From cute to empress

Chapter 343: The Thrilling Scene in the Deep Nether Valley

"Nether Valley!" I pointed to the deep canyon surrounded by mountains on the map, my tone firm. There, our destination, was also the beginning of an unknown challenge.

To avoid alerting the enemy, Youcai and I set out overnight with only a small, elite squad, heading for Nether Valley. The mountain path was rugged, the night dark, and the soldiers trudged forward under the faint starlight, each one on edge, not daring to relax for even a moment.

"Your Majesty, there's a dense forest ahead. We must be careful of ambushes," Youcai whispered, gesturing to slow down. I nodded and tightened my grip on the sword at my waist. The defenses surrounding Nether Valley were indeed tight. We had barely entered the valley when we encountered two ambushes.

The dense forest was silent, with only the rustling of leaves adding a touch of eerie atmosphere. Youcai and I walked at the front of the group, carefully observing the surroundings. Suddenly, a sharp arrow streaked through the air, heading straight for my face! In a flash, Youcai pulled me into his arms and drew his sword to block the arrow. "Assassin!" he roared, and the soldiers immediately dispersed in alert, weapons drawn, and ready for battle.

Arrows rained down from the depths of the dense forest, and the soldiers fought back fiercely, relying on the cover of the trees. Youcai and I leaned against a thick, old tree, dodging the dense rain of arrows. "It seems we've alerted them," Youcai said in a deep voice. "We must break out as soon as possible!"

I nodded, pulled the flare from my waist, and fired it into the night sky. A dazzling red light pierced the night sky, exploding in the air like a brilliant firework. This was the signal we had agreed upon beforehand. On the distant hilltop, reinforcements, already ambushed, saw the signal and immediately launched an attack, drawing the enemy's attention.

"Charge!" Youcai shouted and rushed out of the woods first. The soldiers followed closely behind him and broke through the enemy's encirclement like a hot knife through butter.

We fought our way through the barriers and finally reached the core of Nether Valley. It was a vast valley, and at the bottom stood a massive stone fortress, heavily guarded and eerie, like a dormant beast, emitting a chilling aura.

"It looks like we've found their lair," I said, looking at the stone fortress, a gleam in my eyes. "Next, let's go in and meet them!"

Youcai and I exchanged glances, took a deep breath, and led our soldiers, cautiously approaching the stone fortress... We battered the fortress's gate open with a battering ram, but inside, it was unexpectedly quiet, with only a faint firelight flickering deep in the corridor. Youcai and I glanced at each other, each seeing wariness in the other's eyes.

"Be careful and alert!" Youcai whispered, and the soldiers immediately dispersed and advanced into the depths of the stone fort in an encirclement formation.

The interior of the stone fortress is more complicated than we imagined, with a maze of corridors and rooms, strange patterns carved on the walls, and a creepy smell of decay in the air.

We advanced cautiously and finally found a breakthrough in a study. The desk was piled high with documents and files, and a huge map hung on the wall, with many familiar place names marked on it.

"It looks like we've found something good." Youcai picked up a document and quickly browsed through it.

I walked over to the map and carefully examined the markings, feeling a vague sense of unease. The placement of these markings wasn't random, but rather suggested a pattern, as if foreshadowing something terrible.

"These are..." Youcai suddenly exclaimed, and the documents in his hand fell to the ground, "Their target is actually..."

I quickly turned to look at him, but saw that he was pale and terrified, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

"What's wrong?" My heart sank and an ominous premonition came over me.

Before Youcai could answer, there was a sudden shouting and screaming outside, followed by a deafening explosion.

"Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!" Youcai's face changed drastically, and he grabbed my hand, "Let's go!"

We rushed out of the study and saw that the originally empty corridor was now filled with black-clad and masked assassins. They were holding sharp blades and rushing towards us like a tide.

"Kill them!" Youcai shouted, brandishing his sword to meet the enemy. The soldiers also drew their weapons and engaged in a desperate fight with the enemy.

However, we were outnumbered and were soon surrounded. Blood stained the ground, screams echoed, and my heart sank to the bottom.

"Your Majesty, hurry up! Leave this to us!" Youcai desperately blocked the enemy's attack and shouted to me anxiously.

I know that now is not the time to hesitate. I must stay alive so that I can bring back the information here.

I looked at Youcai deeply, turned around and rushed into a hidden passage. Behind me, I heard Youcai's desperate cry: "Your Majesty, you must return alive..."

There was a cliff at the end of the passage, and behind me, I could hear the footsteps of pursuers getting closer and closer. I had no way to escape.

Am I going to die here?

At this moment, I suddenly felt a powerful force gathering around me, and a deep voice came to my ears: "Don't be afraid, child, everything has just begun..."

The wind howled at the edge of the cliff, my feet dangling in the air. The sinister laughter of the black-clad assassin grew closer behind me. The shadow of death loomed over me. Was this the end of my fate? Just as I closed my eyes in despair, the compassionate voice of a high monk rang out in my ears: "Amitabha, benefactor, do not panic, I am here!"

Then, a powerful force enveloped me, and I felt myself being violently pulled backward. The wind whistled in my ears, and the black-clad assassin's shouts faded into the distance. I opened my eyes, startled, and found myself in a warm embrace. It was Zhen Youcai! He anxiously inspected my injuries, his eyes filled with worry and self-blame.

"Mengmeng, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

I shook my head and tried to speak, but my throat was dry and I couldn't make a sound. Then I realized that the surroundings were shrouded in a thick white fog, and I couldn't see my hand in front of me.

"Master, this is..." I asked weakly.

Holding Buddhist beads, the monk explained solemnly, "This is a fog array created by me and the meteorologist. It can disrupt the enemy's vision and judgment, buying us time to escape. However..."

He paused, a hint of worry in his tone: "The fog array won't last long. We must leave here as soon as possible."

"Okay!" Zhen Youcai carried me on his back without hesitation and quickly moved through the fog. The soldiers followed closely behind, protecting our retreat.

I don't know how long I walked, but I felt my body growing weaker and weaker, and my consciousness began to blur. Faintly, I heard Zhen Youcai anxiously calling my name, his voice trembling with a hint of trembling: "Mengmeng, hold on! We'll be somewhere safe soon!"

I wanted to respond to him, but my eyelids felt heavy and I eventually passed out.

When I woke up again, I found myself lying on a bumpy carriage. Zhen Youcai was guarding me, his eyes were bloodshot and there was blue stubble on his chin. It was obvious that he had not had a good rest for many days.

"You're talented, I'm..."

"It's okay, you're safe now." He held my hand, his tone filled with fatigue and relief. "We're on our way back to the palace, and the imperial physician is waiting."

I struggled to sit up, but it agitated the wounds on my body and I couldn't help but groan.

"Don't move!" He quickly supported me, his tone filled with a hint of heartache and self-blame, "It's all my fault. I didn't protect you well..."

"I'm fine, it's just..." I wanted to comfort him, but found that I didn't even have the strength to speak.

"You get some rest, and I'll take care of the rest." He tucked the quilt in for me and said with a determined look in his eyes, "I swear, I'll find a way to treat you and bring you back to health!"

The carriage continued to move forward, its wheels pounding the ground with a dull thud. My consciousness gradually faded, but I could clearly feel a chill running through my wounds, slowly invading my body...

"Talented, I..."

"Youcai, I... am so cold..." I curled up in Zhen Youcai's arms, my teeth chattering uncontrollably.

He hugged me tighter, wishing he could pass all his body temperature to me: "Don't be afraid, Mengmeng, we will be at the palace soon, the imperial physician will definitely find a way."

However, my body was growing colder and colder, as if I had fallen into an ice cellar. I could feel the icy chill running through the wound, slowly eroding my blood, my bones, and even my consciousness.

“You’re talented…” I tried hard to lift my heavy eyelids, but I couldn’t open them. “I… I’m so sleepy…”

"No, Mengmeng, you can't sleep!" He held my face and called my name anxiously, "Look at me, look at me..."

His voice grew increasingly distant, and my consciousness grew increasingly blurred. Before I fell completely into darkness, I seemed to see his scarlet eyes and his trembling lips as he silently said:

"I will definitely save you..."

When I woke up again, I was lying in a familiar bedroom. The familiar dragon bed, the familiar curtains, and the familiar scent of sandalwood. However, my body was still freezing cold, without a trace of warmth.

"Your Majesty, you are finally awake!" The surprised voice of the imperial physician came to my ears, "Great, you are finally awake!"

I wanted to respond to him, but I found that I didn't even have the strength to open my mouth. I tried to turn my head and look for Zhen Youcai, but I found that I couldn't move at all.

"Very talented..." I used all my strength to squeeze out a few hoarse words.

"Your Majesty, rest assured. The general is guarding outside the palace and will not leave for a moment." The imperial physician said as he gestured for the palace maid behind him to bring a bowl of black medicine. "Here, Your Majesty, drink this medicine first."

I opened my mouth with difficulty and let the maid pour the bitter medicine down my throat. However, apart from the bitterness, I felt nothing. My body was still cold, with no sign of improvement.

"How is it? Your Majesty, are you feeling better?" the imperial physician asked nervously, but I saw a hint of panic and helplessness in his eyes.

I wanted to ask, but my voice was stuck in my throat and I couldn't make a sound. At this moment, there was a sudden sound of hurried footsteps outside the hall, followed by Zhen Youcai's anxious voice:

"How is it? Imperial Physician, how is His Majesty's health?"

The imperial physician was silent for a moment, then slowly stood up and bowed deeply to Zhen Youcai.

"General..."