Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

As the cave swayed, Little Swallow struggled to steady herself and cried out anxiously, "Your Highness, the cave is about to collapse! We have to hurry!"

Hongli held Xiaoyanzi's hand tightly, saying as he ran, "My beloved concubine, don't be afraid, follow me!"

The primary consort of the Fucha clan was panting heavily behind, her steps faltering slightly: "Your Highness, I...I can't keep up!"

Hongzhou turned back, supported his primary consort Fucha, and cried out, "Consort, hold on, I won't abandon you!"

Looking at Hongzhou and Consort Fucha behind her, Xiao Yanzi said loudly, "Prince He, please take good care of my sister. We'll be able to leave soon!"

Stones kept falling from above, splashing up dust as they hit the ground. Hongli, with Xiaoyanzi in tow, dodged left and right until they finally saw a light at the cave entrance ahead.

"My beloved concubine, the exit is just ahead, give it your all!" Hongli shouted.

Little Swallow mustered all her strength and rushed out of the cave with Hongli. Just as they emerged, a tremendous roar came from behind them, and the entire cave collapsed completely.

Hongzhou and his primary consort, Lady Fucha, rushed out afterward. The four of them collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

"We're finally out! That was so close!" Hongzhou said, still shaken.

Little Swallow looked at the spirit pearl in her hand and said, "What is the origin of this spirit pearl? Why did the cave collapse as soon as I took it out?"

Hongli stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "There must be something fishy about this. We need to find a safe place to study this spirit pearl carefully."

Consort Fucha also stood up and said, "Your Highness is right, but this Misty Forest is full of dangers. Where is it safe?"

Hongzhou looked around and pointed in one direction, saying, "There's a grove of trees over there that looks quite dense. Perhaps we can go there to rest for a while."

The group walked in the direction Hongzhou pointed. After entering the woods, they found it relatively quiet, and the fog wasn't as thick.

Little Swallow found a place to sit down, placed the spirit pearl on the ground, and said, "Your Highness, look, the light of this spirit pearl seems to be changing!"

Hongli squatted down and carefully observed the spirit pearl. He saw that the light of the spirit pearl was sometimes bright and sometimes dim, as if it was conveying some kind of information.

“This spirit pearl is probably not only the key to unlocking the secrets of the Shadow Pavilion, but may also be related to a larger conspiracy,” Hongli said with a frown.

Hongzhou leaned closer and asked curiously, "Your Highness, what do you mean by that?"

Hongli shook his head and said, "I don't know yet, but I always feel that there is a powerful force controlling everything behind the scenes."

Consort Fucha asked worriedly, "What should we do then?"

Xiao Yanzi's eyes suddenly lit up, and she said, "Your Highness, could there be other clues we missed in the murals we saw in the cave? Perhaps we can find more secrets about this spirit pearl in those murals."

Hongli thought for a moment and said, "My dear consort is right, but the cave has collapsed, and those murals..."

Hongzhou interrupted him, saying, "Your Highness, I remember when I was in the cave, I seemed to see a part of the mural in another corner. Perhaps that place was not completely buried. We can go back and look for it."

Little Swallow stood up and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry back and take a look!"

Consort Fucha hesitated for a moment and said, "But the cave just collapsed. Wouldn't it be too dangerous to go back now?"

Looking into Xiao Yanzi's determined eyes, Hongli said, "My lady, the secret of this spirit pearl is of utmost importance to us, and we must take the risk. However, you may stay here and wait for our return."

Consort Fucha shook her head and said, "Your Highness, I want to go with you. More people mean more strength."

So the four of them carefully returned to the site of the collapsed cave. The area in front of the cave was now littered with rocks and in complete disarray.

Hongzhou looked around and found a small opening that seemed to lead to the interior of the cave.

"Your Highness, there's a cave entrance over here; we should be able to go in," Hongzhou called out.

Hongli was the first to crawl into the cave, followed by Xiaoyanzi and his primary consort, Lady Fucha, with Hongzhou at the very back.

The cave was filled with dust and dimly lit. They followed the route they remembered, heading towards the corner where the mural was located.

Suddenly, the little swallow stepped on a loose stone, which rolled down with a sound. Immediately afterward, they heard a strange cry coming from deep within the cave.

"Oh no, it seems we've disturbed something again!" Little Swallow said nervously.

Hongli gripped his sword tightly and said, "Everyone be careful, prepare for battle!"

A swarm of bats flew out from the depths of the cave and swooped down on them.

"Ah, it's a bat!" exclaimed the primary consort of the Fucha clan.

Little Swallow brandished her sword, shooing away the bats, and shouted, "Why are there so many bats? Everyone, be careful not to get bitten!"

Hongzhou also drew his sword, brandishing it as he said, "These bats look unusual, as if they're being controlled by something!"

While fending off the bats, Hongli observed the surrounding situation and said, "Everyone, retreat to the cave entrance first, don't linger in the fight!"

The group fought their way out of the cave. Once outside, the bats didn't chase after them but instead hovered around the entrance.

"What's going on? Why are these bats attacking us?" Little Swallow asked in confusion.

Hongli looked at the cave, pondered for a moment, and then said, "This is probably still related to the secrets inside the cave. Perhaps someone deliberately set up these mechanisms and traps to prevent us from obtaining the Spirit Pearl or discovering the secrets of the murals."

Consort Fucha asked, "So what should we do now? Should we continue searching for the murals?"

Hongzhou looked at the spirit pearl in Xiaoyanzi's hand and said, "I think this spirit pearl is the key. Let's unlock its secrets first, and maybe we can find a way to deal with these dangers."

Little Swallow nodded and said, "Prince He is right, but how exactly should we unravel the secret of this Spirit Pearl?"

Hongli looked at the spirit pearl and said, "Let's examine this spirit pearl more closely; perhaps it contains some clues."

The group sat together, carefully examining the spirit pearl. Suddenly, the pearl flashed a few times, then projected some strange patterns in front of them.

"Wow, what's going on?" Little Swallow exclaimed in surprise.

Hongli looked at the patterns and said, "These patterns look like some kind of ancient script or symbols. I feel like I've seen them somewhere before."

Hongzhou asked eagerly, "Your Highness, where have you seen this before? What is written on it?"

Hongli tried hard to recall and said, "I remember there was a book in the palace library that had similar symbols on it. That book was about ancient mysticism. Maybe we can find the answer in it."

Little Swallow said excitedly, "Then let's hurry back to the palace!"

Consort Fucha said, "However, we haven't left this misty forest yet, and we don't know how to get back to the palace."

Hongli stood up, looked around at the surroundings, and said, "Let's follow the river first. We followed the river when we came in, so maybe we can find the exit by following the river."

So the four of them began searching for an exit along the river. Along the way, they proceeded cautiously, constantly alert to any potential dangers.

As they walked, they saw a wooden bridge spanning the river ahead.

"Look, there's a bridge!" Little Swallow shouted, pointing at the bridge.

Hongzhou said, "This bridge looks a bit dilapidated. I don't know if it's safe to cross."

Hongli stepped forward, carefully inspected the bridge, and said, "Although this bridge is old, it should still be able to support our weight. Everyone, please cross carefully."

The group walked onto the wooden bridge one by one. When they reached the middle of the bridge, they suddenly heard a cracking sound coming from below.

"Oh no, the bridge is going to collapse!" Hongli shouted.

Little Swallow gripped the bridge railing tightly, exclaiming in panic, "Your Highness, what should we do?"

Looking at the rushing river below the bridge, Hongli said, "Everyone, don't panic. Try to slowly walk to the other side."

Just as they were struggling to cross to the other side, a huge water monster emerged from the river and lunged at the wooden bridge.

"What kind of monster is this?!" Hongzhou exclaimed.

Little Swallow shouted, "Everyone, don't worry about that, let's cross the bridge first!"

The group quickened their pace and finally reached the other side before the wooden bridge broke.

The monster roared in the river, seemingly unwilling to let them escape.

"Why are there monsters everywhere in this forest!" Little Swallow complained.

Hongli looked at the water monster and said, "This water monster should be guarding this river. We angered it by triggering the mechanism here or taking away the spirit pearl."

Consort Fucha said worriedly, "How many more dangers will we encounter on our future path?"

Hongzhou said, "No matter how dangerous it is, we must return to the palace as soon as possible, unravel the secret of the Spirit Pearl, and stop the Minister of Rites' conspiracy."

Looking at the magic pearl in her hand, Little Swallow said firmly, "Yes, we must succeed!"

The four continued their journey back to the palace, unaware of the many hardships and dangers that lay ahead. The political landscape of the court remained ever-changing; what would become of their fates?

This chapter concludes here. Stay tuned for the next chapter.