Chapter Ten: Escape from Death

“Junior Brother Lin! Junior Brother Lin!” Helian Ruxue reached out to check his pulse—there was still a faint sign of life. She glanced at the serpent monster: half its neck had been bitten away, its head hung limply, and its bulging eyes stared, unaccepting of death.

The corpse of the giant snake was as stiff as stone, still tightly coiled around Lin Feng. Helian Ruxue used all her strength but could not separate them. Helpless, she was forced to hack the creature into several pieces before she could finally free Lin Feng.

By the time she had finished, an hour had passed, and the chamber was awash with the stench of blood so thick it was nauseating. The stone room, transformed into something like a slaughterhouse, seemed a fitting backdrop for the “Asura Maiden.”

Lin Feng’s clothing was tattered beyond repair, barely covering his body. With a frown, Helian Ruxue examined his injuries: massive bruises covered his chest and back, two ribs were broken. He would need at least a month of bed rest to recover.

She dragged him aside and washed his face with spring water, only then remembering to investigate where the secret chamber might lead.

Hopeful, she walked across the room, but her spirits sank the moment she looked around. The chamber was completely empty; there wasn’t even a passageway—just another dead end.

A wave of helplessness washed over her. In despair, she leaned against the stone wall and squatted down, her gaze filled with unending struggle.

If this chamber wasn’t an exit, there was only one explanation: it was a cage for raising the monster serpent.

The trickling spring water slowly dyed both stone chambers red, and in the silence, even heartbeats could be heard clearly.

She didn’t know how much time passed as she sat there. When the golden-winged finch circled above her head, calling out, Helian Ruxue finally returned to herself, just as Lin Feng began to mumble softly.

His brows were tightly knit, his face flushed as if burned, and his skin had all turned a bizarre, demonic rose-red.

“Not good—the snake’s blood is poisonous!”

Helian Ruxue’s expression changed. She hurriedly took a jade bottle from her sleeve and, without caring how many, poured all the black pills within into Lin Feng’s mouth. The pills melted instantly, spreading a bitter, fishy taste—the secret Five Venoms Reversion Pills of the Hundred Flowers Sect.

Among all the world’s poisons, snake, scorpion, bee, centipede, and toad are the most potent. This pill could neutralize nearly all natural toxins, a priceless treasure far superior to common antidotes and impossible to buy for ordinary people, no matter how wealthy.

Half the bottle’s contents went down Lin Feng’s throat, but his condition didn’t improve; instead, his pain intensified. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, his fists clenched tight, and in his delirium he tossed and turned, muttering incoherently.

Helian Ruxue sighed softly and murmured, “Junior Brother Lin, it’s not that your senior sister is willing to let you die, but even if I gave you all these Five Venoms Reversion Pills, they cannot purge the serpent’s evil poison—they might even cost you your life…”

At this moment, Lin Feng could no longer hear her words. His entire body felt as if it were about to burst into flames; the substance he’d swallowed did nothing to ease the agony—if anything, it made it worse, driving him to the brink of madness.

His mind was already muddled from the fever, but in his lower dantian, the deep red vortex still functioned. Invisible, mysterious energy seeped through his meridians and blood, streaming into the vortex wrought by the Manjusaka flower. There, it was rapidly broken down, dissipated, and the released threads of energy were returned to every part of his body…

It was impossible to measure how much time passed. Gradually, a coolness that penetrated to the marrow replaced the feverish ache. His awareness returned, and at last he managed to open his eyes.

The golden-winged finch landed by his ear, watching him curiously.

“You little thief-bird…” Lin Feng opened his mouth, but his throat burned as if scorched.

The spring water’s tinkling was like celestial music in the distance. He forced himself to sit up, glanced around, and realized he was still in the secret chamber. Across the room, the idol atop the stone altar remained dignified and unmoved.

Nearby, his pack and the Three-Sectioned Spear were neatly arranged, and the shattered night-luminescent pearl had been gathered into a corner. Everything felt strangely out of place.

“Where is Senior Sister Helian?” The question gnawed at his mind, even bringing a tremor of fear to his gaunt face.

He pressed on his spear for support and stood, pain stabbing through his abdomen and sweat pouring down his face.

He made his way to the second stone chamber. The dried remains in the corners startled him, but he drank deeply from the spring, quenching his thirst, then proceeded to the third stone room.

The spacious chamber was so empty it seemed haunted. He rubbed his eyes hard, unable to believe it.

“She wouldn’t have left by herself, would she?” Lin Feng sighed, feeling hopeless, and slowly made his way back to the first chamber.

Suddenly, at the far end of the stone steps, he saw a snow-white silhouette, motionless as a statue.

“Senior Sister!” he called out, his voice both joyful and forlorn as he leaned on his spear and hobbled over.

In the darkness, Helian Ruxue sat dazedly, her arms wrapped around her knees, her face devoid of life, as if her soul had been drawn away.

Lin Feng paused, staring at her for a long moment before suddenly shouting, “Senior Sister! We will definitely find a way out!”

Helian Ruxue’s delicate body trembled. She slowly raised her head to look at him, and after a long silence, replied in a hoarse, despairing voice, “It’s useless. That snake must have been raised by Senior Rong Yangzi. He doesn’t like to be disturbed. We can’t get out.”

“No, no! I won’t die here, I won’t!” Lin Feng shouted, gripping his spear and heading into the chamber.

Watching her stubborn junior brother’s retreating figure, Helian Ruxue sighed softly and once more lapsed into a daze.

The only sound in the stone room was Lin Feng’s footsteps, sometimes quick, sometimes slow, growing more and more erratic.

No one knew how many times he searched, how many times he knocked on the stone walls. His heavy breathing and footsteps grew weaker, eventually fading into silence.

After a long while, she suddenly heard Lin Feng’s manic howl: “Rong Yangzi! What kind of so-called master are you? Raising monsters to slaughter the young—what kind of immortal is that? And you! You call yourself a deity, aiding and abetting evil—how dare you accept the incense of mortals?”

Crack! The sound of the idol shattering into dust and gravel. Bang! The stone altar collapsed into powder.

“Mad, mad… we’ll all go mad sooner or later…” Helian Ruxue muttered, her shoulders shaking more violently.

“Hahaha…” Lin Feng’s bitter laughter echoed through the chamber, chilling to the bone.

“Rong Yangzi, oh, Rong Yangzi, you old fox—you really hid the mechanism here!” Another burst of wild laughter, and Helian Ruxue startled awake, leaping to her feet and dashing over.

On the left side of the chamber, amidst piles of debris, Lin Feng stood beaming with joy. Before him, the four legs of the stone altar stood alone, each revealing a black metal cylinder at its tip.

“Senior Sister, this must be the central mechanism for the secret chamber. But who knows if it might release more monsters—we’ll have to count on you.” Lin Feng panted heavily, clutching his abdomen with one hand and supporting himself with his spear, his eyes alight with excitement.

A flush of color returned to Helian Ruxue’s pale face. She nodded resolutely, drawing her sword once more. The chamber glimmered with cold light, and the two of them braced for whatever might come.

Drawing a deep breath, Lin Feng tapped one of the metal cylinders. It rang out clear and melodious. He pressed down—nothing budged.

“What’s wrong?” Helian Ruxue asked nervously.

Lin Feng frowned, gripped one leg, and twisted hard. With a “clack,” something in the ceiling seemed to shift.

Both their hearts leapt. They waited several breaths, but nothing happened.

“There are still three left. Which one should I try?” Lin Feng eyed the remaining three switches, uncertain.

“Try as you wish, Junior Brother,” Helian Ruxue urged. For some reason, she trusted Lin Feng more and more—perhaps it was that stubborn resilience of his.

Lin Feng nodded, focused on the next parallel metal cylinder, and twisted.

“Clack!” Another mechanism shifted overhead, and at once, that long-awaited rumbling thundered through the darkness—a sound they hadn’t heard in days, but now, it was music to their ears, stirring their hearts beyond control.

In the next instant, Lin Feng and Helian Ruxue raced toward the exit for their lives. At the end of the stone steps, a sliver of light burned into their souls, driving them to flee the darkness with all their might. At last, just as the massive stone passage was closing, they threw themselves onto the dry flagstones of the ancient green cavern, their hearts pounding wildly.

“Senior Sister, we’re saved…” Lin Feng burst into laughter, gazing up at the unknown vault of the ancient cavern, his eyes filled with the joy of survival.

The scattered sunlight, the fragrant earth, the weight of ancient stone—all seemed to join in celebrating their escape. Even the sneaky golden-winged finch flapped its wings and sang for joy.

The resilient Helian Ruxue was already weeping, laughing through her tears as she spread her arms wide.

After a long time, the two exchanged a silent smile—so much was said without words.

Emerging from the winding mountain tunnel, Helian Ruxue stood in the sunlight, eyes closed, breathing deeply, her slender neck as graceful as a cloud.

“Junior Brother Lin, it’s all thanks to you this time. If you ever need help in the future, seek me out and I will do everything I can.” She turned, looking solemnly at Lin Feng.

Lin Feng nodded and smiled. The days spent in the cave had already changed his view of Helian Ruxue since their first meeting.

He gazed up at the vast blue sky, boundless and majestic, the mountains endless, the world grand beyond measure. He could not help but throw back his head and let out a long, wild cry: “Heh!”

And with that cry, all was undone.