Maxwell Jing gazed up at the unseen ceiling above, his voice weary. "I always thought of Jenna as a little sister—you know that. I have no family. If I hadn't met you, I might have always been alone. When I first heard the Snow Jade Branch could cure the Forgetfulness Curse, that's why I came to Snowpeak Mountain. Then I met Jenna, and she promised to guard the Snow Jade Branch for me."
Ethan Gu reached out and held him tightly. Though he said nothing, Maxwell could feel his concern and heartache.
Maxwell Jing managed a faint smile, his eyes flickering. Suddenly, he raised his hand and pressed Ethan's acupoint, leaving Ethan unable to move. Maxwell grinned with pride, while Ethan simply smiled back, no longer carrying the grief Maxwell had shown before.
Suddenly, the faint sound of a mechanism turning echoed through the chamber. Maxwell Jing's smile froze. "The door outside—don't tell me it's been shut?"
Ethan Gu raised an eyebrow. "It's entirely possible!"
Maxwell Jing rubbed his aching forehead. Great, now the door was closed—no one could get out! "You mean you didn't foresee this happening?"
"I just started remembering things from before. My head's still spinning—it's perfectly normal I didn't think of everything! Did you see this coming?"
"I... I only just escaped death myself!"
Their eyes met. Maxwell Jing released Ethan's acupoint and collapsed weakly onto the jade bed, asking, "So what do we do now?"
Ethan Gu frowned. "There's no way to open that door from inside. Now, our only option is..." He glanced up at the ceiling.
Maxwell Jing thought for a moment and said, "Maybe the Guildmaster has enough power to do it!" After speaking, he sighed and shook his head. "This so-called treasure is nothing but a trap!"
Inside the stone chamber, the group realized the door was shut and immediately began blaming the reckless one. Morgan Shangguan frowned—if she and Damien Gray hadn't heard noises from the other side, they wouldn't have left. Now, there was no mechanism to open the door from inside. What a hassle!
Marjorie Wan suddenly spoke up, "Guildmaster, look at this!"
Morgan Shangguan walked over and saw that, after so many people had knocked and struck the wall, a thin layer had actually been chipped away, revealing two handprints beneath—one slightly larger, one smaller. Judging by the shape, they seemed to belong to a man and a woman.
Morgan Shangguan gazed thoughtfully at the two handprints. Damien Gray stood beside her, suddenly placing his hand over the larger print. He looked at Morgan, a playful smile on his lips. "Guildmaster..."
Morgan nodded gently and pressed her hand against the smaller print. The two of them exerted force together, pushing directly toward the wall. Suddenly, the wall cracked open between the handprints and slid apart to either side.
But when the wall slid open, there was no hidden chamber behind it, leaving everyone a bit disappointed.
Morgan Shangguan frowned as she studied the newly revealed inscriptions on the wall. "Mid-Autumn night, the moon half-curved, half-curved to full, between curve and round, the round appears." What could it mean?
Mid-Autumn should mean the fifteenth of September, but how could the moon be half-curved on the fifteenth? And what does 'between curve and round, the round appears' even mean?
After that phrase came another inscription: "If you are not destined, seek your own fortune!"
Seeing that inscription, everyone's spirits, which had been low, suddenly lifted. "This must be a clue! That phrase must hide the secret of the treasure!"
"So this isn't the real hiding place for the treasure!"
Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray exchanged glances, both agreeing this couldn't be the true hiding place. While everyone focused on the phrase 'If you are not destined, seek your own fortune,' thinking it was a clue to the treasure, Morgan and Damien understood: claiming this treasure would be fraught with danger!
As everyone grew excited, Noah Duanmu suddenly blurted out, dousing the mood like a bucket of cold water: "We should figure out how to get out first! Otherwise, we'll all die here!"
Quentin Drake glared at him, and Noah Duanmu shrank back, hiding behind Liam Duanmu, muttering to himself, "If we can't get out, maybe when our descendants come treasure-hunting, they'll at least be able to take a skeleton home as a souvenir!"
Susie Yun sighed, "But everyone brought the treasure map in here—how will our descendants search for the treasure now?"
Marjorie Wan smiled gently. "This event is so sensational, it will surely be passed down. When the time comes, curious souls will naturally come to Snowpeak Mountain!" She seemed completely unconcerned about their predicament.
Meanwhile, Liam Liu frowned, his face full of worry.
Damien Gray spoke coldly, "A way out is something people create!"
At his words, everyone paused, then began searching for an exit together.
Damien Gray simply watched coldly. He had already investigated: aside from this door, there was probably only the one opposite. Though the mechanism had been destroyed and disguised well, some subtle clues hadn't escaped his notice. The floor, despite being tampered with, still showed signs of having supported something heavy for a long time.
Morgan Shangguan glanced at him, a hint of amusement in her eyes. She couldn't help but admire Damien's keen senses—perhaps it was related to his half-dead, half-alive constitution, making his intuition far sharper than most.
After searching for a long time without finding a way out, everyone grew restless. Fortunately, Liam Duanmu was there to calm them, and gradually the group settled down to discuss possible solutions together.
Liam Duanmu glanced up and saw Morgan Shangguan calmly surveying the stone chamber. She didn't look like she was searching for an exit at all—instead, she seemed to be admiring the scenery. He couldn't help but ask, "Guildmaster Yun, have you noticed anything?"
At his question, the crowd—all deep in thought—turned to Morgan Shangguan. But she only smiled and shook her head, leaving everyone disappointed.
Liam Duanmu couldn't help but look at her again. Seeing this, Damien Gray frowned and shot Morgan a warning glance. Morgan was taken aback—wasn't she supposed to be a man right now?
Yuna Ye had been looking worried and distracted the whole time. Shuyang Ye noticed her state and asked with concern, "Yuna, what's wrong?"
Yuna Ye snapped back to herself and quickly shook her head. "I'm fine!" She didn't want Shuyang Ye to worry about her, but...
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