A Fantasy Love Story Across the Warring States Period

Chapter 17 The Fog of Horror and the Mysterious Guidance

Wanru and Huanmo reined in their horses and stopped at the edge of the Misty Forest. The eerie laughter echoed through the mist, like countless cold hands gripping their hearts.

Wanru's face turned deathly pale. She instinctively moved closer to Huanmo, her body trembling slightly. "This...this laughter is terrifying. What is inside?" Her voice was filled with obvious fear as her eyes frantically searched through the mist, but she could see nothing.

Huanmo's expression was also grave. He reached out and tightly grasped Wanru's hand, trying to offer her some comfort. "Don't be afraid, I'm here. Whatever's inside, we'll face it together." Although he said this, he was truly uncertain inside. This Misty Forest was already mysterious and unpredictable, and now, before even venturing deeper, they had already heard such eerie laughter; the path ahead was likely to be extremely dangerous.

They hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to continue. After all, the clues to returning to the modern world might be hidden in this forest, and in order to save Huanmo and return to their familiar world, they had no other choice.

Huanmo led the horse cautiously ahead, with Wanru close behind. As they ventured deeper into the Misty Forest, the fog grew thicker, almost obscuring their vision. The surroundings were eerily quiet, save for the sounds of their footsteps and the occasional snorting of the horses, which seemed particularly jarring in the stillness.

Suddenly, a figure appeared faintly in the mist ahead. The figure was blurry and indistinct, but they could sense it slowly walking towards them.

Wanru's heart leaped into her throat, and she gripped Huanmo's arm tightly. "Huanmo, look ahead... what's that?" Her voice trembled as she stared intently at the approaching figure.

Huanmo also tensed up. He shielded Wanru behind him, gripped the sword at his waist tightly with his other hand, and stared intently ahead.

When the figure was only a few steps away from them, it finally became clear. It was an old man wearing a tattered black robe, his face withered, but his eyes held an indescribable depth.

"Why have you come here?" The old man's voice was hoarse and deep, as if carrying the vicissitudes of time, echoing in the misty forest and adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Wanru and Huanmo exchanged a glance, hesitant, unsure whether they should tell the truth to the old man of unknown origin.

Finally, Huanmo spoke up, saying, "We...we are looking for clues to return to the modern world. We heard that this misty forest might hold some clues, so we risked coming here."

The old man nodded slightly, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes. "Back to the modern world? Hmph, that's no easy feat. This forest is fraught with danger; do you think you can find clues so easily?"

Wanru's heart tightened, and she hurriedly said, "Old man, we are also desperate. Please give us some guidance. If you know anything, please tell us." Her eyes were full of pleading. At this moment, this old man seemed to be their only hope.

The old man was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Fine, since you are so persistent, I will show you a way. Deep in this forest, there is an ancient stone tower, and inside the tower is an ancient book. Perhaps the book contains the clues you are looking for."

Upon hearing this, Wanru and Huanmo's eyes lit up with hope. "Really? Thank you, sir! How do we get to that stone tower?" Huanmo asked eagerly.

The old man raised his hand and pointed in a direction. "Keep going in this direction, but be careful of the traps along the way and the monsters guarding the stone tower. They won't let you get close to the stone tower easily."

Wanru and Huanmo remembered the old man's words, thanked him again, and then walked in the direction he pointed.

They slowly made their way along the misty path, and sure enough, they encountered many traps along the way. Some were deep pits hidden under fallen leaves, and others were vines that suddenly dangled from trees, threatening to trip or entangle them if they weren't careful.

Huanmo cautiously scouted ahead, while Wanru followed closely behind, keeping a close eye on their surroundings.

After walking for a long time, they finally saw the ancient stone tower. The tower stood in an open space, its body covered with moss and the marks of time, appearing particularly mysterious in the mist.

However, before they could even get close to the stone tower, a low roar echoed from all around. Immediately afterwards, several strange-looking monsters sprang out from all directions. They were enormous, with sharp claws, ferocious faces, and eyes that gleamed with malice.

Wanru screamed in fright and hid behind Huanmo. Huanmo gripped his sword tightly and assumed a fighting stance.

"Don't be afraid, Wanru, I will protect you," Huanmo said softly. Although he was also very nervous, he had to appear strong in front of Wanru.

The monsters did not attack immediately, but instead circled around them slowly, as if sizing up their prey and looking for the best time to strike.

Huanmo took the opportunity to observe the monsters' movements, trying to find their weaknesses. However, these monsters looked thick-skinned and tough, and it was not easy to see any obvious weaknesses at the moment.

Just as the two sides were locked in a stalemate, one of the monsters suddenly launched an attack. It pounced on Huanmo, its sharp claws aimed at Huanmo's chest.

Huanmo reacted swiftly, dodging to the side while simultaneously slashing at the monster's claws with his sword. The blade collided with the claws, sending sparks flying.

Seeing their companion launch an attack, the other monsters also pounced on them. Huanmo and Wanru were immediately plunged into a fierce melee.

Huanmo fought fiercely with his sword, battling the monsters. Although he was quite skilled, he was gradually becoming overwhelmed by so many ferocious monsters.

Wanru was extremely anxious. She looked around, trying to find a way to help Huanmo. Suddenly, she saw a large rock on the ground, and an idea struck her.

She ran over, laboriously lifted the large rock, and hurled it at a monster attacking Huanmo. The rock struck the monster squarely on the head, causing it to stagger and temporarily cease its attack.

"Well done, Wanru!" Huanmo was delighted to see this and took the opportunity to cut down another monster.

However, the remaining monsters did not retreat; they continued their frenzied attack. Huanmo and Wanru were once again caught in a difficult battle.

Just when they were almost in despair, suddenly, a dazzling light shot out from the direction of the stone tower. The light was as blinding as the sun, and the monsters, after being illuminated by it, let out painful roars and then turned and fled into the depths of the mist.

Wanru and Huanmo were both stunned. They stared at the light, their hearts filled with doubt.

"What...what's going on?" Wanru asked softly.

Huanmo shook his head. "I don't know either, but anyway, the monsters have run away for now. Let's hurry up and go check out the stone tower."

They walked towards the stone tower, but by the time they reached its entrance, the light had vanished. The tower's doors were tightly shut, covered with strange symbols and patterns, giving it a mysterious and ancient appearance.

Huanmo reached out and pushed the door, but it didn't budge. He pushed it a few more times with force, but still there was no movement.

"What should we do? We can't open this door," Huanmo said, frowning.

Wanru also stepped forward, carefully examining the symbols and patterns on the gate. Suddenly, she noticed that one of the patterns seemed very similar to a symbol she had seen on Warring States period artifacts before.

“Huanmo, look at this pattern. I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before,” Wanru said, pointing to the pattern.

Huanmo leaned closer for a look, and a thought struck her. "Now that you mention it, it does look familiar. Could it be related to our time travel?"

Just as they were puzzled, a voice suddenly came from inside the stone tower: "To open the door, you must drip your true blood onto the symbol on the door."

Wanru and Huanmo exchanged a glance, both startled.

"True Blood? This... how do I do this?" Wanru looked troubled. She didn't know what this so-called True Blood meant, nor did she know what the consequences of doing so would be.

Huanmo looked at Wanru, her eyes filled with determination. "No matter what, I'm willing to try to open this door and find clues to return to the modern world."

As he spoke, Huanmo drew his sword and, without hesitation, slashed his palm, drawing blood.

He walked to the gate and dripped the blood from his palm onto the familiar symbol.

The moment the blood dripped onto the symbol, the door slowly opened.

A soft light shone from inside the stone tower, and Wanru and Huanmo stepped into the tower with trepidation.

Inside the stone tower were many ancient bookshelves, filled with all sorts of ancient books. As they searched for the book that might hold clues to returning to the modern world, they suddenly heard a melodious flute sound coming from deep within the tower, the same sound they had heard in the temple.