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

Fu Lun, Er Kang, Wu Daozi, Liu Qing, Liu Hong, and others stared intently at the patterns and characters on the stone gate, their brows furrowed, the atmosphere so tense it seemed as if water could be squeezed out of them.

“These patterns and characters are so strange, I’ve never seen them before.” Er Kang stared at the stone door, his eyes full of confusion.

Wu Daozi stroked his beard and examined the patterns carefully. "These patterns seem to contain some ancient principles of formations. The text should be the clue to deciphering them, but it is too obscure."

“One hour is a tight deadline; we need to think of a solution quickly.” Furen’s expression was serious, knowing full well the difficulty of the task.

Liu Qing scratched his head. "I'm completely clueless about these literary things. How about I look around for any other clues?"

"Alright, you and Liu Hong keep an eye on the surroundings in case of any unexpected situations," Fu Lun instructed.

Liu Hong nodded. "Don't worry, Lord Fu Lun. With us here, nothing unexpected will happen." After saying that, the two of them cautiously looked around.

Erkang continued studying the stone gate, when suddenly his eyes lit up. "Look, the arrangement of these patterns seems somewhat similar to the Bagua (Eight Trigrams). Could it be related to the directions of the Bagua?"

Wu Daozi looked in the direction Er Kang pointed, pondered for a moment, and said, "It's possible. The Eight Trigrams are Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui, each representing a different direction and attribute. If we can match them up, we might be able to find a solution."

Furen frowned. "But the connection between these words and gossip is still hard to grasp."

The group fell into deep thought, and time slipped away quietly in the tense atmosphere.

After a while, Wu Daozi seemed to suddenly realize something and excitedly said, "I understand! The phrase 'yin and yang give rise to each other, and emptiness and fullness correspond' mentioned in this text should be an indication that the pattern should be adjusted according to the yin and yang attributes of the Eight Trigrams."

"How do we adjust it?" Er Kang asked anxiously.

Wu Daozi pointed to the patterns on the stone gate and said, “Look, some of these patterns have strong lines, while others have soft lines. Perhaps the strong lines represent Yang, and the soft lines represent Yin. Let’s try rearranging the patterns according to the Yin and Yang attributes of the Eight Trigrams.”

The crowd listened and thought it made a lot of sense, so they immediately took action.

However, just as they were adjusting the pattern, a deep rumbling sound suddenly came from the cave, as if some enormous power was awakening.

"Oh no! Did we trigger some kind of mechanism?" Liu Hong shouted from outside.

"Everyone be careful! Stop what you're doing!" Furen shouted.

Everyone stopped and looked around nervously. After a while, the roaring sound gradually subsided, and everything returned to calm.

"It seems we're on the right track, but perhaps some details weren't handled well," Wu Daozi said.

"Time is running out, we need to speed things up." Er Kang glanced at the light streaming in through the cave entrance and estimated the time.

They studied the patterns and words carefully again, trying different arrangements and combinations repeatedly.

“Ah! I think I’ve discovered something else.” Wu Daozi pointed to some small characters in a corner. “It mentions ‘movement within stillness, stillness within movement.’ Perhaps when we adjust the pattern, we shouldn’t only focus on the overall yin-yang arrangement, but also pay attention to the local changes in movement and stillness.”

"Movement and stillness? How should this be understood?" Liu Qing walked in from outside, looking puzzled.

Er Kang pondered for a moment, "Perhaps some of these patterns are fixed, while others can be changed. We need to find those patterns that can be changed and adjust them in a specific order."

“Yes! That’s it.” Wu Daozi said excitedly.

Everyone got busy again, carefully adjusting the pattern, each movement filled with tension and anticipation.

Finally, just as time was about to run out, the patterns on the stone door emitted a soft light, and then the stone door slowly opened.

"We did it!" Er Kang shouted excitedly.

"That's great!" Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with joy.

The expert watched from the side and nodded slightly, "You have indeed not disappointed me."

The group entered through the stone gate, where an ancient-looking box stood, exuding a mysterious aura.

"Is this the book?" Furen asked.

The expert nodded. "That's right, this is the book you've been looking for. However, the formations recorded in this book are extremely complex, and breaking them will not be easy."

Wu Daozi stepped forward and carefully picked up the box. "Don't worry, senior, we will do our best."

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from outside the cave, as if people were fighting.

"Oh no! It's the Shadow Pavilion! They're here!" Liu Hong said warily.

“I didn’t expect them to find this place so quickly.” Furen frowned. “We can’t let them get the books.”

"Senior, you should find a place to hide first, leave this to us!" Er Kang said to the expert.

The expert nodded. "Be careful, there are other exits in this cave. I will leave from there." After saying that, he disappeared into the depths of the cave.

Furen and the others quickly stepped out of the stone gate, only to see a group of men in black approaching them.

"Hand over the books!" shouted the leader of the men in black.

"Hmph! Don't even think about it!" Furen shielded the books behind his back. "None of you will be taking these books away today!"

The two sides immediately engaged in fierce combat. The men in black were numerous and their attacks were fierce. Although Fu Lun and his companions were highly skilled in martial arts, their opponents seemed to have come prepared, and they were quickly caught in a tough battle.

"This can't go on, we need to find a way to break through," Liu Qing shouted.

"I'll distract them, you take the books and go first!" Er Kang said, and rushed towards the area where the men in black were most concentrated.

"Erkang!" Fu Lun shouted, but Erkang had already rushed out.

"Lord Furen, we can't abandon Erkang!" Liu Hong said anxiously.

“We can’t all sacrifice ourselves here in vain. Someone must take the books with them. Liu Qing and Liu Hong, you take Mr. Wu and go first. I’ll go help Er Kang!” Fu Lun said, rushing into the crowd.

Helpless, Liu Qing and Liu Hong had no choice but to lead Wu Daozi to break through in another direction.

In the fierce battle, Furen and Erkang worked together seamlessly, desperately resisting the attacks of the men in black. However, the men in black kept surging forward, and they gradually became overwhelmed.

"Erkang, you go first! I'll cover the rear!" Furen shouted.

“No! Father, I will not abandon you!” Er Kang said resolutely.

Just then, a man in black took advantage of Er Kang's momentary lapse in attention and attacked him from behind. Seeing this, Fu Lun didn't hesitate to step in front of Er Kang and was stabbed in the arm by the man in black.

"Father!" Er Kang was extremely anxious and fought back even more fiercely.

Meanwhile, in the palace, Little Swallow remained deeply worried. She paced back and forth in the Imperial Garden, completely oblivious to the vibrant spring scenery.

"Your Majesty, please don't worry too much. Lord Fu Lun and the others will definitely return safely," Xiao Tao comforted her from the side.

"How can I not be worried? It's been so long and there's still no news," Little Swallow said anxiously.

At this moment, Su Peisheng rushed over and said, "Your Majesty, the Emperor requests that you go to the Imperial Study immediately."

Xiao Yanzi's heart tightened. "Is there news about Fu Lun and the others?"

"This servant is also unsure. His Majesty seems very anxious. Please, Your Majesty, go quickly," Su Peisheng said.

Little Swallow immediately ran towards the Imperial Study. As soon as she entered, she saw Hongli standing solemnly in front of the map.

"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" Little Swallow asked.

Hongli turned around and said, "I just received a secret report that the Shadow Pavilion seems to be carrying out a large-scale operation near Cloud Mist Mountain. Furen and the others may be in danger."

"What?" Little Swallow's eyes widened. "Then what do we do? Your Majesty, we can't just sit idly by!"

"I have already sent reinforcements, but the terrain of Yunwu Mountain is complex and the situation is unclear. We can only wait for news," Hongli said.

"I can't wait! I'm going to Cloud Mist Mountain, I'm going to find them!" Little Swallow said excitedly.

"Little Swallow, calm down! Going there will only cause trouble and may even put you in danger," Hongli said.

"But I can't just stand by and watch them get hurt!" Little Swallow was extremely anxious.

Just then, a guard rushed in, "Your Majesty, there is an urgent military report!"

Hongli and Xiaoyanzi exchanged a glance, both feeling a sense of foreboding.

"Speak quickly!" Hongli said.

The guard knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, we have discovered traces of Lord Fu Lun and Young Master Er Kang near Cloud Mist Mountain, but they are being besieged by the Shadow Pavilion. Their situation is critical!"

"What?!" Little Swallow nearly lost her balance. "Your Majesty, we must send troops to rescue them immediately!"

Hongli frowned. "I will immediately dispatch the Imperial Guards and personally go to the rescue! Little Swallow, you stay in the palace and take good care of Little Swallow."

"No! I want to go with you!" Little Swallow said resolutely.

"Little Swallow, this is an order! Your staying in the palace is the greatest help you can give me," Hongli said solemnly.

Little Swallow had no choice but to nod, "Alright, Your Majesty, you must come back safely and rescue Fu Lun and the others!"

Hongli looked at Xiaoyanzi with unwavering determination in his eyes, "I promise you, I will return safely!" After saying that, he hurriedly left the palace with the Imperial Guards.

Meanwhile, in the Cloud Mist Mountain, Fu Lun and Er Kang were still struggling. They both had many wounds, but they still did not give up the fight.

"Father, we must hold on! Reinforcements will surely come!" Er Kang shouted.

"Alright! Let's hold on together!" Furen gritted his teeth and continued fighting the man in black.

Just when they were about to give up, a battle cry came from afar.

"It's reinforcements! The Emperor's reinforcements have arrived!" Er Kang shouted excitedly.

Hearing the battle cries, the men in black were thrown into chaos. Hongli, leading the Imperial Guards, charged into the enemy ranks like tigers descending a mountain.

"Kill!" Hongli gave the order, and the morale of the Imperial Guards soared. Together with Fu Lun and Er Kang, they launched a counterattack against the men in black.

Under the combined attack of the group, the men in black finally could not withstand the onslaught and fled.

"Your Majesty!" Fu Lun and Er Kang were deeply moved when they saw Hongli.

"Fu Lun, Er Kang, are you alright?" Hongli asked with concern.

"Your Majesty, we are alright. It's all thanks to your timely arrival, otherwise..." Fu Lun said.

"It's good that everything is alright. Did you get the books?" Hongli asked.

"Got it! Mr. Wu, Liu Qing, and Liu Hong have already left with the books. We'll hold off the men in black here," Er Kang said.

"Alright! Let's go back immediately and decipher the formation in the ancient text as soon as possible," Hongli said.

Filled with the joy of victory, the group embarked on their journey back to the palace. But they knew this was only the beginning of a difficult battle; the Shadow Pavilion's conspiracy was far from over. Could they successfully break the formation and completely eradicate the Shadow Pavilion? Everything remained uncertain. End of this chapter. Stay tuned for the next chapter.