The Legend of the Princess' Counterattack

Yun Yao stood in this huge palace, her heart full of confusion about the unknown and determination to complete the system task. She knew that the hidden ancient book was the key to her cultivation in this strange world, just like looking for a ray of light in the darkness. Even if there were many difficulties, she would never back down.

The palace is magnificent, with carved beams and painted buildings exuding a sense of majesty and wealth. The corridors are like the passages of a maze, and the rooms are like countless small boxes. The ancient book may be hidden in every corner, but it may also be endless futile. Yun Yao pretends to stroll around the palace every day, seemingly casually shuttling between various areas. Sometimes she seems to be admiring flowers in the garden, but in fact she carefully observes the surrounding rockery and pavilions to see if there are any secret mechanisms; sometimes she wanders in the corridors of each wing room, secretly scanning the walls and floor tiles to see if there is anything unusual.

However, her behavior still aroused the suspicion of the servants. The maids and servants whispered in private, some said that this unfavored princess might have lost her mind and was wandering around like a headless fly every day; others speculated whether she was looking for some treasure. Yun Yao noticed their strange looks and the discussions behind her, but she was not panicked at all. When a maid asked her what she was doing curiously, she would pretend to be relaxed and said: "I have lived in this palace for so long, but I have never really appreciated the scenery in this palace. Now I want to take a good look, which can be regarded as a way to relieve my boredom." When a servant saw her looking in some remote corners, she would explain: "I heard that this palace is a bit old, maybe there are old things hidden in these corners, and I am very curious about these old things." In this way, Yun Yao cleverly used these excuses to get away.

In this seemingly helpless search process, Xiao Cui's appearance is like a beacon in the darkness. Xiao Cui is a clever little maid. Although she has not been in the palace for a long time, she is kind and thoughtful, and has heard a little about some of the secrets in the palace. Yun Yao and Xiao Cui's acquaintance was also a coincidence. That day, Yun Yao accidentally bumped into Xiao Cui who was holding tea while searching for ancient books, and the tea spilled all over the floor. Yun Yao thought that Xiao Cui would speak coldly to her like other servants, after all, her status in the palace was extremely low. But Xiao Cui hurriedly apologized and cared if Yun Yao was burned. Yun Yao looked at Xiao Cui's sincere eyes, and her heart moved. From then on, the two gradually became familiar with each other.

When Xiao Cui learned that Yun Yao was looking for ancient books, the first thing that came to her mind was the remote old warehouse. Xiao Cui took Yun Yao's hand and whispered, "Princess, I once heard the old nanny mention a place. It is an old warehouse in the westernmost corner of the palace. Few people go there on weekdays. The old nanny said that it was used to store some old things. Maybe the ancient books you are looking for are there." Yun Yao's eyes lit up when she heard it, as if she saw the dawn of hope.

The two hurried to the old warehouse. The door of the warehouse was closed, covered with dust and cobwebs, and it looked like no one had visited it for a long time. Yun Yao gently pushed open the heavy door, and a stale and decayed smell came to her face. The dust was flying under the light, like countless tiny elves playing in the air. The warehouse was filled with all kinds of sundries, broken tables and chairs, chipped porcelain, piles of old cloth, and some rotten wood that could no longer be seen.

Yun Yao and Xiao Cui stood at the door, looking at the pile of debris, and were not frightened by the scene before them. They took a deep breath, then walked into the warehouse and began to search. Xiao Cui was responsible for the area on the left, and Yun Yao was responsible for the right. Xiao Cui bent over and carefully turned over the old objects, not letting go of any corner. Yun Yao did the same. While she was searching, she prayed silently in her heart, hoping that the ancient book was here.

However, the search was not as smooth as expected. Most of the boxes were locked tightly, as if they were guarding some secrets. Yun Yao tried to pull the boxes hard, hoping to find one that was not locked, but it was in vain. The sundries piled up in some places were too heavy for the two weak women to move. Once, Yun Yao and Xiao Cui worked together to push a huge box. Their faces turned red, but the box did not move at all. They almost fell down because of excessive force.

Time passed little by little, and their efforts seemed to have received no reward. Both of them began to feel a little discouraged. Yun Yao wiped the sweat from her forehead, and she couldn't help but feel a little doubtful. Could it be that the ancient book was really not here? But she was unwilling to give up. Just when she felt a little desperate, her eyes inadvertently fell on a corner. She found that there was a floor tile with a slightly different color from the surrounding floor tiles. This floor tile seemed to be darker, and there was less dust around it than other places, as if it was often touched or moved.

Yun Yao's heart moved, she thought this floor tile might be the key. She quickly called Xiao Cui, and the two of them worked together to move the huge box next to them. The box was too heavy, and they took a lot of effort to move a little gap, and then pushed the box aside little by little. After the box was moved away, Yun Yao squatted down and carefully examined the floor tile. She gently felt the edge of the floor tile with her hand and found that the gap between the floor tiles was wider than other floor tiles, and it seemed to be a little loose.

Yun Yao's heartbeat began to speed up. She felt that she might be getting closer and closer to the ancient book. She carefully felt along the edge of the floor tile, trying to find a way to open the secret compartment. Suddenly, she touched a small bulge. She pressed it lightly, and heard a "click". The floor tile actually moved slowly. Yun Yao and Xiao Cui both widened their eyes, nervously and excitedly looking at the secret compartment under the floor tile.

There was a faint light in the secret compartment. Although it was very weak, it was particularly eye-catching in this dim warehouse. Yun Yao took a deep breath, her hand trembling slightly, and slowly reached in. Her fingers touched something wrapped in cloth, and at that moment, her heart was filled with joy. She carefully took the package out of the secret compartment and held it in her hands, as if she were holding a rare treasure.

Yun Yao and Xiao Cui looked at each other, and saw excitement and joy in each other's eyes. They knew that this package might contain the ancient book they had been looking for. Although they had not opened it to confirm, their intuition told them that their goal was within reach.