered another trap just now."
Xuan Yuan Jue tried to pull his leg out but found he couldn't. He looked at Shen Li helplessly. "I probably accidentally stepped on something with my left foot just now. Luckily you pulled me in time. Otherwise, we'd both be buried under this pile of dirt."
Shen Li took out the remaining darts on her and used them as shovels. She shoveled the dirt bit by bit. Later, finding it too slow, she used both her hands and the darts. There was a lot of dirt and dust, and she coughed from time to time.
"Didn't you use the gold ingot to test carefully? How could you still trigger the trap?"
After the dirt and stones loosened, Xuan Yuan Jue was finally able to pull out his left foot. It was obvious that the wound was quite serious, and blood had seeped through his pants.
"Maybe this is the ingenious part of this trap. I once read in an ancient book that some traps can be triggered or not depending on the weight."
Hearing this, Shen Li guessed that the gold ingot was too light to trigger the trap. She gently lifted Xuan Yuan Jue's leg and tore off the outer layer of his clothing.
She held out her hand. "You brought your own medicine, right? I bet yours is better."
Xuan Yuan Jue didn't hesitate or say much. He took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom and handed it to Shen Li. Shen Li gently sprinkled the medicine on the wound, but it was extremely painful. Xuan Yuan Jue's face turned red from holding back, but he didn't utter a single sound.
Shen Li wiped the sweat from his forehead. "If it hurts, it's okay to cry out. This kind of medicine is really painful."
Xuan Yuan Jue put away his cynical look. Perhaps it was his never - say - die spirit from childhood that made him so tough now.
He tore off a piece of cloth from his sleeve to make a neat strip. Shen Li took it and skillfully bandaged his wound.
"Next, you can't be as stubborn as when applying the medicine. I'll support you, and then we'll walk out together."
Together? Shen Li's words made Xuan Yuan Jue feel warm inside. If he had just admired Shen Li at first, now he was probably touched, and perhaps there was more to it. His feelings had become so deep and complex that even he couldn't imagine.
Shen Li asked Xuan Yuan Jue to sit down while she held the night - pearl and started to explore. Soon she found that there was a hole where the wall had collapsed. She threw a stone in, and it bounced a long way.
She helped Xuan Yuan Jue up. "That hole seems passable, and the path ahead also seems okay. Which way do you think we should go?"
Xuan Yuan Jue fell into deep thought. Continuing to move forward would surely lead them out, but thinking about what had just happened, he was afraid that the path ahead would only be more dangerous. Moreover, he also wanted to know the secret of this Love Maze.
The two looked at each other and both agreed to take the way where the wall had collapsed.
At this time, many people had already entered the maze one after another. Han Yue had been chasing the silver - masked man and unknowingly arrived here. She frowned. If that man got into the maze, it would be difficult to find him.
But after searching around, she didn't find anyone outside the maze. She could only sigh secretly. "Damn it." Then she walked in on her own.
The silver - masked man had already hidden in the maze. When he found no one around, he took off his mask and casually discarded it. Anyway, he had plenty of such masks. As long as no one found the evidence on him, it didn't matter.
He walked forward slowly. Just as he chose a fork in the road, he saw Han Yue, who had been chasing him. He composed himself. Han Yue didn't recognize him, so he had nothing to worry about.
He bowed slightly. "I never thought I'd meet Miss Han Yue here. What a coincidence."
Han Yue sized up the man in front of her. She wasn't very familiar with him, only having met him a few times. So she said coldly, "Young Master Yun Lan? Have you seen a man wearing a silver mask just now?"
Yun Lan remained calm. He just pretended to think seriously and finally shook his head. "I'm really sorry, Miss Han Yue. On my way here, I only met you. I haven't seen anyone else."
To prevent Han Yue from not believing him, he added, "I heard this is the Love Maze. Inside, only pairs like us will meet. Others either come in pairs or are likely to be alone. Since we're paired up now, it's hard to meet other people."
Han Yue frowned. She didn't want to pair up with this man to explore the maze. She just wanted to find out the whereabouts of that man.
"Do you know where the exit of this maze is?" Han Yue asked Yun Lan. If she couldn't meet that man in the maze, she could only wait for him outside.
Yun Lan squinted his eyes. Fortunately, he had hidden his identity, or Han Yue might really have discovered him. He smiled slightly. "Miss Han Yue, the exit is located at the Marriage Temple. It is said that this maze was built by a great abbot of this temple a long time ago."
Han Yue nodded and said no more. Since she had gotten the information she wanted, she could leave. She bowed slightly. "Thank you."
Then she walked back the way she had come. Yun Lan called out to her, but she ignored him. Soon she returned to the place where she had entered, but to her surprise, the original entrance was gone and had been replaced by a stone wall.
She pressed it hard and found it extremely hard. Even if she tried to smash it with something, she couldn't make a hole. She turned back and looked at Yun Lan, as if waiting for an explanation.
Yun Lan spread his hands helplessly. "I just called out to you, but you ignored me. I just wanted to tell you that there are many strange formations inside. Once you enter, it's impossible to go back the same way. The entrance will be sealed, and you can only move forward to find the exit. Or..."
Han Yue didn't follow the rules of a gentle lady. She grabbed Yun Lan's clothes. "Or what?"
Yun Lan was like an ordinary person without martial arts skills, trying to pull Han Yue's hand away but failing.