Cao Mulan said, "This should be the largest secret chamber in the entire troop-and-grain passage."
In a short while the water had already reached their ankles. Xu Chunliang waded westward; on the western wall there was a relief carving of a long dragon. The dragon’s body almost filled the whole wall, but it was only a partial dragon, with a head and no tail—the tail section was buried within the wall, as if it had emerged from inside the stone.
Xu Chunliang said, "When Cao Mengde built this troop-and-grain passage back then, it couldn’t have been to trap his own soldiers in here. I’m sure there must be an exit. I think I saw a carved dragon body on the well wall too—they should be part of one whole design."
Cao Mulan hadn’t noticed; mainly she didn’t know how to swim. When she fell into the water just now she’d been too busy struggling to spare any attention to her surroundings. "Judging from that commotion just now, my fath..." She had wanted to say "my father," but then she thought of Xiahou Zun’s actions. How could she recognize a heartless beast like that as her father? Besides, Xiahou Zun had personally admitted he only raised her to adulthood and shared no blood tie with her.
Cao Mulan said, "He should have triggered the Dragon-Falling Stone mechanism from outside. Once the Dragon-Falling Stone drops, it permanently seals off part of the passage. Back when Guo Jia designed the Dragon-Falling Stone, it was as a failsafe: if enemies broke in from outside, you could seal sections of the passage and trap them in there forever. In the past we never knew there was also a water route."
Xu Chunliang said, "Since you didn’t know about this place, Xiahou Zun surely didn’t either. That well back then should have supplied drinking water to the soldiers. This pool here connects to the well. Think carefully—are there any other places with water sources in the troop-and-grain passage?"
Cao Mulan shook her head and said, "We’ve never found any. Even his daily-use water is drawn down from above."
Xu Chunliang said, "I think there’s a dry route and a water route inside this passage. Even if the dry route is blocked off and we’re trapped, we can still get out by taking the water route."
The water level was still rising. Cao Mulan began to worry; at this rate, it wouldn’t be long before the chamber was completely flooded.
Xu Chunliang stared at that dragon head and said, "The water should eventually rise past that dragon head."
Cao Mulan said, "The dragon drinks the water?" Inwardly she thought, if the water rises past the dragon head, wouldn’t the whole room be filled with water? If they can’t breathe, wouldn’t they be doomed?
Xu Chunliang said, "No wonder I felt the structure of this room was strange. In the past the water level should’ve already been above the dragon head." He suddenly thought of the fact that this place was connected to the well. Once the water level rose here, the water level in that well would rise synchronously. Compared to this chamber, the space inside the well was actually larger. Even if this room was completely submerged, the well could not be entirely filled—there’d still be enough space for the two of them to breathe.
Xu Chunliang shared his idea with Cao Mulan. She had actually thought of it too, and with Xu Chunliang bringing her back to the well through the underwater passage, this time Cao Mulan held her breath the whole way. Lying on Xu Chunliang’s back as they entered the water, she didn’t feel the slightest fear; instead there was warmth, solidity, and closeness. It must be because the barrier between them had been broken.
Cao Mulan thought to herself that although there was no affection between them, they had already consummated the marriage. How was she supposed to face this relationship in the future? Strangely, yesterday when she’d discovered that the guardian sand had disappeared, she’d hated Xu Chunliang to the bone, wished she could tear him into pieces to vent her hatred. Now that everything had become real, she no longer felt even a trace of resentment toward him.
Xu Chunliang successfully brought Cao Mulan back into the ancient well so she could breathe freely. Cao Mulan was still somewhat worried that Xiahou Zun was hiding nearby. She didn’t know that everything that had just happened between the two of them had already been heard in full by Xiahou Zun.
The water level in the well kept rising. Xu Chunliang felt his whole body brimming with strength. He tried climbing the well wall and was surprised to find it effortless. At first he’d only been giving it a try, but once he circulated his Inner Strength, he felt an utterly pure stream in his Dantian flowing ceaselessly. Such pure Inner Strength could only be achieved by stepping into the Innate Realm.
Xu Chunliang realized this wasn’t the result of his own cultivation, but because he’d absorbed Cao Mulan’s Profound Yin Qi. It had not only rapidly repaired his meridians in a short time, it had also awakened his Innate Power. Only a Profound Yin constitution could have such an effect.
Of course, this was also thanks to Xiahou Zun having siphoned away most of his Inner Strength. On the surface that seemed like a bad thing, but it was precisely that act which pushed him to break through. It was a twist of fate, and at the same time his great fortune.
Cao Mulan watched Xu Chunliang climb up the well wall like a gecko, feeling both envy and worry. She envied his formidable martial arts, but worried he might just escape and leave her alone in the well, abandoning her to her fate.
She and Xu Chunliang had only known each other for a single day. Previously the two of them had been neither enemies nor friends. Xu Chunliang’s current predicament ultimately stemmed from her. Her Profound Yin body had already been taken by him, which meant she had lost her value as a tool. They had no other ties. Why should Xu Chunliang feel any obligation toward her?
Xu Chunliang had already reached the well’s rim. Looking down at Cao Mulan, who was still clinging to the wall with both hands, barely supporting herself, he smiled and said, "I’m leaving first."
Cao Mulan’s heart sank. So this scoundrel really was going to abandon her. She bit her lip. She ought to curse him for being ungrateful, yet in the end she only said, "Goodbye!"—not to Xu Chunliang, but to this world.
From the depths of her heart Cao Mulan completely lost the will to live. She gave up, prepared to loosen her hands and sink into the water forever.
She heard the splash of someone entering the water beside her—it was Xu Chunliang who had jumped back down. He smiled and said, "Just joking. Don’t be afraid!"
Cao Mulan remained silent, but her heart was overflowing with warmth. She hadn’t misjudged him; he would not abandon her.
Xu Chunliang carried Cao Mulan on his back and climbed up along the slippery well wall. Even with someone on his back he moved with ease. Halfway up, Xu Chunliang reminded Cao Mulan to look to the right. Cao Mulan focused her gaze and indeed saw a segment of a dragon’s body on the right.
Xu Chunliang said, "This dragon body should be one with that long dragon next door. Look at the direction it runs—it finally disappears back into the well wall."
Cao Mulan said, "You mean, there are other places where this dragon shows up?"
Xu Chunliang said, "I keep feeling this long dragon isn’t just a simple bas‑relief. It might be hinting at the route of the waterway. Think carefully—have you seen anything like it elsewhere? The dragon’s body, its tail, or something like dragon claws?"
Cao Mulan tried hard to recall, then suddenly said, "I think I saw carvings like claws inside the Reincarnation Array. Back then I didn’t know what they were."
Xu Chunliang said with delight, "That’s it. If we follow this clue, we should be able to find a passage."
As they spoke they arrived at the sealed iron door. Xu Chunliang adjusted his stance and kicked the iron door open with one foot. Cao Mulan’s Profound Yin body had greatly benefited him. Using the method of countering yin with yang, he dissolved the danger of her meridians snapping and her Dantian exploding, and at the same time turned all the Profound Yin Qi in her body into his own. Xu Chunliang not only repaired his originally damaged meridians, he also successfully awakened his Innate Power. His Inner Strength was now purer and stronger than before Xiahou Zun drained it.
Xu Chunliang thought to himself, even if he ran into Xiahou Zun in a narrow passage right now, it’s still hard to say who’d win.
The two of them retraced their steps back to the passage leading to the Reincarnation Array.
Cao Mulan reached the exit and saw it had already been sealed by a huge rock. With human strength alone, there was no way to move such a boulder. Forward, there was no road; backward, they could only retreat into the Reincarnation Array.
Xu Chunliang was convinced the designer of this supply route tunnel wouldn’t carve a dragon here for no reason. This dragon definitely hinted at something. From what they’d seen so far, it ought to be the water route. The dry route had been blocked by the Dragon-Falling Stone, so they could only choose the water route, and the water route’s exit was most likely at the place where the dragon tail lay.
Cao Mulan led Xu Chunliang back into the Reincarnation Array. She couldn’t be more familiar with this Red Dust Reincarnation Array. The two of them went to where the Peach Blossom Calamity had been arranged.
From the corner of her eye Cao Mulan snuck a glance at Xu Chunliang, thinking to herself, yesterday she had lured Hua Zhuyue and Xu Chunliang into the trap, planning to seize some leverage on them and force them to obey her. Yet she never imagined that Xu Chunliang would seize the advantage at every turn, and in the end even she had been taken by him...
Thinking of what had just happened, Cao Mulan’s face flushed with shy embarrassment. Xu Chunliang had let her experience a feeling she’d never known before. She had already let go of her hatred toward him, and after what just happened, she couldn’t hate him at all—on the contrary, she even felt a bit of fondness.
Xu Chunliang said, "Where exactly did you say that dragon claw was?"
Cao Mulan snapped out of her reverie with a soft "Mm," then recognized the surroundings and, relying on her memory, went to where she had first found the dragon claw. She squatted down and brushed away the Peach Blossom Calamity with her hand.
A dragon claw really did appear on the ground.
Cao Mulan said, "Back then I didn’t know what this relief meant. Only after you mentioned it did I realize this dragon claw is one piece with that long dragon we saw beneath the well."
Xu Chunliang said, "It’s just my guess. But when Cao Mengde dug such a massive underground project back then to hide troops and move soldiers, he definitely had to consider water. This dragon claw should be a hind claw. The dragon tail is probably not far from here."
Xu Chunliang tapped the floor tile carved with the dragon claw and felt it was hollow below. He pried up the tile from the edge, and underneath a bronze dragon head appeared.
Cao Mulan said, "This is a mechanism. We’ve found a few like this in the supply route tunnel. Usually, turning it twice in reverse activates the mechanism."
Cao Mulan twisted the bronze dragon head twice. The dragon head slowly sank down, and a rumbling sound echoed all around them. The stone slabs beside them were slowly sliding away, revealing a pitch‑black hole.
Xu Chunliang shone the lamp into the opening and saw steps descending all the way down. He first asked Cao Mulan about it, but Cao Mulan knew nothing about this hole.
Xu Chunliang took the lead, letting Cao Mulan follow right behind him.
Cao Mulan quietly pushed up her sleeve for a look. The guardian sand on her arm had completely vanished without a trace. This time it definitely wouldn’t reappear. It meant she had parted ways with her past for good and, from today on, become a true woman.
I’m a bit worn out from crossing mountains today, so I’ll just give you one update. I’m heading home tomorrow; within next week I’ll make up all the Chapters I’ve owed recently.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter