Chapter 263: I Haven't Eaten Yet

The group turned slowly and retreated quickly, only wanting to get as far away from that pond as possible.

After a while, they finally stopped.

Lu Qi's expression grew solemn: "This place is treacherous; we can't force our way in. We must first discern reality from illusion."

He untied the Water Bag at his waist: "I'll use this to test the path; everyone stay on guard."

Having said so, he raised his arm, and the Water Bag swooshed toward a distant passage.

"Thud"—the Water Bag hit the ground.

The next instant.

"Clack! Clack! Clack!"

The sound of mechanical traps snapping echoed from the walls on both sides like popping beans!

Countless bolts of Arrow flashing with a ghostly blue chill shot out from hidden wall apertures like a sudden storm, instantly turning the Water Bag into a hedgehog!

If a person had entered moments ago, they would now be pierced through the heart by ten thousand arrows!

"What a vicious trap!" Xiao Ran gasped, "If a person walked in, wouldn't they become a sieve?"

Xiao Er furrowed his brow: "The ground won't work; I'll try from above. My lightness skill is decent; I might dodge the traps."

He vaulted upward, darting to the top of a nearby forked path, his toe perched on the height, having taken only a few steps.

"Snap!"

The log beneath his feet suddenly flipped inward, revealing a pitch‑black hole behind it; several short spears flashing cold light thrust out, aiming straight at his legs!

Xiao Er reacted instantly; at the critical moment he powered his waist and abdomen, forcibly twisting in midair, one hand gripping a horizontal beam above, his whole body hanging suspended.

The short spears skimmed past his boot soles!

"Uncle Xiao Er!" Tuan Tuan shouted in alarm, "Come back quickly!"

Lu Qi's eyes flashed and his hand moved swiftly; a flying rope shot out, binding Xiao Er's wrist, and together with Xiao Ningxun and Xiao Ran they pulled him back.

Xiao Ran patted his chest: "We can't go on foot, nor can we pass overhead; what shall we do?"

Xiao Ningxun furrowed his brows, scrutinizing the surroundings: "Although this Lost Soul Formation is oddly constructed, it must follow certain rules to allow an exit."

"Earlier we kept going right; although we didn't find a way out, we also didn't encounter any lethal traps. How about we go left this time and try?"

The group nodded at the suggestion; Lu Qi said, "I'll go first, you follow."

He led the way, turning into the first leftward passage,

however, they had just all stepped into the new passage.

"Boom—boom—boom!"

A heavy grinding sound instantly came from behind!

Looking back, the spot where they had just rested was completely sealed by a wooden wall that had suddenly appeared!

Looking forward again, the place that had previously been a path had become a new dead end!

They were utterly trapped!

"How did this happen?" Xiao Ran pushed hard against the newly appeared wooden wall, which didn't budge. "What kind of place is this? Can a wall move on its own?"

Everyone fell silent; every method they could try had already been attempted.

Testing the path with a stone, they attracted a rain of Arrow that pierced hearts.

Using lightness skill, they triggered flipping floor spikes.

Changing direction only plunged them directly into a hopeless impasse.

The adults exchanged glances; their lifelong teachings were powerless before this bizarre, unfathomable maze.

Xiao Ran simply plopped onto the ground: "I'm not moving! I'm exhausted! No way out either way!"

Tuan Tuan thought seriously, tugged at Xiao Ningxun's sleeve, and with a strange expression said, "Third Brother, these broken pieces of wood block our way; if we push them all down, can't we get out?"

The group stared at each other, then their eyes all lit up!

Indeed! Why let this Lost Soul Formation lead us by the nose?

"Makes sense!" Lu Qi thumped his thigh hard, sweeping the gloom from his face, "No matter how many traps there are, we'll just brute force it! As the saying goes, one strength can overcome ten tricks!"

"Should have done this earlier!" Xiao Er drew his waist‑mounted sword with a ringing "clang", "We'll cut it down!"

Tuan Tuan covered her belly, lifted her small face and said, "Uncle Xiao Er, Uncle Lu Qi! Shall we fill our stomachs first? Only when we're full do we have strength!"

Hearing her shout, everyone suddenly felt their stomachs empty, starving and thirsty.

They had been on high alert and hadn't noticed; now that they relaxed, they realized their guts were already growling.

Lu Qi sheathed his blade and laughed aloud: "Miss is right! The heavens and earth are vast, but a meal is the greatest!"

Xiao Ran impatiently untied the dry‑rations bag: "Yes, yes, yes! Only after we're full do we have the strength to dismantle!"

The few sat on the ground, eating the dry rations with clear water.

Perhaps they were all starving badly; even such simple food tasted unusually sweet, and they chatted and laughed.

Meanwhile, in that dim stone chamber,

The man in the black robe had his brows knotted: "What are they doing? They still have the mood to eat?"

"Master, they must know they're on the brink of death, but they just want to become a gluttonous ghost."

"Hmph!" the black‑robed man snapped, flicking his sleeve, "I haven't eaten yet!"

The subordinate, quick‑witted, asked, "Master, what would you like? I'll prepare it right away."

"Prepare what?!" the black‑robed man glared, "Can I eat if I don't see them crushed by the traps with my own eyes?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Master, rest assured, this final layer of the Thousand Mechanism Changes has never let anyone emerge alive since its creation! Let them eat their fill and then set off."

The black‑robed man smiled and nodded slightly: "Reasonable! Then let them enjoy a little more happiness."

The group ate their fill and drank, rested a bit, and their energy recovered most of the way.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi rose again, both drawing their swords.

"Third Young Master, miss, Ninth Prince, keep your distance," Xiao Er said, looking at the wooden wall ahead, "When I hack these things, splinters will fly—don't get hurt."

Tuan Tuan waved her little fist: "Alright! Uncle Two! Uncle Seven, you both go for it!"

Xiao Ningxun lifted his sister and, together with Xiao Ran, retreated to the corner.

Xiao Er and Lu Qi exchanged a nod, inhaled deeply at the same time, their arm muscles tensing, the steel knives in their hands humming with the sound of cutting wind, and they struck with all their might at the surrounding wooden walls!

Crack! Clang!

Xiao Er, with great strength and composure, like chopping firewood, slammed his blade into a log as thick as a bowl rim!

Wood chips splashed in response, the wood let out a groan of being overloaded, and it cracked apart!

Lu Qi's sword technique was more delicate, targeting the mortise‑and‑tenon joints; often after a few strokes a large component would be removed.

At first the two were testing, but after a few strokes they discovered that these seemingly sturdy logs were already rotted inside, and the blade felt noticeably soft upon entry.

They interlocked and leaned on each other, held together solely by intricate structure; once a critical point is broken, a single hair's movement can affect the whole.

"It turns out they're just showpieces, looking intimidating but rotten inside!" Xiao Er's spirit surged, his sword swings grew even wilder.

Lu Qi's eyes flashed with brilliance, quickly grasping the method: "Brother Xiao, you cut the lower part! I, Lu, will chop the top!"

The two grew more adept as they dismantled, their coordination becoming increasingly seamless.

Xiao Er split the main trunk, and Lu Qi, like a butcher carving an ox, cleaved the crucial structure.

Amidst flashing blade light, wood chips rained down; log after log crashed down with a roar, and they swiftly dragged them aside.

Xiao Ran, hiding behind, watched with eyebrows arched and eyes bright: "You two! With this skill, you could take a post at the Ministry of Works!"

Xiao Ningxun couldn't help but shake his head.

Tuan Tuan even clapped her little hands: "Uncle Two, Uncle Seven, you're amazing! You dismantled it so fast!"

Meanwhile, in that dim stone chamber.

Bang!

The man in black slammed his palm onto the stone table, his anger making his whole body tremble.

The "Thousand Mechanism Changes", which has stumped the minds of countless masters, was broken by someone using this firewood‑chopping method?

It is an outrageous humiliation!

He could no longer restrain the surging anger in his heart, stood up: "Let's go! We'll pay a visit to this gang of demolition scoundrels!"