Under the Stars: The Hermit's Path

Lin Yi and the mysterious man continued to grope their way forward happily in the ruins. The fierce battle with the monster had just exhausted them. Their steps began to become a little heavy, and their breathing became a little rapid.

"Kid, we have to find an exit quickly, otherwise it will be dangerous when our magic power runs out." The mysterious man panted. His face was a little pale, and beads of sweat were hanging on his forehead.

Lin Yi nodded, trying to cheer himself up. He knew in his heart that there was no turning back now. If they couldn't leave here quickly, they might all die here.

Just then, they came to a fork in the road, with two passages leading in different directions.

"Master, which way should we go?" Lin Yi asked curiously. He stared at the two passages before him, his mind full of questions. Both passages looked so mysterious, and he really didn't know which one was the right one.

The mysterious man carefully observed the two passages. The passage on the left was filled with a mysterious fog, and it was impossible to see what was inside; the passage on the right was blowing cold winds, as if some unknown and terrifying thing was hidden there.

After pondering for a moment, the mysterious man said, "Let's go left, maybe there will be new discoveries." His voice was low and firm, and he seemed to have full confidence in his judgment.

Lin Yi glanced at the mysterious man and nodded. He took a deep breath and followed him into the passage on the left. The passage was filled with fog, blurring his vision, but Lin Yi followed closely behind the mysterious man, moving forward step by step.

They walked cautiously, fearing they might trigger a trap or encounter danger. The passage was silent, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing. This silence made Lin Yi feel strangely nervous; he had no idea what awaited them ahead.

Suddenly, Lin Yi felt a powerful aura coming from the front. He stopped and looked ahead warily. The mysterious man also noticed something was wrong and signaled Lin Yi not to act rashly.

Slowly, the fog began to dissipate, and they saw a huge figure appear at the end of the passage. It was a huge monster, its body was enormous, and it exuded a terrifying aura.

"Be careful!" the mysterious man shouted and quickly raised the staff in his hand, ready to deal with the upcoming battle.

The two walked into the passage on the left. The fog was getting thicker and thicker, and they could only grope their way forward. Suddenly, Lin Yi heard a faint cry for help.

"Did you hear that? It sounds like someone is calling for help." Lin Yi stopped and pricked up his ears to listen carefully.

The mysterious man also heard the sound and reminded Lin Yi: "Be careful, there is a trap."

Despite being wary, Lin Yi's kindness made him decide to find the source of the sound. They followed the direction of the sound and found a girl trapped in a magic cage.

"Please, save me." The girl saw Lin Yi and the mysterious man, her eyes flashing with hope of survival, and she pleaded hurriedly.

Lin Yi looked at the mysterious man and said firmly, "We have to save her."

The mysterious man frowned and hesitated for a moment before answering, "But we don't know if this is a trap, and we can't protect ourselves right now."

Lin Yi looked at the mysterious man with a determined look, "If we don't help him, we will feel guilty even if we get out alive."

The mysterious man sighed helplessly, finally convinced by Lin Yi and nodded in agreement. Then, the two began searching for a way to unlock the magic cage. However, just as they were about to succeed, a group of dark shadows suddenly appeared and surrounded them.

Lin Yi and the mysterious man perked up instantly, staring at the shadows curiously. One of them said slowly, "Do you think you can get away from here so easily?"

Lin Yi clenched his fists tightly, his gaze fixed firmly ahead, bracing himself for the impending battle. His breathing quickened, and he leaned forward slightly, like a young cheetah ready to pounce. The mysterious figure stood aside, his expression calm, his eyes darting around, his mind racing as he pondered a response.

As the shadows drew closer, Lin Yi and the mysterious man's heartbeats quickened. However, when the shadows finally emerged, they were surprised to discover they weren't enemies, but a group of humans imprisoned there. They exuded a strange odor, their faces were gaunt, and their eyes were hollow and lifeless.

Lin Yi and the mysterious man exchanged glances, each beginning to wonder. Just then, a familiar voice called out, "Thank you for saving me." It was the girl from before! She emerged from the crowd, a grateful smile on her face.

Lin Yi asked with a puzzled look on his face: "What on earth is going on?"

The girl sighed, a trace of sadness flashing in her eyes. She told Lin Yi that these people were all villagers from a nearby village. They had run into the ruins out of curiosity and ended up trapped here. They had been trying to find an exit, but the place was full of traps and traps, making it impossible to escape.

"We have tried many times...", but all failed..." The girl's voice was filled with tears, which made people feel pity.

The mysterious man frowned and said in a serious tone: "It seems that there is a bigger secret hidden here." At this moment, Lin Yi discovered some strange symbols on the wall. He remembered that he had seen similar symbols in that mysterious book.

"I think these symbols may be the key to solving the mystery here." Lin Yi said.

The mysterious man carefully observed the symbols and fell into deep thought. After some research, they finally understood the meaning of these symbols.

It turns out that this ruin was once the research site of a powerful magician. He studied the dark power here, which resulted in a disaster. In order to prevent the spread of the dark power, the magician set up numerous mechanisms and traps.

"Then how do we get out?" someone asked.

The mysterious man said: "According to the clues of these symbols, we need to find the core of the ruins and shut down the source of the dark power."

So, Lin Yi and the mysterious man led everyone towards the core of the ruins.