Ivy Shen was held tightly in Eli Crane's arms, completely shielded from danger. But he himself took the brunt of the impact, coughing up blood. Even so, he still gently patted her back, afraid she'd be scared.
Seeing this, Ivy’s face went pale with shock, her eyes wide with panic as she stared at the calm young man. “Eli Crane…”
“I’m fine.” Eli Crane gave a faint smile, reaching out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. His face was as pale and frightening as the snowball behind him, but his expression stayed calm, his eyes steady, and his voice carried a deep resolve: “Don’t be afraid!”
"Crack!" As soon as he finished speaking, a faint sound rang out—like thunder exploding right beside them.
They turned their heads and saw that the stone pillar behind them was starting to wobble. The remaining snowballs were also shaking, clearly about to break free—the fallen pillar could no longer hold back the avalanche of snow.
Eli Crane knew that once the pillar collapsed, the ice columns and snowballs would come crashing down, blanketing everything—the consequences would be unimaginable.
Of course, Ivy knew what would happen too. If the stone pillar couldn’t hold, they’d be swallowed by the massive snowball, and the ice columns behind it would keep slamming into them—basically, they’d get turned into Swiss cheese!
Just then, Eli suddenly pulled out a small dagger from his waist and handed it to her. “Take this. If things get dicey, you’ll be able to protect yourself!”
“What about you?” Ivy’s hand trembled as she gripped the dagger he’d given her.
“I’ve got this.” He pointed to the white sash at his waist—it was a soft sword.
"I'm scared!" For once, Ivy Shen actually blurts out the truth. Yep, she's officially terrified now—no more pretending to be cool, no more fake bravado. If she could, she'd be hugging her knees and sobbing right here.
"Don't be afraid, we'll be fine. Remember, this is the Crane Dynasty Mausoleum—my family's turf!" Eli tries to hand her a big old reassurance pill, sounding like he’s the boss of all haunted tombs.
"Eli Crane..." Ivy calls out, her voice all wobbly. Is it possible to cry and facepalm at the same time? Because she's doing both, emotionally.
"Move!" Eli snaps, knowing every extra second here is basically a speedrun to disaster. He hauls himself upright, grabs her hand, and stumbles forward—his legs wobbling like overcooked noodles.
ROAR ROAR—!! Out of nowhere, a shrill screech from the Ancient Ice Beast blasts through the stone gate, like surround sound set to "eardrum demolition." Ivy nearly jumps out of her skin. (Who ordered the monster movie jump scare?!)
"Oh crap, run!" Eli knows this just went from bad to boss-level. Ignoring his own pain, he drops to one knee, barking, "Quick, get on my back!" Because if that Ancient Ice Beast busts out, well... game over, man, game over!
"What? You want to carry me?" Ivy is so shocked her soul nearly leaves her body. She knows how weak he is—after all this, he’s gotta be running on fumes! Is he trying to win a Darwin Award right now?!
"Hurry up!" For the first time ever, Eli's voice isn't gentle—he actually sounds like he's scolding her. Ivy's so startled she almost climbs on out of pure reflex.
Seeing no way out, Ivy throws herself onto his back. Instantly, a faint, sweet herbal scent (like pear syrup—wait, is that chuanbei?) floods her nose. Dang, even at death's door he smells like cough drops and comfort.
Eli furrows his brow, grits his teeth, and somehow manages to stand—like, is this adrenaline or pure stubbornness? He clamps her legs tight and bolts into the pitch-black corridor, hero mode: ON.
Inside the pitch-black corridor, the only thing louder than the freezing wind is Eli’s ragged, desperate breathing. Nobody knows it, but his insides are screaming in pain—he’s not supposed to walk for long, let alone run a marathon with a passenger! But what’s he gonna do, leave her behind? No way. If he gives up, they’re both toast. (Literally. Frozen toast.)
"Eli Crane..." Ivy feels his breathing getting faster, and honestly, she’s so shaken by his heroic act she’s running out of words. Is there a medal for 'Most Over-the-Top Rescue'? Because this guy deserves it.
"Don’t be scared, I’ll protect you." Eli’s face is whiter than a ghost emoji, but he still tries to calm her down mid-sprint. Meanwhile, his brain is speed-searching for that ancient, crumpled map Grandpa once drew. If he’s right, there’s a secret chamber to the west—marked with some weird doodle. (Thanks, Grandpa, for your questionable cartography skills!)
They’ve barely run ten steps when—BANG!—the stone gate behind them collapses like it’s made of wet tissue paper. A gigantic snowball barrels down the corridor, roaring after them like it’s auditioning for a disaster movie.
Eli charges ahead with Ivy clinging to his back, burning every last drop of energy. His eyes are cold and focused, brows locked in Serious Business mode.
Ivy keeps glancing back, and all she sees is a tidal wave of snow swallowing the corridor behind them. Beautiful? Nope—this is nightmare fuel. Death-by-snow, coming right up!
But no matter how fast they go, they’re still slower than the killer snowball. (Physics: 1, protagonists: 0.)
SPLAT! Suddenly, Eli coughs up a mouthful of hot blood, and it splashes onto Ivy’s hands—red streaks instantly freezing solid in the icy tunnel. Ivy’s brain short-circuits. Did he just go full tragic hero?!
"Eli Crane!" Ivy panics, her heart doing triple flips. Why is this guy so determined to die for her? (Somebody stop the melodrama train!)
Just then, Eli spots a stone candlestick. He dumps Ivy to the ground, channels every scrap of his internal energy, and shoves the candlestick over to block the snowball. Grabbing her hand, he drags her onward—but after a few steps, he stumbles and faceplants, taking Ivy down with him.
"Eli Crane..." Ivy freaks out, scrambling over to check if he’s still breathing. (How many times can one person nearly die in five minutes?!)
Just then, the snowball slams into another stone candlestick, jamming up the corridor for a hot second. But they both know that thing won’t hold—the snowball’s got the muscle of a demolition crew. Instantly, frigid wind and hail-sized snow chunks blast their faces, arms, and heads, frosting their brows and lashes like they’re getting a makeover from the Ice Queen herself.
"Don’t be afraid." Eli lifts his head, voice all raspy and low, still trying to soothe her nerves. "Trust me, I’ll get you out." He reaches out to wipe the frost from her face, but his hand is so corpse-cold it’s basically an icicle. (Seriously, someone get this man a heated blanket!)
[SKIP: Irrelevant author note, not part of the novel.]
Seeing this, Ivy’s eyes finally start to redden. "Eli, just go!" Her voice trembles with despair, and the next second, like she’s worried he didn’t hear her, she screams right in his ear: "Save yourself! Run!"
She’s dead weight—dragging her along is a guaranteed death sentence for him. (And honestly, she’s not about that tragic romance life!)
But even so, the weak Eli stubbornly crawls back to his feet, clutching her hand and dragging her forward. After barely two steps, he collapses again, nearly pulling Ivy down with him. But this guy just won’t quit—he hauls himself up, grips her hand tighter, and promptly faceplants again, blood pouring out like he’s auditioning for a medical drama. His face is now whiter than toothpaste, and the icy wind howls behind them like a death metal soundtrack.
And even like this, his hand never lets go of hers. Not once. (Stubbornness: 100/10.)
"Please..." Ivy’s brows knit so tight she might sprain something, tears brimming in her eyes. Her voice shakes: "Please, just go! Save yourself!" Watching him like this makes her heart ache so much it’s basically doing gymnastics.
"I said I’ll get you out—trust me!" Eli nods at her again, somehow forcing himself upright and dragging her toward the west. (Somebody give this man a trophy for Most Dramatic Exit!)
Suddenly, the stone candlestick behind them lets out a creepy creak. Eli’s face freezes; his legs give out and he collapses to the ground again. (Seriously, this guy’s stamina bar is in the red!)
"Eli Crane!" Ivy rushes to his side, crying out his name. (If she had a tissue, she’d be using the whole box right now.)
CRACK CRACK—the candlestick starts to break. Eli glances back, heart pounding. In a burst of last-ditch heroics, he straightens up, whips out the sword from his waist, and hurls it with every ounce of strength he’s got. Blood sprays from his mouth as the sword shoots across the corridor, slamming into the west-corner gate and punching a hole right through it.
She can’t even imagine how someone so sickly could pull off a move like that. (Is this hidden boss mode or what?)
"Go!" he shouts, giving her a mighty shove with both hands.
Suddenly, Ivy feels like she’s flying—clouds, magic, the whole nine yards. Eli’s silhouette shrinks in the distance as the monstrous snowball rears up behind him, morphing into a giant snow beast with jaws wide open, ready to swallow him whole.
"Eli Crane!" Her scream echoes through the air, raw and desperate. Ivy snatches the sword from the gate and throws her whole body into shoving open the massive stone door.
BOOM—the huge stone door swings open, and a rush of warm air floods out, like someone just cranked the heater to max.
"Eli Crane!" Out of nowhere, a surge of strength hits Ivy. Her weak body stumbles into the blizzard, falls, and crawls forward. Her pale face, dark eyes gleaming like jewels, is set in pure determination as she stretches out her hand.
Thunderous roars shake the corridor, snow whirls everywhere, and the freezing wind howls. All Ivy can see is a wall of white between her and Eli, blocking their view. In the ancient tomb, after a thousand years of silence, two pale hands finally clasp together amid the storm.
[SKIP: Irrelevant author note, not part of the novel.]
[SKIP: Author PS and reader thanks—omit per guidelines.]