Chapter 261: It's over, nothing to do

Several people walked out one after another from that deadly blue stone slab road.

Except for Tuan Tuan, who was excited, everyone else had weak legs, were still shaken, and couldn't help but lean against the stone wall and sit down, panting heavily.

Lu Qi was the last to step out; he turned back and glanced at this road full of hidden dangers, took a long breath, still frightened: "What a vicious mechanism! I don't know how many people it has killed unjustly here!"

"Huh?" Tuan Tuan tilted her little head, her big eyes fixed on the end of the last row of blue bricks.

She stretched out her little hand, pointing at the brick farthest to the side: "Third Brother, look at that brick!"

"Huh?" Xiao Ningxun followed her gaze and saw that this brick was indeed different from the others, protruding a bit.

"Every brick looks the same, why are you different?" Tuan Tuan ran over on her short legs, pattering.

"Tuan Tuan!" Xiao Ningxun exclaimed, reaching out to grab her, but grasped at air.

"My little ancestor!" Xiao Ran also jumped up in fright from the ground.

Tuan Tuan rushed over quickly, lifted her little foot, and stomped hard on that blue brick!

"My seventh uncle said you definitely harmed many people! Evil thing!"

Lu Qi: "..."

"Crack—!"

A clear sound of the mechanism engaging suddenly rang out.

Lu Qi's face changed, he quickly rushed to Tuan Tuan's side, picked her up, and swiftly retreated a few steps.

Immediately afterward, louder and louder sounds boomed.

"Crack! Crack! Boom!!!"

The entire blue stone slab road, all the bricks flipped downward and opened one after another!

Revealing a pitch-black pit filled with sharp blades.

The bottom of the pit continued to violently shake.

The glinting blades snapped "clink-clang," twisted, collapsed, and a faint burnt smell accompanied a wisp of green smoke slowly rising from the pit's bottom.

The precision mechanism that had concealed killing intent just moments before turned, in an instant, into a ditch filled with scrap copper and iron.

Everyone: "...!"

Xiao Ran's mouth gaped open wide enough to fit an egg.

Even though Lu Qi was well-informed, he never expected to see such a scene, his face equally filled with disbelief.

Xiao Ningxun took Tuan Tuan from Lu Qi's embrace, held her tightly: "Tuan Tuan, what did you do?"

Tuan Tuan looked up at him, innocent: "That brick was different from the others, so I just stepped on it!"

At the same time.

"Clang!" The black-robed person slammed the cup in his hand onto the ground.

He jumped up, almost lunging at the water mirror: "What's going on? Why was the self-destruct mechanism placed in such an obvious spot?"

His subordinate knelt with a thud: "From the very start of construction, that self-destruct mechanism has… always been in that position! It was originally meant to thoroughly clean the passage."

"Even if someone managed to get past by luck, who isn't exhausted and just wants to escape quickly?"

"Who would be like that little girl, having passed safely, and then go… go fuss over whether the bricks are even?"

The black-robed person looked at the completely ruined, smoke‑filled passage, the deadly mechanism he had poured countless efforts into, and saw it destroyed by a little girl over the absurd reason of "uneven bricks"—she had simply kicked it away?

He stared fixedly at the small figure nestled in his brother's arms, wearing an innocent expression; a surge of anger choked his throat, neither rising nor falling, leaving him almost breathless.

The road ahead narrowed once again.

Everyone entered one by one into the passage that was only one person wide ahead.

Hardly had they all entered when they heard a tremendous "boom" from behind!

The ground trembled slightly, dust flying.

Xiao Er was the last to enter the passage; he shouted: "Don't stop!"

Before he could turn around, a heavy stone door slid down almost against his back, completely blocking the retreat.

He pushed hard, but the stone door didn't budge.

Xiao Er shouted: "No way back!"

Everyone's hearts sank.

Lu Qi said: "Let's go! Don't look back!"

After walking for less than the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, the front suddenly opened up, and they entered a small stone chamber.

Just as they all entered, another tremendous "boom" sounded behind them; a stone door fell, sealing the entrance once again.

Helpless, they could only lift their heads and carefully examine the stone chamber they were in.

The space was cramped; apart from four dim yellow candles hanging at the four corners of the ceiling, it was empty, the walls bare, with no furnishings at all.

Only a shallow pond lay stretched across the front.

One side of the pond's wall merged seamlessly with the rear stone wall, extending tightly upward to the ceiling, leaving no visible path forward.

The pond water was dark, its surface faintly glowing, flowing silently.

"Hey, heaven leaves no one without a way!" Xiao Ran's eyes lit up: "It doesn't look deep; I'll wade across to check!" He had just lifted his foot.

"Wait!" Lu Qi gave a low shout, extending his arm to block him.

Lu Qi reached into his bosom and took out a steel dart, carefully holding the tail and gently probing the tip into the water.

The tip of the finely forged steel dart, upon touching the water surface, didn't even raise a ripple; it instantly melted and dissolved like snow under a scorching sun, visible to the naked eye.

In the blink of an eye, half of the steel dart had vanished, leaving only the small tail fragment still pinched in Lu Qi's hand!

Lu Qi pulled the remains out of the water; the broken end was ragged, as if something had gnawed at it, and a faint green smoke rose from it.

Lu Qi's face changed drastically: "This isn't ordinary water! It's Bone-dissolving Poison Water! Any flesh that touches it will melt away and corrode the bone in an instant!"

Xiao Ran lowered his head to look at the foot he had just been about to step into.

What great luck! Really great luck! I almost would have to hop on one leg from now on!

By then I'll really have to ask Seventh Brother for a specially made carriage, the kind you can sit on with one leg.

Everyone now looked at that pond of water, and couldn't help but feel their scalps go numb.

Xiao Ningxun's brows were tightly furrowed, holding Tuan Tuan's hand, not daring to let go in the slightest—it was too dangerous!

Xiao Er clenched their fist, while Xiao Ran patted their chest in lingering fear.

Several people gathered together, anxiously discussing countermeasures.

Tuan Tuan boredly crouched by the pond's edge, curiously watching the faint glimmer flickering on the water surface.

This water is amazing! Even Uncle Seven's steel dart can be gnawed through!

After a moment, she blinked in surprise, raising her little hand to point at the water surface: 'Huh? The water seems to have increased! It's higher than before!'

Several people only felt a chill surge from their feet straight to the top of their heads! They hurriedly fixed their gaze to look.

Sure enough! The water surface emitting an eerie light, at some point, had silently crept up a stretch, the distance to the pond's edge now clearly much closer than before.

Lu Qi reacted the fastest, taking a few swift steps to the stone door that had fallen when they had just entered, feeling around to see if it could be opened again.

After a moment, he turned around and shook his head at everyone.

Everyone instinctively glanced at this small stone chamber; if the water kept rising and flooded this place, everyone would leave no remains.