Chapter 2: Escaping Death

"What kind of petty thief dares to come and snatch this old man's opportunity? You're courting death!"

Hua Changxi woke up amidst the sounds of fighting. As soon as she opened her eyes, she was blinded by the pillar of light in front of her.

When she looked closely again, she realized it was a circular pillar of light about a meter in diameter, rising from the center of the stone platform.

Inside the pillar of light, a golden pillar as thick as an arm supported a round stone shining with red light.

Hua Changxi was in no mood to admire this red stone that was brighter than a diamond. Her gaze shifted outward to look at the two people fighting in the distance.

The two people were the old man in the red robe and the young lady who had helped her untie her bonds.

Seeing the young lady fighting on par with the old man in the red robe, Hua Changxi was very surprised. When she saw that both of them seemed to want to rush toward her side, her gaze fell back onto the red stone in the pillar of light.

The old man in the red robe and the young lady were fighting over this red stone!

Hua Changxi shook her dizzy head. Taking advantage of the fact that the two fighting didn't notice her, she pulled out her hairpin, tore a hole in her clothes, laboriously ripped off a piece of cloth, and bound her bleeding wrist.

Originally, Hua Changxi intended to continue feigning unconsciousness, waiting for the old man in the red robe and the young lady to decide the winner and leave before she found an opportunity to escape.

But unexpectedly, the old man in the red robe and the young lady fought more and more fiercely, and the aftermath of their attacks affected the others on the stone platform.

And those affected had their bodies flying, some with broken arms, some with broken legs, or simply split in two.

Seeing this scene, Hua Changxi was shocked and afraid.

The old man in the red robe and the young lady would definitely come toward her side. By then, she wouldn't die from blood loss, but would be dismembered by the aftermath of their attacks.

Hua Changxi looked at the young lady and the old man in the red robe fighting, then looked at the red stone in the pillar of light, her brain spinning wildly, thinking about the possibility of her fighting for a chance to survive.

The old man in the red robe and the young lady both looked determined to get the red stone. If she got the red stone, she would have a bargaining chip.

Even if the negotiation failed, it could buy more time for her father to find her.

Thinking this, Hua Changxi moved.

"Scoundrel!"

"Put down the red stone!"

The old man in the red robe and the young lady were locked in a stalemate, both feeling that the red stone was in their grasp; as long as they solved the other, the red stone would surely be theirs.

Neither of them expected that with just a momentary lapse, someone had taken the red stone from under their noses.

The old man in the red robe and the young lady stopped at the same time and rushed toward Hua Changxi in unison.

Hua Changxi had already sprinted to the edge of the stone platform, holding the red stone with both hands: "Stop! If you dare to come any closer, I will throw this red stone into the magma."

The old man in the red robe and the young lady changed color at the same time.

The young lady: "Don't be impulsive."

The red-robed person was furious, but he didn't dare to clash head-on with Hua Changxi at this time, gritting his teeth and saying: "You hold that red stone steady for this old man. If it falls, this old man will definitely pull your tendons and peel your skin."

Hua Changxi was even louder than the old man in the red robe: "You'd better not scare me at a time like this. If my hand shakes, the stone will fall."

The red-robed person's face darkened, his gaze looking at Hua Changxi fiercely.

Hua Changxi noticed that the red-robed person seemed to be exerting force in secret, so she quickly said: "Don't think about ambushing me. If you dare to attack me, I will jump into the magma holding the red stone. Even if you are a martial arts expert, you won't be faster than me."

As she spoke, she moved the red stone further outside the stone platform.

The young lady was not calm, hurriedly persuading: "Hua Jiuniang, don't be impulsive."

Hearing this, Hua Changxi's expression changed, looking at the young lady: "You know me?"

The young lady realized she had made a slip of the tongue in her anxiety, her expression a bit annoyed, but she quickly recovered. She didn't answer Hua Changxi, only saying: "Anything can be discussed properly. You must hold that red stone steady."

Hua Changxi knew now was not the time to investigate why the young lady knew her, and she didn't care about her evasion, just following her words: "I just want to live."

The old man in the red robe: "Fine, as long as you give the red stone to this old man, this old man will let you go."

Hua Changxi snorted: "Do you think I'm a fool? If I give you the red stone, you will definitely kill me immediately."

The old man in the red robe gritted his teeth: "Then what do you want?"

Hua Changxi's gaze shifted back and forth between the old man in the red robe and the young lady.

The old man in the red robe kidnapped her and others for sacrifice, so he definitely didn't want her to live.

That young lady probably wasn't a good person either, but she knew her and had helped her before. Using the red stone to negotiate with her, her chance of survival should be greater.

Thinking this, Hua Changxi looked at the young lady: "Young lady, you also want this red stone, right? Kill the old man in the red robe, and I'll give you this stone."

Hearing this, the old man in the red robe snorted coldly, while the young lady looked helpless: "I can't beat him."

Hua Changxi didn't believe the young lady's words, saying directly: "You were pretending to be kidnapped here, right? You came here for this red stone, didn't you? If this red stone falls into the hands of the old man in the red robe, he definitely won't let you touch it. What will you do then?"

The young lady looked at the red stone in Hua Changxi's hands, silent and not speaking.

Hua Changxi continued: "Anyway, only one of you can get this red stone. Young lady, I just want to live. As long as you solve the old man in the red robe, I will give you the stone immediately."

Before the young lady could respond, the old man in the red robe attacked first, attacking the young lady.

Watching the two fighting instantly, Hua Changxi didn't relax her vigilance, standing at the edge of the stone platform holding the red stone, looking like she was ready to throw the stone at any time.

The old man in the red robe and the young lady had only exchanged a few moves when a sound came from the stone door, and then the stone door opened wide.

Hua Changxi's expression brightened, thinking her father had found her. Who would have thought that the person who came was a middle-aged man in a long robe with wide sleeves.

Seeing the person, the red-robed person's expression changed sharply, and he fiercely slapped the young lady several times, forcing her to retreat and avoid.

The red-robed person knocked the young lady away and rushed toward Hua Changxi without a word.

Hua Changxi couldn't avoid the red-robed person's attack at all. Seeing him attacking, she felt ruthless in her heart, threw the red stone in her hands with both hands, and threw it directly off the stone platform.

"Even if I die, I won't let you get your way!" When she shouted this, Hua Changxi also jumped off the stone platform voluntarily.

"No!"

"No!"

The old man in the red robe and the young lady screamed at the same time.

Watching the red stone falling, the old man in the red robe actually flew off the stone platform regardless of his life.

The young lady rushed to the edge of the stone platform a step late, looked down, and saw nothing but churning magma.

At this time, the middle-aged man also arrived at the edge of the stone platform.

"Qi Niang, are you okay?"

Gu Jinfan shook her head, looking at the churning magma, and said regretfully: "It seems I am destined to have no connection with the opportunity here."

The middle-aged man said guiltily: "If I hadn't encountered people from the Capital Prefecture, I wouldn't have come late."

Gu Jinfan's expression changed: "You encountered people from the Capital Prefecture?"

The middle-aged man nodded: "Not only did I encounter people from the Capital Prefecture, but I also encountered people from the Six Fan School. Looking at them, they were all heading toward this ruined temple."

Gu Jinfan obviously didn't want to encounter officials, looked at the churning magma below again, and then said: "Let's go."

Not long after the two left, a hand scalded to the point of being bloody and blurry appeared at the edge of the stone platform, and then Hua Changxi's painful and twisted face emerged.

Hua Changxi's two hands gripped the recess on the stone platform tightly, her feet struggling to step on the protrusion of the statue on the outer edge of the stone platform, gritting her teeth and persisting desperately.

The stone carving was too far down, and she had no strength left, so she couldn't climb onto the stone platform alone.

However, when she was just hanging on the stone carving, she heard the conversation between the young lady and the middle-aged man, knowing that the officials were coming soon.

As long as she persisted until the officials arrived, she could be saved.

One hour?

Two hours?

I don't know how long it had been. Just as Hua Changxi was about to be unable to hold on, the stone door opened. Looking at the officials rushing in, Hua Changxi wept with joy.

"Help~" ===== CHAPTER 3 =====