Chapter 152: Labyrinth of Traps

Although the strip of cloth seemed to serve no real purpose, it still gave Hua Rong a little psychological comfort and eased her guilt somewhat.

Jun Yeli felt a warmth in her heart as well. Seeing the guilt-ridden woman before her, she reached out and rubbed her head. “I told you, it’s nothing. Come on, let’s go.”

The path ahead grew somewhat brighter, and walking became less difficult. With the two of them carefully supporting each other, they finally reached the end.

Yet standing before them was a massive stone door.

“What is this? We’re only here to make a deal! Why does this old ghost have so many tricks? First mechanisms, then this enormous stone door—who exactly is he trying to keep out?”

Hua Rong was growing impatient. They had suffered so much along the way, only to be treated like intruders. Was that really appropriate?

Besides, ordinary people would not even be willing to come to this dilapidated place. He certainly had far too much time on his hands to set up all these pointless obstacles!

With her cheeks puffed out in anger, Hua Rong kicked the door twice. By sheer coincidence, both kicks struck the slab concealing the mechanism. A dial emerged from it.

“What in the world is this?”

Hua Rong took a closer look. The markings were nothing more than various animals.

“It should be the mechanism for opening the stone door. Presumably, the dial has to be turned according to the correct sequence before the door will open.”

Jun Yeli had some knowledge of such mechanisms from books, but every mechanism was different. As for the order of these animals…

Jun Yeli rubbed her chin, unable to decipher the pattern.

Suddenly, Hua Rong had an inspiration. “Wait. These animals look strangely familiar to me. Why don’t I give it a try?”

Trying would not cost them anything. As long as she did not trigger the mechanism, nothing should happen.

“Are you sure?” Jun Yeli looked at her doubtfully. She herself was still trying to understand the pattern, yet Hua Rong was already boldly preparing to experiment. Was she being reckless, or was she truly clever?

“Why not try trusting me for once? None of us has any confidence in this. What if I happen to guess correctly?”

Hua Rong gave her a playful wink, but the word “guess” was rather unsettling. Jun Yeli’s mouth twitched, and for a moment she did not know how to respond. Still, Hua Rong had a point.

“Since you put it that way, go ahead and try.”

With that, Jun Yeli stepped aside slightly and watched her work.

Hua Rong closed her eyes. Without realizing it, a sequence of animals surfaced in her mind.

“Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse…”

Following that pattern, Hua Rong turned the dial one notch at a time. At last, she stopped before the final animal—the pig—and completed the final step.

“All right. Let’s hope this works!”

If it did not, there was nothing more she could do. She had certainly tried her best.

Hua Rong stepped aside, her heart fluttering with a trace of anticipation.

The stone door began to tremble, then slowly opened toward both sides.

“I really guessed it! Look, the door’s open!”

Hua Rong became so excited that she could barely contain herself. She seized Jun Yeli by the arm and began bouncing about happily, only to accidentally press against her wound.

“Hss…”

A faint groan escaped Jun Yeli. Only then did Hua Rong realize what she had done and hurriedly let go, looking apologetic.

“I’m terribly sorry. I was too excited just now. Look…the door opened!”

A flicker passed through Jun Yeli’s eyes as she studied the young woman before her. She could not help sinking into thought, and in the end, she asked, “Have you encountered a mechanism like this before?”

As far as she knew, Hua Rong had been taught music, chess, calligraphy, and painting since childhood. She knew nothing about military strategy, warfare, or secret mechanisms.

Yet something Jun Yeli herself had been unable to decipher had been solved by Hua Rong after merely one glance. It was simply too baffling.

Faced with the question, Hua Rong did not know how to answer. She scratched her head in confusion.

“I don’t know how to explain it. Whenever I see patterns like these, they just seem familiar, and the arrangement comes to me naturally. Perhaps it’s a talent.”

“…”

The far-fetched explanation left Jun Yeli utterly speechless.

She let out a soft sigh but said nothing more. “All right. Let’s go inside.”

Beyond the door was a spacious stone chamber. All kinds of weapons were arranged around it, while one wall held a row of books beside a writing desk, making the place seem almost habitable.

The surroundings were incomparably better than the ramshackle wooden hut outside.

However, the chamber was eerily quiet. It seemed that no one was there.

“What’s going on? We didn’t come all this way for nothing, did we?”

Hua Rong was rather dispirited and had no idea what to do.

Just then, a large iron cage suddenly dropped from above. With a resounding crash, it trapped the two of them inside.

“What—?”

Before Hua Rong could react, she had already become a bird in a cage. Her head buzzed as she stared blankly at the bars.

“What is going on? Are these mechanisms never going to end?”

No sooner had one crisis ended than another began. They were merely trying to find someone. Was it really necessary to torment them again and again?

As they stood there in bewilderment, a deep laugh suddenly echoed through the chamber.

“Hahaha! I never expected you two to overcome every obstacle and end up as my prisoners!”

An old man walked in through the doorway. His appearance was so unexpected that it left them bewildered.

“Who are you? How did you come in through the door? There was clearly only one path outside. Could it be that you’ve been following us all along?”

The old man stroked his tuft of beard, looking troubled by the string of questions.

“Which one would you like me to answer first? What a nuisance. I’m not very good at making choices.”

He had answered none of them, though they had already guessed most of the truth.

Jun Yeli grabbed Hua Rong, who was beginning to lose her temper, and held her back. Then she looked at the old man with a more amiable expression.

“You must be Mister Old Ghost. We came here specifically to ask for your help. We hope you might be willing to show us some leniency.”

“Well, you do have a sharp eye. Unfortunately, asking someone for help doesn’t mean you can trespass on his property and destroy his mechanisms!”

Old Ghost came closer and examined the two of them carefully. He could not help sighing in admiration.

“A handsome man and a beautiful woman. You look as though you have a fair bit of money, too. Tell me, what exactly have you come here for?”

“We would like the people of the Lotus Sect to help us with something important. We hope, Mister Old Ghost, that you can introduce us to them.”

Jun Yeli remained calm despite the danger. Hua Rong stood beside her, not knowing what to say, and wisely kept silent.

However, Old Ghost did not seem easy to deceive.

“Is that so?”