"No way!" Aiden Chen shot down the idea immediately. "Young Master, that's a forbidden place! Old Man Sai said so—there's a monster inside, you can't go! Plus, that's where the Bai family's..."
"Enough!" Suddenly, Eli Crane cut off Aiden. But Shen Bingxin, watching from the side, felt something was off here.
"Young Master..." Aiden's voice was clearly aggrieved. "You just want to help her, don't you? Old Man Sai will be back soon from outside, he'll definitely bring back the antidote to cure her..."
"Soon?" Eli Crane murmured the word, glancing at Aiden.
Seeing this, Aiden quickly shut up, not knowing what to say next. Old Man Sai usually leaves the valley for half a year at best, a year at worst—his return is never certain. But isn't she fine right now? What's the harm in waiting a little longer?!
"Feeling stuck?" The smart one (Shen Bingxin) immediately saw through their conversation.
"Of course! Do you even know how dangerous it is in there? Young Master is in no shape to go with you, and if—if something happened, could you handle the consequences?" Aiden's voice was practically a shout.
"Aiden!"
"Young Master, wuwu, you can yell at me or ignore me, but Aiden really doesn't want you to go! It's way too dangerous in there—even Old Man Sai can't enter. Please, don't risk it, okay?" Aiden's voice was on the verge of tears.
Seeing this, Eli Crane's voice softened. "Silly boy, of course I know. Don't worry about me. Yes, I want to help Miss Ling get the Memory Spirit Herb, but there's a sacred item in there that I need too. Didn't Old Man Sai say it might cure my legs? These days, after hearing all the fun stories Miss Ling told, I really want to see the outside world."
"But Young Master..."
"Aiden, do you actually want me to stay trapped in this valley forever?" Eli's voice grew a bit sorrowful. "My life could end at any moment. If I don't take a chance now, I'll never leave this place to see the world." As he spoke, he gazed up at the sky. Snowflakes landed on his handsome face, making him look like someone about to vanish.
"I'll help you! I'll definitely get you out of here!" Shen Bingxin blurted out, moved by the scene.
"But—but there’s a monster inside! And Old Man Sai said that sacred item might not even cure your legs. I really think we should wait for him to come back. What if we go in and it doesn’t work—then what?" Aiden was clearly wavering.
"Are you scared?" Eli ignored Aiden's question and looked straight at Shen Bingxin.
"Not at all!" Shen Bingxin nodded firmly. Seeing him upset made her heart ache too.
"Alright, we'll go in together."
"I'm coming too!" Realizing he couldn't stop them, Aiden decided to join in. If something really dangerous happened, at least he could help.
"No need, Aiden. You have to stay here. If Old Man Sai comes back early, you can get him to help us, right?"
"No way, it's way too dangerous in there!"
"Listen!" Eli's tone was firm.
Seeing this, Shen Bingxin turned to Aiden and said, "Just do what your Young Master says. Don't worry, I'll definitely protect him."
"Protect him? With what? You can't even fight!" Aiden yelled at her. It's all her fault—if she hadn't come, Young Master wouldn't want to go! Why does her showing up always bring so much trouble for him?!
"Let's go." Eli knew Aiden was getting way too worked up, so he had Shen Bingxin push him forward.
"Young Master! Young Master!" Aiden shouted loudly, hurrying after them.
With Shen Bingxin pushing him, Eli arrived at the stone cave entrance. He took out the jade pendant from his neck and pressed it against the carved pattern. Instantly, the giant stone door rumbled open right in front of them.
But just then, a thunderous rumble echoed from the distant mountain.
Eli immediately realized it was an avalanche. In Violet Heart Valley, avalanches should be impossible—if one actually happens, survival odds are basically zero.
"Young Master! Hurry, hurry, it's an avalanche!" Aiden shouted, reaching out to push his wheelchair back.
But at that moment, Eli suddenly stood up, mustering all his strength to shove Aiden far away. "Go!" he yelled, grabbing Shen Bingxin's hand and dragging her into the cave.
With a thunderous bang, the stone cave door slammed shut, sealing them in completely. The wind outside was cut off; not a sound could be heard anymore.
"Young Master! Young Master!" Aiden, flung far away, shouted at the mountain wall now buried in snow. No matter how loud he yelled, only his own voice echoed back—there was no other sound at all.
*******************
Shen Bingxin, small and petite, pressed herself tightly into a crevice. Cold wind howled overhead as she tried to look up—only for Eli to suddenly dive forward, tackle her, and roll them both a few meters ahead.
With a sharp crack, the icicles overhead dropped like swords, smashing down right in front of them, splitting apart with deafening noise.
Seeing this, Shen Bingxin's heart trembled. If... if they'd been even a heartbeat late, the consequences...
"Don't be scared—cough, cough." Eli started coughing from the exertion, but his hands gripped her shoulders tightly, trying to comfort her.
"Little White, are you okay?" Hearing his cough, Shen Bingxin quickly turned her head, calling out in worry.
"I'm fine..." His voice was weak, but his answer was quick and clear.
"Maybe we should leave. I don't want to see you get hurt." That near-death moment had truly shaken her—being face-to-face with death like that made her heart tremble uncontrollably.
"We can't get out—the entrance is sealed. We'll have to go all the way to the end to find another way." Eli frowned at the now-blocked cave mouth. Even he hadn't expected this outcome.
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"Sealed?"
"The avalanche hit just now, so I had to pull you inside. Sorry!" Eli apologized, knowing how dire things were.
"What are you saying? It's fine!" Shen Bingxin smiled gently to comfort him. Then she fished around in her clothes for a fire starter. With a 'click,' a faint flame lit up the darkness, illuminating Eli's pale face right beside her.
"Are you hurt? Why is your face so pale?" Shen Bingxin reached out to touch his cheek, her face full of worry.
Eli smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I'm fine." With that, he slowly stood up.
"Really? Are you sure?"
"It's nothing. I just used a bit too much force pushing Aiden, that's all."
Seeing this, Shen Bingxin quickly supported his arm and started looking around. The two of them were now in a massive black cave, eerily silent, but even without snow, the chill was bone-deep.
"Eli, what is this place?" Shen Bingxin turned her head to look at him, hoping for an answer.
"This is my family's mausoleum."
"Huh? Mausoleum?" The word made this weird place feel even creepier. Shen Bingxin asked, "If it's a mausoleum, why is it designed so strangely? This isn't like a normal person's tomb at all! With all these structures and mechanisms, it reminds me of a royal mausoleum."
"This really feels like an imperial tomb!" Shen Bingxin finally voiced her doubt.
Eli paused for a moment, then answered without hiding anything: "Yes, it really is an imperial tomb!"
"What? Then... are you an emperor? Or maybe a royal prince?" Shen Bingxin was totally stunned.
Eli smiled softly. "That was hundreds of years ago. Our kingdom's long gone—I'm the only one left." He sounded a little sad, but then managed a small smile. "But this imperial tomb is the Bai family's ancestral hall, set up for our ancestors."
Hearing this, Shen Bingxin didn't know what to say. After all, this was his family's sacred ground—what could she criticize?
"Come with me." Eli took her hand and slowly led her forward.
Carefully, Shen Bingxin followed behind him. The mausoleum was stuffy and the smell was pretty bad, but thankfully Eli himself smelled faintly of medicinal herbs. That gentle scent made her smile despite everything.
"Eh? Little White..." Shen Bingxin's voice suddenly grew anxious.
"What's wrong?" Eli turned, realizing the faint light had gone out.
"No more fire..." Shen Bingxin instinctively gripped his hand tighter. Why did this fire starter only last one click? So annoying!
"It's okay, I'll lead you." Eli's gentle voice soothed her nerves. He gripped her hand tightly and, step by step, led her forward into the darkness.