C33 Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

As Lee Yu shattered the floorboards, the noise caught the attention of those above.

"Have you got backup?"

"Damn, there's more of you down there?"

The two men in black exclaimed in unison.

A flicker of surprise crossed their eyes. They didn't seem to be each other's allies—could there be a third faction involved?

The taller of the two, who had initiated the attack near the bridge, scrutinized the other. "Which faction do you belong to? You've got some nerve causing trouble on Qing territory!"

The shorter man in black chuckled dismissively as he kicked aside a lifeless body. "I wouldn't have dared if you hadn't staged this whole play. The area's sealed with a formation; outsiders won't notice a thing. No need for theatrics."

The taller man was Qing Huangyi, an operative of the Qing clan's covert squad. Just the day before, he'd been covertly tasked with the abduction of the princess and Lee Yu, and was now awaiting the arrival of his contact.

The team had been briefed on the plan, leading to a certain complacency in the face of this internally orchestrated charade. However, Qing Huangyi hadn't anticipated an infiltrator—a kidnapper among the ranks—catching them off guard and decimating over half the squad!

It was a critical detail that the two forces were nearly matched in strength; the surprise assault had tipped the scales against the covert operatives.

"Enough talk, time is of the essence. Capturing the princess will be a feather in our cap!" the shorter man in black urged before launching an attack on Qing Huangyi.

Meanwhile, Lee Yu, with Qing Anqi in tow, plunged into the water and were swiftly carried away by the current.

Without attempting to navigate, Lee Yu had no idea where the torrent would take them, but getting as far from the scene as possible was paramount.

Buffeted by the rushing water in the pitch-black surroundings, the only sounds were the occasional louder splashes against the stone walls.

After what seemed like an eternity, Lee Yu sensed an increase in the space above them. He quickly pulled Qing Anqi up to the surface for a much-needed breath.

"Are you hurt?" Lee Yu inhaled sharply, his fingers clawing at the smooth stone wall, trying to anchor himself, but he kept slipping. In addition to the pain in his palms, several other parts of his body throbbed with a dull ache.

In the rapid current, even when they spotted protruding rocks ahead, there was no time to react, leaving them no choice but to collide with them head-on.

"I'm okay," Qing Anqi panted, having narrowly escaped suffocation moments earlier.

"I'll untie the rope now—Ahhh!" Lee Yu's cry echoed.

"Ahhh!" That was Qing Anqi's voice.

Lee Yu had just managed to free one hand to release Qing Anqi when suddenly, the current flung his body into the air.

They were both hurled out of the water, plummeting into the depths below.

It took a while, but Lee Yu finally emerged from the deep pool, dragging an unconscious Qing Anqi with him.

"Ptui!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood and looked around. The area was dimly lit by the soft glow of plants scattered around. High up on the cliff face, an irregular hole gushed water into the pool below. That was where they had come from.

Lee Yu wiped the blood from his mouth and checked Qing Anqi for injuries. She had no visible wounds; her unconsciousness was likely due to the impact with the water.

Having taken several Purification Pills, Lee Yu's constitution was significantly stronger. Had he not shielded Qing Anqi from the brunt of the impacts, her condition would have been much worse.

"Whew, what a rush!" Lee Yu said as he untied Qing Anqi and hoisted her onto his shoulder, making his way downstream with uneven steps.

Meanwhile, tension filled the room back at the house, where five or six Fourth Grade masters had gathered. Qing Huangyi might have succumbed to his injuries, but not before he managed to breach a section of the protective formation and send a message out.

Despite the secrecy of the operation within the clan's territory, several Fourth Grade masters were stationed nearby for protection.

After dispatching the intruders, the masters moved to the basement's cavern.

"This cannot go unaddressed. You, report to the County Duke," instructed one of the elders, pointing to an individual. "The rest of you, come with me. We might still have a chance to catch them."

After Qing Huang had broken through the formation, he perished. They suspected that invaders had abducted the two of them!

Aside from Lee Yu's Thunder Bloodline, Qing Anqi's bloodline was Second Grade. This made him a Third Grade master within the Qing's ranks. If anything were to happen to him, the Qing's would struggle to cope with the fallout.

It was an incident that could rock the entire Qing's clan.

At that moment, Lee Yu stood before the branching path, hesitating. "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, catch a tiger by the toe."

He ended up pointing at the fourth fork but chose to take the third one instead.

Opting not to walk along the bank, he waded through the water to avoid leaving any traces.

Shortly after he ventured in, two Fourth Grade experts from the Qing's followed in pursuit. One remarked, "It's unclear how many there are, but they've left no trace."

"Let's try this path; it feels more likely," suggested the other. "We're taking a gamble on our luck here. Splitting up would be too risky."

They darted into the fourth fork.

...

Lee Yu sensed a surge of spiritual energy behind him that made his hair stand on end. Thankfully, he didn't feel anyone closing in. Breathing a sigh of relief, he quickened his pace.

"Ouch, that really hurts!"

Lee Yu clenched his teeth. Unbeknownst to him, his left thigh had been scraped. There was no blood, but the pain was intense.

The water, which had been knee-high, deepened as they progressed, eventually reaching his waist.

Suddenly, Lee Yu's foot slipped, and he plunged into the water with Qing Anqi. A massive suction erupted from a pitch-black hole engulfed by the current.

The hole didn't just draw in the river water; it also gripped Lee Yu and Qing Anqi with an unyielding force. The suction grew increasingly powerful, seemingly determined to swallow them whole.

"Ahhhhh!" Qing Anqi, who had just come to, screamed in the pitch darkness, feeling an unseen force yanking at her. She cried out in terror and flailed desperately.

Lee Yu managed to hold on a bit longer, even grabbing onto a rock that emerged as the water level dropped. With a bit more time, he might have been able to pull Qing Anqi to safety.

Regrettably, Qing Anqi's thrashing sent him tumbling back into the water, where the current swiftly pulled him into an underwater cavern!

"Ahhhhh!" Lee Yu yelled in frustration, "Anqi, you fool!"

...

Their voices reverberated through the cave. The two Fourth Grade masters halted. "Could that be the County Princess's voice?"

"Damn it, who dares to harm our young mistress!" another Fourth Grade master swore. The passage narrowed increasingly, to the point where they couldn't even take flight; they had to sprint on foot. "We need to catch up!"

He tugged on the other master's sleeve, ready to stride forward, but the gravel beneath his feet shifted, causing him to slip and fall. His companion, caught off balance, toppled over as well.

“Ahhhhh!” Caught off guard, both were swept away by the rushing water.