The frail counselor you said, you fight against three heroes alone?

Seeing this, the man in white raised the corners of his mouth slightly and revealed a gentle smile.

He did not take the handkerchief, but gently held Xiaohong's hand. The warm touch made Xiaohong's heartbeat suddenly accelerate, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

The man in white looked at her, the tenderness in his eyes almost overflowing, and there was a hint of ambiguity in the air.

When the surrounding villagers saw this scene, they all smiled knowingly, and some even started to cheer softly, making the atmosphere warm and pleasant.

The man in white looked around and said in a clear voice with a hint of smile, "Everyone, now that the map has been found, we can continue on our journey."

Just as everyone was about to start a new journey according to the instructions on the map, Elder Chen suddenly exclaimed, "Wait!" He walked eagerly to the white-clothed man, staring at the map in his hand with a serious expression, "This... the mark on this map doesn't seem to be what we have here..."

Inspired by the man in white, everyone suppressed their doubts, followed Elder Chen's guidance, and embarked on a new journey.

They climbed over mountains and passed through dense forests, and finally came to a hidden valley surrounded by mountains.

What comes into view is an ancient and mysterious relic, standing there quietly, as if it has been sleeping for thousands of years.

The mottled stone walls are covered with moss, revealing the traces of time, and the huge stone pillars towering into the sky make people feel insignificant.

Powerful power fluctuations emanated from the surroundings of the ruins, and a heart-pounding sense of oppression permeated the air, as if one were in ancient times.

The appearance of the ruins shocked everyone, making them excited but also a little uneasy.

The villagers, who had never seen such a scene, had awe written all over their faces and walked cautiously for fear of disturbing the tranquility here.

Xiaohong and Luo Xiaoyu looked at each other, their eyes showing both anticipation for the unknown and a hint of worry.

They followed the man in white closely, not daring to leave for a moment.

At the entrance to the ruins is a stone door half a person's height with strange runes carved on it, emitting a faint light.

The stone door was tightly closed, as if guarding the secret inside.

The man in white raised his hand gently, and a ray of white light shot towards the stone door. The stone door slowly opened, making a heavy friction sound that echoed between the valleys, sounding creepy.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to breathe, and carefully stepped into the gate of the ruins.

However, just as everyone entered the ruins, there was a loud "boom" and the stone door suddenly closed, isolating them from the outside world.

At the same time, the air around seemed to solidify, and a suffocating feeling of oppression came over, making people feel creepy.

There were disturbing whispers in my ears, like ghosts wandering in the darkness, making me shudder.

Luo Xiaoyu screamed in fright, grabbed Xiaohong's arm tightly, her face pale.

Xiaohong also had a look of fear on her face. She felt as if something was swimming in the darkness, and the cold touch made her hair stand on end.

"Be careful!" the man in white warned in a low voice. Although his voice was calm, it carried an unquestionable power.

The darkness swallowed everything, and it was pitch dark.

Xiaohong, Luo Xiaoyu, Grandma Lin, Doctor Zhang, and even the usually calm man in white, felt an inexplicable fear.

They stood back to back, looking around vigilantly, trying to catch a ray of light, a glimmer of hope in the thick darkness.

There was a cold feeling in the air, as if countless pairs of eyes were watching them.

"Rustle..." The strange sound was getting closer and closer, like countless poisonous snakes spitting out their tongues in the ears, making people feel creepy.

Everyone's heartbeat quickened, like beating drums, making their eardrums buzz.

Luo Xiaoyu held the dagger tightly in her hand. The sharp blade hurt her palm, but she did not relax at all. Instead, she became more determined.

She took a deep breath, trying to control her trembling body, preparing to face the impending danger.

Suddenly, a black shadow rushed out from the darkness, as fast as lightning!

With a flash of cold light, a sharp blade pierced Luo Xiaoyu!

"Ah!" Luo Xiaoyu screamed and instinctively dodged backwards, barely avoiding the fatal blow.

Shadow Assassin!

They showed up!
"Protect everyone!" The man in white shouted in a low voice, and floated towards the assassin like a ghost, waving the sword in his hand, bringing up a silver light.

Doctor Zhang also joined the battle without hesitation, wielding the medicine hoe in his hand with great vigor and actually blocked a few attacks.

Blacksmith Zhao swung the hammer with great force, and each blow was as powerful as thunder.

Li the Hunter's hunting knife flashed coldly in the darkness, and every attack was precise and ruthless.

Even the elderly Elder Chen, leaning on a cane, used all he had learned in his life to try to interfere with the assassin's actions.

However, these assassins were so agile that they were like ghosts in the darkness, erratic and elusive.

Their attacks were fierce and deadly, and every move was filled with murderous intent.

Although everyone fought hard, they were still gradually losing the upper hand.

Just then, a cry of "Ouch!" broke the sound of fierce fighting.

Granny Lin lost her balance and fell to the ground!
Upon seeing this, an assassin immediately raised the sharp blade in his hand and stabbed Granny Lin...

"Grandma!" Xiaohong shouted in horror.

At the critical moment, Xiaohong rushed towards Grandma Lin desperately, trying to use her body to block the assassin's attack.

However, another assassin suddenly appeared and blocked her way, forcing her to retreat repeatedly with the sharp blade.

"Grandma!" Xiaohong cried in despair, watching the assassin's sharp blade stabbing towards Grandma Lin.

Everyone's heart sank, as if they had fallen into an icy abyss.

Is Granny Lin going to die here?
At this desperate moment, a dark shadow flashed by.

Li the Hunter had somehow gotten behind the assassin, and he suddenly threw the hunting knife in his hand, hitting the assassin right in the back!

The assassin screamed and fell to the ground.

Granny Lin sat on the ground in a daze, watching death pass by so close, still in shock.

Everyone looked at Li the Hunter in surprise. They didn't expect that it was him who saved Grandma Lin's life at this critical moment.

"Brother Li, well done!" Luo Xiaoyu shouted excitedly.

Li the Hunter scratched his head and smiled innocently: "I just... just don't want to see my mother-in-law get hurt."

Taking advantage of the moment when the assassin fell to the ground, everyone quickly adjusted their formation and protected Grandma Lin behind them.

Doctor Zhang hurried forward to check on Grandma Lin's injuries, and only felt relieved after confirming that she was just a little frightened and was not seriously injured.

"Who are these assassins?" Xiaohong grabbed the sleeve of the man in white tightly and asked in a trembling voice.

The man in white gently patted her hand and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you." He raised his head, his eyes like torches, scanning the darkness around him, and said in a deep voice, "Their attack pattern... seems somewhat familiar..."

The words of the man in white woke everyone up.

They began to observe the assassin's attack methods carefully and indeed discovered some patterns.

Although the assassins' moves were fierce, they were somewhat rigid and lacked variety, and they seemed to be particularly afraid of fire.

Realizing this, Doctor Zhang immediately took out a tinderbox from his medicine box and lit a torch.

The fire dispelled the surrounding darkness and illuminated the assassin's face.

Their faces were pale, their eyes were empty, and they looked like zombies.

"They... don't seem to be alive!" Luo Xiaoyu exclaimed.

"Perhaps they are controlled by some kind of evil magic." Elder Chen said in a deep voice, "We must find the source of their control before we can completely solve the problem."

With the firelight, everyone was no longer as passive as before.

They took advantage of the torches and forced the assassins to retreat again and again.

Every swing of Blacksmith Zhao's hammer was accompanied by a burning flame, forcing the assassin to stay away.

Li the Hunter's hunting knife flashed brightly in the firelight, and every attack was precise and deadly.

Even Granny Lin picked up stones from the ground and threw them at the assassin to cheer for everyone.

The assassins were defeated one after another, and their originally fierce offensive became chaotic.

They seemed to have an instinctive fear of fire and dared not approach it, so they could only dodge around.

Seeing this scene, everyone showed confident smiles on their faces.

They fought more and more courageously, forcing the assassin into a desperate situation.

"Ah!" With a scream, an assassin was hit by Zhao the Blacksmith's hammer and fell to the ground, turning into a black shadow and disappearing. Seeing this, the other assassins were terrified and turned around to flee.

"Chase!" The man in white gave an order and everyone immediately chased after him.

During the pursuit, the man in white always stayed by Xiaohong's side, blocking obstacles for her along the way.

Xiaohong looked at him gratefully. The man in white touched her head and smiled gently.

When other people saw this scene, they all smiled with relief.

Suddenly, the man in white stopped and looked forward with a serious look.

"Wait..." he said in a deep voice, "There seems to be something in front..."

The crowd chased the fleeing shadow assassin, passed through a deep corridor, turned a corner, and the view in front of them suddenly opened up.

A spacious stone chamber appeared in front of everyone. The stone walls were inlaid with luminous pearls, emitting a soft light that illuminated the entire chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, there is a huge bronze treasure chest carved with intricate patterns, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere.

"Treasure!" Luo Xiaoyu exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

The others were also stunned by the scene before them and forgot to chase the assassin for a moment.

They had never seen such a magnificent treasure chest and their hearts were filled with excitement and anticipation.

However, the treasure chest was surrounded by a layer of light blue light curtain, like an indestructible barrier, protecting the treasure chest firmly.

"Is this... a seal?" Elder Chen narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the light curtain, and said in a deep voice, "It seems that this treasure is not easy to obtain."

Everyone circled around the treasure chest several times, their faces filled with anticipation and helplessness.

They longed to get the treasure in the treasure chest, but were helpless against the mysterious seal.

Doctor Zhang tried to touch the light curtain with his hand, but was bounced back by a powerful force.

"This seal is very strong, we must be careful." He rubbed his numb hands and reminded everyone.

The seal emits a flickering blue light, like breathing, full of a mysterious aura.

Everyone held their breath and watched this magical scene, their hearts filled with tension and anticipation.

They know that behind this seal lies greater challenges and opportunities.

Suddenly, Elder Chen pointed to a groove on the top of the treasure chest and said excitedly: "Look! It seems that you can put something there!" Everyone looked in the direction of his finger and found that there was indeed a peculiarly shaped groove on the top of the treasure chest.

"Could it be the keyhole?" Xiaohong guessed.

"Maybe..." The man in white pondered for a moment, took out a jade pendant from his arms, and tried to put it into the groove.

The jade pendant fits the groove perfectly!
At the moment the jade pendant was embedded in the groove, the light of the seal suddenly became brighter, and the entire stone chamber began to tremble slightly.

Everyone was startled and realized that something was wrong.

"Boom..." With a loud noise, the ground of the stone chamber suddenly cracked, and countless sharp spikes stretched out from the cracks and attacked everyone!

"Be careful!" The man in white pulled Xiaohong over and avoided the attack of the spikes.

Others also dodged, and the stone chamber suddenly became chaotic.

A trap! They triggered it!

The moment the jade pendant was embedded in the groove, the stone chamber shook violently, the ground cracked, and countless spikes sprang out like poisonous snakes, heading straight for everyone!
"Be careful!" The man in white growled and pulled Xiaohong to dodge. The spikes brushed past the corner of her clothes, leaving behind a heart-pounding sound of breaking through the air.

In the stone chamber, screams and sounds of breaking air were intertwined, and everyone dodged left and right under the shadow of death.

Xiaohong's face turned pale as she stared in horror at the spikes that kept appearing. Her heart was beating wildly as if it was about to jump out of her throat.

Luo Xiaoyu waved the dagger in her hand, chopping at the approaching spikes, sparks flying everywhere.

The attacks of the traps became more and more fierce, and the spikes fell like raindrops. Everyone was exhausted and their clothes were soaked with sweat.

Luo Xiaoyu staggered and was nearly pierced through the ankle by a sharp spike. She gritted her teeth and rolled to avoid it. Just when everyone was about to collapse, an old voice echoed in the stone chamber: "Stop!"

With a flash of light, a mysterious old man in a gray robe appeared in the center of the stone chamber. He slowly raised his hand, and the cracks on the ground quickly closed, and the spikes disappeared.

The old man looked at everyone with a sharp gaze and said, "If you want to get the treasure here, you must pass my test." Everyone looked at each other. This sudden test caught them off guard.

The old man's test is extremely difficult, requiring them to solve a series of ancient puzzles, and any carelessness will trigger new traps.

Everyone looked troubled; this test was far more severe than they had imagined.

"We can't give up!" Luo Xiaoyu was the first to stand up, and said firmly, "In order to find the treasure, we must accept the test!" The others also nodded and encouraged each other. The old man nodded slightly and said slowly: "Very good, your courage is commendable. Now, I ask you..." Elder Chen took a step forward and prepared to answer the old man's first question, but...

Elder Chen took a step forward, took a deep breath, and slowly gave the answer.

However, just as he finished his words, a shrill alarm sounded in the stone chamber, a red light enveloped Elder Chen, and an invisible force bound him to the spot.

Elder Chen roared in pain, his body shaking violently, and strange red lines appeared on his skin, as if magma was flowing in his blood vessels, burning every inch of his skin.

Sweat instantly soaked his clothes, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. He clenched his teeth but could not suppress his groans of pain.

Everyone watched this scene in horror, but could do nothing.

Luo Xiaoyu wanted to rush forward, but was held back by the man in white: "Don't be impulsive! This is a test from the old man, we can't interfere!" Xiaohong covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. Looking at Elder Chen's painful appearance, her heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, and she could hardly breathe.

The air around seemed to freeze, making it suffocating.

Everyone felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar, so heavy that they were unable to speak.

Just when everyone thought that Elder Chen was about to be eliminated, something strange happened.

Elder Chen's painful groans gradually weakened, replaced by low chants.

He slowly closed his eyes and formed a strange seal with his hands. The red lines on his body began to fade away, replaced by a faint golden light.

A powerful energy wave emanated from him, impacting the surrounding air and making a buzzing sound.

Everyone looked at this scene in surprise. Elder Chen slowly opened his eyes, with wisdom flashing in his eyes.

He took a deep breath and spoke again. This time, his voice was full of power: "The answer is..."

"Wait!" The old man suddenly spoke, interrupting Elder Chen.

But this is just the beginning...

"

Elder Chen gave the final answer accurately.

The old man nodded approvingly: "Well, you passed my test." He waved his hand, and the stone door slowly opened, revealing the passage leading to the treasure room.

Golden light poured out from the crack in the door, illuminating everyone's faces and igniting the hope in their hearts.

Everyone successfully passed all the tests of the mysterious old man.

The old man recognized their wisdom and perseverance and opened the treasure chamber.

The heavy stone door made a deafening friction sound and slowly opened to both sides. An ancient and mysterious atmosphere blew in, making people feel relaxed and happy.

What appeared before everyone's eyes was a magnificent secret room.

Countless treasures piled up like mountains, sparkling with dazzling light.

The light of the gemstone shone on everyone's faces, reflecting the surprise and excitement in their eyes.

A powerful force surged in the secret room, as if waiting to be awakened.

Everyone couldn't help but hold their breath, feeling this shocking power.

"We succeeded!" Luo Xiaoyu cheered excitedly, and her voice echoed in the secret room.

Others also smiled with joy, and cheers and laughter mixed together to celebrate their victory.

They couldn't wait to walk into the secret room and enjoy this hard-earned joy.

The man in white gently took Xiaohong's hand, walked into the secret room, and swept his eyes over the dazzling array of treasures.

The two of them whispered to each other from time to time. The man in white picked up a jade pendant that emitted a soft glow and handed it to Xiaohong: "I'll give it to you." Xiaohong took the jade pendant shyly, snuggled gently in the arms of the man in white, a happy smile on her face.

When the people around saw this scene, they all smiled with blessings, and the air was filled with a sweet atmosphere.

"We should go back." Elder Chen looked at everyone and said softly.

Everyone nodded, and left the secret room with a lot of gains. (End of this chapter)