The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Chapter 397: Chapter 384: Completely Hopeless

However, compared to the dazzling flower described in the rumors, the bloom before her seemed quite plain, hardly resembling something of any great significance.

Especially…

Zhuang Qjngning eyed the slightly crooked stem of the flower and walked over with surprise. She crouched down to examine closely the blossoms supposedly formed by a propitious aura.

Grown in a rock crevice and nameless, its appearance unremarkable, it even appeared somewhat wilted now. Its roots were largely concealed by moss in the crevice.

And this moss…

Zhuang Qjngning touched it and studied it carefully.

The moss lacked the sliminess of natural growth, it was somewhat dry. Her fingertips were coated with tiny fragments. The earth with the attached moss was also dry; it seemed like it was dug up and then refilled, so some moss was damaged and had died.

Could it be?

Zhuang Qjngning furrowed her brows, plucked up her courage and reached out to the flower.

With no effort at all, she pulled it out by its roots. Moss from the soil clung to the roots, and fell away easily.

It was now abundantly clear that this flower did not grow naturally here, but was deliberately transplanted.

Someone went to great lengths to transplant a flower here. The rumors of the auspicious transformation of flowers were well known. And then there was the great noise today, followed by the collapse of the cave in the hilk

Zhuang Qjngning was now convinced that it was a human act.

The intention was to bait the targeted person here, and then capture or kill him outright.

What she couldn’t determine now was whether they actually intended to trap her, or if she was just collateral damage.

To her, Zhuang Qjngning felt that even if she had enemies, they should be the kind to directly confront and pick a fight with her, sometimes even trying to sack her – they wouldn’t bother with such an elaborate plan, which carried a high risk of failure.

Then, who…

Who would do this, and for what reason?

Zhuang Qjngning knitted her brows, and then smiled faintly.

This matter, was quite interesting indeed.

However, right now, the most urgent task was figuring out how to get out of this mountain cave.

Zhuang Qjngning looked around, and observed carefully.

Whether it was the crack at the top or the original entrance, the landslide caused by the loud noise blocked all exits. It was impossible for her to shift it with her strength alone.

Moreover, even if Fan Wenxuan and others from outside came to help, they would not be able to shift it either. The only solution would be to slowly chisel through it.

Furthermore, she had yet to hear any call for help from outside, indicating that the narrow exit was sealed tight, and her plea for help probably could not get out.

If that was the case, even if the exit could be blasted open, it would still be a monumental task.

She feared she would not be able to get out for a few months.

The thought of this left Zhuang Qjngning dejected, and she sat down on the ground.

She was doomed to starve to death.

A young woman losing her life in a cave is a tragedy indeed.

[Host, don’t lose heart. The system has entered emergency mode, and thus lets you borrow hard work value to exchange for items.]

(I can provide the food and drinking water you need.]

[If you don’t mind spending money, the system can even provide a bedding rental. However, the rental fee is slightly higher than usual.]

ZhuangQjngning, “…”

Those who knew she was trapped in a cave may empathize with her plight, but those who didn’t may think she was camping!

And your line of thinking is all wrong. Why wait here for help while eating and drinking. Instead of providing some escape gear to help the host get away safely?

[The system does have escape equipment, but because electronic machinery cannot be used, the only thing that can be offered now is the Flying Dragon Claw.]

The image of the Flying Dragon Claw provided by the system flashed through Zhuang Qjngning’s mind.

It was a tool with a hook at the front, which could be used for escape after falling into an unseen cave.

However, to escape using this tool, the first prerequisite was to have a gap to use it.

Seems like there’s no hope.

Zhuang Qjngning just sat down, propping her chin on her hand, watching the strands of sunlight streaming through the crevice at the top of the cave, and yawned.

Meanwhile on the outside, Fan Wenxuan and the others, were cleaning up the debris.

Some servants had even promised money to nearby villagers found at the base of the mountain to assist in moving the rocks.

But the more the debris was cleared, the more difficult it was.

Because the landslide had made the rocks stuck in the crevices so tight, that some were completely shattered and couldn’t be removed at all. Using shovels, wooden bars, smashing and prying indiscriminately, only a few fragments of rock could be removed.

“What do we do now?” Banqing wiped the sweat off his forehead, and looking at the lack of progress after a half day’s work, he was quite dejected. “This is useless.”

“Whether it’s useful or not, doing something is always better than just waiting around.” Fan Wenxuan, drenched in sweat, and with dirt streaking his face from wiping his sweat, looked nothing like the refined scholar he usually was.

“Yes!” Seeing that Fan Wenxuan felt the same, Banqing nodded vigorously and resumed his work.

“Doing this is just pointless efforts, there’s a man in the village who makes firecrackers and also supplies gunpowder for fish blasting. Why don’t we get some and blast open this entrance?” A short, stocky man, who came to work in exchange for money, suggested.

Fan Wenxuan paused the work in his hands and sized the man up. “Blowing it up with gunpowder is not a bad idea, but the mountain is on a slant. If we blast from the bottom, it might cause a complete collapse, making the situation inside even worse.”

If possible, it would be better to place the explosive on the top. This way, when it explodes, even if there are loose rocks on top, the base will not be damaged causing a collapse. Right now, the most crucial point is that we cannot confirm how Zhuang Qjngning is doing inside, and whether she can avoid the blast.”

“If only someone could go up and take a look.”

Fan Wenxuan looked up at the sheer cliffs towering above him and furrowed his brows.

Banqing and the other servants, though they had some martial arts skills and were agile, for such a cliff, one would need to be able to leap across rooftops and vault over walls to get to the top. There was no place to foothold in the middle, making climbing difficult.

The servants glanced at each other and shook their heads in resignation.

“Bring me the rope, I shall try to go up,” Banqing said, and then strung the hemp rope around himself.

Once he was up, he could then lower the rope and bring up the gunpowder.

If not, at the very least, the rope could prevent him from falling to his death.

Seeing Banqing volunteer himself, the crowd hastened to help with the ropes.

“Allow me.”

A crisp voice suddenly rang out. Everyone was taken aback and turned their heads to see a frowning Chu Jinnian.

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