Floating life reflects two lotuses

An indescribable tension seemed to permeate the air in the core area of ​​the laboratory. Chu Wanlian stood before the rune array, her eyes fixed on the complex and eerie symbols, her heartbeat growing ever clearer in her ears. The floor beneath her feet trembled slightly, and the rune array carved into the ground seemed to be awakened, beginning to emit a faint yet extremely oppressive light.

She gently reached out her hand, her fingertips touching a depression in the center of the array. The instant her fingertips made contact, a powerful surge of energy erupted, the light instantly engulfing her vision.

Caught off guard, Chu Wanlian was pulled backward by the energy, but the next second, her consciousness seemed to be forcibly torn apart, as if her soul had left her body and was rapidly passing through some invisible passage.

A gust of cold wind swept over her, and Chu Wanlian abruptly opened her eyes, finding herself suspended in an unfamiliar space. Below her was a dark red stone chamber, its walls densely covered with runes that emitted an eerie purple light. In the center of the chamber, Xiao Jinlian knelt on the ground, her hands pressed against the core of the rune array, her face ashen.

Her breathing was rapid, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on her forehead, as if she were enduring immense pain. The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and each breath carried a suffocating pressure.

"Xiao Jinlian!" Chu Wanlian called out subconsciously, only to find that her voice could not reach the other person's ears at all.

Xiao Jinlian raised her head, her eyes filled with determination. Her lips trembled slightly, but she still gritted her teeth and pressed her hand on the array. At the same time, the light from the array grew increasingly dazzling, as if it were resisting her body.

"This is... the place of offering spirits?" The records of runes that Xiao Jinlian had mentioned flashed through Chu Wanlian's mind. Only then did she realize how similar this scene was to the array in the laboratory she was in.

Just then, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the depths of the stone chamber, holding a gleaming short blade, aiming straight for Xiao Jinlian's back.

"No!" Chu Wanlian shouted, but her body could not move an inch. She watched helplessly as the short blade was about to pierce Xiao Jinlian's body, but at the critical moment, Li Heng stepped in front of her and blocked the fatal blow with his arm.

Blood splattered, and Li Heng groaned, then punched the assassin away. His gaze was as cold as ice as he gripped his longsword and stood protectively in front of Xiao Jinlian, his voice low and firm: "Princess, don't be distracted!"

Xiao Jinlian gritted her teeth, her voice trembling slightly: "I can hold on! Li Heng, take care of yourself!"

The assassins were repelled, but they did not retreat. They moved swiftly through the stone chamber, their swords flashing, and the killing intent in the air surged like a tide. Li Heng fought off the assassins while keeping an eye on Xiao Jinlian's condition out of the corner of his eye, his eyes filled with worry.

Chu Wanlian's heart felt as if it were being clenched. The scene before her was so real that she could almost feel the stench of blood and the impact of energy in the air. All of this made her soul tremble.

A violent tremor abruptly pulled Chu Wanlian's consciousness back to reality. She opened her eyes abruptly and found herself still standing in front of the rune array, the light beneath her feet gradually fading, and her body feeling somewhat weak from the intense energy impact.

"Xiao Jinlian!" Li Chenyao's voice suddenly rang out. He rushed forward, grabbed her arm, and helped her up.

"Are you alright?" His voice was unusually anxious, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes revealed complex emotions.

Chu Wanlian raised her head, her eyes still slightly dazed. After a few seconds, she whispered, "I... I just saw something."

Li Chenyao's eyes flickered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. He gently pulled her to a chair nearby, his tone calm yet subtly probing: "What did you see?"

Chu Wanlian hesitated for a moment, her mind racing through everything that had just happened. She took a deep breath and decided not to reveal too much for the time being: "Just some... blurry images. I'm not sure either."

Li Chenyao stared at her, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. He didn't immediately press for answers, but instead turned to look at the gradually calming runes in the center of the formation, his brows furrowing deeply.

"The energy fluctuations of these runes suddenly surged just now. Do you know what that means?" His voice was low, as if he was deliberately suppressing some emotion.

Chu Wanlian shook her head, trying to calm herself down: "I don't know either. These runes... seem to be more than just carriers of energy; they may involve something deeper."

"For example?" Li Chenyao's tone became more inquisitive.

Chu Wanlian looked up at him and smiled slightly: "For example, those secrets you haven't told me yet."

Li Chenyao was slightly taken aback, then gave a meaningful smile: "Miss Chu, you overestimate me. I am just someone who executes the plan. The real secret may be unknown even to me."

"Is that so?" Chu Wanlian's tone was emotionless, but her eyes held a hint of scrutiny.

The atmosphere between the two was subtle and tense, as if every word they spoke concealed an unspeakable meaning.

Chu Wanlian sat at the table, a cup of hot tea in her hand, the scenes from the daytime still echoing in her mind. Xiao Jinlian's face, Li Heng's blood, and the strange rune array—all of this made her thoughts like a tangled ball of yarn, impossible to unravel.

"Princess, are you really alright?" Xiao Jinlian's voice suddenly rang in my mind.

Chu Wanlian put down her cup and closed her eyes: "I'm fine. But things aren't going well for you, are they?"

Xiao Jinlian was silent for a moment before whispering, "Yes. The situation at the Land of Offering Spirits is far more complicated than I imagined, and Consort Yan's influence has penetrated too deeply."

Chu Wanlian's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table as she murmured, "Perhaps the root of this crisis isn't just in ancient times. There must be some connection between the rune array in the laboratory and the place of offering spirits."

“That’s precisely why we need to find the answer.” Xiao Jinlian’s voice was resolute. “No matter what time or space we’re in, we can’t let the curse get completely out of control.”

Chu Wanlian opened her eyes, a hint of determination in her gaze: "Don't worry, we will find a way."

Moonlight streamed into the room through the window, illuminating her resolute face. The convergence of two timelines seemed as if the hand of fate was pushing them into an unknown abyss.