From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

The castle gates creaked open with a sickening sound, and Yan Ruyu and the male protagonist Xu cautiously stepped inside.

A putrid stench wafted over, like the corpse of some creature that had been rotting for a long time.

The castle was extremely dark, with only a few faint rays of light filtering through holes in the walls, illuminating the mottled walls and the thick layer of dust on the floor.

The walls were covered with dark green moss, resembling menacing monsters, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Yan Ruyu frowned slightly. This scene was even more thrilling than a horror movie. Luckily, she was brave enough, otherwise she would have screamed like a chicken in no time.

The male protagonist gripped her hand tightly, while his other hand instinctively reached for the sword at his waist, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Neither of them spoke. The castle was eerily silent, with only their breathing and footsteps echoing in the empty hall, as if they were in a giant tomb.

Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly, and the stone slab beneath Yan Ruyu's feet sank sharply. She cried out in alarm as her body plummeted downwards.

"Ruyu!" The male protagonist Xu reached out quickly, but only managed to grab a corner of her clothes, watching helplessly as she disappeared into the dark cave.

At the same time, countless arrows shot out from the cracks in the wall. The male protagonist dodged in a sorry state, barely avoiding vital points, but was still forced to retreat repeatedly, eventually falling into another hidden passage.

"Ruyu!" the male protagonist called out anxiously, but only heard an empty echo.

The castle's complex passageways are like a maze, leading in all directions, and countless unknown dangers seem to lurk in the dark corners.

He forced himself to calm down and searched along the passage, praying in his heart that Yan Ruyu was safe and sound.

Yan Ruyu, who fell into the trap, was not as miserable as one might imagine.

She landed steadily on a pile of soft hay, and apart from being a little dusty, she was unharmed.

"Luckily, I'm agile, otherwise I would have fallen and gotten a bloody nose." She dusted herself off and muttered to herself.

In the dim light, Yan Ruyu found herself in a small, secret room with strange symbols carved on the walls, which seemed to be an ancient script.

"Could this be some kind of ancient secret manual?" Yan Ruyu stroked her chin, studying it with great interest.

Suddenly, she heard a faint "click" sound...

The "click" sound rang out again, and Yan Ruyu keenly pinpointed the source of the sound—an inconspicuous stone brick on the wall.

She gently pressed the stone bricks, and a hidden compartment suddenly appeared in the wall, containing an old parchment scroll.

Yan Ruyu carefully took out the parchment scroll, unfolded it, and saw that it was covered with intricate patterns and symbols, just like the ones she had seen on the wall earlier.

"So that's how it is!" Yan Ruyu's lips curled into a smug smile. "The owner of this castle is quite the riddle master, but I'm not one to be trifled with!" She quickly analyzed the information on the parchment scroll and, combined with the symbols she had seen earlier, soon deciphered the mechanism of the secret chamber.

With a loud rumble, the stone door to the secret chamber slowly opened, revealing a passage leading deep into the castle to Yan Ruyu.

The torches on both sides of the passage were lit automatically, illuminating the road ahead.

Yan Ruyu walked along the passage and occasionally saw some simple symbols carved on the wall, which were the marks left by Xu Nanzhu.

"This kid is quite clever!" Yan Ruyu felt a warmth in her heart and quickened her pace.

Finally, at a fork in the road, Yan Ruyu saw that familiar figure.

The male protagonist was pacing anxiously back and forth when he heard footsteps. He looked up abruptly and saw Yan Ruyu standing there unharmed. He was overjoyed.

"Ruyu! I'm so glad you're alright!" He rushed forward and hugged her tightly.

Yan Ruyu also hugged Xu Nanzhu tightly. Her calmness and wit from before vanished at this moment, and all her strength turned into tears of grievance.

"Waaaaah... You scared me to death! I thought I'd never see you again..."

"Silly girl, how could I let anything happen to you?" The male protagonist gently patted Yan Ruyu's back and comforted her softly.

"It's alright, it's alright, I'm here." He felt the delicate body in his arms tremble slightly, and he hugged her even tighter with heartache.

The chilly air in the castle seemed to warm up because of their embrace, and the torches burned even brighter, casting their shadows long and slender.

Yan Ruyu raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears, and looked at Xu Nanzhu, choking back sobs as she said, "We must get out together..."

"Of course, we'll always be together." The male lead gently kissed away the tears on her face.

Suddenly, his eyes sharpened, and he abruptly shielded Yan Ruyu behind him.

"Who is there?!"

The mastermind behind the conspiracy, a person cloaked in black with their face hidden in the shadows, slowly emerged from the darkness.

He held a staff that emitted a dark, eerie light in his hand, and his chilling laughter echoed through the castle.

"Hehehe, I didn't expect you guys to make it this far. But the game is over!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his staff, and a black beam of energy shot out, carrying a destructive aura.

Yan Ruyu and Xu Nan reacted quickly, each using their movement techniques to dodge.

The black beam struck the wall, creating a deafening explosion that sent debris flying and dust billowing everywhere.

"Holy crap, this old guy's serious!" Yan Ruyu couldn't help but curse, his longsword flashing as he shattered the incoming black energy fragments one by one.

Xu, the male protagonist, was not to be outdone. His long sword moved with the agility of a dragon, and he worked in perfect harmony with Yan Ruyu to deflect the mastermind's attacks one by one.

The castle teetered on the brink of collapse under the powerful magical attack, as if it would crumble at any moment.

Gravel continued to fall, huge cracks appeared in the ground, and the entire castle looked as terrifying as if the end of the world had arrived.

"Ruyu, let's go together!" Xu shouted. The two looked at each other and put their swords together. A dazzling light burst out from the swords, illuminating the entire castle.

In the light, Yan Ruyu and Xu Nanzhu's figures seemed to merge into one, and their powers also merged together, forming a powerful energy vortex.

The mastermind was intimidated by this powerful force and retreated repeatedly, a look of terror on his face.

"This is impossible!" the mastermind roared in disbelief, but he was powerless to resist.

The energy vortex engulfed him, and his figure gradually disappeared into the light.

The light faded, and the castle returned to peace.

Yan Ruyu and the male protagonist Xu stood together, panting, their faces beaming with excited smiles.

"Yay! We finally got rid of this old pervert!" Yan Ruyu jumped up excitedly and gave Xu a big hug.

The mastermind's plot was also fully exposed. It turned out that he coveted the rare jewels they found on the island and set up a series of traps in an attempt to trap them in the castle and steal the jewels.

"Luckily, we were quick-witted enough, otherwise he would have really succeeded." The male protagonist, Xu, gently stroked Yan Ruyu's hair.

Yan Ruyu nestled happily in Xu's arms, feeling his warmth and love.

"Yes, we'll always be together, and no one can take us apart!"

“Next…” Yan Ruyu raised her head, her gaze fixed firmly on the distance, “We’re going back to the island!”