"Eli Crane..." The weak voice drifted through the air, trembling with a hint of deep despair.
Ivy Shen knelt on the ground, panic flickering in her usually resolute eyes as she stared at Eli Crane’s tightly shut lids. She slowly reached out, gently shaking his shoulders and softly calling, "Eli Crane, wake up..."
But the person on the ground didn’t react at all. His deathly pale lips seemed frozen solid, radiating a chilling cold.
Snow had soaked Ivy Shen from head to toe—her lips were bluish and trembling, her breath growing rapid as she choked out, "Eli Crane, don’t die, you can’t die!" But no matter how she shouted, the man lying on the ground made no sound at all.
Ivy took a deep breath, finally half rising to her knees. She stripped off Eli’s soaking wet outer robe, propped him against her lap, then quickly rubbed his shoulders, arms, chest, and cheeks with both hands—breathing warm air over him as she anxiously pleaded, "Wake up, wake up..."
Warm droplets slowly trickled down, landing on Eli Crane’s cheek. The unconscious young man’s brow twitched, his long lashes trembling like autumn maple leaves—etched with gentle curves. His quiet eyes gradually cleared, finally focusing on the dazed girl before him.
"Don’t..." His voice was low and raspy, barely audible.
"You... you’re awake!" Ivy cried out in excitement. Seeing his lips tremble, she hurried closer, leaning in by his mouth and asking, "What do you want to say?"
"Don’t..." Eli’s voice was hoarse, the words broken and incomplete—he only managed a single syllable, as streaks of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"Don’t say anything, just don’t." Ivy bit her lip, blurting out, "Rest up, we’ll get out of here, don’t say anything—I know, I know!" Then, suddenly forcing a smile, she added, "It’s fine now, we’re safe, the snowball stopped!" The stone door swung open, and a powerful blast of warm air rushed in, actually halting the snowball in its tracks.
"Don’t... be... afraid... don’t be... scared..." Eli Crane’s soft lips tugged into a faint smile.
At that, Ivy Shen’s eyes stung and huge tears burst out all at once. In this isolated underground mausoleum, her strength, her playfulness, her usual nonchalance—all of it suddenly vanished without a trace.
Right now, she was just an ordinary girl—so ordinary it hurt. She wasn’t afraid of dying for herself; she was terrified of facing his cold corpse, of facing his death...
"Don’t be afraid..." he kept murmuring those words, his voice soft and distant, yet somehow deeply comforting.
Hearing that, Ivy clung tightly to Eli’s body, as if trying to draw a shred of warmth from his icy frame. Choking up, she said, "I’m not scared, how could I be scared? You dummy..."
Seeing this, the frozen ice that had built up in Eli Crane over countless years seemed to radiate a faint chill, as if he were silently gazing at something in the dark.
Ivy wiped away her tears in one quick motion, her eyes suddenly blazing with fierce determination. Hugging Eli’s frail body, she declared with conviction, "Eli Crane, we will get out of here. Hold on, don’t go to sleep."
Hearing that, Eli managed a faint smile, his voice distant and soft: "I’ve... dragged you into this..."
"Dragged me into what?" Ivy forced a smile. "You saved my life! Besides, I came here on my own—I wasn’t dragged in by you. Eli Crane, promise me, don’t go to sleep, okay? Let me take you out, please?" She pleaded, staring at his ever-paler face, her heart aching so much she could barely breathe.
Right now, she was so scared—scared that if he closed his eyes, he’d disappear forever, lost in sleep she couldn’t wake him from. No, she couldn’t bear it, she didn’t want him to sleep, didn’t want him to leave...
"Okay..." Eli Crane’s voice was barely audible, but he nodded slowly and promised, "I won’t sleep."
"Mm!" Ivy beamed at his reply. "As long as you don’t sleep, I promise I’ll get you out of this valley. I’ll take you to see the world outside—I’ll protect you!"
"Okay!" Eli’s voice was weak, but to Ivy’s ears, it sounded like celestial music.
She slowly stood up, propping Eli upright and stripping off her own outer garment to wrap him tightly. The next moment, she helped him through the stone door.
After the warm wind inside the stone door faded, a chill crept in—but it was still several times warmer than outside. The only weird thing was, the ground wasn’t icy at all, but why was it so sticky?!
Just then, a tiny light burned overhead. Beneath it sat a small wooden box, surrounded by clusters of bright green grass. Next to the grass grew a strange dark-green plant, with a black stem and four deep green leaves—very peculiar.
Seeing this, Eli finally smiled and looked at Ivy: "That—that weird plant is the herb that can cure your amnesia."
"Huh? That one?" Ivy was a bit surprised.
"Who would’ve thought we’d stumble on it by accident!" Eli’s voice was full of delighted excitement, forgetting his pain for a moment.
Seeing his happiness, Ivy was thrilled too. All the gloom from before instantly vanished. "Eli Crane, is the thing in that wooden box what can cure your legs?"
Eli glanced at the wooden box, his expression troubled. "I’m not sure either," he said calmly. "But the diagrams say there’s a pill inside, supposedly able to cure any illness. I don’t know the details though." Even though this was his ancestors’ tomb, it was over a thousand years old, and his grandfather hadn’t even qualified to be buried here—this was a place for the ancestors.
(This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^ Please click next page to continue reading!)
As for how Grandpa knew about the diagrams—well, it was drawn generation after generation, from his grandpa’s grandpa’s grandpa’s grandpa, all the way down. By the time it got to him, Grandpa could only remember so much. Still, who would’ve thought those memories would actually help him find this place!
"Awesome! If it really can cure any illness, I’ll make sure you recover right away!" Overjoyed, Ivy dashed forward to grab the box—but after just a few steps, a sharp 'creak' sounded beneath her. Suddenly, she felt herself drop—her hand was grabbed by someone, but the ground below had vanished.
Looking up, she saw Eli Crane struggling to hold her hand, his voice firm: "Don’t let go!"
Ivy was shocked—the floor tile she’d just stepped on had disappeared, replaced by a massive pit.
She glanced down—and instantly froze. A huge stone pit lay below, with a little water pooled at the bottom. In the water lurked a gigantic beast, its mouth wide open, waiting for her to fall.
"Crocodile?" Ivy murmured, suddenly recognizing the creature from her modern memories.
"Don’t be scared." Eli strained to pull her up. He’d never seen a monster like this before, but even he was a bit awed—there was something seriously terrifying about it.
"Ah—it’s climbing!" Ivy shrieked in panic. The crocodile was actually crawling up toward her, clearly not planning to let her go until it got a bite.
Sweat dripped from Eli’s forehead as he watched the monster climbing higher—it was actually scaling the sheer stone wall, like it had leveled up into a spirit beast or something!
"Get lost, get lost..." Ivy shouted at the crocodile below, but her yelling was basically pointless—the starving beast just ignored her completely.
Ivy’s palms broke out in a cold sweat; for a split second, both of them froze.
Sensing their predicament, the crocodile crawled even faster, like it hadn’t tasted meat in ages.
Eli realized that if he didn’t pull her up now...
Thinking fast, he summoned all his remaining strength and gave her hand a fierce yank. Ivy shot upward with the momentum, but Eli, spent, toppled down instead...
"Eli Crane!" Ivy cried, grabbing his hand. "Eli Crane..."
A wet splatter sounded—blood dripped from Eli’s mouth again. That last tug had drained every ounce of his strength; he was nearly done for.
"Eli Crane, don’t let go! I’ll pull you up..." Ivy shouted frantically, stabbing Eli’s gifted dagger into the ground for leverage. Her hand scraped against the edge as she struggled, blood starting to ooze.
But Eli’s gaze was both sorrowful and serene. He looked up at the pale girl clinging to the edge, her eyes wild with panic—like a desperate little bunny searching for help in the darkness. But in this pitch-black pit, who could possibly reach out a hand to save her?
"Eli Crane, don’t give up! I’ll save you..." Sensing his strength fading, Ivy grew frantic.
Eli managed a faint, distant smile. "Sorry... I can’t escort you out myself."
His smile was remote, almost otherworldly. "Just keep heading south, pass through two Blue Gate Halls, and you’ll find the rear hall—there’s an exit there. Promise me, you have to make it out alive, you must!"
"Eli Crane..." Ivy’s voice trembled. She stared in horror as his fingers loosened one by one, shaking her head in disbelief and stammering, "No... Eli Crane, don’t do this..."
Ivy gripped his hand tightly, but sweat kept seeping out, making her palm slip—slowly sliding from his wrist to his hand, then slipping further down.
"Eli Crane, please..." Ivy’s tears fell in huge drops as she shook her head wildly, begging incoherently, her tears splashing onto his pale face.
"Promise me—live well!" Eli smiled faintly, then slowly closed his eyes.
Eli’s body, like shattered jade, plunged into the pitch-black abyss!
The crocodile had climbed most of the way up, but when it saw Eli suddenly fall, it lazily turned and started crawling down toward him.
Who was it that suddenly saved you when you were gravely injured?!
Who was it, playing music for you every day, bringing you joy?!
Who was it, smiling at you every day, warming your heart?!
Who was it, holding your hand tight in the darkness?!
Who was it, in the depths of despair, giving up everything and leaving you all hope of survival?
Boundless sorrow surged from afar, instantly flooding her mind. That endless grief and despair washed over her chest like a tidal wave, a crushing boulder weighing her down, a thousand arrows piercing her heart at once. In a daze, that thin, familiar face appeared before her eyes again.
"Eli Crane!" Ivy gripped the dagger, clinging to the edge, her clothes whipping, black hair flying, as she let out a piercing cry to the heavens. In the next instant, a surge of strength burst through her chest—she grabbed the dagger and, without hesitation, leaped into the pit. She wouldn’t let him die. No—never!