Floating life reflects two lotuses

The air in front of the artificial hill was so still it was almost suffocating. Moonlight streamed down, making the phoenix patterns on the stone tablet appear lifelike. Xiao Jinlian's fingers lightly touched the groove, the cool touch fitting perfectly with the edge of the stone. She looked up at Li Heng, her eyes revealing a hint of excitement and a touch of hesitation.

“This stone is indeed the key,” she whispered, her tone filled with unwavering certainty. “It will unlock all the secrets.”

Li Heng stood beside her, his gaze fixed on the stone tablet. His hand was already gripping his sword, his figure as straight as a pine tree: "Lian'er, be careful, this place is not as simple as it seems on the surface."

Xiao Jinlian took a deep breath and slowly inserted the stone slab into the groove. With a "click," the light from the stone slab merged with the runes on the groove, and the ground beside the artificial hill began to tremble. A hidden door slowly opened, revealing a deep stone staircase leading underground.

Li Heng frowned slightly, holding his sword protectively in front of his chest. His voice was low but carried an undeniable concern: "There may be danger lurking here. I'll go first, and you follow behind me."

Xiao Jinlian nodded and stepped inside with him, holding a candle. The tunnel was dark and cold, and the runes on the walls shimmered faintly in the candlelight, like silent whispers.

“These runes are exactly the same as those on the stone tablet,” Xiao Jinlian stopped and lightly touched the patterns on the wall with her fingers, a look of shock flashing in her eyes. “They are not only guidance, but more like a… warning.”

Li Heng gripped his sword in one hand, his sharp gaze sweeping across the surroundings: "This is the entrance to the Land of Offering Spirits, certainly not a place to enter easily. Continue forward, but be extremely careful."

The two descended the winding stone steps until they came to a heavy stone door. A huge phoenix totem was engraved on the door, and the surrounding runes faintly shimmered, like the pulse of some unknown power.

Xiao Jinlian raised her hand and lightly touched the stone door, the touch as cold as iron. However, before she could investigate further, an invisible energy suddenly rebounded, forcing her to stagger back several steps.

"Lian'er!" Li Heng hurriedly helped her up, his eyes filled with deep worry.

"It's alright," Xiao Jinlian breathed a sigh of relief, enduring the numbness in her arm, but her gaze remained fixed on the door with even greater determination. "The power here is stronger than I expected."

Li Heng scanned his surroundings, his gaze finally settling on a stone slab embedded in the wall. He quickly walked over and pointed to the inscription on it, saying, "There might be clues on this."

The two stood together before the stone slab, on which the inscriptions were ancient and obscure:

"The phoenix sings in the forest, and spiritual power returns to its source; what breaks requires the heart, and what unites requires blood."

“Only blood…” Xiao Jinlian stared at the two words and murmured softly, “The power of this door is related to the royal bloodline. Only those who have royal blood flowing through their veins can open it.”

“That also means that only you can go in.” Li Heng’s tone was low, his expression complex. “But if it’s really full of dangers inside, how can I let you risk it all alone?”

Xiao Jinlian looked up at him, her eyes filled with determination and a hint of reluctance: "Brother Liheng, this is something I must do. The situation outside is complicated. Only by knowing the secrets here can I truly protect myself and Father."

Li Heng was silent for a moment, then slowly took her hand in his, the warmth of his palm conveying silent support: "Okay, no matter what you see inside the door, I'll be waiting for you outside."

Xiao Jinlian took a deep breath, gently withdrew her hand, bit her fingertip, and dripped blood into the rune grooves on the stone door. The moment the blood seeped into the runes, the phoenix totem on the stone door suddenly lit up, its flowing light resembling a real life coming back to life.

"boom--"

With a deafening roar, the heavy stone door slowly opened, and a dazzling golden light shone out, illuminating the entire tunnel. In the light, the outline of an ancient and solemn hall could be vaguely seen.

Li Heng looked at the light, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He whispered, "Lian'er, no matter what you see inside, you must protect yourself."

Xiao Jinlian turned to look at him, a determined smile playing on her lips: "Don't worry, I will come back with the answer."

She stepped into the golden light, her figure gradually disappearing into the glow behind the door, which then slowly closed, isolating Li Heng outside. Only the faint shimmer of runes remained in the air, like silent witnesses…

Xiao Jinlian stood before the stone gate, her gaze fixed on the faintly shimmering rune light. She took a deep breath, turned to Li Heng, and said, "After I go in, no matter what happens, you must stay outside."

Li Heng frowned deeply, his tone filled with unwavering determination: "Lian'er, I've said it before, no matter what danger it may be, I will protect you. Since this place was opened with your bloodline, I can't let you face it alone."

Xiao Jinlian pursed her lips slightly, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. She suppressed the strange emotions in her heart and said softly, "Brother Liheng, I promised Chu Wanlian that I wouldn't get too close to you. We... shouldn't let our feelings interfere with our important matters."

"Feelings?" Upon hearing this, a complex look flashed in Li Heng's eyes. "Lian'er, everything I've done has never been just for the sake of duty. If you truly reject my feelings, I will never bother you again after you're safely out."

His voice carried a hint of resoluteness, yet also contained an undeniable depth of affection. Xiao Jinlian was slightly taken aback, momentarily speechless. Just then, the light behind the stone door suddenly intensified, and an inexplicable suction force pulled both of them into the doorway simultaneously.

The world before her was blindingly bright white. When Xiao Jinlian came to her senses, she found herself and Li Heng standing in a huge underground palace. Ancient runes were engraved on the surrounding walls, and a towering altar stood directly in front of them.

"This is the place of offering sacrifices... Brother Liheng, why are you here too?" Xiao Jinlian murmured, her gaze drawn to a pearl emitting a soft light in the center of the altar.

Li Heng gripped his sword in one hand, glanced around, and frowned: "Concentrate."

Before the words were even finished, the runes around the altar suddenly lit up, the ground trembled, and a low rumbling sound could be faintly heard. Immediately afterwards, several dark figures emerged from the walls around the altar, their shapes bizarre, as if they were guardians formed from runic energy.

“It seems we’ve triggered the protective formation here,” Xiao Jinlian said calmly, drawing her dagger and standing back-to-back with Li Heng, ready to fight at any moment.

The energy guardians let out piercing growls and rapidly approached the two. Li Heng swung his sword at one of them, but the blade pierced through the guardian's body as if it had struck thin air.

“They can’t be harmed by physical attacks!” Xiao Jinlian quickly analyzed, while glancing at the altar. “Brother Liheng, try to hold them off. I’ll go try to shut down the altar’s energy source!”

Li Heng nodded without hesitation, raising his sword to block the guards' attacks and drawing them away. However, each of his strikes seemed powerless, as the guards seemed to sense their intentions and continued to try to get closer to Xiao Jinlian.

Xiao Jinlian swiftly climbed onto the altar, clutching the runic stone fragment tightly in her hand, and embedded it into the groove beneath the orb. As the fragment made contact with the altar, a powerful surge of energy flowed into her body, almost causing her to lose her balance.

"Lian'er!" Li Heng's heart tightened at the sight of her swaying figure. He forced back the guards with his sword and rushed forward. He pulled her into his arms, shielding her behind him, and said through gritted teeth, "You finish quickly! Leave the rest to me!"

"Brother Liheng!" Xiao Jinlian felt a surge of complex emotions as she watched him fight the guards without reservation to protect her. She forced herself to calm down and placed her palm on the pearl.

"The phoenix sings in the forest, and spiritual energy returns to its source..." She murmured the incantation on the wall, and the light of the pearl gradually faded, and the entire palace began to return to calm.

The guards vanished the instant the light faded, and the palace returned to its previous silence. Xiao Jinlian slumped onto the altar, and Li Heng quickly supported her, his eyes filled with worry: "How are you? Are you hurt?"

Xiao Jinlian shook her head, her voice tinged with weariness: "It's alright... all thanks to you."

Li Heng didn't let go of her, but stared at her intently, his voice low and deep: "Lian'er, do you know? Just now, I was really afraid something would happen to you. I can protect the capital, I can protect the people, but I can't lose you."

Xiao Jinlian's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at him, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes. At that moment, Chu Wanlian's voice suddenly echoed in her mind: "Jinlian, you promised me you wouldn't project yourself onto me."

She suddenly came to her senses, gently pushed Li Heng away, and whispered, "Brother Li Heng, let's go back quickly. This matter needs further discussion."

Li Heng paused for a moment, then gave a wry smile, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Um..."

Looking into his eyes, Xiao Jinlian felt a mix of emotions. She knew she couldn't reciprocate his sincerity; and she couldn't let herself fall any deeper.

"Brother Liheng, thank you." She forced a smile, stood up, and looked firmly at the altar. "Next, we need to find the real secret hidden in this place."