Chapter 645: Escape

Chapter 645: Escape

Before Chu Xiaozi could react, the two hands beside her suddenly grabbed the adjacent bars and started to pull.

At first, she thought it was some unfamiliar young man beside her, now trying to bend the bars open.

But as the veins on those hands bulged and the bars began to deform bit by bit, her eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"You..."

When she saw who it was beside her, her jaw nearly dropped: "Brother Hua, what..."

Hua Qingyun didn’t say a word.

But as he exerted his strength, his robe, hastily tied, came undone again, revealing the bulging muscles beneath.

Chu Xiaozi finally realized why his soft, scholarly face was paired with such a muscular physique!

Looking at Shu Mo beside him, who acted like it was nothing, she suddenly felt like the clueless one.

How could the Hua family be so at ease letting Hua Qingyun travel around? It was because he was a total badass!

And her.

She was still stuck on the memory of the scene in Jiuyuan Pass where the two of them were cornered by a group of refugees, thinking Hua Qingyun was just some weak noble.

Now thinking back, he must’ve gotten trapped back then to protect his books and notes...

Who knew that under those plain clothes was such a body?

She was stunned, while beside her, Hua Qingyun, under the astonished gazes of all the young men, forced open a gap just big enough for one person.

He let out a slow breath, and without resting, went to the side and forced open two more gaps.

"Stay close behind me, and leave with the three of us. Don't run off."

The young men, already freaking out, immediately started nodding like crazy upon seeing his capabilities.

Under the three passages, they quickly filed out one by one.

Once out, they instinctively made a beeline for the exit.

But Hua Qingyun and Chu Xiaozi both turned their attention to the other three cells.

After Hua Qingyun opened passages for each of them, he was finally breathing a little harder.

The naked young men in the three cells looked at this group of newcomers, their dead eyes met, and finally, a spark of emotion flickered.

"Come out quickly!" the newly arrived young men urged, anxious to leave, "Do you want to stay here and wait for death?"

Under their voices, those young men finally began to rise and rush out.

Like a spark to dry grass, the once numb young men began to push and shove their way out.

Only after everyone had emerged did Hua Qingyun, Chu Xiaozi, and Shu Mo lead them towards the entrance they had come from.

The door outside was locked.

Shu Mo was drenched in sweat: "What the hell do we do now!"

Even if the young master had superhuman strength, he couldn’t budge such a massive door!

Chu Xiaozi eyed the lock on the door and once again pulled out the wire she had used earlier. "Let me try," she said.

Her hands, gripping the wire, were slick with sweat.

Hua Qingyun, standing beside her, said, "Take it easy, Brother Chu, no need to rush."

Chu Xiaozi’s racing heart slowly steadied. She concentrated, using every trick she knew to pick the lock.

Finally, the lock clicked open. As soon as she succeeded, she heard guards approaching. Her heart pounded as she quickly disengaged the lock and shoved the door open.

Only two guards were outside, fewer than before. The others must have gone to join the fight.

The young men cowered in fear, but Hua Qingyun stepped up without a second thought.

Both sides were clearly skilled, moving fast and hard. But Hua Qingyun’s superior skills quickly took down the two guards.

They pressed on without delay. But halfway through the two-level passage, they froze.

The stairway they’d used earlier was now sealed shut! The seal blended perfectly with the floor, making it almost undetectable. The exit seemed to vanish into the floor above. Even if someone walked over it, they’d miss the hidden passage.

Chu Xiaozi broke out in a cold sweat. The seamless tiles made her lock-picking skills useless.

If Tuoba Xiao and his men couldn’t find this entrance or break into the sanctuary, they’d be done for if the Holy Order caught them escaping.

"What now? They’ll kill us…" one of the young men who had been here before began to cry.

Chu Xiaozi, now fluent in Dongrong, was already overwhelmed. Hearing him cry, she snapped harshly, "Shut up! Do you think staying here will save you from being killed?"

The boy on the jade platform was proof enough of what awaited the others here.

The young man, frightened by her tone, finally fell silent, preventing more from breaking into tears.

Chu Xiaozi was still deep in thought.

Meanwhile, Hua Qingyun was examining the walls around them.

Then, he suddenly walked toward the tightly sealed exit.

Just as Chu Xiaozi was about to say something, she saw him press one of the floor tiles. The seamless, tightly shut passage made a sound and abruptly opened.

"It’s open!" Shu Mo exclaimed excitedly.

The young men were nearly overcome with joy. In this critical moment, they hadn’t even considered the possibility of a hidden mechanism.

Chu Xiaozi had thought of it, but at a glance, there was nothing that could serve as a switch, so she had assumed it was located outside.

She couldn’t fathom how Hua Qingyun spotted the right tile so quickly.

As Hua Qingyun and the others stepped out first, they realized there were no guards on this level at all.

However, when they finally reached the exit leading to the surface, they encountered the same situation once more.

Everyone was looking at Hua Qingyun.

However, after carefully examining the area for a while, Hua Qingyun finally gave an answer that was hard for everyone to accept: "The mechanism is likely outside."

The young men were immediately terrified.

Chu Xiaozi also climbed up and inspected the area, but found nothing suspicious. Seeing the ground was seamless, as if it were one solid piece, she slammed the wall in frustration.

"Those heartless bastards!"

Of course, it was obvious.

Since the Holy Sect dared to do such shocking and disgusting things, how could they not hide them well?

But as time passed minute by minute, it was pure agony for those below.

"What should we do..."

"Heroes, please come up with another plan..."

Helpless, the young men began to sob again.

Chu Xiaozi lost her patience: "All you do is cry, cry, cry. If you can't help, at least don't make it worse!"