Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 228 Dark Night

The old nun took out a blood-stained jade pendant from her sleeve with trembling hands. It was the one that Hu Bugui had given to Wu Tao before.

"No!" Hu Bugui snatched the jade pendant. The dazzling red on the jade pierced his eyes like a sharp blade. He tightly grasped the jade pendant, his knuckles turned white, and his body was shaky, as if he would collapse at the next moment.

"The princess..." The old nun wanted to say something but was interrupted by Hu Bugui.

"Who is it! Who took her away!" His eyes were bloodshot and he roared like a trapped beast.

The old nun shook her head, her cloudy eyes full of compassion: "Donor, the sea of suffering is endless, it is time to turn back."

Hu Bugui ignored her mysterious words. He held the jade pendant tightly against his chest, stumbled out of the temple, and disappeared into the night. He knew that Wu Tao must still be alive, and he had to find her, even if it cost him anything.

As night fell, Chang'an was shrouded in an eerie silence. Hu Bugui galloped on his horse, replaying every moment he had spent with Wu Tao in his mind. Those sweet memories had now turned into a heart-piercing pain.

"Your Highness, there is an ambush set by the Crown Prince ahead!" The voice of guard Aman came from behind, his tone anxious.

Hu Bugui pulled the reins and looked up, only to see countless archers lurking in the woods on both sides of the road ahead, their flashing cold lights foreshadowing the coming of death.

"Kill!" Hu Bugui did not hesitate at all. He knew that this was an obstacle he had to overcome. For Wu Tao, he was fearless.

Swords flashed and blood flew everywhere. Hu Bugui was like a killer, and wherever his sword touched, the enemies wailed. However, the enemy had a large number of people, and each of them was a well-trained warrior. Hu Bugui and his guards gradually fell into a disadvantage.

"Your Highness, you go first! We will cover your retreat!" A'man desperately protected Hu Bugui, with multiple knife wounds on his body.

"If you want to go, let's go together!" Hu Bugui roared and swung his sword to chop down the enemy in front of him.

However, at this moment, a sharp arrow broke through the air and shot straight at Hu Bugui's back... A feathered arrow, wrapped in a strong wind, shot straight at Hu Bugui's back. At the critical moment, Aman rushed forward and blocked the fatal blow with his body.

"Aman!" Hu Bugui's eyes were red with anger, but he could only watch Aman fall in a pool of blood. Until his death, Aman's eyes were full of loyalty and worry for him.

Hu Bugui, filled with grief and anger, burst out with amazing strength. He wielded his sword like a wounded beast, madly harvesting the lives of the enemies around him. However, two fists were no match for four hands, and he had more and more wounds on his body, and his clothes were stained with blood.

As his consciousness gradually faded, Wu Tao's bright smile appeared before Hu Bugui's eyes, and her clear voice echoed in his ears: "Hu Bugui, you must come back safely!"

"Taotao..." He muttered to himself, his eyes went dark, and he fell to the ground dejectedly.

At the same time, Wu Tao, who was imprisoned deep in the dungeon, had no idea of the bloody storm outside, nor did he know that Hu Bugui was struggling on the brink of life and death.

In the damp and cold dungeon, there was only a dim oil lamp emitting a weak light. Wu Tao curled up in a corner, with cold iron chains binding her hands and feet, and the scars on her body aching slightly.

Despair surged into her heart like a tide. She didn't know how long she could hold on, and she didn't know whether Hu Bugui could find her.

"Am I going to die here?" Wu Tao closed his eyes in despair, tears silently falling.

At this moment, she suddenly felt that the cold wall behind her seemed to be a little strange. She struggled to move her body and carefully felt every bump on the wall with her palm.

Suddenly, her fingers touched a loose brick. She was delighted and pressed hard. With a slight "click", the brick caved in.

A glimmer of hope ignited in Wu Tao's heart. She fumbled to turn the stone bricks, and a secret door on the wall slowly opened, revealing a pitch-black passage.

"Is it a secret passage?" Wu Tao was nervous, yet full of anticipation.

She entered the secret door without hesitation, and the stone door behind her closed silently, as if it had never appeared.

The passage was narrow and damp, so Wu Tao could only hunch over and move forward with difficulty. After walking for an unknown amount of time, he saw a faint light ahead.

Just when she thought she was about to escape, a sinister laugh suddenly came from the front: "It seems that our distinguished guest can't wait to leave."

Wu Tao was startled. With the dim light, she saw clearly the person who was speaking - it was Concubine Li who had flirted with the prince at the palace banquet!

"It's you! What do you want to do?" Wu Tao asked vigilantly, with an ominous premonition in his heart.

Concubine Li smiled softly, her eyes flashing with evil: "Of course I'm giving you a great gift, so that you and your lover can be a pair of desperate mandarin ducks on the road to the underworld!"

After saying that, she clapped her hands, and suddenly several black-clad assassins emerged from both sides of the passage and surrounded Wu Tao.

Wu Tao closed her eyes in despair. Could it be that she could not escape the trick of fate?

Wu Tao closed her eyes in despair, and Concubine Li's cold laughter echoed in her ears. The shadow of death loomed over her. Was it true that she and Hu Bugui would be separated by the Yin and Yang?

"Wait!" Wu Tao suddenly opened his eyes, and a flash of inspiration flashed through his mind. "Empress Li, do you really think that you can rest easy if you kill us? Aren't you afraid that the truth will be revealed and you will get into trouble?"

Concubine Li was obviously stumped by Wu Tao's sudden question. She frowned slightly, and a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.

Wu Tao struck while the iron was hot and continued, "I know what you want. You want that thing, right?"

Concubine Li's pupils shrank suddenly, and she asked sternly, "What do you know?"

Wu Tao did not answer directly, but pointed to the depths of the passage and said mysteriously: "I know the secret is hidden there. It is something more important than your life. Don't you want to get it?"

Concubine Li was obviously shaken by Wu Tao's words. She waved away the assassins around her and signaled them to retreat first.

Wu Tao took a deep breath, pretended to be calm and walked in front of Concubine Li, lowered his voice and said, "I can tell you the secret, but you must promise me to let Hu Bugui and I leave."

Concubine Li looked at Wu Tao suspiciously, as if she was weighing the pros and cons.

Wu Tao knew that she only had one chance. She pointed to a stone door at the end of the passage and said slowly, "The secret is hidden behind that stone door. It's a device for... traveling through time and space."

"Travel through time and space?" Concubine Li covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes full of disbelief.

Wu Tao nodded and continued to weave lies: "I know this sounds incredible, but it's true. I know how to activate that device. I can take you back to the past and change everything you want to change."

Concubine Li has been completely fascinated by the future described by Wu Tao, and she can't wait to know more about the secrets of time travel.

Wu Tao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she was safe for the time being.

……

At the same time, Hu Bugui, who was in a coma, was awakened by a crisp bird song. He slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a simple wooden house.

"Are you awake?" an old voice sounded.

Hu Bugui turned his head and saw a white-haired old man sitting beside the bed, looking at him kindly.

"Old man, were you the one who saved me?" Hu Bugui struggled to get up, but found that he was sore and weak all over.

"Kid, your wounds haven't healed yet, don't move." The old man held Hu Bugui's shoulders and motioned him to lie down. "My name is Sun Simiao, you can just call me Old Man Sun."

"Sun Simiao?" Hu Bugui was shocked. He was not unfamiliar with this name. He was the famous "King of Medicine" in history!

Sun Simiao seemed to see through Hu Bugui's thoughts. He stroked his beard and smiled, "It seems that you have also heard of my name. Don't worry, I have cured your injury. You just need to rest for a while."

Hu Bugui nodded gratefully, and then seemed to remember something and asked anxiously: "Mr. Sun, have you ever seen a girl? She..."

Hu Bugui described Wu Tao's facial features.

Sun Simiao pondered for a moment and shook his head: "I have been collecting herbs in the mountains all this time, and I have not seen the girl you mentioned."

Hu Bugui's heart sank, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

Sun Simiao comforted her, "Don't worry, kid. Good things will come to you. The girl will be fine."

Hu Bugui knew that Sun Simiao was comforting him, but he was filled with uneasiness. He had to find Wu Tao as soon as possible, otherwise he didn't know what else he would do.

"Mr. Sun, thank you for saving my life. I have important things to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." Hu Bugui struggled to get up and bowed deeply to Sun Simiao.

Sun Simiao did not stop him. He handed Hu Bugui a package and said, "There is some dry food and water in it. Take it with you on the road."

Hu Bugui took the package, thanked Sun Simiao again, and then walked out of the cabin without looking back.

He didn't know where to find Wu Tao, but he had only one belief in his heart, that is to find him alive or dead!

Wu Tao used Concubine Li's desire to travel through time and space to successfully delay time. She carefully observed the patterns on the stone door, trying to find some clues from them.

Suddenly, she found that the pattern on the stone gate seemed very similar to a Tang Dynasty star map she had seen in a modern museum.

"Could it be..." Wu Tao's heart moved, and a bold idea emerged in her mind.

She used the astronomical knowledge she had learned in modern times to compare the star map on the stone gate with the modern star map, trying to find the code to open the stone gate.

After some attempts, the stone door finally opened slowly, revealing a dark cave.

Wu Tao was both excited and nervous. She didn't know what was waiting for her, but there was no turning back.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the cave resolutely.

"Om-"

Wu Tao felt dizzy and his eyes went dark, and he lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar place.

"Where is this..." Wu Tao looked around, his heart full of confusion and uneasiness.

"It seems that you have successfully activated the device." A cold voice sounded from behind her.

Wu Tao turned around suddenly and saw a mysterious man in a black cloak standing behind her. He had a silver mask on his face, so his real appearance could not be seen clearly.

"Who are you? Where is this place?" Wu Tao asked vigilantly.

The mysterious man sneered and said, "It doesn't matter where you are. What matters is that you have successfully opened the door to another world."

"Another world?" Wu Tao was shocked. "Who are you? What do you want to do?"

The mysterious man did not answer Wu Tao's question, but said to himself: "You want to return to your world, right? I can help you, but you have to agree to one condition of mine."

Wu Tao had a bad feeling in her heart, and she asked, "What are the conditions?"

The mysterious man pointed to a tall tower in the distance and said, "I want you to help me find someone."

Wu Tao followed the star map on the stone door and pressed her palm on the groove in the center of the stone door. She felt a warm touch. Then, the ancient runes on the stone door seemed to be activated and lit up one by one, emitting a faint light. Wu Tao felt a powerful energy gathering, and she knew that the time travel was about to begin.

However, when Wu Tao was ready to concentrate on setting the destination, he found that he could not control the direction of this energy at all. The device seemed to have its own consciousness, and the destination it chose was not the modern time that Wu Tao was familiar with, but another unknown time and space.

"No! Wait..." Wu Tao tried to withdraw his hand in fear, but found that his palm seemed to be sucked in and could not move. At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps came from outside the cave, accompanied by Hu Bugui's anxious shout: "Wu Tao! Where are you?"

Wu Tao was delighted and shouted with all his might: "I'm here! I'm here!"

The next second, Hu Bugui appeared at the entrance of the cave. He saw Wu Tao trapped in the device at a glance. Without thinking, he rushed forward and hugged her tightly in his arms.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." Hu Bugui's voice rang in Wu Tao's ears, bringing a reassuring force. Wu Tao tightly grasped Hu Bugui's sleeve, as if grasping the last straw, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

However, before the two could enjoy a moment of tenderness, the device suddenly burst into a dazzling light, completely covering the two. Wu Tao felt dizzy, and his ears were filled with all kinds of strange sounds, like calls from ancient times, and whispers from the future.

When everything calmed down and the light faded, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui found themselves in a completely unfamiliar place. Everything in front of them stunned them: towering buildings, strange-looking vehicles, and those passers-by in strange clothes and hurrying around...

"This...what is this place?" Wu Tao murmured to himself, his heart full of confusion and uneasiness.

Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand tightly, his eyes firm: "No matter where this is, I will stay with you."

The unknown journey has just begun...