They stepped into the narrow passage. It was cold, damp, and silent. Lang Ruhua's eyes glowed faint blue, and Lang Huan's shone red. Thanks to their special abilities, both could see in the dark, though everything still looked shadowy and strange.
Lang Huan gently took Lang Ruhua's hand and pulled her close behind. She walked in front, guarding her. The stone walls felt tight, like they were walking through the belly of a sleeping beast. Their footsteps echoed, and their breathing sounded louder than usual.
Suddenly, a faint light appeared ahead. They moved faster, following it. But as they rushed forward, Lang Huan didn't look where she was stepping. Her foot landed on nothing. Just before she could fall, Lang Ruhua grabbed her arm and yanked her back.
"Are you crazy?" she hissed.
In front of them, there was no path — only a black, endless sea. The water was still like glass, dark as night, and silent. Sharp rocks rose like fangs along the shore. One wrong step, and Lang Huan would have fallen straight into the void below.
Lang Huan stood still at the edge of the cliff, staring at the black sea.
In the distance, half-covered by mist, a small island rested silently in the middle of the sea. There was no bridge, no boat, no sign of a path. Just the vast, endless black water surrounding them like a trap with no escape.
Lang Huan had never felt so hopeless. Not even when she had left her family and arrived in this strange world by accident. Now, her mind was filled with Feng Yao. Over and over. The thought of losing her felt like being torn apart from the inside.
"Lang Huan," Lang Ruhua stepped closer. "I warned you. You must control yourself. If you let your emotions run wild and suffer heart deviation… how can you save the princess? You won't even be able to save yourself."
She pulled Lang Huan into a gentle embrace, rubbing her back slowly. Her voice softened. "Calm down… I'm here to help you."
Lang Huan's breath trembled. Slowly, she closed her eyes… and hugged her back, tightly — like holding onto the only warmth left in the world.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here," Lang Ruhua said gently. "There must be a way to reach that island."
Her expression stayed composed. After solving the previous mechanism in the mountain, she had a strong feeling that this whole place was designed based on fengshui.
"Do you still have the original map?" she asked, turning to Lang Huan.
"Yeah…" Lang Huan handed her the old, worn scroll.
Lang Ruhua then held out her hand again. "The hand-copied one too."
She placed the two maps side by side and studied them carefully. "I think… we went the wrong way."
Lang Huan frowned. "How do you know?"
"You said the explosion was designed by the Eldest Princess herself, right?" Lang Ruhua said slowly. "If that's true, she would've left an escape path. Look here — the copied map has an extra mark beside the stone door we passed. A hidden passage."
"I think her target wasn't the treasure," Ruhua continued, eyes still scanning the map. "It was to trap the enemy, blow up the entrance, and seal this place forever… so no one could enter again."
Lang Huan's eyes widened. A memory flashed in her mind. "Yes… Her Highness told me… the Falcon Army would wait for me at the exit."
"Tch.. The Eldest Princess is really smart… How could she fall in love with you?"
And how did I fall in love with this stupid monkey too? After hundreds of years alone… maybe it's true what they say — loneliness can drive a person mad. She didn't say the rest out loud.
Lang Huan nodded quietly. She came from the modern world, yet she still couldn't compare with those two women. Feng Yao and Lang Ruhua… both smarter, calmer, more cunning than an thousand years old fox. In front of them, she often felt like a reckless child.
Lang Ruhua turned to walk back, but Lang Huan caught her wrist.
"Let's go to the island. You need that strange fruit to heal. Remember, I promised you I'd find it for you."
"No… Feng Yao is waiting for you. Don't delay it."
Lang Huan shook her head. "The door is already sealed. We don't know how to open it again. What if that thick stone door can only be opened from the outside? Don't waste time — we have to find the fruit. I want you to have a normal life."
This time, Lang Ruhua obeyed. At the very least, she still had a place in the little monkey's heart. Lang Huan was still willing to sacrifice her time and strength just to search for that fruit for her.
The black sea was dead still. Not a single ripple, not even the sound of waves. Lang Huan stood at the edge of the stone platform.
She bent down, picked up a small pebble, and threw it in different directions across the sea. Nothing changed. Just silence.
With a frustrated sigh, she looked down at her feet… then kicked another loose pebble into the water.
Plop.
Lang Ruhua was about to speak when her eyes caught a ripple in the water.
"Wait…" she said sharply, eyes narrowing.
Lang Huan stopped. "What is it?"
Lang Ruhua pointed. "There. Look at that—"
Before she could finish, Lang Huan had already jumped.
Splash.
She vanished into the black sea without hesitation.
Lang Ruhua's heart stopped. "Lang Huan!" she cried, her voice echoing uselessly across the still water.
She threw off her robe and dove in after her.
Beneath the surface, the world turned silent and cold. The water pressed in from all sides, heavy like a thick curtain. Visibility was poor, with shadows drifting in the dark like ghostly shapes.
Lang Huan was already sinking fast, her body caught in a swirling current that spiraled downward like a hidden tunnel.
Lang Ruhua swam hard, her chest tight with cold and fear. In the faint glow below, she saw Lang Huan's silhouette falter, her strength fading.
She reached out — her fingers just barely catching Lang Huan's wrist.
Lang Huan turned, eyes wide, lips slightly parted as she struggled to hold her breath. She pointed downward with urgency.
Lang Ruhua followed her gaze — and there, half-buried in the seabed, was a massive stone disk.
It was carved with Bagua lines, ancient symbols glowing faintly with qi. Lang Huan stretched her hand forward, fingers trembling from the cold, and pressed the center.
Click.
A pulse of energy burst outward. Light shot through the carvings, and suddenly, the spiral current reversed — catching their bodies and hurling them upward with force.
They broke the surface gasping, coughing, and choking for air. Around them, the once-still sea began to churn, waves swirling wildly around the stone platform they had jumped from.
Lang Ruhua grabbed Lang Huan, pulling her close. "You idiot," she breathed shakily, arms tight around her. "You could've died…"
She pounded her fists weakly against Lang Huan's chest, each blow trembling with fear. Her teeth sank into her lower lip as she fought to keep the tears from spilling.
Lang Huan caught her hands, holding them still, her own eyes shadowed with sorrow. She understood Lang Ruhua's feelings — that desperate, terrified fear of losing the one person she could not bear to let go.
Then, with a deep rumble, stone platforms rose from the depths — one after another. Each slab cracked through the surface, forming a jagged path across the black sea. The trail led straight toward the mist-veiled island in the distance, now glowing faintly with a strange, beckoning light.
"Come on…" Lang Huan whispered, wrapping her soaked robe around Lang Ruhua's shoulders.
Lang Huan swept Ruhua into her arms and carried her. Then, with a sharp breath, she launched forward with her qinggong, leaping across the jagged stone path.
Lang Ruhua clung tightly to her, arms around Lang Huan's neck, feeling the rush of wind and the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. She gazed at Lang Huan's focused expression beneath the drifting mist.
As they stepped onto the small island, the air shifted. Before them stood a grand palace, surrounded by strange, glowing plants — their petals like glass, their leaves shimmering faintly in the light.
They crossed the wide gates. Inside, the palace glowed with a soft golden light. Piles of treasure sparkled beneath it — gold coins stacked high, jade carvings glimmering like ice, and ancient weapons resting in velvet-lined chests.
Lang Huan stopped at a tree growing beside a broken pillar. Its bark was silver-white, and from its thin, twisting branches hung three glowing fruits, each no larger than a plum. They pulsed softly with light.
She picked one carefully. "Is this… the fruit we've been looking for?"
Lang Ruhua stepped closer, her brows furrowed. Her gaze locked onto the fruit — and she knew instantly. Yes. This was the rare medicinal fruit said to heal internal injuries and fully restore one's energy, the Huiliu Fruit.
She had never seen it in real life, but its silver-white skin, the gentle pulsing light, and the faint, lingering fragrance matched perfectly with the descriptions in the ancient texts she had read.
If she ate this… she would no longer need Lang Huan's essence to survive.
The thin thread that had tied her to Lang Huan would be gone. She forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Ruhua…" Lang Huan called gently, reaching to hold her wrist.
"What's wrong? Did I make you angry again?" She pulled Ruhua into a warm embrace.
"I'm sorry… In this world, you're the only family I have left. Please don't be angry anymore, okay?"
She stayed silent for a long moment, her face buried against Lang Huan's shoulder. The warmth… it felt too good to let go of.
"Then… tell me," she whispered. "Who's more important? Feng Yao, or me?"
Lang Huan held her tighter. "In my heart… I can't lose either of you,"
The words were simple, but they carried the weight of her truth.
And for Lang Ruhua, that was enough.
She smiled — as if those few words could light her entire world.
Ruhua took the fruit and bit. The Huiliu melted on her tongue like mist.
The qi inside her stirred — flowing like water returning to a long-dry riverbed.
She closed her eyes as the energy surged gently through her. The tangled mess in her lower dantian slowly began to unravel, years of blockages loosening one by one.
Warmth spread through her limbs. Her breath came easier, deeper.
Her pulse no longer felt scattered — it aligned with the rhythm of the earth, steady and full.
Lang Ruhua gasped, a soft cry slipping from her lips as tears welled in her eyes.
"I can feel it… my meridians… they're flowing again. In the right direction."