Chapter 390: Underground River

However, even if Bai Wei realized it, it was already too late.

She grabbed Zhou Yanli's arm, and the two of them fell down together along with the collapsing soil.

At this very moment, she faintly heard Xiao Moting's urgent roar coming from above.

"Bai Wei!"

Splash!

Bai Wei felt a chill all over as she fell into the icy river water.

"Cough, cough..."

The bone-chilling river water made her cough incessantly as she struggled desperately in the water.

"I don't know... cough... how to swim..."

She simply hadn't expected that there would be an underground river beneath the cellar!

This underground river was about three meters wide, and the current was rapid.

On the stone walls, there were even burning torches.

The current of the underground river was too swift; the two struggled in the water, but it was in vain, and they were quickly swept away.

Suddenly!

Bai Wei saw a figure jump down from the collapsed part of the cellar without hesitation, landing heavily in the river.

Splash!

With a loud crash, water splashed high into the air.

Who is it?

Who jumped down?

Bai Wei wanted to see clearly, but it was very dark all around the underground river, and a wave crashed onto her.

Struck by the wave, she sank toward the bottom of the river.

Just then, someone reached out, grabbed her arm firmly, and pulled her upward with force.

The other person was very strong and pulled her out of the water in one go.

Bai Wei gasped for air, opened her wet eyes, and saw a familiar and anxious face.

"Xiao... Xiao Moting..."

She blurted out in shock, never expecting that Xiao Moting would actually jump down too.

"Why did you jump down too? Don't you know this is very dangerous!"

"I know it's dangerous, but I cannot lose you." Xiao Moting was concise; his left hand gripped a long wooden board, his right arm held her firmly, and he scanned his surroundings, his gaze calm. "Hold onto me, don't let go."

After saying this, he swam vigorously to the side with her.

"Wait, there's still Zhou Yanli!" Bai Wei hurriedly pointed not far away.

Xiao Moting's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice.

"Hold onto the board."

Bai Wei nodded hurriedly, her hands clutching the other end of the wooden board tightly.

Xiao Moting gripped the board with one hand and paddled hard with the other, swimming over with all his might.

Zhou Yanli had not yet recovered from the anesthesia and was on the verge of being swept away by the rapid current.

At this very instant, Xiao Moting thrust his arm out and pulled him over.

Zhou Yanli was soaked through, and dark red blood was seeping through the gauze on his chest and abdomen.

He wiped the water from his face and said through gritted teeth.

"Many thanks—"

Xiao Moting interrupted him coldly, "No need for thanks; you are Bai Wei's patient, and she does not want you to die!"

The implication was that without Bai Wei, he would not have saved him.

The three of them clung to the wooden board, barely floating in the turbulent underground river.

This underground river was right beneath the cellar, and a simple small dock had even been built there; eternal-burning torches hung on the walls on both sides, making the surroundings look even gloomier.

The river was too fast; in the blink of an eye, the three of them were swept quite far away.

The light of the torches also gradually receded from Bai Wei's sight until it vanished.

Everything around them became pitch black once again.

Only the sound of the cold river water slapping against the stone walls remained.

Without any firelight, it was so dark that one could not see one's own fingers.

Taking advantage of the pitch-black darkness, Bai Wei secretly took a flashlight from her space and clicked it on.

The beam of the flashlight dispelled much of the darkness.

Zhou Yanli glanced at it, but he had no strength to think; he gripped the wooden board tightly to avoid being knocked into the river by the waves.

The group held onto the wooden board, bobbing up and down in the river.

Bai Wei then saw clearly that they were now in an underground cave, being carried forward by the current of the underground river.

The cave was filled with jagged rocks, which looked even more eerie under the light of the flashlight, like crouching monsters.

Goosebumps could not help but rise on her back.

"It looks like we've been swept quite far; we can't go back to the cellar. How are we supposed to get out?"

Xiao Moting gripped the board, "Judging by the speed of the current, we have likely been swept over a mile away, and the Northern Frontier Army won't be able to save us in time. However, this underground river must be a passage used by the Fusang People to smuggle supplies, transporting the Daliang Kingdom's supplies out through the underground river. Since this is a transport passage, we should be able to float out by following the current."

Zhou Yanli also expressed his agreement; he had just finished surgery, and although the anesthesia had worn off a little, he was still extremely weak, his cold face stained with water and pale as a sheet.

A wave crashed over, and he almost sank.

Seeing this, Bai Wei hurriedly grabbed his arm.

He cannot die; if he dies, the curse of the Zhou Family for generations will never be broken.

Xiao Moting saw this, his eyes flashed, but he held back and did not speak.

The water flow became increasingly rapid, and the waves grew more ferocious.

Bai Wei had no choice but to grab the wooden board with one hand and tightly hug Zhou Yanli's waist with the other, fearing he would be swept away by the waves.

Fortunately, his build was lean and his waist was slender—a taut, athletic waist—so she could barely manage to wrap her arms around him.

Zhou Yanli was dazed and could not care about being hugged; he could only hold onto the wooden board tightly.

However, Xiao Moting stared at Zhou Yanli's waist, his gaze deep.

On the surface of the river, whirlpools even began to appear.

As they were about to drift past, the weight of the three people pressed down on the wooden board, which could no longer bear the load, nearly being overturned by the waves several times.

Xiao Moting glanced at their surroundings and said in a deep voice, "This won't work. The wooden board cannot support the weight of three people. If we go on like this, we will all drown. Zhou Yanli, the board is yours."

Zhou Yanli managed to lift his eyes and spoke weakly.

"What about you?"

"Don't worry about us," Xiao Moting said coldly, then grabbed Bai Wei and let go of his hold.

"You—" Before Zhou Yanli could finish a single word, he was swept away along with the wooden board.

Xiao Moting reached out an arm, grabbed a protruding rock on the stone wall to anchor his body in the turbulent river, and held Bai Wei firmly in his arms with his other arm.

Bai Wei hadn't reacted in time just now, but now that she had come to her senses, she was simply shocked.

"Xiao Moting, what are you doing?"

"The wooden board is too light; let him go first," Xiao Moting said. "I can swim, and I can take you with me."

As he spoke, he paused.

"With him here, it is not convenient for you to use your space."

Although Bai Wei admitted that what Xiao Moting said made sense, she always felt something was wrong, as if she smelled a hint of jealousy.

However, with Zhou Yanli here, she truly could not take things out as she pleased.

She also didn't know how long this underground river was; if they relied solely on Xiao Moting swimming, his stamina might not last until they swam out.

Bai Wei thought for a moment and immediately took two barrels of Nongfu Spring from her space, pouring the water out.

The empty plastic barrels could serve perfectly as lifebuoys.

Xiao Moting had to hold onto the rock with one hand and hug her waist tightly with the other, so he couldn't help.

Bai Wei took a bundle of mountaineering rope from her space to tie the empty Nongfu Spring barrels together, but she was holding the Flashlight in one hand and had to tie the barrels with the other, making her very clumsy.

Seeing this, Xiao Moting lowered his head, opened his mouth to bite the Flashlight in Bai Wei's hand, and signaled for her to free up her hands to do it.