Chapter 41

In the vast underground cavern, it was impossible to distinguish between day and night. At first, the two of them could rely on instinct to rest and sleep, but later everything became completely chaotic.

Cheng Duo couldn't remember clearly. How many days had passed since they found the underground river? Three or four days? In any case, they had completely finished the wolf meat, and every time Yong-ge carried him forward, they had to rest more frequently.

Cheng Duo felt that his strength had reached its limit, and his condition was poor due to prolonged thirst and hunger.

Cheng Duo could only keep talking to Yong-ge, envisioning the beautiful life they would have after getting out and starting a family. Every time he said such things, Yong-ge's mood would improve.

The only comforting thing for Cheng Duo was that he gradually began to regain sensation in his legs, although he still couldn't walk for a long time. But when Yong-ge was exhausted, the two of them could at least support each other and move forward for a while…

"Wait, Yong-ge, it seems like there's something over there!" When they reached a certain place, Cheng Duo suddenly felt a gust of wind and quickly stopped Yong-ge.

"What is it?" Yong-ge slowed down and turned in the direction Cheng Duo indicated, coming to the side of a narrow crack that only allowed one person to pass through.

"Do you want to go in and take a look?" Yong-ge looked inside, but he couldn't see anything, so he had to ask Cheng Duo.

Cheng Duo hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's go."

They had come this far, and what if there was a glimmer of hope inside?

The crack in the rock wall was indeed very narrow. The two of them had to bend their bodies and move forward one after another. Because Cheng Duo's legs were weak, they had to stop and rest twice in the middle. Fortunately, he had lost a lot of weight during this time, or else they might not have been able to enter.

The crack was not very deep. After entering inside, they were surprised to find a leveled ground and stone walls that seemed to have been artificially constructed. The spacious area was about the size of a small football field. Following the central pathway, they arrived at two gigantic stone statues guarding a stone door.

The stone door was tightly closed, and Cheng Duo estimated it to be about five to six meters high. Yong-ge tried to push it, but the door didn't budge.

"How could there be a door here?"

Cheng Duo began to understand a bit. "It's probably a tomb built by some noble or royal for themselves. It's truly a remarkable work of craftsmanship to have it in a place like this!"

If they hadn't fallen into the sinkhole and couldn't get out, they wouldn't have thought of entering the underground conduit to find a way out. The conduits outside were like natural barriers against theft. Given the technological level of ancient times, to build a tomb inside a cavern and of such size, the owner of this tomb must have been very wealthy.

If it were another time, Cheng Duo might have been delighted and wanted to go in and explore for treasures. But now they had been trapped in this place for several days, without food and with their energy depleted.

It could only be described as a false hope!

No, it couldn't be considered a false hope…

Cheng Duo remembered the customs of ancient times and searched on both sides of the main entrance. Sure enough, about three meters above the ground, he saw traces of candlesticks.

Perhaps for the convenience of craftsmen, there were stone steps carved as decorations near the candlesticks. Cheng Duo asked Yong-ge to climb up and try to light them with a match.

As Cheng Duo had expected, the lamp oil inside had solidified, but it could still be lit. The dim light dispersed the darkness and illuminated a clearing in front of the door.

Cheng Duo leaned against the stone wall, looked up at Yong-ge, and indeed saw joy on his face.

Because Cheng Duo was afraid of poor ventilation in the cavern, he hadn't allowed Yong-ge to light a fire pit before. Even the small bundle of firewood had been discarded together with the extinguished torch.

Being in darkness for a long time was oppressive for people. Cheng Duo could at least see a little with his ability, but Yong-ge couldn't see anything at all. One could imagine how excited he was after lighting the two candlesticks.

"How did you know there were candlesticks up there?" Yong-ge quickly climbed down from the stone steps and rushed to Cheng Duo, his eyes shining.

"TV… I mean, that's how they write it in books."

"You're amazing. You know everything!" Yong-ge praised him generously.

Cheng Duo chuckled and touched Yong-ge's cheek. "You're the amazing one."

Having a wife who loves and admires him in every way is probably the dream of many modern men. And Yong-ge, at this moment, could still make him happy and laugh despite their current situation. What else could Cheng Duo ask for?

Yong-ge was momentarily confused, thinking that Cheng Duo was praising him for climbing up and lighting the candlesticks. He scratched his cheek and felt a little embarrassed. "It's nothing…"

Cheng Duo hugged him with a smile and thought for a moment before asking, "Are you scared?"

Yong-ge looked around the gloomy and empty surroundings, remembering that Cheng Duo had said this place was a tomb. If he were alone, it would indeed be a bit frightening.

But he had Cheng Duo by his side, and they had been walking in the darkness for several days. Now he didn't feel much fear. "I'm okay."

Cheng Duo ruffled his hair. "Rest for a while. We'll continue when you wake up."

Yong-ge wanted to sleep, but the hunger in his stomach made it difficult for him to fall asleep. He closed his eyes in a daze and suddenly noticed something was wrong. "Why is there blood on your hand?"

He quickly opened his eyes, sat up, and grabbed Cheng Duo's hand to examine it closely.

Cheng Duo had been injured several days ago, and the bloodstains on his hand seemed fresh? Moreover, he had wrapped a piece of cloth taken from somewhere else around his wrist, but Yong-ge didn't remember helping him bandage that area.

Cheng Duo remained composed. "Oh, I accidentally scraped it here."

"When did you get injured? Why didn't I know? Is it serious?" Yong-ge kept asking while wanting to open and take a look.

The wound was still bleeding, indicating that it hadn't been properly bandaged.

"It's nothing, just a minor injury. No need to look." Cheng Duo evaded and pulled his hand back.

Yong-ge's expression changed. He had lifted a corner of the cloth and found more bloodstains inside, saturating the fabric.

Somehow, he suddenly remembered feeding Cheng Duo wolf blood, and for the past few days, every time he woke up, he felt a bloody taste in his mouth.

Initially, he thought it was because he hadn't eaten anything, but now it seemed highly likely that it wasn't the case…

Yong-ge bit his lip. "Let me see."

"There's nothing to see…" Cheng Duo started to say, but he noticed that Yong-ge's eyes were already teary, and the shimmering water in the dim candlelight seemed to be increasing.

Cheng Duo sighed helplessly. "It really is nothing serious… Okay, okay, I'll let you see."

Yong-ge ignored him, carefully unwrapping layer by layer, only to discover that the flesh inside had been gnawed and torn apart. The gruesome wound mixed with the still-oozing fresh blood made Yong-ge's heart tighten.

"You fed me your blood, didn't you?"

Cheng Duo looked a little embarrassed. "You've been carrying me so laboriously every day. I couldn't just sit there and do nothing…"

Yong-ge was furious and wanted to hit him. "What are you thinking at a time like this? Don't you know what condition your own body is in?"

He had gone through so much trouble to help Cheng Duo recover, and yet this person had bitten his wrist and let blood flow. Did he want himself to die faster?

Yong-ge really did punch him, but the force was so weak that it was almost like a light touch.

Cheng Duo grabbed his hand, feeling both amused and exasperated. "I'm not that weak, you know. Look at me now, I'm perfectly fine."

Yong-ge ignored his words, choked with sobs as he continued to scold, "Do you think that if you die, I can just walk out? We… We're both in this situation, why would you leave me alone? Have you changed your mind again? I knew you have no conscience, you big liar! Those things you said before must have been lies!"

Yong-ge's eyes turned red as he cursed, but he also didn't forget to bandage Cheng Duo's wound. When he finished, he put on a cold expression and threatened Cheng Duo, "Let me tell you, Cheng Duo, if we're going out, we're going out together. Otherwise… Otherwise, even if I die, I won't let you off the hook!"

Cheng Duo was almost amused by his fierce appearance, but when he saw Yong-ge's tearful and distressed expression, he sighed intentionally. "Ah, I've never seen anyone clingier than you… Fine, I'll die together with you. Is that okay?"

It must be said that men's words are like ghosts that deceive people. Some people feel pleased in their hearts but still put on a hopeless appearance, only to open their arms again and sneakily glance at Yong-ge.

What could Yong-ge do? Cheng Duo had fed him blood for his sake. Could he really stay angry with him?

Yong-ge silently snuggled back into the warm embrace. After a long silence, just when Cheng Duo thought he was falling asleep, Yong-ge suddenly whispered, "I'm serious. Don't secretly feed me blood anymore. We'll go as far as we can go. If we can't get out… then so be it. It's not a big deal."

Cheng Duo didn't say anything, and Yong-ge knew he was still awake, so he lifted his head.

Cheng Duo pressed him back down. "Okay."

"You promise? You won't deceive me this time?"

"I won't deceive you…"

Yong-ge was still worried. "Really?"

Cheng Duo glanced at him helplessly, then suddenly lowered his head and lightly touched his soft lips. "Really, consider it sealed with a kiss."

It turned out that the power of a kiss was immense. Yong-ge felt too embarrassed to ask anything more, burying his head in Cheng Duo's embrace and pretending to be dead…

Because it was just a short nap, they didn't sleep for long. When they woke up, the oil lamp hadn't extinguished yet.

Yong-ge held his growling stomach and sighed. "Right now, I really want to eat the meat pancakes I make, with lots and lots of meat inside."

Cheng Duo teased him, "Weren't you complaining about me wasting food earlier…"

As soon as he finished speaking, a whole pig, gutted and prepared, suddenly appeared in front of them. The pig was chubby and white, with thick layers of meat and fat. It looked different from the pigs raised in this era.

Yong-ge gasped and shivered all over, turning around and falling into Cheng Duo's arms, hardly daring to take a second look. "Cheng Duo… Am I… seeing things?"

His voice was very soft, as if the thing lying on the ground next to him wasn't a pig, but some kind of monster or demon. He felt that either he was dizzy from hunger or he had encountered a ghost!

Yes, they were still in someone else's tomb, so the possibility of encountering ghosts was relatively high!

A thought flashed through Cheng Duo's mind. When the pig appeared just now, he had a vague feeling. When Yong-ge mentioned having lots of meat, he instinctively grabbed it, and it turned out to be the pig?

Cheng Duo's hand trembled, and he suddenly remembered that he had dug out Cheng Zhao's crystal core in order to take revenge, and he had swallowed it directly.

And Cheng Zhao's ability was related to space!

Could it be that he had assimilated Cheng Zhao's crystal core and brought his space with him? If that were the case, they had hope!

With this thought, Cheng Duo couldn't help but tremble with excitement. Yong-ge, who was nestled in his embrace, felt it too. Thinking that Cheng Duo was also afraid, he mustered up the courage and comforted him, "Don't be afraid. We'll leave soon. We're just borrowing this place to sleep. The tomb owner won't blame us."

As Yong-ge spoke, he quickly climbed out of Cheng Duo's embrace, ready to leave with him.