Traveling through thousands of years, I only love you

Li Lingyuan stood in a secret room filled with ancient books and mysterious artifacts, her eyes fixed with determination. Before her lay a faintly glowing ancient scroll, rumored to have been found by chance in a remote flea market. After extensive research, it seemed to contain a secret method for traveling through time and space. The surrounding walls were covered with strange runes and diagrams, the result of months of meticulous research and drawing, attempting to find the key to unlocking the portal to time and space within these mysterious symbols.

She took a deep breath and, following the cryptic instructions in the scroll, began to lay out the magic circle. A complex pattern was traced on the ground using special mineral powder. At its center sat a crystal ball emitting a soft blue glow. It was said to be a treasure from a mysterious ruin, believed to possess the power to bridge time and space. Li Lingyuan clutched an ancient dagger, a family heirloom. The blade, engraved with mysterious runes, gleamed coldly in the dim light.

She gently cut her fingertip, letting the blood drip onto the key points of the magic circle. She muttered something in a long-lost ancient language, painstakingly pieced together from fragments of ancient books. As the blood dripped, the magic circle began to flicker faintly, and the blue light of the crystal ball grew stronger, filling the entire chamber with a mysterious aura.

However, just as Li Lingyuan was about to complete the final step of the ritual, a powerful force suddenly surged out from the magic circle. Like a surging tide, it instantly engulfed her. She felt a sharp pain throughout her body, as if countless needles were piercing every inch of her skin. A sweet, fishy taste welled up in her throat, and a mouthful of blood spurted out, staining the magic circle before her red.

"No! Why is this happening?" Li Lingyuan's heart was filled with despair and resentment. She endured the severe pain and tried to stabilize the magic circle, but the backlash became stronger and stronger, and her body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The crystal ball's light began to become unstable, flickering with dazzling brilliance, as if it were about to explode. Li Lingyuan knew that if the crystal ball exploded, she would be shattered in this secret room. Gathering her last bit of strength, she reached out to steady the crystal ball, but as soon as she touched it, an even stronger force, like an electric current, coursed through her body, sending her flying and crashing heavily against the wall.

The chamber was in shambles. The magic circle was shattered, ore dust flew everywhere, and many of the runes and diagrams on the walls had been shaken off. Li Lingyuan lay on the ground, gasping for breath, her clothes soaked with sweat, her hair plastered to her face. She felt as if her body had been drained of energy, extremely weak.

"Is it really impossible for me to return to him?" Li Lingyuan's tears streamed down her cheeks, her heart filled with longing for Xiao Yi and guilt. She recalled the beautiful times they had spent together in ancient times: fighting side by side on the battlefield, sharing life and death; and the sweet and warm company they had shared in the palace. Those memories, like sharp blades, pierced her heart deeply.

After a long moment, Li Lingyuan slowly stood up. She dragged her frail body out of the secret room. The sunlight outside stung her eyes, causing them to sting. She squinted for a moment, adjusting to the current, only to find the courtyard completely silent. The once-blooming flowers now drooped, as if sensing her sadness and despair.

She sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard, staring blankly ahead. She knew she had just experienced an extremely dangerous attempt. Not only had she failed to travel back to ancient times, but she had also suffered the backlash of the secret technique, leaving her physically and mentally traumatized. However, her longing for Xiao Yi remained undiminished, and instead strengthened her resolve to return to ancient times.

In the days that followed, Li Lingyuan's health deteriorated. She often felt dizzy, weak, and her mind drifted into a trance. Yet, she refused to give up her search for a way to travel through time. Every day, she spent her days in her study, poring over ancient texts, hoping to find a safer and more effective method. She also visited experts and scholars in the occult, seeking their advice on time travel. However, the answers she received were mostly disappointing and helpless.

Once, while visiting a senior historian, she stumbled upon a legend about a mysterious ancient organization. It was said that this organization once possessed a powerful time-travel technology, but later disappeared for some reason. Li Lingyuan felt a pang of hope, believing it might be her last hope. So, she began to delve into the history and legends of this mysterious organization, hoping to find some clues.

Following this lead, she discovered ruins and artifacts related to this mysterious organization. Despite her frail health, she personally journeyed to these sites to investigate. Within one ruin, deep in the mountains, she discovered strange murals and sculptures. The murals depicted people traveling through time and space, while the sculptures depicted strange creatures and symbols. Li Lingyuan was filled with excitement, feeling she was getting closer to her goal of traveling back to ancient times.

However, as she carefully examined the murals and sculptures, something strange suddenly occurred within the ruins. The walls began to shake, and cracks appeared in the ground, seemingly about to collapse. Realizing she was in danger, Li Lingyuan hurriedly searched for an exit. But in her panic, she accidentally fell into a trap.

A pungent odor filled the trap, and Li Lingyuan found it increasingly difficult to breathe. She tried to climb out, but the walls were slippery, making it impossible for her to find a foothold. Just as she felt desperate, she suddenly heard footsteps. Overjoyed, she thought someone was coming to rescue her. But when she looked up, she saw a group of tomb robbers.

"Oh, there's a young lady here!" A tomb robber leader saw Li Lingyuan and showed a greedy smile on his face. "Search all the valuables on her!"

Li Lingyuan was startled, knowing she was in danger. She tried to resist, but her frail body made her no match for the tomb robbers. They easily looted her belongings and assaulted her.

"You bad guys, let me go!" Li Lingyuan shouted angrily.

"Hmph! Young lady, just come with us obediently!" The tomb robber leader grabbed Li Lingyuan's arm and pulled her out of the trap.

Li Lingyuan, held hostage by tomb robbers, struggled through the ruins. She kept thinking about ways to escape. Suddenly, she saw a fork in the road ahead. While the tomb robbers weren't paying attention, she struggled to break free from their grasp and ran toward one of the forks.

Seeing this, the tomb robbers immediately chased after her. Li Lingyuan ran desperately in the ruins. Her body had reached its limit, but she had only one belief in her heart, which was to escape the clutches of these tomb robbers and continue to find a way to travel back to ancient times.

While running, she accidentally fell. The tomb robbers quickly caught up with her and surrounded her. "Young lady, you still want to run?" the tomb robber leader said viciously.

Just as the tomb robbers were about to attack Li Lingyuan, a violent explosion suddenly occurred within the ruins. The force of the blast sent both the tomb robbers and Li Lingyuan flying. Li Lingyuan lost consciousness in mid-air. When she regained consciousness, she found herself lying outside the ruins, wounded all over.

She struggled to her feet, looking at the crumbling ruins before her, her heart filled with emotion. She knew she had once again missed the chance to travel back to ancient times, and had nearly lost her life. But she didn't give up. She believed that as long as she persevered, she would one day be able to return to Xiao Yi's side.

Li Lingyuan dragged her wounded body and walked step by step towards home. She knew that the road ahead was still full of difficulties and obstacles, but the love and longing in her heart would support her to keep going.