Poussière de cœur

Chapitre 18

--roll!

—Du Liu, you actually told me to get out!

But she still wanted to help Du Liu up as soon as possible and pull him away from this dangerous place.

Blood seeped into the stone, making it seem even colder. The eldest brother looked at the small shovel and nodded slightly.

Xiao Chan nodded and suddenly appeared in front of Xu Fangfang. Before Xu Fangfang could react, he had already knocked her unconscious with a palm strike. Then, without hesitation, he pulled out Xu Fangfang's hand that was wrapped around Du Liu, pushed her to the other side, and then laid Du Liu in a "big" shape lying on his back, and stretched out a finger.

Apply pressure to the "Huagai" acupoint on Du Liu.

He stretched out his palm again and suddenly struck Du Liu's heart.

Du Liu twitched, and finally closed his eyes.

Xiao Chan retreated, still feeling cold, and closed his eyes.

But it was indeed cold.

It's very cold.

—The cold of winter.

*** *** ***

At this moment, apart from those who were already dead, unconscious, or lying motionless, everyone's attention was focused on Zhu Qian.

Zhu Qian resigned.

Looking at those familiar and unfamiliar gazes, and at the shared meaning in them, she retreated step by step, but after less than ten steps, she suddenly stopped in surprise.

It can't move.

Behind them, a stone wall had appeared out of nowhere. The stone wall blocked their path, and their current location had unknowingly transformed into a doorless stone chamber.

"Water! There's water!" Zhou Lingli suddenly screamed.

What she desperately needed was water; but there was not a trace of joy in her cries.

There was indeed water. The water was icy cold, seeping rapidly upwards from the ground, and in the blink of an eye, it reached the ankles; only at this moment did people begin to feel the chill of being in a frozen wasteland.

An Yingying also screamed, "Sink! [Unintelligible text]!"

The leader and his men suddenly turned around. The passageway they had come from suddenly sank, and their surroundings transformed into a rectangular platform two zhang long and one zhang wide.

There was water. The sunken passageway quickly filled with water; the sinking of the stone path was silent, and the water flow soon submerged the sunken stone path; in front of us, it looked like a ditch filled with water.

A dull "thump" sound rang out, and A Ding realized with horror that the third passageway was disappearing. The passageway behind Tong Rong's body had vanished. One by one, the wide stone slabs disappeared with a "thump" sound, just like they were falling into a bottomless abyss.

Only the central intersection remained unchanged, standing firm like a traffic island. The stone ground, however, had transformed into large, square stones with gaps between them, as if each one were movable. The slightly sunken large circle, though still a single unit, had risen to be level with the other rock surfaces.

Cold. Bitterly cold. As cold as ice and snow.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [51]: IV. A ridiculous threat and a terrible mechanism. A scream. A scream. Chaos. In the chaos, the boss ordered in a deep voice: "Everyone stay still! No one is allowed to move! Do you hear me? -- Don't move!" The winner is king and the loser is a bandit, not to mention that in this confusion everyone hopes for a savior to appear? -- So the screaming stopped, the chaos stopped, and no one dared to move.

Adin was unable to move, so of course he couldn't move at all.

But nobody cared about him. In people's eyes, he became someone who didn't exist once again.

The water was cold and damp, and what gushed from the cracks in the stone ground was indeed water. He didn't know if the water was colorless under the green light; his sense of smell, which had deteriorated due to smoking, also prevented him from discerning whether there was any unusual scent in the water.

But his intuition told him: there's something wrong with this water.

—This is a big problem.

Water was about to reach his lips, but no one glanced at him. Everyone was terrified, except for the four who remained calm, including the leader.

A-Ding suddenly felt a chill. A chill ran through him.

Perhaps the leader and his gang weren't truly cruel, and seemingly had no intention of killing. At least, they saved Du Liu; at least, during their fight with Du Liu, they never killed him outright. Otherwise, Du Liu would have died countless times over. Even Er Gou, who appeared last, preferred to be injured along with them rather than kill directly. Therefore, it seems Tong Rong wasn't killed by them, right?

—Or perhaps, they always intended to save Rong? Was Rong's death actually caused by him making the same mistake as Xu Fangfang?

—But why did they insist on killing Zhu Qian? Could it really be related to the idea that "the murderer must die" to make the grave auspicious?

(A tomb? It's inside a tomb? What kind of tomb is this?) — Could it be that Rong was really injured by Zhu Qian? If so, what does this act of standing up for the murderer count as? But why would Zhu Qian hurt Tong Rong?

The water had already submerged his lips, and he stopped vomiting blood.

The icy water made him even more lucid; his strength also recovered better than before he was exhausted. If he hadn't been trampled and beaten, he probably wouldn't be in this state now.

But why are people more likely to forgive the brutality of their enemies? To forgive those who truly shouldn't be forgiven? Is it really true that deep feelings turn into hatred? In the entanglement of love and hate, love becomes hate, and hate becomes hate?

—Since the world is inherently like this, then it can only be: (Continuing with Adin!) *** *** *** "Now, no one can act rashly! No matter what happens, if you don't have to move, don't move! Otherwise, we'll all die together!" The leader said slowly and clearly, "Currently, all the changes happening are due to the mechanisms within the ancient tomb being activated. Don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, and as long as you obey, you won't die... Don't move! Xu—" Xu Fangfang, who had just woken up, immediately realized the unusual situation. She looked around and didn't dare to move rashly.

The eldest brother breathed a sigh of relief, staring intently at the always self-righteous woman, and continued, "This is a water barrier. It will be broken in a little while. Let me take this opportunity to explain it to everyone briefly. Before this, we were in the labyrinthine traps of the Palace Shifting Mechanism, where we only faced the danger of being unable to escape, but not the immediate danger of death. But now, we have entered the 'Earth, Fire, Wind, Illusion, and Ice Barrier,' where all sorts of traps and mechanisms within the ancient tomb may appear. Flip-flops, nets of blades, arrow arrays, sharp blades embedded in the walls, traps, rolling stones... all of these will appear. —Xu Fangfang! Don't move! You can only remain in your original position for now."

To the right you'll encounter a trapdoor of blades; to the left you'll find sharp knives, arrows, and razor-sharp blades. Don't move your feet, or a rock will fall from above; don't move your hands, or you'll both fall into a bottomless pit!

Xu Fangfang was skeptical, but she really didn't dare to do anything more.

The leader was relieved and took a breath, saying, "You are in the avalanche chamber, do not move. Triggering the alarm will only cause you to sink rapidly. Do not touch the rock walls or the ceiling. But you can get something to hold water. You can drink the water, but you must move slowly and gently... Do not move your feet!"

Upon hearing that he could drink water, Yan Kaixin was the first to bend down and scoop up some to drink. After taking a sip, he felt the water was icy cold and couldn't help but shiver. But the refreshing coolness immediately spread throughout his body, and he couldn't help but drink several more sips.

Since the first person to try something new was unharmed, others will naturally follow suit. But regardless of whether it's true or not, people are indeed afraid to take the plunge.

Er Gou and Xiao Dao took out a leather bag and gently tossed it into the ditch behind them. The bag immediately swelled upon contact with water, miraculously expanding into a ball in an instant. With a pull, the ball flew back through the air. The two caught it, quickly placed it in another leather bag, then took a few breaths of the ball before handing it to Xiao Chan and the boss. The two of them also took a few shallow breaths before handing it back to Er Gou and Xiao Dao.

Chen Xing, Wei Yiyi, Huang Zilan, and An Yingying all stared at the water bags in the two people's hands.

“We can walk on this platform, but we mustn’t touch the rock face. The four of you will fetch water yourselves, two at a time,” Xiao Dao said, adding, “It’s best not to touch the canal wall.”

Chen Xing glanced at Huang Zilan, and the two walked to the edge of the platform. The water was about twenty centimeters from the platform. They carefully bent down, emptied the "water" from their kettles, filled them with water, lifted them up, took a few big gulps, filled them again, and walked back. Wei Yiyi and An Yingying also took water to drink.

At this moment, people suddenly regretted their act of drinking urine.

—If I had known there was water, I could have just waited a little longer and had everything I needed.

I can hold back this sentence, cough...

The water had already submerged Adin's nostrils.

He could certainly stand up and move freely. But he neither could nor wanted to move. He had not only heard of the mechanisms inside the ancient tomb, but could also identify many of them. Right now, he knew that his position was the key to the plunge chamber; if he moved, the chamber would immediately plummet to who-knows-where. He had absolutely no idea whether everyone would die.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [52]: Of course he no longer cares about life and death.

But since he had already promised Tong Rong before her death to continue being A Ding, he could only continue to endure it and make his final contribution to everyone.

—Although, everyone truly deserves to die!

But he couldn't blame anyone; everyone has the right to survive, and everyone can choose the necessary methods to live. He had no right to blame anyone. And even if he did, what good would it do? Everyone's way of doing things is, in fact, predetermined. Can blame change that?

He tilted his head back slightly, letting his nostrils peek out of the water.

"Now we can break the mechanism. But after breaking the mechanism, we may face the terrible situation of having no water again, so everyone should make preparations as soon as possible," the leader said.

People fetched water, filled containers, and drank it.

"—Excuse me, must I die?" a voice suddenly rang out.

It's Zhu Qian.

After she drank a few sips of water, her voice seemed to become much more pleasant. But this pleasant voice still shocked everyone.

Nobody's a fool; everyone can immediately realize that before the mechanism is broken, the essence of this issue is already a form of blackmail.

—A threat made at the cost of the lives of all people.

The eldest brother was stunned, but he immediately looked at the small shovel.

*** *** ***

"Of course not." Little Shovel grinned mischievously. "If we're talking about looks and temperament, you're one of the best here. I've taken a liking to you."

If you're willing to sacrifice yourself, then of course you can survive. You see, after the mechanism is dismantled, we're all one family, and we must fight and cooperate for our shared destiny… unless you gentlemen, ladies, and such are unwilling to come out with us. Since we're all family, when it's time to give your bodies, you have to give them. Everyone does, so you're not at a disadvantage.”

With a wicked smile, he looked the group of women up and down and said, "See, this is a gentleman. He speaks his mind clearly."

Perhaps because she had been drinking water, Zhu Qian appeared as beautiful and charming as ever. She listened quietly, a smile blooming on her face. "I am a married woman. In this life, I will never do anything to betray my husband. I will never have an affair with any man, let alone do it willingly. Please forgive me."

Xiao Chan opened her eyes wide and said innocently, "If you have a husband, then it doesn't matter at all. You can't find out about this kind of thing afterward."

Zhu Qian's expression darkened, and she solemnly said, "Please be careful!"

Xiao Chan sighed. "Look! This is really a dilemma. You're unwilling to pay the price, and you don't want to pay with your life. Does that mean my brother died in vain? — You don't have to deny it, you must have killed Fatty."

“He deserves it!” Zhu Qian sneered. “Anyone who dares to have dirty thoughts about me deserves to die a thousand times over! But he didn’t gain anything, so I will pay the price. After I get out, I will pay his family 100,000 yuan and arrange jobs for three of them in a joint venture. I guarantee they won’t be fired for at least three years, even if they don’t work. Or, I will get them a visa to settle abroad. At the same time, I will acknowledge his parents as my own and support them for life. Is that enough?”

Little Shovel shrugged. "Why wasn't it me who died? -- It's a pity, Little Fatty is an orphan, with no siblings, parents, or relatives. If it were me who died, someone else might have agreed on my behalf. But the others don't care about your conditions. It seems you'll have to find another way. -- I'd also like to say something, please understand!"

Zhu Qian smiled faintly: "It seems that I can only die? ... I just tried it. There is a loose and dented stone slab under my feet; there is a strange crack in the stone wall behind me. Therefore, as long as I move, it may trigger the mechanism."

"No! Don't move!" Li Jun cried out in alarm.

Little Shovel smiled: "Do you believe I'll kill you before you even make a move?"

"I believe you. But can you guarantee I won't fall? Can you guarantee the traps here won't kill you all?"

"

"Wow! So you were threatening us!" Little Shovel seemed to realize something at first.

“No,” Zhu Qian denied. “I’m trying to survive.”

“Then I can agree for now, and then turn my back on you after we break the trap.” Xiao Chan’s smile became even more wicked. “Putting everything else aside, just the fact that you’re threatening everyone’s lives makes me guarantee that no one will sympathize with you anymore. At that point, hehe…” Zhu Qian shook her head. “You are definitely not that kind of people.”

"It's rare that you can see through us." Little Shovel sighed. "Alright. Here's the deal: 400,000 yuan. If you can come up with that, we won't hold you responsible for killing Little Fatty."

"Is there any more?"

"After you return, you must set up a memorial tablet, on which Xiao Pang must be written as your husband, and you must observe three years of mourning for him. During these three years, you must not have any relationship with your husband. If you agree, the past is wiped clean."

“These conditions are not harsh, I agree.”

Xiao Chan was taken aback, then looked at Zhu Qian with obvious regret, "You have 400,000 too?"

"I originally thought you would ask for three million," Zhu Qian said with a calm smile.

"Damn it!" Xiao Chan slapped himself, then suddenly said as if he remembered something, "Hey! You're so young, my condition is that you can't have any relationship with your husband for three years—including sexual relations."

"Flirtatious language is the behavior of a petty hooligan. You wouldn't lower yourself to that level, would you?" Zhu Qian looked coldly at Xiao Chan and quickly replied.

Xiao Chan's smile froze, and after a long while, he said with a wry smile, "Impressive. Impressive." He paused for a moment and said, "Okay. As long as you can do it..." Zhu Qian coldly interrupted, "Unfortunately, your words can't be a promise. I need your boss's answer."