Chapter 116: A Way Out

Once again, everyone’s gaze fell upon Zhuifeng in unison. They examined him as if he were some rare curiosity, a scrutiny that made him feel exceptionally uncomfortable.

Constrained by their collective attention, he finally chose to compromise. He spoke candidly, "To tell you the truth, I am actually a person from the Land of Forgetfulness."

The statement was a bombshell; everyone present was struck dumb with astonishment.

"What? You are from the Land of Forgetfulness? How is that possible!"

The legendary Land of Forgetfulness lay across vast oceans. To reach this continent, one would have to traverse countless mountains and endure unimaginable hardships. Moreover, such an ancient kingdom, in order to remain hidden from outsiders, rarely allowed its people to leave. Why then would a young man like Zhuifeng be so reckless as to end up in a place like this?

After some explanation, the group finally understood: Zhuifeng had been driven here by those pursuing him.

"The Land of Forgetfulness is currently in the midst of civil unrest, with sovereignty seized by treacherous ministers. As a prince of the realm, I had to preserve my life to have any hope of a comeback. Alas, the usurpers would not let me be, forcing me into this desperate situation."

Perhaps touched by a painful memory, the usually calm Zhuifeng slammed his fist heavily against a stone tablet. With a thunderous boom, the hearts of everyone present trembled.

"No wonder you are so reclusive; it turns out you have endured such things..."

Hua Rong could not help but feel a surge of emotion. She had previously thought his aloofness was simply his nature, but realizing he had suffered such a profound tragedy, she felt a renewed sense of sympathy. She stepped forward and patted his shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

To Jun Yeli, this minor act was an eyesore. "Comfort is fine, but why must you touch him?" With that, he grabbed Hua Rong’s wrist and pulled her into his arms.

The man’s overbearing nature manifested at every turn, making it difficult for others to adjust. Hua Rong twisted her body and rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "I truly cannot understand. Even if we are husband and wife, there should be equality and freedom. Why do you always bully me?"

"You actually say I bully you?"

The more he heard, the more agitated Jun Yeli became; his chest heaved with suppressed frustration. Seeing the situation deteriorating, the two guards quickly stepped in to mediate. "Master, My Lady, could you please stop? Isn't getting out of here the most urgent matter right now?"

At this, the bickering ceased. Jun Yeli cast a glance at Zhuifeng. "Forget that for now. Regardless of who you are, we are all in the same boat. Does the letter mention an exit?"

Zhuifeng collected himself and examined the note again before shaking his head. "Aside from the token I was told to deliver, there is nothing else."

"What special purpose could this token have, to be mentioned separately?"

"That is not for you to know." Zhuifeng displayed a strong sense of possessiveness regarding the token, clearly unwilling to let outsiders know too much.

Seeing his petty behavior, Hua Rong pursed her lips but, being tactful, did not press further. The situation was a conundrum; the only lead to an exit had vanished into thin air.

Jun Yeli remained silent, but suddenly began to pace, wandering around as if he had discovered something. He stopped, lost in thought, before a large wall.

"What are you doing there?" Hua Rong asked, walking over out of curiosity—anything was better than standing around in a daze.

Following his gaze, she saw that the wall was covered in carvings. They looked chaotic and lacked any discernible pattern, much like mindless graffiti left by someone with time to kill.

"This is probably just someone doodling out of boredom. Why are you staring at it?" Given their circumstances—blocked by water in front and no way back—drawing on the stone was understandable.

"No, these are not random markings." Jun Yeli frowned and stepped forward, his fingers tracing the deep grooves. Suddenly, realization dawned. He turned to Hua Rong and said, "Find me some white lime!"

"What? Where am I supposed to find that?"

Looking at the barren, empty walls, the only source of white powder would be grinding someone's skull into dust... Hua Rong felt stumped. Just then, Su Yun rushed over, excitedly prying open a canister lid. "Would insect-repellent powder work?"

Without a word, the spendthrift girl took a handful of the repellent and threw it against the wall. In the blink of an eye, the powder vanished into the grooves. Unexpectedly, the wall appeared to reveal a map. The powder lodged in the fissures formed branching lines—not chaotic, but clearly a route.

"This..." Hua Rong was stunned. Zhuifeng approached as well. "Could they have found an exit and used this method to record it? But why use such a hidden method, and why record it without leaving?"

A series of questions followed. Jun Yeli was silent for a moment, looking at the corpses and the scattered swords, and suddenly understood. "I fear that before they could leave, a new tragedy occurred. These people were murdered. As for whether it was by people from your ancient kingdom, that is impossible to say."

Fortunately, they had been left a useful clue. Following the route, they ventured deep into the cave, only to find that the end of the path was a dead end.

"What is going on? Didn't we follow the map? Logic dictates this should be the exit, so why is there no path?" Hua Rong stood dazed. The space ahead was dim and inscrutable.

Jun Yeli leaned gently against the wall, occasionally hearing the sound of trickling water. He stood up straight, satisfied, and smiled. "It is not that there is no path; it is just that someone has blocked our way."

While the others were still confused, Jun Yeli offered no further explanation. He drew his sword and gestured behind him. "Step back. I fear this may cause collateral damage."

Once the group had retreated to a safe distance, Jun Yeli gathered all his internal energy and struck the wall with a thunderous blow. A deafening sound echoed through the cavern. Before anyone could react, the stone wall crumbled away, and a beam of brilliant light flooded in from the outside.

The long-lost light left everyone shocked and overjoyed. Someone let out a cry of delight, "It’s the exit!"