"The enemy knows the situation here well. Most likely, they have been here for a long time," Yuan Gang conjectured.
Niu You Dao nodded in agreement with him. In such labyrinths, if a person didn't know the way and didn't know where the torches were, they would immediately get lost. It was good that Shu Qing was showing them the way. Niu You Dao turned and looked at Shu Qing: "Princess, did anything strange happen here before?"
Shu Qing: "I haven't heard of anything. There shouldn't have been."
Niu You Dao: "How long has this passage been used?"
Shu Qing: "I don't know exactly. It seems that since my father died, the passage hasn't been used."
Several people realized that the enemy had possibly studied these places for several years. He must have learned everything well here during that time. And it's not certain that he entered from the entrance that Prince Ning devised. Such a large labyrinth probably has many entrances.
Niu You Dao was silent for a moment, then said: "Actually, we have nothing to worry about. The enemy doesn't seem to be that strong. Otherwise, he wouldn't have delayed, but would have attacked immediately. We must not give in to our feelings, but remain calm. Perhaps we can catch him ourselves."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shu Qing, sitting behind him, nodded.
"Bear, go to the river and gather as many torches as you can."
Yuan Fang replied in surprise: "Why? They are already ruined anyway."
Yuan Gang immediately interrupted him:
"What nonsense are you spouting! Lord Dao said to do it this way, so do it!"
Yuan Fang smiled foolishly, but noticed his torch gradually starting to burn weaker. Yuan Gang untied a knot and took out oiled torches from it. He threw one to Yuan Fang. Although the torches weren't long, it was still possible to hold them.
Yuan Fang was surprised. He didn't know when Yuan Gang had prepared so many torches. Then he looked at the calm Niu You Dao and immediately realized that these two people had long planned for this moment. How well-prepared were these two?
Niu You Dao hadn't actually thought about such a turn of events. It was simply that when the situation changed, when he felt the cold, he immediately thought of the most important thing in the current circumstances. After all, he was an experienced man and knew that the important thing here was to ensure visibility and not be engulfed in darkness.
Shu Qing had been sleeping and hadn't seen when Yuan Gang prepared the torches, so she was also surprised.
After Yuan Fang lit the torch, he was no longer worried and went to the bank for more torches.
There, he discovered that the torches were lying along the bank in the water.
Niu You Dao took the sword from Shu Qing and placed it in front of him. Then he said with a smile:
"You're tired; you haven't slept much before this. Go to sleep."
Shu Qing shook her head. How could she sleep in such a tense situation? She just sat down by the cliff and looked around.
Yuan Gang kept only 2 torches for himself, throwing the rest into a pile and starting a fire. The fire made it warmer and much brighter.
As soon as the bonfire was burning well, Yuan Gang threw the wet torches nearby to dry them.
Yuan Fang, running back and forth to the bank, only now understood why they intended to collect the wet torches. Therefore, he began gathering torches from the bank even faster.
Meanwhile, Niu You Dao stood by the fire, calmly looking around.
Shu Qing, who was sitting, understood what was happening. They were well-prepared here, which made her feel much safer. Then she looked at Niu You Dao, standing proudly and independently by the fire. Now he seemed like a guardian angel to her. He was her guardian angel; he was everyone's guardian angel. If he was here, they would then be able to overcome any difficulties.
Realizing all this, Shu Qing stood up and moved closer to Yuan Gang. She helped him dry the torches. After all, in one way or another, she could contribute.
Niu You Dao, standing there, glanced at her but said nothing, only continuing to look around.
When a pile of torches had already appeared near the bank, Yuan Fang ran up to them again and threw down the torches. Niu You Dao said to him: "Bear, that's enough. Eat and rest."
Yuan Fang was indeed quite tired from constantly running back and forth. He had expended a lot of energy during this long period.
However, he smiled and said: "It's nothing, I'm not..." He hadn't finished speaking when he noticed Yuan Gang's sideways glance at him. He immediately remembered that he needed to do what he was told.
So he immediately fell silent and dutifully took out provisions from his bag. Roasting food over the fire, Yuan Fang looked at the diligently working Yuan Gang and the standing, watchful Niu You Dao. Yuan Fang even felt good; he was already getting used to working together with them.
Niu You Dao said to Shu Qing: "Princess, you should also eat and rest."
Shu Qing shook her head: "I'm not hungry!"
Yuan Gang said in a cold tone: "At this time, there's no need to argue about anything. You just need to act. Right now, you need to forget that you are a princess and do what you're told. No one here will harm you."
When Yuan Fang heard Yuan Gang, he couldn't help but smile. After all, Yuan Gang didn't only speak to him that way.
Niu You Dao looked around and, also smiling, said:
"He meant that in such a situation, it's advisable to recover your strength as quickly as possible. It wouldn't hurt!" Niu You Dao spoke calmly and warmly, which made everyone feel at ease.
It wasn't that he had changed his attitude towards Shu Qing. It was simply that in such circumstances, there was no need to cause panic or pressure people. Especially since Shu Qing was a girl, and her heart was already uneasy. There was no need to scare her unnecessarily; it would do little good for anyone.
Moreover, compared to ordinary women, Shu Qing was soft on the outside but firm on the inside. She constantly endured various hardships. It was better for her to continue being strong. There was no need to test her resilience now.
In his two lives, Niu You Dao had known many people, and few women could earn his admiration. However, Shu Qing was one of the few. Only, she was very ugly.
Shu Qing also understood that Yuan Gang spoke for their own good. So she opened her bag and began to eat, nibbling at her provisions with a small mouth.
Once Yuan Fang had eaten and drunk his fill, he sat by the fire, crossing his legs. He began to meditate and recover his strength!
As soon as Shu Qing finished eating, Niu You Dao said to her with a smile: "Lie down by the fire, it's warm there. Rest," he said tenderly again.
Shu Qing nodded and dutifully lay down. She placed her bag as a pillow and pulled her clothes over herself.
Yuan Gang, who was watching the fire, suddenly asked in a whisper: "Lord Dao, can the enemy see in the dark?"
Niu You Dao, looking around, explained:
"Yin and yang separate realms of existence. Each exists under its own conditions. Those who can live under sunlight cannot always live in darkness, and those who live in darkness cannot always be under sunlight. If they are to live in both darkness and sunlight, certain conditions are required. Just like with humans. At night, they need a lamp to illuminate the darkness."
Yuan Gang: "And the so-called evil spirits or fiends, can they live under sunlight? How?"
Niu You Dao: "With the help of positive yang energy!"
"Yang?" Yuan Gang questioned.
Niu You Dao: "As I understand it. Dark matter, in special situations, can merge with living organisms. It grafts well onto some organisms. It's how cultivators process dark matter. For example, they use various techniques and methods, processing dark matter in different ways to achieve different effects. For instance: the mythical werewolves in Western legends. One could say this is the result of dark matter being grafted into a wolf's body. And here's a living example: this bear. Cultivators engage in breathing exercises and also form dark matter within themselves. Ordinary people can also inhale dark matter, but they get different effects. And yet, everyone forms positive yang energy. Positive yang energy is also a kind of power. It sustains blood and flesh in a human. Why is there no difference between a person without positive yang energy or male energy and a deceased person? Because yang energy has the role of life. It is, at the same time, life energy. Ghosts can exist without body and flesh, which is why they do not possess yang energy. However, if they don't have yang energy, they can absorb those who do. This ghost seems to be thinking the same about us."
Yuan Gang: "He thinks that way? Since he's a ghost, why would he need our yang energy?"
Niu You Dao: "The so-called spirits of the deceased, although they have become ghosts, are lonely and have not lost the ability to think. They still want to live or lead a life. Only with the help of others can they appear in the world. And few ghosts can resist such a temptation."
Yuan Gang: "Can't ghosts live on their own?"
Niu You Dao: "Of course, they can. However, few ghosts can exist on their own. Not every one of them can afford to go wherever they wish. And if they gather in a crowd, they can attract people's attention. And cultivators and guardian-preceptors will not turn a blind eye to them. It's like with spirit herbs. Everyone has set traps, and everyone will protect their territory from any intruder.
***